The rite 3 is the most difficult one ( I think it if a back bend, just similar to camel pose)I would say don’t think of bend to much. While back bending, try to lift the heart center and reach your chin into the sky. That way you create that important “pull-push” motion.
If you dont have access to yoga studios, check out yoga internet resources such as
http://www.yogajournal.com/
Good luck
I have been practising the 5 rites for about 10 weeks. I have managed, with effort, to get as far as 17 repetitions.
Now, let me say, for a start, that I am not a person who tends to enjoy physical exercise. Was practising Bikram (hot) yoga, which I found also difficult. I always seem to just bump along with exercise, don’t really get to feeling good. Guess in my youth I did enjoy some disco dancing. Would much rather do relaxations/visualisations.
Anyway, after just a few weeks of practising the rites I got some kind of awful flu (before this prided myself on rarely catching things and never being ill for more than a day). This went on for a long time, now just have a lingering cough. There were only two days when I was so ill that I didn’t practice the rites. A friend suggested this could have been a detox, dunno.
The thing is this. It seems that most people really enjoy the rites and get great energy and wellbeing from them. To me they are a huge effort and I grunt and groan, especially when I get to number 5, which I find really hard by the time I get up to the 17 repetitions. Should I not be feeling good by now? I do my best to breathe correctly too.
On a positive note, I know that when I started there is no way I could have done 17 reps of 4 and 5. So I must have gained some strength, even though I know my arms tend to be weak, I don’t like carrying heavy things, and get painful elbows.
Would really appreciate some feedback.
Cheers,
Canbel
I’ll offer my experience and what I read ( the book by Peter Kelder ) : I also rarely get sick and got sick after a short time on the rites ; this is often the case according to testimonials in the book but I stayed with it although since I am very fit and used to every rite, more or less, except #1, I did 21 from the git-go, which is wrong, according to the book it’s better to progress gradually even if you are fit enough for 21. I enjoyed them enough but after a few months I quit because there was nothing I could point to as an effect. I felt as I usually do- which is pretty good-and though it makes a beautiful idea of spinning chakras better in a short expenditure of time- I figured my normal yoga routine was for me. I don’t want to dissuade anyone from it because it is without doubt a good short routine and others may find results where they need it. I thought the sickness was actually a good sign that something dramatic was going on. If you keep at it I’m sure you’ll experience positive things, the degree of how good, I couldn’t say but I’d love to hear further reports from you if you continue. Namaste
Thanks so much Tony for your reply. Sounds like you had such a good level of fitness that you were probably already experiencing all the possible benefits. How fit you must be to start at 21 reps! I’m not at your level, but as I said, forced myself to do Bikram (rarely now!).
Hope the illness was a good sign, hopefully time will tell. Will certainly keep you updated.
Thanks again,
Canbel
[QUOTE=Canbel;26725]I have been practising the 5 rites for about 10 weeks. I have managed, with effort, to get as far as 17 repetitions.
Now, let me say, for a start, that I am not a person who tends to enjoy physical exercise. Was practising Bikram (hot) yoga, which I found also difficult. I always seem to just bump along with exercise, don’t really get to feeling good. Guess in my youth I did enjoy some disco dancing. Would much rather do relaxations/visualisations.
Anyway, after just a few weeks of practising the rites I got some kind of awful flu (before this prided myself on rarely catching things and never being ill for more than a day). This went on for a long time, now just have a lingering cough. There were only two days when I was so ill that I didn’t practice the rites. A friend suggested this could have been a detox, dunno.
The thing is this. It seems that most people really enjoy the rites and get great energy and wellbeing from them. To me they are a huge effort and I grunt and groan, especially when I get to number 5, which I find really hard by the time I get up to the 17 repetitions. Should I not be feeling good by now? I do my best to breathe correctly too.
On a positive note, I know that when I started there is no way I could have done 17 reps of 4 and 5. So I must have gained some strength, even though I know my arms tend to be weak, I don’t like carrying heavy things, and get painful elbows.
Would really appreciate some feedback.
Cheers,
Canbel[/QUOTE]
For me, I find it best if I am going to do a practice to just relax into it. any strain against it only seems to add tension, which is opposite of the point of it. Many times my goal was to get finished, rather then being present with what I was doing.
good luck
brother Neil
This is new to me. I look forward to incorporating this into my day.
