The Five Tibetan Rites

An ancient Tibetan movement routine that has made a big impact on my well being.

Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash

The Five Tibetan Rites are an ancient movement routine involving 5 specific movements done 21 times each - eventually. They’ve made a big impact on my life, and I think you could benefit from them too.

I used to be in great shape, but I’m not right now. Years of unstable ground and challenges in my business made me more sedentary than I’ve ever been in my life - by a long shot. I used to work out almost every day, even if it was just a dynamic stretch routine on rest days. But not anymore. That was then, this is now.

Being tired and recovering from burnout made it hard for me to jump into HARD workouts over the last few years when I tried to get moving again. On top of that, when you are recovering from burnout and nervous system dysregulation, you don’t have a ton of capacity to do big workouts. Small, simple, and effective routines become important.

I also think it’s important to introduce new routines with titration in mind. This is to say, we can introduce new routines a tiny bit bit at a time and let our body get used to them. This way we can listen to our body and build consistency so we don’t ‘fall off’ new habits we try and build.

In trying to find something simple and effective, I found The Five Tibetan Rites,. Thus far the routine has been incredible for me.

I do the Rites twice a day. Once in the morning shortly after waking, and once in the evening a few hours before bed.

The benefits I gained after only 3 days of this routine was already noticeable. By a week in I said goodbye to all pain or tightness I woke up with in the morning. At 35 I shouldn’t even be having pain or tightness waking up. But let’s face it, “shouldn’t” is easier said than done in our modern society at times - especially when we’re experiencing a lot of challenge at once.

Now, I see the Five Tibetan Rites being part of my life for a long time. The benefits are not just physical, but mental and spiritual as well.

Some History & The Movements

It is said that the Five Tibetan Rites are more than 2,500 years old and are believed to be created by Tibetan lamas of Tibetan Buddhism.

The specific movements don’t just to provide a dynamic stretch routine, they are said to be based on the body’s energy system as well. Many practitioners believe the movements, and their impact on the body’s energy, will promote youthfulness and good health.

My personal experience has told me that when we have our vessel (body), spirit (soul), and mind (thoughts, thinking etc) well trained, take care of and balanced, we experience the deepest benefits of each.

I scoured the internet for reported benefits and compiled a bit of a list. The internet can promise a lot of things that are rather BS, but these all seem reasonable and align with what my training as a trauma & nervous system health practitioner is teaching me. My own personal experience can attest to several of these already.

• improved strength

• promotes nervous system regulation

• improved presence and body awareness

• improved coordination

• relief from joint pain and muscle tightness

• better circulation

• by nature of the above, reduced anxiety

• improved sleep & more energy

• a youthful appearance (perhaps better posture, more energy and less stress)

Enough said. Let’s learn how to do the routine.

I’ll include an image below that shows you how to do each movement as well as a video explanation that helps you get a handle on speed of the movements. But first a couple notes.

When you begin this routine, start by doing 3 of each movement. Add one more rep of each movement each day, or when you feel ready. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules, if you need 2 days at 4 reps, then do it.

For me, the first movement, the spinning one, was tough to advance quickly. (And for people who experience vertigo, you might even want to skip that one.) I took 2 days before increasing reps to make myself comfortable with the spinning.

We have plenty of time in life to get to the coveted 21 reps. Have fun, enjoy the journey, and remember titration. Listen to your body.

The details are below. Let me know in the comments: have you tried The Five Tibetan Rites before? Do you plan on giving these a shot?

Video explanation of each movement.