The Five Tibetan Rites is a system of exercises reported
to be more than 2,500 years old which were first publicized by Peter
Kelder in a 1939 publication titled The Eye of Revelation. 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. Originally written as a 32-page booklet, the
publication is the result of Kelder's conversations with the colonel. The
Rites are said to be a form of Tibetan yoga similar to the yoga series that
originated in India. However, the Five Rites and traditional Tibetan
yoga both emphasize "a continuous sequence of movement" or sanskrit:
vinyasa, 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. In his
booklet, Kelder claims that while stationed in India, British army officer
Colonel Bradford (a pseudonym) heard a story about a group of lamas who
had apparently discovered a "Fountain of Youth". The "wandering
natives", as he called them, told him of old men who inexplicably became
healthy, strong, and full of "vigor and virility" after entering a
particular lamasery. After retiring, Kelder's Colonel Bradford went on to
discover the lamasery and lived with the lamas, where they taught him
five exercises, which they called "rites". According to the booklet,
the lamas describe seven spinning, "psychic vortexes" within the
body: two of these are in the brain, one at the base of the throat, one on the
right side of the body in the vicinity of the liver, one in the reproductive
anatomy, and one in each knee. As we grow older, the spin rate of the vortexes
diminishes, resulting in "ill-health". However, the spin rate of
these vortexes can be restored by performing the Five Rites daily, resulting in
improved health.
Bradford was also instructed in how to perform a sixth rite,
which the lamas recommended only for those willing to "lead a more or less
continent (celibate) life". Additionally, Bradford reveals information on
the importance of what foods one should eat, proper food combinations, and the
correct method of eating.
In the original The Eye of Revelation booklet,
Kelder suggests standing erect between each of the Five Rites with hands on
hips and taking one or two deep breaths; he neither implies nor suggests that
specific breathing patterns should be adopted while performing the movements. Nevertheless,
subsequent publications pertaining to the Rites contain edits by others which
recommend and detail specific instructions for breathing while performing the
exercises. Some practitioners also recommend taking caution before performing
the Rites due to the possibility of aggravating certain health conditions.
Kelder cautions that when performing the First Rite,
spinning must always be performed in a clockwise direction. He also states that
Bradford clearly recalled that the Maulawiyah, otherwise known as "Whirling
Dervishes", always spun from left to right, in a clockwise direction. No
mention is made of the orientation of the palms, although the original
illustration of the Rite in the 1939 edition of The Eye of Revelation clearly
depicts both palms as facing toward the ground. Here arises a point of
contention: the Whirling Dervishes spin in the counter-clockwise
direction, with the left palm facing down, towards the earth, and the right
palm facing up, towards heaven. However, this discrepancy may find partial
resolution in the fact that Tibetan Buddhist yoga regards clockwise rotation to
be favorable, whereas counter-clockwise rotation is considered to be
unfavorable.
Potential Benefits of
the Five Rites
The authors provide many examples of the benefits of the
"Five Tibetan Rites" including the following: looking much younger;
sleeping soundly; waking up feeling refreshed and energetic; release from
serious medical problems including difficulties with spines; relief from
problems with joints; release from pain; better memory; arthritis relief;
weight loss; improved vision; youthfulness instead of aging; greatly improved
physical strength, endurance and vigor; improved emotional and mental health;
enhanced sense of well being and harmony; and very high overall energy.
How the Five Rites Work
Medical professions explain the benefits based on their
personal perspective and I suggest you read the entire two books for a broad
overview. However, the majority share the view that the rites represent a
system of exercise that affects the body, emotions and mind. The Tibetans claim
that these exercises activate and stimulate the seven key chakras that in turn
stimulate all the glands of the endocrine system. The endocrine system is
responsible for the body's overall functioning and aging process. This means
that the Five Rites will affect the functioning of all your organs and systems,
including the physical and energetic systems and that includes the aging
process. The man who brought these Five Rights out of Tibet stated that
"performing the Five Rites stimulates the circulation of essential life
energy throughout the body".
Chakras
Chakra is an Indian Sanskrit word that translates to mean
"Wheel of Spinning Energy". Chakras are spinning wheels or vortexes
of energy of different color that perform many functions connecting our energy
fields, bodies and the Cosmic Energy Field. Chakras are powerful electrical and
magnetic fields. Chakras govern the endocrine system that in turn regulates all
of the body's functions including the ageing process. Energy flows from the
Universal Energy Field through the chakras into the energy systems within our
bodies, including the Meridian System.