Hi Canbel. I’ve been teaching the Five Tibetans for nearly 10 years now and in that time have taught many thousands of people through workshops, books, DVD’s and private tuition. So I can probably give you a fair idea of what is typical and how to get around the common problems.
People do report a detox effect from beginning the Rites, but this usually clears up within the first two weeks. Sounds to me like you caught a normal flu, particularly since you still have that lingering cough that so many people seem to have at the moment. Some people do experience flu-like symptoms during the first few days of practice, but mostly nothing really comes of it.
Regarding your comment that most people seem to really enjoy doing the Rites and get a huge amount of energy & well being from them: Actually there are people who say they don’t notice much of a change at all! Tony seems to have had this experience.
One problem could be expectation. When our expectations are not met, we tend to feel let down a bit and that is understandable. I prefer to be more pragmatic and remind people that the Rites are ‘working’ regardless of the degree of sensation they can actually feel. After all we are not conscious of all the myriad radio waves that move through and around our bodies all the time.
If I were you I would cut back on the repetitions. Do what makes you feel good and that you can maintain over the long term.
One of the tricks you can play on yourself is to just do the Spin. What you may notice is that you finish doing the Spin and then find it easier to follow up with the other movements.
Perhaps you can build up to 21 repetitions of the Spin – and build up repetitions of the remaining Rites at a slower pace. Don’t be in a rush to do 21 repetitions, just get there when you get there and become very conscious of your body. Make your practice a moving meditation which you say you enjoy. Really focus on keeping your movement even between one side of the body and the other. “Tune” in to different parts of your body on different days and start to use the routine to help you be more ‘present’ in your everyday life. Use the Rites to increase your consciousness or whatever matters to you most.
Between each Rite - lie down and do some comfortable deep and relaxing breathing. We do this in the T5T version I teach.
Remember we grow up thinking things will improve when … (eg: I meet my soul mate or the kids grow up)! A truth is that physically, mentally and spiritually we must use our bodies, mind and energy or we lose it – aging does not get better in the sense that we all age from the moment we are born. The weakness you describe in your arms will not improve with lack of use and will in fact get worse.
Link in some things you like when practicing the Rites. Turn it into a little daily self-care ritual just for you. Put on some music you like and use visualization. “See” yourself doing the Rites the way you want to in your mind’s eye first. The body will follow. No groaning and grunting, see yourself smoothly performing the movements like a dance. See yourself feeling inspired and motivated by them while remaining calm and clear headed.
I’ve written an article about this on my website which you may find interesting: http://www.t5t.com/articles.cfm?Content_ID=99
All the best
Hello Carolinda,
Thanks for the great post.
I particularly like your advice to:
Between each Rite - lie down and do some comfortable deep and relaxing breathing. We do this in the T5T version I teach.
Best with Blessings,
Nancy
Thanks to all and thanks to Vimshati for taking the trouble to give me such a detailed answer.
Firstly I agree, I do think that I have the remnants of flu, which I can’t really pin on the 5 rites, although it was a bit discouraging to catch it when feeling quite positive as I began practising.
On the subject of expectation - I think there’s a fine line here. Because we must also believe that the practice will lead to improvement. There are many enthusiastic case histories at the beginning of the original “Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth”, the original text book for the rites. Surely what we believe is key.
The Spin trick - guess what you mean is tell yourself you will only be doing the spin so that one is not full of dread at having to do the lot! And that hopefully one will feel fired up after the Spin. I will try! Thanks.
I appreciate what you say about being conscious about the exercising. As I’m sure you realise I have been dying to get them over! On the subject of deep breathing in between, may I ask, in the second rite, are you supposed to relax completely between the repetitions, or to keep some tension in the stomach as you continue? Also, I’m not clear as to whether one should keep one’s toes pointed or have feet perpendicular to legs. I have been pointing my toes.
I agree that it is important to exercise, especially as we get older. So I will persist with the rites. Currently my elbows really aren’t feeling good. When I was doing the Bikram yoga my most dreaded exercise was the half locust, where your elbows are kind of sandwiched underneath you and you push yourself up. Don’t know if it was doing me any good.
Just read your comprehensive article - the one for which you provided the link. Thank you, it is very good. When you talk about someone qualifying as a “Registered T5T Instructor”, how do you get registered?
