THE TIBETAN 5 RITES & REBOUNDING, ITS BENEFITS & HOW TO PERFORM THEM.
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Everything You Need to Know About the 5 Tibetan Rites
What they are
Benefits
How to
Safety
Bottom line
The Five Tibetan Rites are an ancient yoga practice that consists of a sequence of five exercises performed 21 times a day.
Practitioners report that the program has many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. These effects are thought to restore a person’s vitality and strength. Due to these benefits, the Five Tibetan Rites are traditionally known as the “Fountain of Youth.”
Let’s explore what the five rites are, how to perform them, and the benefits of this practice.
What are the 5 Tibetan Rites?
The Five Tibetan Rites are thought to be more than 2,500 years old. They were reportedly created by Tibetan lamas (monks), or leaders of Tibetan Buddhism.
In 1985, the rites were first introduced to Western culture in the book “Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth” by Peter Kelder. This book, which describes the program as “youthing,” explains the exercises in detail.
The practice of these exercises is based on the body’s energy. According to practitioners, the body has seven energy fields, or vortexes. These fields are called chakras in Hindu.
It’s said that these fields control parts of the endocrine system, a network of glands and organs that regulate many of the body’s functions, including the aging process.
Practitioners say youth and vigor can be achieved when these energy fields spin at the same rate. People practice the Five Tibetan Rites in order to achieve this.
What are the benefits?
There’s limited research on the benefits of this practice. In general, they’re based on anecdotal reports by practitioners of the Five Tibetan Rites and the opinions of medical professionals and yoga instructors.
Reported benefits include:
Relief from joint pain and stiffness
Improved strength and coordination
Better circulation
Reduced anxiety
Better sleep
Improved energy
A youthful appearance
How to do the 5 Tibetan Rites
While each rite is meant to be practiced 21 times a day, you can begin by doing them less frequently.
During the first week, practice each rite 3 times a day. Add 2 repetitions per rite the following week. Continue adding 2 reps per rite each week until you’re doing 21 rounds of each rite every day.
Rite 1
The purpose of the first rite is to speed up the chakras. It’s common for beginners to feel dizzy during this exercise.
Stand up straight. Stretch your arms outward until they’re parallel with the floor. Face your palms down.
While staying in the same spot, slowly spin your body in a clockwise direction. Without bending your head forward, keep your eyes open and cast toward the ground.
Do 1 to 21 repetitions.
Spin as many times as you can, but stop when you feel slightly dizzy. You’ll be able to spin more over time. It’s best to avoid excessive spinning, which is said to over stimulate the chakras.
Rite 2
During the second rite, it’s important to practice deep rhythmic breathing. You should continue the same breathing pattern in between each repetition.
To do this rite, you’ll need a carpeted floor or yoga mat.
Lie flat on your back. Place your arms at your sides, palms on the floor.
Inhale and lift your head, moving your chin toward your chest. Simultaneously raise your legs straight up, keeping your knees straight.
Exhale and slowly lower your head and legs to the starting position. Relax all your muscles.
Complete 1 to 21 repetitions.
If you have difficulty straightening your knees, bend them as needed. Try to straighten them each time you perform the rite.
Rite 3
Like the second rite, the third rite requires deep rhythmic breathing. You can also practice this rite while closing your eyes, which helps you focus inward.
Kneel on the floor, knees shoulder-width apart and hips aligned over your knees. Straighten your trunk and place your palms on the back of your thighs, below your buttocks.
Inhale and drop your head back, arching your spine to open your chest.
Exhale and drop your head forward, moving your chin toward your chest. Keep your hands on your thighs during the entire rite.
Do 1 to 21 repetitions.
Rite 4
The fourth rite, sometimes called Moving Tabletop, is also done with rhythmic breathing. Your hands and heels should stay in place during the entire exercise.
Sit on the floor and extend your legs straight ahead, feet shoulder-width apart. Put your palms on the floor at your sides, fingers facing forward. Straighten your trunk.
Drop your chin toward your chest. Inhale and gently drop your head back. Simultaneously lift your hips and bend your knees until you’re in a tabletop position, with your head gently tilted back. Contract your muscles and hold your breath.
Exhale, relax your muscles, and return to starting position.
