The Five Tibetans - A Love Affair

"Regular practice of these exercises relieves muscular tension and nervous stress, improves respiration and digestion, benefits the cardiovascular system,  and leads to deep relaxation and well-being. The Five Tibetans can be a powerful vehicle not only for enlivening the senses but also for generating and harnessing vital energy for self-transformation."
- Christopher S. Kilham

Have you ever heard of The Five Tibetans? Luckily, they are not a bunch of some old guys from Tibet. They are believed to be a 2500 year old set of 5 yoga like movements used by Tibetan Monks and brought to the West in the 1930s by a retired British Colonel. Is this true? Who knows? I decided to give them a whirl anyway.

My love affair with The Five Tibetans, also referred to as The Five Tibetan Rites, started 11 years ago when in January of 2009 I purchased a copy of  Peter Kelder's book titled "THE EYE OF REVELATION: The Ancient Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation".  According to the book, Colonel Bradford (a pseudonym) claimed that "performing the Five Rites stimulates the circulation of essential life energy throughout the body".

The idea of spending only 10-15 minutes on 5 simple but highly energizing exercises with the potential to increase physical strength, flexibility, and mental acuity intrigued me enough to make me learn how to practice them and see for myself if they matched the claims attributed to them.  Did they deliver? Absolutely!

The best part about them is that you do not need any special equipment whatsoever. I performed them at home, in hotel rooms, on the beach, in the park. I taught them to groups of inquisitive and fun loving individuals. I was so impressed with the improvement of my spine's suppleness that I ended up purchasing the "Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2: A companion to the book by Peter Kelder" as a gift for a friend of mine who was interested in giving them a try. In the meantime, I came across a great website dedicated to The Five Tibetans created by Mary Kurus. I have been sharing the link ever since. If you want to learn and test them for yourself I recommend visiting Mary's website here. It has everything you need to get started.