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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

The Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth, aka, The Tibetan Five or Five Tibetan Rites are some of my favorite and most frequently recommend exercises and stretches. I love these exercises and they're simple, short, and have been used by Tibetan Monks for years to promote flexibility, health, fitness and youth! They're reminiscent of yoga, but more... concise and easy to do on your own at home.

Doing these while on the road for work, especially my month working on the documentary Nanking in the very-foreign China, saved my life and my body, I swear! The website I used, lifeevents.org, mentions doing this before a yoga or workout routine, and I agree that they're good for a warm-up stretch and actually do get your heart rate going (especially once you get up to 21 reps), but I also really like doing these at the end of a hard workout because I'm all warm and need a nice stretch and cool-down. After The Tibetan Five, I like to meditate. I think these exercises put me in a more centered, meditation-ready state. That's just me. Let me know how it goes for you. Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions or feedback.

5 Tibetan Energy Rejuvenation Rites

We've been practicing, teaching and recommending the 5 Tibetan Energy Rejuvenation Exercises since 1998. You can do the whole routine in 15 minutes and only need enough floor space for your body while laying down and enough air space for your arms to be outstretched.
Traditional Tibetan Prostrations: Also represent a Sacred Rite of Passage
The 5 Tibetans represent a great way to keep your body in shape when you have limited time for a physical workout or limited space for a complete yoga routine. You can easily do the exercises in the space at the foot of the bed in most hotel rooms. We use the 5 Tibetans as a warm up for our morning yoga or body workout.
How do I begin to benefit from the 5 Tibetans?
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.
Where should I perform the Tibetans?
Anywhere you have room is perfectly okay. Make sure to use a carpet, towel, yoga mat or padding to prevent discomfort caused from too hard a surface.
What is the best time of day to perform the 5 Tibetan?
The entire series of movements may be performed 2 to 3 times per day. As with all forms of holistic body work, sunrise and sunset are great times to be honoring your body with physical work. These are the best times to start your practice, but you may work them into your schedule as you see fit.
How many time should I repeat each exercise?
You want to work toward performing each of the movements 21 times. When you first begin, try to do 1 or 3 repetitions of each exercise. After a week, try to do 3 repetitions, then pause and try 3 more. You will certainly feel stronger in some of the movements than others. If you have trouble performing a complete set of 21, try to break it down into 3 sets of 7 repetitions with a pause between each set. Once you've achieved 21 repetitions of each exercise, you don't need to go on to more repetitions. These exercises are for restoring energy, not necessarily building strength. If you feel great after doing 21 repetitions of each movement, feel free to add another session later in the day to perform another set of 21 repetitions each.
What is the recommend breathing pattern?
We recommend a specific breathing pattern to follow with each exercise. If you feel tired or light headed while performing these movements, make sure you are not holding your breath.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #1

Sufi Whirling, Whirling Dervish, Memories of the Grateful Dead in Concert, Having fun like a 3 year old
Rite 1: Stand upright, extend your arms at shoulder level away from your body and spin clockwise (if looking at a clock face on the floor). Keep your eyes looking directly in front of you, do not focus on any one point, let your vision blur as you spin. Turn up to 21 times or until you feel unstable or dizzy.
Breathing: breath in and out of your stomach. An opera singer, stage actor/actress or yogi experiences the benefit of breathing from this point of the body. When you stop spinning, breath even more deeply from your stomach until your head stops spinning and your balance returns to normal.
Tips and Recommendations: Work your way up to 21 spins. Speed is not so important, just try to spin 21 times and stop.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #2

Leg Raises, Bending at the Waist, Tummy Tucks
Rite 2: Lay down on your back with your arms to your side, palms up, keep your legs straight, begin your inhalation, raise your legs off the ground until as high as possible and pick your head off the ground, bending your neck with your chin falling toward your chest. Begin your exhalation and return to laying flat on the ground. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising your legs and head
Breath Out: Lowering your legs and head
Tips and Recommendations: When starting out, bend your legs until your stomach strengthens. If your feel discomfort, place your hands (palms facing down) under your buttocks to support your lower spine. As you progress, straighten your legs and try to raise and lower them at the same speed. Once you have worked up to 21 repetitions, try to move at a nice steady rhythm without stopping.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #3