I understand the importance of breathing and do my best to breathe out on effort. Are there other breathing techniques I should follow? I do know, for instance, about the Complete Breath.
Thanks again and for all the comments, hope there will be more!
Canbel
Hi Canbel!
Yes, the issue with[B] expectation[/B] works TWO ways! For and against. Like everything, two sides to every coin!
[B]Spin Trick[/B] - yes, you are right but also the Spin gives you energy! Try it before doing something you don’t want to do or at the end of the day when you need a boost before going out.
[B]2nd Rite. [/B] Are you using your deep core muscles or the rectus abdominis (six pack)? The answer depends on which muscles you are using. In the T5T method (www.T5T.com) we use our core muscles all the time to protect and support the spine & discs. We keep them engaged throughout the movement and relax between repetitions - although it is possible to keep them engaged throughout the repetitions (like the Pilates 100 exercise).Many people think they are using their core muscles but in fact they are using their oblique muscles. See info below:
Over 50% of the body?s total mass is the trunk and low torso area. The muscles of the lower torso and inner abdominals are essential for maintaining the body?s posture and stability. They assist in the multi directional movements of the trunk, compress the stomach, and aid in breathing, elimination and childbirth.
Type 2, Phasic or Fast Twitch Muscles
The large muscles that lie just under our skin are also referred to as ?movement or global muscles.? Their job is to pull on the bones to produce movement, rather like guide wires. These muscles can work hard but require time to recover. They tend to be located closest to the skin of the body. Examples are the chest muscles, the thigh muscles and the calf muscles.
Type 1, Tonic or Slow Twitch Muscles
Lying close to the bones are the stabilizing muscles, whose role is to control and stabilize the skeleton during movement. These muscles produce low amounts of force but they have very low rates of fatigue. Their primary role is to control or limit movement. They work isometrically - like flexing your bicep (the muscle contracts but there is no movement). There are slow twitch muscles all over the body, not just in the core example: rotator shoulder cuff muscles, gluteus maximus in the hip.
The type of exercise slow twitch muscles respond to best are those with low grades of contraction, held for prolonged periods, and often while other movements are performed on top. This closely resembles how they work in real life.
When core muscles are functioning most efficiently they provide a stable base for the powerful type 2 muscles to work from.
[B]Toes[/B]
We align knees over hips (not back over the stomach which takes the spine out of its natural (neutral) curves. We flex toes in the perpendicular position to strengthen the stretch of the the leg muscles.
[B]Elbows.[/B] Try rotating the creases of your elbows forwards when weight bearing as this allows the stronger muscles of the upper back to assist the movement.
We have a [B]new E-Book of ALL The Common Problems & Their Solutions for The Five Tibetans. [/B] Based on our teaching of thousands of students. See http://www.t5t.com/shop_1.cfm for info
all the best
It would ease this pain if you started spinning to the left as well. Try it out, hope you get the message. Peace.
]Hello everybody!
I’ve been doing Five Tibetan rites for about 7-8 months, but after few months of practising I’ve started experience pain in my lower back, especialy after the rite number 3. Now, this pain is constant through the day. I’ve had flat feet since my childhood, and for a result of that, I had a mild skoliosis in my early teenage years, but now (I’m 21) skoliosis is almost dissapear. I think this pain I can feel is somehow connected with the Five Tibetans, but I really don’t want to stop practising, because I’ve experienced great benefits thanks to rites. It’s like this exercises bring the pain, and, at the same time, serve as some kind of pain relief for my spine. It’s hard to explain. So, I’m interested if someone had any similar simptoms, and got some idea for solving this problem…
P.S. If my English is bad, sorry, and thanks for the reps… ;)[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I feel the same way. I hate the idea that The Five Tibetans might need some nuanced guidance or disclaimers for certain situations but I also started getting severe back pain once I really got consistent at age 46 after experiencing some consistency earlier in life. It hurts to arch my back at a nerve or bone-level. The more I arch my back, the more I feel pain in my spine. That being said, I added a whole new exercise -- an extreme version of Exercise 3 (Dynamic Camel). I would try to lean as far back as I could while being able to pull myself back up unassisted. The more I did it, the stronger my quads and core got, and the farther back I could go. Maybe the scoliosis that was discovered during high school athletics has resurfaced because I've been pushing myself too hard.