The Five Rites of Tibet sequence is known for being a pathway to ‘The Fountain of Youth‘ and “Eye of Revelation‘ in yoga. It’s most well known for bringing extraordinary physical transformation in the body, and in particular for healing and preventing back issues that 80% us will experience at some point in life. If you’ve done these rites in class then you’ll know from the aches the next day, how much strength even a few rounds can bring to the core.
Use the printable guide below to practice the 5 Rites at home. Beware if you have lower back issues to lift only one leg at a time, not both together, for the second rite, and take it easy on the fourth and fifth rites. Most people start with three sets of each rite, building up to eventually be able to do seven. When you’ve mastered a set of seven, aim to progress to completing three rounds of seven, which is 21 reps of each rite in total. It takes daily practice to eventually be able to do a single set of 21 of each rite in one go. It is possible though, and if you get dizzy, remember you can scoop the arms up and breathe in and exhale lowering the arms as many times as you need to reduce the sensation after the first rite.
One of the best discoveries many years ago was finding this free version on the ‘Eye of Revelation’ book, which contains the story of how this sequence became known in the West. Whether it’s a true story is debated, however it’s a great read all the same, with detailed original instruction on the moves, so check it out by clicking here. It’s the story of a journey to an ancient remote monastery in the East, by a crippled old man who regains his vitality and youth through the 5 Rites. He transformed from barely walking with a cane to having a healthy spine and full mobility of a man half his age, even his hair colour returned and was no longer grey. The story was written as a book in the 1930’s, but just remember he did a lot of this sequence every day to get those results.
Of all the yoga sequences, daily practice of this has had the biggest effect on me when combined with meditation. Whilst physically it’s made me feel much more vibrant, filled with energy, strong and flexible, the most amazing part is the effect it has on cleansing the energy body and brining clarity of mind. To learn more about it’s effects on opening the third eye read the advanced yoga post here. As for getting rid of those greys – they really stand out in my dark hair and I still have some. At the time when I practiced this daily for three months, I did see significant return of my dark hair. I would see grey strands that were dark again at the root, so made of the two colours. Stopping the practice saw the return of the greys.
Enjoy the printable instructions below & share your experiences with it 🙂