Complete 1 to 21 repetitions.
Rite 5
The fifth rite involves both the Downward-Facing Dog and Upward-Facing Dog poses. For this reason, it’s often called Two Dogs. This move also requires a steady breathing rhythm.
Sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Plant your palms in front of you.
Extend your feet behind you, toes curled and shoulder-width apart. Straighten your arms and arch your spine while keeping the tops of your legs on the ground. Drop your head back into Upward-Facing Dog.
Then, inhale and lift your hips, moving your body into an upside down “V” shape. Move your chin toward your chest and straighten your back into Downward-Facing Dog.
Exhale and move back into Upward-Facing Dog.
Do 1 to 21 repetitions.
To support your lower back, you can bend your knees when moving in between poses.
Safety tips
Like all exercise programs, the Five Tibetan Rites should be done with care. Start with gentle movements and a low number of reps.
Take extra precaution if you have:
Heart or breathing problems. Before trying these exercises, talk to your doctor to find out they’re safe for you to do.
Neurological disorders. Disorders like Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis can cause poor balance. If you have one of these conditions, these exercises may not be safe for you to perform.
Conditions that cause dizziness. If you’re prone to dizziness, talk to a doctor before trying the first rite. The spinning motion may aggravate various conditions, including vertigo, circulatory issues, or nausea from medication.
Pregnancy. The spinning and bending movements may not be safe if you’re pregnant.
Recent surgery. The rites may cause complications if you’ve had surgery within the last 6 months.
The bottom line
The Five Tibetan Rites, or the “Fountain of Youth,” are a series of five yoga poses. It’s a traditional practice that’s been done for more than 2,500 years. People perform these rites with the intention of restoring youth and increasing vitality.
For best results, it’s recommended to regularly perform these poses. You can do them alone or with another exercise program.
If you have a health condition or are new to exercise, be sure to check with your doctor before trying these moves.
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Why You Should Try Rebounding and How to Get Started
Benefits
Safety tips
Getting started
How to
Frequency
Takeaway
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What is rebounding?
Rebounding is a type of aerobic exercise that is performed while jumping on a mini-trampoline. Jumps can be fast or slow, and can be mixed with rest or aerobic stepping.
Rebounding can help work the muscles in the legs, increase your endurance, and strengthen your bones, among a number of other benefits. This type of exercise is gaining popularity because it’s gentle on the joints but allows you to work your cardiovascular system without taxing the body.
Read on to learn about the benefits of rebounding, plus safety tips and more.
Why you should try rebounding
Rebounding is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise. It’s generally appropriate for people of all ages, from children to older adults.
Following are some additional benefits of rebounding:
Works the abdominal (core), leg, buttock, and deep back muscles.
May help improve endurance
May stimulate the lymphatic system. Rebounding may help your body flush out toxins, bacteria, dead cells, and other waste products.
May help improve balance, coordination, and overall motor skills.
Supports bone density, bone strength, and bone formation, while decreasing bone resorption, so it may be a good option if you have osteoporosis. Bouncing puts small amounts of pressure on the bones, which helps them grow stronger.
May support pelvic floor health, according to anecdotal reports. Bouncing works the muscles of the deep core that help prevent urinary incontinence and stabilize hip joints.
Weight management options have evolved
Take our quiz to learn more about techniques and tips that will help you achieve your goals.
Safety tips
As with any exercise, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor before you start rebounding. While mini-trampolines do help absorb some of the force you might experience with traditional land exercises, like running, this type of exercise may not be appropriate if you’ve had previous surgeries or have other medical concerns.
When using a mini-trampoline:
Check to ensure that your trampoline is in working order and on a stable surface before each workout to reduce risk for falls or other injury.
Move the trampoline away from the wall or other objects, like furniture.
Be sure to do different types of moves on your trampoline so you don’t overuse the same muscles each time you work out.
Consider purchasing a trampoline with a handlebar for extra stability and balance.
If you have small children, store your trampoline away when not in use or otherwise be sure to supervise children who may play on or around it.
Stop jumping immediately if you notice any shortness of breath, pain, or other warning signs with your health.
