Meet the Five Tibetans...

Don't you just love a day when you learn about something entirely new...something you have never heard of before...and that once having learned what it is...you want to make it part of your life?

That's how I feel after hearing about The Five Tibetans yesterday during the beginning of my weekly yoga class at Inner Reaches Yoga Studio in Gaithersburg. A fellow student was sharing her experience with doing a short series of 5 exercises each morning. She said these exercises are associated with increased vitality, and with fighting off aging and that she has been practicing them for a month and is starting to see great benefits. She then demonstrated for us what the exercises were...and I was intrigued as they seem so simple. Each of the 5 exercises are to be performed 21 times...21 being the optimal number to get maximum benefit.

I've since learned a little bit more about the series of movements now known as The Five Tibetan Rites...here is what Wikipedia has to say:

The Five Tibetan Rites is a system of exercises reported to be more than 2,500 years old^[1] which were first publicized by Peter Kelder in a 1939 publication entitled The Eye of Revelation.^[2] Although practically nothing is known about Kelder,^[2] one source reports that Kelder was raised as an adopted child in the midwestern United States, and left home while still in his teens in search of adventure.^[3] In the 1930s, Kelder claims to have met, in southern California, a retired British army colonel who shared with him stories of travel and the subsequent discovery of the Rites.^[2][4][5] Originally written as a 32-page booklet,^[4] the publication is the result of Kelder's conversations with the colonel.^[2][4][5] The Rites are said to be a form of Tibetan yoga similar to the more well-known yoga series that originated in India.^[6] However, the Five Rites and traditional Tibetan yoga both emphasize "a continuous sequence of movement", whereas Indian forms focus on "static positions". Although the Rites have circulated amongst yogis for decades, skeptics say that Tibetans have never recognized them as being authentic Tibetan practices.^[6]

Here are a basic outline of the rites, along with simple graphics on how to perform the movements. There are a number of other resources if you google "5 Tibetans" and even some interesting short clips on Youtube if you want more info. I'm going to give it a try!

Why not you too?

• First Rite

Clockwise spinning: inhale and exhale deeply as you spin.

• Second Rite

Inhale deeply while lifting the head and legs; exhale while lowering the head and legs.

• Third Rite

Inhale as the spine arches back; exhale as the spine returns to an erect position.

• Fourth Rite

Inhale while rising up; hold the breath while in the top position and tense the muscles; exhale while returning to the starting position.

• Fifth Rite

Inhale while raising the body; exhale while lowering the body.

Here is another link that gives more information on the practice and a suggested program for starting out slowly. Do let me know if you start doing them too!

Good Luck!