The Personal Development Institute is
dedicated to motivating people to discover and use more of their
potential. And awaken people to a new way of thinking about what it takes to
make life more rewarding and fulfilling. Please Remember: Do the five
Rites of Rejuvenation Exercises with JOY.
The
five Rites of Rejuvenation are described extensively in the book 'Ancient Secret
of the Fountain of Youth' (1985) by Peter Kelder or in 'The Eye of
Revelation',
as it was originally known (1939).
The movements known as the
Five
Tibetan Rites
were initially introduced into Western society by a British soldier at the end
of the 19th century. He learned them from the Dalai Lama while he was staying at
a Tibetan monastery.
Each of the five
movements below can be performed from one to 21 times, whenever you feel the
need to de-stress and re-energize. Find a quiet place, turn off the phone and
put on comfortable clothes that don't restrict your movement. After each
movement, close your eyes and stand with your feet hip distance apart, hands on
hips. Form an "O" with your lips as you slowly inhale and exhale for
two breaths.
Donald Carty has, like
many others, practiced them for some time and found them beneficial. For this
reason he would like to share them with visitors to his site.
The story goes that
Tibetan Buddhist monks in a remote and isolated monastery in the Himalayas
have practiced these five exercises for thousands of years to help them live
long and healthy lives.
The five exercises are
easy to do and produce an alert feeling in both body and mind. You are advised
to start gently, doing only what is easy and comfortable for you, and to build
up the number of repetitions of each exercise gradually. The
process should normally take 2- 3 weeks in order to accustom the body to
these movements.
Performing the five
rites with 21 repetitions each will take you from 10 to 20 minutes.
A good time to
practice the rites is in the morning, after of before taking a shower. You will
find that practicing the five Tibetans in the morning will make you feel more
energetic and fresh during the rest of the day. You will also experience greater
mental alertness during your daily activities. I have also found great benefits
in performing the five Tibetans another time, before the evening, when most of
us come back home. It will leave you feel better for the rest of the day, and
improve the quality of your sleep.
It is best to do all five exercises one after the other in the order given
below. And to practice them every day.
Do the five Rites exercises every day. The maximum you should skip is one day
each week. If the exercises are done less than six days each week, the results
will be greatly reduced.
If you are not used to exercise or have not been formally introduced to yoga
techniques of breathing and relaxation, then your first tip is to start out
slowly. Start by performing one to three repetitions of each of the movements
one time each day. Pay attention to what your body is telling you and do not
strain or force any position that causes pain that indicates possible injury. A
little soreness is perfectly okay but really you should start out slow enough
not to have any physical hindrances the following day.
An important part of the Tibetan
exercises is a conscious synchronization of breathing while performing physical
activity. Before beginning the exercises, practice the basic4 - stage
breathing technique.
Inhale.
Hold filled lungs.
Exhale.
Hold empty lungs.
SPECIAL CAUTION: Spinning and
stretching through the following exercises can aggravate certain health
conditions such as any type of heart problem, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's
Disease, severe arthritis of the spine, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a
hyperthyroid condition, or vertigo. Problems may also be caused if you are
taking drugs that cause dizziness. Please consult your physician prior to
beginning these exercises if you have any difficult health issues or if you
have any other concerns.
Remember: Do the exercises with JOY!
Exercise
one: Twirling
1. Stand
up, stretch out your arms at shoulder height and start to spin by turning
clockwise (to the right).
To avoid dizziness, do what dancers and figure skaters do. Before you
begin to spin, focus your vision on a single point straight ahead.
As you begin to turn, continue to hold your vision on that point for as
long as possible. Eventually, you will have to let it leave your field of
vision, so that your head can spin around with the rest of your body.
When this happens, turn your head quickly and refocus on your point as
soon as you can. Holding your vision on the fixed reference point helps to
stop you becoming disoriented and dizzy.
Start
by doing not more than 2 or 3 twirls and build up gradually
over a period of 2 or 3 weeks to 21 twirls a day.
2. Lie flat on your back
on a firm surface with your hands by your sides and palms down.
Breathing in, raise your legs straight up into the air.
At the same time, lift your head up as if you were going to touch your
head to your knees. Keep your legs straight.
If possible, let your legs extend back over your body, towards your head,
but do not let your knees bend.
Then, slowly lower both your head and legs (keeping the knees straight) to
the floor and breathe out.
Allow all your muscles to relax and rest before repeating the movement.
Allow
all the muscles to relax, continue breathing in the same rhythm. Breathe
in deeply as you lift your legs and breathe out as you lower your legs.Then repeat the sequence 2 or 3 times and build up gradually,
over a period of 2 or 3 weeks, to a total of 21
repetitions.
Exercise two: Head and Leg Raises
Exercise
three: Back Arches
3. On a carpeted
floor, kneel with your body erect and your knees directly under your hips.
Bend your head and neck forward, tucking the chin against the chest and
place your hands at the back of your thighs below the buttocks. Curl your toes under, and arch your back as you inhale, letting
your head drop as far back as is comfortable.
Keep your thighs in a vertical position and avoid strain. Return to
the original position and breathe out. Rest before repeating the
procedure.
Breathe
in deeply as you arch the spine, breathe out as you return to an erect
position.
Repeat this 2 or 3 times and build up gradually over a
period of 2 or 3 weeks to a total of 21 repetitions.
4. Sit with your legs
straight out in front of you with your feet flexed, and
your palms flat on the floor by your sides next to
your hips, with fingertips pointing toward toes.
Bend your head forward and, as you breathe in, raise your knees and
buttocks up in the air making your thighs parallel with the floor and your
calves perpendicular to the floor.
Then allow your head to stretch backwards just far enough to make your
body, from the shoulders to the knees, parallel to the floor like a
table top. Try not to over-arch your
back.
Next, tense every muscle in your body. Finally, relax your muscles as you
return to the original sitting position and breathe out.
Rest before repeating the procedure.
Breathe
in as you raise up, hold your breath as you tense the muscles, breathe out
completely as you come down. Continue breathing in the same rhythm as long
as you rest between repetitions.
Repeat this 2 or 3 times and build up gradually over a
period of 2 or 3 weeks to a total of 21 repetitions.
Exercise
four: The Table
Exercise
five: Modified Cobra
5. Lie flat on the floor
with the palms face down under directly under your shoulders and toes in
contact with the floor as if you were about to do push-ups. Raise your
head and extend it backwards, arching your upper back as far as is
comfortable while keeping the legs straight. This is known as the Cobra
position. Curl your toes under as you push up off the floor with
straight arms and your hands directly under your shoulders. Keep your head aligned with your spine and
make sure your arms and legs remain straight. Make sure
you keep your shoulders down (don't let them scrunch up to your ears) and
keep your hips lifted off the floor. Inhale and lift your hips while
pushing down through the heels inverting your
position until your head faces your knees.
Again do not bend the knees but keep your legs straight.
Exhaling, release this position and return to the original 'Cobra'
position.
Then lower the body to the starting position on the floor and rest before
repeating the procedure.
Breathe
in deeply as you raise the body, breathe out fully as you lower it.Repeat this 2 or 3 times and build up gradually over a
period of 2 or 3 weeks to a total of 21 repetitions.