You may feel a bit dizzy or lightheaded after your first few times on a mini-trampoline. Your body may just need some time to adjust to this new type of movement, but you should still stop working out if you feel faint or dizzy. If these feelings continue for several workouts, contact your doctor.
How to get started
To try rebounding on your own, you’ll need to purchase a mini-trampoline for home use or join a gym that provides them.
If you plan to purchase one, keep in mind that there are many different types of trampolines. Be sure to choose an adult model that is small enough to fit in a corner of your home. It may be helpful to double check measurements before ordering.
What to look for in a mini-trampoline
The ideal trampoline for rebounding should have sturdy, stable legs. The circumference often falls somewhere between 36 and 48 inches.
It should be able to hold adult weight, at minimum 220 to 250 pounds. You’ll likely notice that larger trampolines can support more weight.
Quiet performance, meaning the springs don’t make noise when you bounce, is another nice feature.
If you’re short on space, you may want to consider a foldable model that easily stows away. There are also some mini-trampolines that come with a handlebar, which can be handy if you’re a beginner. You may even come across a few that come with a built-in tracker to record things like your jumps per minute and calories burned.
How to rebound
Warmup
Begin with a few minutes of easy jumping to warm up your muscles. The idea when you start is to get used to the sensation of jumping. It’s not something you do in your everyday life.
The proper way to jump isn’t what you’d necessarily do naturally. You want to try to stomp down on the trampoline’s surface. And you don’t need to jump very high, just one to two inches is fine. Check out this video for some pointers.
Basic jog
A basic jog on the trampoline is a good beginning exercise. It involves keeping your back straight or, alternatively, leaning slightly backward and lifting your knees in front of you one at a time as you jog in place. Your arms should pump at your sides like they do when you’re running on the ground.
If you’re a beginner, you may only want to lift your knees a couple inches. Once you’ve built up strength, you can progress to high knees, where your thigh becomes parallel to the ground below you.
Advanced jog
Once you get the jogging form down, you can move around on the trampoline. Begins with a basic jog, and then move to a wider stance. You can even move your arms above your head as you continue jogging.
As the workout progresses, jogs from one side of the trampoline to the other. Moving from side to side can help activate different muscle groups.
There are many video routines to consider.
Jumping jacks
Jumping jacks on a rebounder aren’t like normal jumping jacks. When doing jumping jacks on a rebounder, you’ll want to stomp down as you move your legs in and out.
Your torso should be bent slightly forward and your arms don’t need to go overhead. Instead, move them in and then out to your sides as you power down with your legs.
Continue this motion for 2 to 3 minutes.
Pelvic floor bounce
To work your pelvic floor on the rebounder, place a soft, squishy exercise ball between your knees. Then, begin slowly bouncing as you breathe into your pelvis. It may help to place your hands on your pubic bone to focus on this area.
Breathe out as you squeeze your inner thighs together and bounce for 2 to 5 minutes total. Start for a shorter amount of time and extend the time as you build strength.
Intervals
While you can do any of these workouts for any length of time, alternating intense effort with recovery effort may help you burn more calories and improve your overall cardiovascular fitness.
Try jumping with hard effort for 20 seconds and resting or jumping with light effort for 10 seconds. Repeat these intervals for 7 more times.
As you get stronger, you may increase your interval length to a minute or more.
Weights
Once you’re comfortable with jumping, you can increase your effort with a higher intensity workout by adding weights.
If you decide to add weights, start by holding light hand weights (2 to 3 pounds) for only a few minutes and work your way up to heavier weights and a longer duration.
How often should you rebound?
There’s no set guideline for the number of days to incorporate rebounding into your routine. A 2018 study showed that participants who exercised on mini-trampolines for as few as three days a week saw big benefits, like increased running speed.
How long you jump each session is really up to you and your fitness level. You may get many benefits with as little as 15 to 20 minutes of exercise on a mini-trampoline. But, if you’re just starting out with rebounding, you may want to begin with shorter workouts and build as you adjust.
The takeaway
All you need to start rebounding is a basic trampoline. You can find workouts online for free on sites like YouTube, making this a budget-friendly workout.
Whether you’re looking for a low-impact routine or for motivation to kickstart your fitness goals, rebounding may be just what you need to bounce some life back into your exercise routine.
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