The Five Tibetan Rites

Without getting too much into the history, benefits and how to's here I wanted to just jot down my day by day progress. Day One.Thursday

I decided not to do the "warm ups" as I suspect they were not part of the original practice. Also, I wanted my experience to be based purely on doing the five rites and not the umpteen recommended warm ups which look to be a major work out just in themselves. I will possibly incorporate them later for specific parts I might struggle with. I was very startled that I could actually do rite two. I was convinced that I would just lie there and nothing happen but the muscles that had lain dormant and weeping for so long woke up and shocked me. Rite three illustrated how much flexibility I had lost but it will come back. Rite four will take some time to do properly. Rite five was very much like some of the exercises that Mary used to show us and felt very natural. I was worn out and I only did three of each. The eventual goal is 21 of each. I particularly noticed that for a few minutes afterwards colours seemed really sharp and clear. Day Two, Friday

Aching as if I have done aerobics and weight training.I know that if I had done the warm ups I might not ache so much, or I might still ache or ache more. I might even be able to do the five rites better if I did the warm ups but I'll stick to plan for now. I managed rite four a little better and began to feel the rhythm of five better. I felt exhausted and a little unwell but remembered that there could be symptoms of detoxification and to expect them to clear in about a week.

Day Three, Saturday

Feeling really drained. It could be coincidence and I have a bug or something but I think it is to do with The Five Rites and some sort of detoxification. I am determined to keep it up and see what happens. I'm getting better already at rite four but am quite a long way off doing it properly yet. It is a strange feeling, I feel drained, head-achy and could easily have not bothered doing them today but I really wanted to. I noticed again the momentary sharpening of vision. The leaves on the trees outside seemed to stand out individually. Maybe it's to do with more blood rushing about or Chakras beginning to spin again.

Day Four Sunday

Feeling a lot better today. On rite four, the one I find the most difficult, I managed one of the three with my arms in the non modified position. I can see why they should be in that position as although it makes it harder to do it really works the triceps.

Day Five Monday

Getting much better at them and I look forward to doing them. Daughter joined in, she is very good at four and five but the one I do best, two, she struggles with. My stomach muscles must still be there somewhere. I found myself realising, a few times during the day, that I felt good. That is something I haven't said to my self for a while.

Day six Tuesday

I haven't done the rites yet today but while I was on line I just wanted to jot down that I seem to have a lot more energy than normal at the moment. I'm also looking forward to increasing the number of times I do each rite but I will make myself stick to the plan and increase gradually.

Day Seven Wednesday

My Daughter, who joined in doing the rites on my day five, has remarked that she feels really tired even though she isn't short of sleep. Exactly the same as I felt on my first few days. It will be very interesting to see if she has a burst of energy on her day six like I did. I kept wanting to burst into song today; not something that I am prone to doing at work.

Day Eight Thursday

I've increased the number I do of each rite, only by one at first but will probably work up to six by the end of 14 days. I am astonished by how much I have improved already. Rite four, the one I found the hardest, I can now do. I don't look like the illustrations by any means unless a table with a large jelly wobbling on it was the silhouette to aim for, but I can get up into the position and hold it.

Day Nine Friday

Darling daughter was complaining of a headache and was lying on the settee but as soon as I began the first rite she leapt up to join me. We are hooked.

Day Ten Saturday

Still only doing four of each but will increase tomorrow. Darling daughter struggles a bit with rite two so she might even or modify on that one for a while. I've just read back to days one and two and have realised that I don't ache as much.

Day 18

Still doing them, six or seven of each now. Darling daughter even did hers whilst staying overnight at a friend's house. This next week I will start to do them twice a day, seven of each. I don't quite know the best way to work up to 21 of each. Whether to do it in one session, break it into three sessions or two sessions of 10 and 11. I can't see three sessions working very well on working days. I will do a bit of research on how others do them.

Day 21 Feeling so much fitter now that I intend to embark on more exercise. I'm not "fit" by any means but I feel I can be again. I used to do aerobics, weight training, step, yoga, cycling etc. and was very fit. Then I spent three years couch potatoing. The Tibetan rites have helped wake something within me, like an eye opening inside.

Day 24 Noting here that I have noticed my tinnitus is louder than normal. My first thought was that my blood pressure has gone up with the exercise but a little research has led to mention of "sounds to do with Kundalini awakening". I find that very interesting, considering that on day 21 I wrote "like an eye opening inside".

Day 32, otherwise known as over a month

A few things to note from the past couple of days. Regarding me - I've had some insights to the solution of problems I have been looking for an answer to for, quite literally, years. Talk about a curtain lifting! Regarding darling Daughter - when she first started doing the 5 rites she struggled with Rite 2 and complained that she couldn't straighten her legs. I noticed tonight that she was doing it with perfectly straight legs. When I pointed this out to her she realised that she had not noticed the gradual straightening of the legs and strengthening of the stomach.

