Usually in the summer, I stay in the countryside in a small village. Last year, I decided to practise namaskara. So every day, as I was walking my dog, I greeted everyone I met with a big smile and the thought, ‘I bow to the Divine in you’.
People looked surprised, but usually they smiled back. After one week or so, I began to feel awkward. Unknown people from the village began to ask me to drop in for a coffee or a chat. They started to give me cucumbers, tomatoes and other vegetables from their gardens. They wanted to talk to me, become friends and have contact. Slowly I realized that this must be the result of the practice of namaskara.
To tell the truth, I did not feel like being so close with all the people in the village. I decided to continue with the big smile, yet I greeted the Divine only in those who looked angry and sad.