Morning Neck Warm-up, Hotel Pillow Recovery Posture, Camel Asana in Yoga
Rite 3: Kneel with your legs together, arms extended, palms of your hands on the side of your thighs, drop your chin to your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your head and lean back, move your hands to the back of your thighs and let them drop lower and support your weight, crane your head and neck backward, relax your lower spine. Begin your exhalation, start to come forward back to kneeling position with your head back up in the straight position. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Going backward
Breath Out: Coming forward
Tips and Recommendations: When you start this exercise, use the weight of your head to come forward instead of forcing your chin to your chest with your muscles. When you lean back, avoid craning your neck, simply let it drop with its own weight. Eventually, you can bring your shoulder blades towards each other when you're in the back position. Keep a steady movement while going backward and forward. Keep your eyes open to maintain balance. Later, try the movement with your eyes closed to feel the difference and see if you can relax even more in the backward position.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #4

Table Posture, Wrist warm-up and Neck agility
Rite 4: Sit on the floor, legs a little less than shoulder width apart, arms to your sides with hands extended flat on the ground and fingers pointed forward, drop your head toward your chest, begin your inhalation, raise your buttocks off the ground while bending your knees, shift your weight to your arms/hands and legs/feet, continue to raise your buttocks until your trunck and thighs are parallel to the ground, let your head fall back. Begin your exhalation and return to sitting position with your head dropped forward. Repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising off the ground
Breath Out: Returning back to sitting position
Tips and Recommendations: When you begin this exercise, just try to get from the starting to ending posture. It's easier to do it than read about it. In the beginning, you might not be used to your body weight on your wrists. Doing some wrist warm-ups before you begin can prevent discomfort. Once you have worked your way up to 21 repetitions, try to perform the movements without stopping.

Tibetan Rejuvenation Exercise Movement #5

Inverted-V, Yoga Cobra to Downward Dog
Rite 5: Get down on the floor on your hands and knees (in push-up position) with hands and legs a little less than shoulder width apart. Begin your inhalation, come up on your toes with weight in your arms, straighten your legs, arch your back, lean your head back, do not let any of your body touch the ground except for your toes and hands (Cobra in Yoga). Begin your exhalation, bend at the waist, bend your knees, push your buttocks up into the air, make an inverted V shape with your legs and arms straight, tuck your chin toward your chest (Downward Dog in Yoga), try to put your feet flat on the ground. Begin your next inhalation and repeat up to 21 times.
Breath In: Raising hips up into an ^ shape - downward dog.
Breath Out: Hips down & head coming up into cobra.
Tips and Recommendations: In the beginning, you will need to find where to place your hands and feet to make a complete inverted-V shape. You may do this exercise for years and never get your feet flat on the ground (a symptom of western living and always sitting in a chair). Once you've worked your way up to 21 repetitions, work on keeping a steady rhythm while going in and out of each position.
Finishing Posture Recommendation
After Exercise 5, lay flat on your stomach with your arms stretched out from side to side like Christ position. Keep your chin on the ground and close your eyes. Feel you heart pumping and blood circulating through your body. Wait until your hearth beat and breath returns to normal. Turn your head to once side and take a few deep breaths. Relax for 1 minute.
Begin your day or continue with your morning yoga routine or physical work out. You should have more than enough energy to get you jump started. If you perform the 5 Tibetans before bed , make sure you have 30 or 45 minutes to relax after Rejuvenation your energy. I've spent time laying in bed afterward and felt like I had drank a pot of coffee.

If you're really interested and want to learn more or find alternative interpretations, I recommend searching one of the following: The Fountain of Youth, The Tibetan Five or Five Tibetan Rites. You will find something that works for you. Also, I started in 1999 with this book which I highly recommend as it gives a bit more background and insight.

 
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