In the 1990’s I acquired a book called “Ancient Secret of The Fountain of Youth” by Peter Kelder. I have always been committed to looking and feeling youthful, so of course this title attracted my interest. I performed the suggested movements for a short while, but since I was much younger then, I soon put the book away and stopped the practice. Some 25 years later, as I began to feel random aches and pains, I knew it was time to pull out my favorite little ‘fountain of youth’ book once again. I was noticing that when I first got out of bed in the morning, I would be slightly hunched over with back stiffness. I as I took several steps I would begin to straighten out. After the 5th day of doing 3 repetitions of the 5 movements, I was jumping out of bed just like I used to. It only took 5 days and that was enough for me to commit to this daily practice for good.
I have been doing them every single day since August of 2020, and I never plan to stop. I lost about 10 pounds, toned up my legs, arms and abdomen and have great energy every day. In addition, I had another patient committed to doing this daily practice and lost 115 pounds in 1 year! The craziest thing was he never even changed his diet.
So what are these exercises and why do they help us restore our health and youth? They’re not actually exercises at all. They are referred to as ‘5 Tibetan rites’, which are specific movements done in a particular order by Tibetan monks. We perform them slowly with intentional rhythmic breathing. Initially, some of the rites can be difficult, but with time and practice it becomes more like a meditative ritual done with ease and grace.
These simple movements energize the internal system. Health and healing is an inside job, but is often sought after by using external exercises or taking pills. I am an advocate of exercising muscles, but pushing oneself too hard can unfortunately weaken the system further. The body wants to heal, but most of the mainstream exercise ideology tends to tax an already weakened constitution. This becomes evident when regardless of diet restrictions and exercise, fat accumulation, poor muscle tone and fatigue are present.
These movements are different. They put energy into the system to allow restoration and healing. Daily practice increases circulation and lymphatic movement without using up muscle energy. The breathing practice during each repetition helps repair and reverse illness and injury. Over time, the cracking of knees and ankles occurring with climbing stairs or simple walking disappears. Shoulder injuries and pain along the spine often cease. People sleep better. Digestion improves. Therapies that are used to restore health seem to work quicker and more effectively. The body becomes leaner without becoming bulkier.
Those who have committed to these 5 rites always lose weight and inches. Blood pressure decreases, circulation increases, clarity of mind improves. hormonal and immune problems resolve, insomnia is alleviated, balance develops, energy is restored, posture straightens and muscle strength returns.
What is fascinating is that the older we are when we begin the practice, the quicker the results. I asked a patient who was around 80 years old to do them for her ailments. After performing only 3 reps of all 5 for 10 weeks I was shocked at what I saw. She came in wearing tight leggings, was much thinner and looked toned. Her medical doctor ran all kinds of tests because she thought something was wrong. All her labs returned healthy and normal. But the most astonishing sight for me was how young her face looked. She seemed to be 10 years younger after only 2 1/2 months of her 5-minute daily routine. The explanation for this phenomenon is that when the energy of our cells tires and slows down, they cannot function effectively. We call this aging. Utilizing a practice that can increase energy to the cells allows them to detoxify and become enlivened. Practicing the five rites not only helps restore energy in the cells, it visibly reverses aging.
After prescribing the exercises to many patients to restore their health, I realized I had to record a video to make it easier for patients to see and remember the details. The recording I made from January of 2021 is less than 7 minutes long, but packed with information that may warrant a few viewing sessions. The link for the video is here. There are many other videos out there on this subject. A few of them give inaccurate information or don’t give value to deliberate, intentional breathing. Others miss necessary details, so use your best judgment if veering off to other sites.
One last comment. If you have trouble with any of the 5 rites, or if you feel strain or pain, consider modifying it or omitting it temporarily. You will get results with any of the rites you can do. Every month try those you omitted to see if you can begin incorporating them. With dedication you will be able to restore flexibility and strength so that all of them will become part of your daily routine.\\
Dr. Julie Wilson 6009 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL. 60646 773-481-9988
http://drjuliewilson.com