There are five simple exercises that, according to the Himalayan monks, help balance the hormones and restore youth in the body.
Recommendations:
How many times should each exercise be repeated?
The first week should be repeated three times.
During each week that follows, increase the repetitions by two, until you get to do them 21 times.
That is:
1st week: 3 times each rite
2nd week: 5 times each rite
3rd week: 7 times each rite
In the 10th week you will do them 21 times.
If the first rite (turns) you have a hard time doing it and you do it less than the others, don't worry: Do it as many times as possible without feeling very dizzy.
At the end you can do it the 21 times.
What time of day should these exercises be done? Any time is good for making them. And there are those who do them twice a day: in the morning and at night. But it is not necessary. You can do them at the time that best suits you.
Rite number 1:
The First Rite is very simple. It is done with the express objective of accelerating the vortices. Children do it constantly when they're playing.
All you have to do is stand upright with your arms extended to the sides of the body (in a cross), so that they are horizontally in relation to the ground. Then spin until you feel slightly dizzy. You must turn from left to right, in the same direction as clockwise.
At first, most adults can turn only half a dozen times before feeling very dizzy. If you consider it necessary to sit or lie down to recover, do so.
So the first few days, stop doing it when you feel slightly dizzy. Over time, as you practice the five rites, you will be making more and more turns feeling less dizzy.
You can also do what dancers and figure skaters do to avoid dizziness: before starting the first turn, set a point exactly in front of you. When you start making the first turn, keep your eyes on that point as long as possible. Then you will have to lose sight of it, so that the head can rotate with the rest of the body. Turn your head very fast and refocus the point.
Rite number 2:
Lie on the floor face up. It is better to lie on a thick carpet or on some type of padded surface.
Fully stretched on your back, you extend your arms along the body, putting the palms of the hand on the floor, with your fingers tightly joined.
Then you raise your head and press your chin against your chest. Once this is done, lift your legs without flexing your knees until you reach the vertical position.
You can let your legs slide towards your head, but don't let your knees bend.
Then slowly lower your head and legs without bending your knees, until you touch the ground. Let all the muscles relax, and then repeat the rite.
With each repetition a breathing rate must be established. Take a deep breath while you raise your legs and head. All the air expires while you lower them. When you are in a relaxed position, continue with this rhythm. The more deeply you breathe better.
If at first you are not able to keep your legs straight, let your knees bend what you need. But strive to try to stretch them.
Rite number 3:
The Third Rite must be practiced immediately after the second. It is also very simple.
All you need to do is get on your knees on the floor keeping your body upright. The hands should be placed on the muscles of the thighs.
Then you lean your head and neck forward, pressing your chin against your chest. Then you pull your head and neck back as much as possible, and at the same time you lean back arching your spine, keeping your hands on your thighs.
Then you will return to the original position and start the exercise again.
You must also establish a breathing rhythm: you will take a deep breath when you arch your spine and you will expire when you return to the original position. Deep breathing is the most beneficial, so take all the air your lungs allow.
Rite number 4:
The first time this rite is practiced it may seem very difficult, but after a few days it will be as easy as the rest.
First, sit on the floor with your legs straight forward, with a gap between your feet about 12 inches. With your torso upright, place your palms on the floor so that they are next to your buttocks. Press your chin against your chest.
Then you throw your head back as much as possible, while raising your body so that your knees bend while your arms remain straight. The torso will be in a straight line with the thighs forming a horizontal plane with respect to the ground. The arms and legs will remain straight, perpendicular to the ground. Then tense all the muscles of the body.
Finally, you relax the muscles while returning to the original sitting position and rest before repeating the exercise.
Once again, breathing is very important: take a deep breath while lifting the body, hold it while tense the muscles and fully expire while lowering. Follow the same rhythm when you rest between repetitions.
Rite number 5:
Place the body upside down and hold it with the palms of your hands. The toes leave them flexed to do this exercise. Both hands and feet must be placed at a distance from each other. The arms and legs will keep them straight.
Start with the arms perpendicular to the floor and the arched column so that the body is flexed. Pull the head back as far as possible. Then you flex the body at the height of the hips and place it in an inverted V-shape. At the same time, put the chin forward pressing it against the chest.
Then return to the original position and repeat the exercise.
At the end of the first week, people generally consider this rite one of the easiest to do. When you master it, you drop the body from the high position to a point very close to the ground, without touching it. Tense the muscles for a moment, both in the high and low position.
Still applying the same pattern of breathing. Take a deep breath when you lift the body and exhale fully while lowering it.
More information by clicking here. (and you can download the book).
Tibetan Rites of the Fountain of Youth
