The Five Tibetans (Five Dynamic Exercises for Health, Energy, and Personal Power)

Originating in the Himalayas, the five yogic exercises known as the Five Tibetans take only a minimum of daily time and effort but dramatically increase physical strength, energy, and suppleness as well as mental acuity. Also called the Five Rites of Rejuvenation, these exercises were brought to the West in the early 20th century by a retired British army officer who learned them in a Tibetan lamasery. Regular practice of these postures relieves muscle tension and nervous stress, improves digestion, strengthens the cardiovascular system, tunes and energizes the chakras, and leads to deep relaxation and well-being. Enhancing the innate energetic power of the body and mind, these exercises provide a vehicle for enlivening the senses and harnessing energy for the purpose of self-transformation. Since 1978, Christopher Kilham has taught these exercises to thousands of people seeking a healthier lifestyle.

The Five Tibetans has established itself as a classic among yoga practitioners and teachers alike. In this new edition the author shares his own positive experiences from more than 30 years' devotion to the practice, even during his extensive worldwide travels, and explores the spiritual benefits of the Five Tibetans as well as the profound impact the practice has on health, longevity, and healthy aging.

CHRISTOPHER S. KILHAM has taught yoga, meditation, and natural health since 1978. Known for his appearances as the Medicine Hunter on The Dr. Oz Show, CNN, and FOX News, he has conducted medicinal plant research in more than 30 countries across 5 continents and the South Pacific. The author of many articles and several books, including Hot Plants, Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise, and The Whole Food Bible, he lives in western Massachusetts.

One of my favourite quotes from a spiritual scripture says, "This will all seem like a brief flash of heat lightning on a summer day." That is one of the great mysteries of life, that time flashes by at a tremendous rate. Days turn into months, months turn into years, and years quickly multiply into decades. Sometimes we begin something, and at a certain point we stop to consider that we've been involved with that activity for a long time.

So it goes with the Five Tibetans. I encountered them in 1976, began to practice them daily in 1978, and now, thirty-five years later, I am still practicing these methods every day. Except for the rare occasion when I am flying someplace around the clock, I practice yoga each morning and always finish with the Five Tibetans. When I first took them up, it was hard to say for sure what benefits I would derive or how long I would enjoy making them part of my life. Decades later, I can say with certainty that the benefits derived from practicing the Five Tibetans are many, and I have every intention of making them an integral part of my daily life until I can no longer do so.

As a medicine hunter, I travel the world in search of traditional remedies that can help alleviate human suffering, remedies that can be used in place of dangerous, potentially lethal pharmaceuticals. As part of this work, I find myself in many countries, often in very remote places. In all my travels, the Five Tibetans have been my companions. I have practiced these methods in Vanuatu South Pacific; in Siberia; Morocco; the Peruvian, Brazilian, and Ecuadorian Amazon; high up in the Indian Himalayas; in the Syrian Desert; along Xinjiang's Naladi grasslands; on the Mexican coast; and in countless cities from Kathmandu to Shanghai to Marrakech to Moscow to London to Accra. I have practiced them in hotels, on beaches, on stone patios, in native shacks, on boat docks, in forests, on mountains, and in airports. As the Johnny Cash song says, "I've been everywhere." And so have the Five Tibetans.

The Five Tibetans book has been busy too, starting from its publication in the United States, to its current publication in twenty languages and more than twenty-two countries. I have found The Five Tibetans in bookshops in London, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Mexico, and many other places. I never could have imagined such a positive reception. The Five Tibetans is the little book that just keeps on going. It sits on coffee tables, bookshelves, counters, and bedside tables all over the globe. How wonderful is that?

One of the claims made about the Five Tibetans is that they are youth enhancers. When I first wrote this book, I frankly admitted that I did not actually know one way or another if this was true, but I hoped to find out. Now, decades later, I can say that the Five Tibetans definitely help to maintain more youthful strength, flexibility, balance, circulation, energy, endurance, and stamina. I also credit them with helping to keep me mentally sharp. That's not bad at all for a ten-minute daily practice. Despite this, I'm still aging, looking older than I did decades ago, and going through various processes of change as the years melt by. Any of us who live long enough will age.

**Contents and Sample Pages**