Our bodies contain seven major chakras or energy centers and
122 minor chakras. The major chakras are located at the base of the spine (Root
Chakra), at the navel (Sacral Chakra), in the solar plexus (Solar Plexus
Chakra), within your heart (Heart Chakra), within the throat (Throat Chakra),
at the center of your forehead (Brow or Third Eye Chakra), and at the top of
your head (Crown Chakra). These chakras are linked together with all other
energy systems in the body and various layers of the auras.
The Speed of the chakra spin is a key to vibrant health. The
other keys to vibrant health that relates to the chakra is ensuring they are
clear of negative energy and that they are perfectly shaped and not distorted.
The Five Rites speed up the spinning of the chakras,
coordinate their spin so they are in complete harmony, distribute pure prana
energy to the endocrine system, and in turn to all organs and processes in the
body. This is one of the major requirements for vibrant health, rejuvenation
and youthfulness.
Although I have read about other variations, the differences
are minute.
Gradually increase practicing from 3 to 21 repetitions of
each rite per day. Follow each rite with 3 cleansing breaths~breathing in
through the nose and out through the mouth as if you are sighing.
Here is an illustration of the Five Rites
First Rite
"Stand erect with arms outstretched, horizontal with
the shoulders. Now spin around until you become slightly dizzy. There is only
one caution: you must turn from left to right."
Second Rite
"Lie full length on rug or bed. Place the hands flat
down alongside of the hips. Fingers should be kept close together with the
finger-tips of each hand turned slightly toward one another. Raise the feet
until the legs are straight up. If possible, let the feet extend back a bit
over the body toward the head, but do not let the knees bend. Hold this
position for a moment or two and then slowly lower the feet to the floor and
for the next several moments allow all of the muscles in the entire body to
relax completely. Then perform the Rite all over again."
"While the feet and legs are being raised it is a good
idea also to raise the head, then while the feet and legs are being lowered to
the floor lower the head at the same time."
Third Rite
"Kneel on a rug or mat with hands at sides, palms flat
against the side of legs. Then lean forward as far as possible, bending at the
waist, with head well forward—chin on chest. The second position of this Rite
is to lean backward as far as possible. Cause the head to move still further
backward. The toes will prevent you from falling over backward. The hands are
always kept against the side of the legs. Next come to an erect (kneeling)
position, relax as much as possible for a moment, and perform Rite all over
again."
Fourth Rite
"Sit erect on rug or carpet with feet stretched out in
front. The legs must be perfectly straight -- back of knees must be well down
or close to the rug. Place the hands flat on the rug, fingers together, and the
hands pointing outward slightly. Chin should be on chest -- head forward."
(Tibetan Table) "Now gently raise the body, at the same
time bend the knees so that the legs from the knees down are practically
straight up and down. The arms, too, will also be vertical while the body from
shoulders to knees will be horizontal. As the body is raised upward allow the
head gently to fall backward so that the head hangs backward as far as possible
when the body is fully horizontal. Hold this position for a few moments, return
to first position, and RELAX for a few moments before performing the Rite
again."
"When the body is pressed up to complete horizontal
position, tense every muscle in the body."
Fifth Rite
"Place the hands on the floor about two feet apart.
Then, with the legs stretched out to the rear with the feet also about two feet
apart, push the body, and especially the hips, up as far as possible, rising on
the toes and hands. At the same time the head should be brought so far down
that the chin comes up against the chest. Next, allow the body to come slowly
down to a ‘sagging’ position. Bring the head up, causing it to be drawn as far
back as possible."
"The muscles should be tensed for a moment when the
body is at the highest point, and again at the lowest point."
Sixth Rite
An abdominal breathing exercise.
Claimed benefits of performing the rites
According to Kelder, Bradford's stay in the lamasery
transformed him from a stooped, old gentleman with a cane to a tall and
straight young man in the prime of his life. Additionally, he reported that
Bradford's hair had grown back, without a trace of gray. The revised
publications of The Eye of Revelation titled Ancient Secret of
the Fountain of Youth also contain numerous testimonials by practitioners
of the Rites, claiming that they yield positive medical effects such as
improved eyesight, memory, potency, hair growth, restoration of full color to
completely gray hair, and anti-aging. However, claims as to the benefits
of the Rites are often exaggerated, resulting in unrealistic expectations. The
benefits most likely to be achieved are increased energy, stress reduction, and
an enhanced sense of calm, clarity of thought, increased strength and
flexibility, resulting in an overall improvement in health and well-being.
