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Mar 28, 2016

5 Tibetan Rites into a Yoga Sequence

Fountain of Youth
Legend has it that the Tibetan 5 Rites (5 yogic kriyas) is a fountain of youth - practitioners delay the ageing process and look considerably younger than their actual age! It was supposedly taught to a British army colonel by Buddhist yogis when he explored the Himalayan mountain range in the 1930s. I came upon this story back in 2004 and even practised it for a few days. Now, it has timely resurfaced as I am engaged in the yoga of a teacher here in Siem Reap. I believe it's a good integration in a typical one-hour yoga class as it can fuse seamlessly into other established asanas. This can be part of the warm-up before doing the Surya Namaskars.

5 Tibetan Rites
These rites should be done daily and repeated 21 times. To new practitioners, start with 5 repetitions until you reach 21.

Rite 1 (spinning stand)

Info: there is an energy vortex spinning on the 7 chakras (energy centers). As we age, the vortex slows down and becomes imbalanced causing health to decline. Spinning restores the speed and balance of the vortex.

Sequence: stand upright with arms stretched at shoulder level with palms facing down. Spin from left to right (important!) until you become slightly dizzy. Start with a low number of spins but increase to 21 spins. Best to gaze into the right hand or a fixed object in the room while spinning. When done, stand steady, palms together at eye level about a foot away. Concentrate on the thumbs until the dizzyness goes away.

Breath: breathe deep, slow and steady as you spin

Rite 2 (leg raises)

Sequence: lie flat on your back with palms facing down by the hip side. Straighten legs and raise up until the feet are slightly over the top center, about 1 o'clock, while lifting the head and the shoulders. Keep the legs straight at all times. Hold for one complete breath and slowly lower down to the floor. Do one complete breath while keeping the body completely relaxed. Repeat. When done, go into Savasana for a few minutes.

Modification: if there a lower back pain when lifting the legs, try bending the knees close to the body first and then lift the legs up

Breath: inhale as you raise your legs and exhale as you lower down the legs

Rite 3 (bow, backbend)

Sequence: kneel down with toes tucked-in, arms straight with the hands holding the back of the thigh, body upright. Head tilts down, chin by the chest then move the body as far back as possible, doing a back bend while head tilts back. Come back to a kneeling position and take a full breath (relax) before repeating.

Breath: inhale on the backbend, exhale on getting back to upright

Rite 4 (seated to inverted table)

Sequence: start seated (Dandasana), legs straight and active, sit bones squared and centered, spine straight, chin close to the chest and hands stretched, pressed against the mat slightly behind with fingers pointed forward. Inhale and press against the feet, lift the pelvis up with bent knees until the body is parallel to the floor and tilt the head back. Hold and contract every muscle while in this position. Exhale and come back to seated. Take a full breath and completely relax the body. Repeat.

Finish: remain seated with knees bent and pointed to the ceiling, feet one foot apart. Lean the body forward and relax.

Breath: inhale while going into Table Top and exhale on the way to seated

Rite 5 (downward dog to upward dog)

Sequence: begin on plank, full body straight from top of the head to heals, arms fully stretched, hands shoulder width apart, fingers pointed to the front and feet shoulder width apart, toes tucked-in. Exhale while lifting the pelvis up and pushing it back while toes remain tucked-in. Chin should be close to the chest. You are now in Downward Dog. You should be in an inverted "V" position, with a straight line from palms to pelvis and another straight line from pelvis to the heels. Contract all the muscles while in this position. Inhale and slowly sag the pelvis as low to the floor as possible while keeping the arms straight, toes remaining tucked-in and head tilted back. Chest is pushed out and shoulders pulled back. Contract all muscles while in this position. Exhale and repeat the process, taking the hips up and back.

Breath: (reverse from yoga) exhale when lifting up the pelvis and inhale when going into upward dog with a sagged body and toes tucked-in

Ending Thoughts
With the exception of Rite 1, the spinning (which is perhaps borrowed from the Whirling Dervishes of the Sufis?), all of the rites are practically yoga poses unto themselves. It is not surprising that yogis who are dedicated to the practice look younger than their actual age.

--- TheLoneRider

Yoga-Sequence Series

Pranayama Sequence Oct 24, 2016
Tibetan 5 Rites Mar 28, 2016
Meditation Basics Nov 7, 2015
Handstand Clinic at Surya Nanda Yoga Studio Aug 23, 2015
Power Yoga Class - Singapore Mar 21,2015
Adhitthana Yoga (Yoga of Strong Determination) Sept 4, 2014
Twist Sequence Jun 28, 2014
One-Leg Sequence (balancing) Jun 14, 2014
Core Sequence Jun 7, 2014
Backbend Sequence May 31, 2014

The following people like this:

Metz Diaz Taer	Mawil Hermogenes	Julia Clarette	Doris Rodriguez	Marie Roman	Ronski Beski	Tony Ancheta	Cindy Ariate	Stacy Chan	Amazon Carpenter
Robert Ignacio	Paul Job Murillo	Joy Aqwa	Chato Dominese	Queengladys Lumanog-Fajardo

Reader Comments:

Julia Clarette
(Mar 28, 2016) Yes I love the T5! Fixed my breathing and my back, among other things. Tara. Discovering step 1 of 5 was an accident. Galing hanep! Let's make magic! Pinas: 4-6, KL-6-20. Kung nasa Cambodia ka pa ng April 8-15, pupuntahan ka namin ng anak ko. Game? Gusto ko panaman maturuan mo ako ng $5/day happy living. Kung sa Chiangmai... Babalik ka ba ng Plum Village? Be right back, langoy Lang ako. Balitaan mo ako pls, kung saan ka, tagpuin kita.

Amazon Carpenter
(Mar 28, 2016) Bookmarking

Mar 28, 2016

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