Day 42 or there abouts Still doing them and haven't missed a day, not that it's too much of a big deal to miss a day. I've been feeling a bit of discomfort in my neck and have to make an effort to relax it. I think my waist is appearing; there is certainly a curve inwards where my waist once was. Probably coincidence but I haven't had a period since I started doing them. No big deal but I thought I'd make a note of it. Darling Daughter has cut back on the number she does as she has hurt her shoulder. She tends to do the last one too quickly and I think she put her weight awkwardly onto her arms. She tends to "swing" rather than a controlled movement. She doesn't want to stop altogether and insists on doing what she can. I have been feeling as if there is a barrier that I am about to break through, but I can't identify the nature of the barrier, it's just a feeling, as if I'm standing on one side of "something".

Day 46 The last two days I have cut down to only five of each because my arms are so tired from the mad house cleaning session I seem to have undertaken, and also because I am not doing them until late at night. Before the rites I don't think I would have had the energy for all the activities I have undertaken recently. Tomorrow I will go back up to eleven. I did intend to do ten in a morning and eleven at night. I think it was after the first ten in the morning that I developed my current burst of energy. I also realised that I was breathing incorrectly on rite two. It makes a big difference to breath in and out at the right times. John Francis and Life events reminded me of the proper breathing.

Day 50 I have been receiving e-mail regarding my journalling of the Five Rites, via my original posting on a diary site before I moved it to here. One gentleman has been doing them for well over a year, 21 a day, and reports many benefits including improved mental alertness, fitness (he runs 15k some days) looking younger. Others agree with many of the effects I have noticed. Unfortunately those that have said they intend to start a journal of their own have not sent me a link to it. I hope that if they ever re-visit and read updates of my journalling they will comment or leave a link here.

Day 56 Still doing them every day. I think that it is better to do them in the morning or morning and night. The days I only do them late at night have come to feel as if I am doing them only to "not miss a day" but when I do them earlier or in the morning I feel more energised.  I do believe though that benefits still accrue even with the late night ones. Recently I have re-joined the health club and today I will actually visit and re-activate my card and look around at all the new rooms. Before the Five Rites I don't think I would have had the confidence in my body to get fit again. Now, I can't wait.

Day 61  This page at The Personal Development Institute has some excellent illustrations of how to perform the Five Rites.  Mary Kurus has a very popular page, and Tkdtutor and Shapeshift.  Still, it's nice to have the actual book, Ancient Secrets of the Fountain of Youth and read the charming story as well as the illustrations.

Day 83 As this entry is becoming rather long I will continue to journal my progress as separate entries throughout the blog. They can easily be accessed by clicking The Five Tibetan Rites category in the left hand menu.

Comments

[anon]

have u lost any weight and inches doing the tibetan rites?

[Fran]

In answer to the above comment, see this entry http://www.morecambesands.com/fit/2005/10/day_83_of_the_f.html
More to come

[Jonathan Files]

I am on day 43 -- started with three and have added two repetitions every week (as the Colonel said on page 32 of my edition). I could have done more in the beginning, but I think it may be important to gradually increase them so that you don't overdo and quit, and to establish the daily habit.

It is in making every single day so far that I am most impressed with your work. I have missed four out of the 43 -- 90% and better than the 6 of 7 days per week, but not perfect. I am currently challenging my previous best of 12 in a row. Putting them off till evening sometimes is what resulted in the misses -- a result of 24 hour thinking rather than A.M./P.M., perhaps.

The second most impressive thing is the journal itself. I wish I had my thoughts from Day 1 (I have just recorded the fact of the workout and number of repetitions so far), and I'm going to start a personal journal with a summation of the early days now, Day 43 -- the day I discovered your blog.

My first goal is to make the 21, two more each week, and then start the evening 21 at three and work my way up to the full double dose. By the book, that means 20 weeks to get the full routine established. My second goal point is to perform the full routine for another 5 months and then do a through assessment of my progress.

Yes, I have noticed immediate improvement over the past six weeks -- losing weight in the middle, straightening up a great deal. Getting on-line and balanced, as we say in martial arts. (I'm a second degree black belt in TKD.)

I go from 13 reps to 15 today, and this is getting enough of a physical workout that I also notice a real deepening of my voice from the chest expansion, and increased circulation of blood all over my body giving me a healthy in the pink look when I finish, as well as the intense feeling of straightening.

Psychological and energy benefits are harder to judge objectively, but I do seem to feel better. I am particularly interested at the moment in the breakthrough ten week point that some people mention, which you would have just passed through....

In conclusion, keep up the good work and thanks for the journal idea.

[mandy]

i had started doing the five rites but quit after 4 days-your journal has inspired me 2 start again iam trying 2 get out of a depressed state i 've fallen into-i also use 2 b very active into yoga weight lifting etc-so i will start the 5 rites tomorrow-i'am also going 2 ck out the other sites you mention!

[lee]

hi there,

thank your for your blog. i am just about at the 10 week mark. having difficulty with the last right. i am at 21 in all but the last i am at 12.
it was lovely to make a cyber connection with another person making this discovery.

thanks,

lee