Yoga Series - Five Tibetan Rites

Five Tibetan Rites

The Five Tibetan Rites, more commonly referred to as "The Five Tibetans", is a derivative of Taoist Yoga and closer in nature to the practices of Chinese alchemical and martial practices of qigong and nei gung than traditional Hindu Yoga. The technique does focus on the higher level practices of chakra balancing, and the cultivation of both pranic energy and kundalini, which is what warrants its mention in this article.

The "Tibetans" found its way from Taoist Yoga into Tibetan Buddhist practice, hence the name, and was first publicized in the West by Peter Kelder in 1939, and republished in 1975. The practice was re-introduced by Christopher S. Kilham in 1994, with his publication "The Five Tibetans".

The first Rite involves spinning 21 times with the arms stretched, like the Sufi dervish practice, and the last four by executing a simple sequence of moving back and forth between two different asanas. According to Kelder, the rites are healthy because of the fitness element it contains, and that people above the age of 40 would rejuvenate by doing them each day. Kilham focuses more on the metaphysical aspects of the practice, noting the benefits of chakra balancing, energizing the pranamayakosha sheath, and awakening kundalini.