Some students have asked me for recommendations on a yoga sequence they can do in the mornings if they only have 15 minutes to spare, and I usually tell them to practice the five Tibetan rites. The five Tibetan rites distills the yoga practice to a handful of poses meant to work every muscle of the body. It is also meant to synchronize your main energy centers of the body (known as the 7 chakras) from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.
The five Tibetan rites - introduced to the western world by Peter Kelder in his book The Eye of Revelation - were designed by the Lamas in Tibet to achieve optimal health and vitality, hence its being referred to as the "fountain of youth." The Lamas believed that the Five Rites could redistribute your body’s life force where you needed it most, leaving you balanced in body, mind, and spirit. So think of it as a physical and energetic "tuning."
The sequence itself is simple (see image below): for a total of 5 poses, you can choose to repeat each as many times as you want (between 3 and 21 times) before moving on to the next one. Ideally you want to reach 21 repetitions of each pose, but you can start with 3 to 7 and work up to 21 repetitions with time and practice. It is important to develop a regular routine for this practice for maximum benefits: The more you practice, the more you can increase experiencing the physical and emotional benefits. Although Tibetan yoga emphasizes a continuous sequence of movement, you can take breaks in between each pose until you get into a good rhythm. And you will!
Remember to be mindful of your spine (your main energy conductor) in each posture of the sequence, and don't lose sight of your breath, it is still important to synchronize your breath with the movements to achieve optimal benefits.
There are plenty of how-to's online but I will show you in a quick video as soon as I have it together. ✨
Let me know how it goes in the comments!
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