The Five Tibetan Rites are well known and practiced by many, including myself. I have been doing them on and off for many years now. I think they are one reason I am still able to breathe well.
I used to moderate a forum on the Rites at Yahoo Groups. Well, I still do, but Facebook gets most of the action these days. Anyway, we had a member named Mary, whose lungs had been very damaged by the chemicals in carpeting. She sued the carpet company and won. The Rites were one of the things she practiced to help her health and lungs and she said they were the most helpful. This is a good page on the Rites, with pics and instructions: mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRi...
And this book is very much worth getting: amazon.com/Ancient-Secret-F...
Pasting in a couple of Mary's posts:
My name is Mary. I am 58 years old. Until about 2 years ago, I was
very healthy....having spent 15 years focusing on nutrition, etc.
Then, 2 years ago, we installed new carpeting. It was defective and
off-gassed chemicals which destroyed my lungs. I got very sick
before anyone realized that the carpet was the problem. Now my lungs
have very little elasticity and many air sacs have been destroyed. I
have both restrictive and obstructive lung disease. I am on
supplemental oxygen 24/7.
At first, after my open lung biopsy (3/2003) revealed the full extent
of the damage to my lungs, I wanted to die. After all...what quality
of life could I expect for my future? However, after several months,
I decided to do some tai chi and yoga (breathing) to minimize the
lung pain and coughing that I lived with every day. After about 6
mos., I decided to try doing some weight training to re-build lean
muscle in the hopes that this would help my lungs expand and contract
more easily. No matter how hard I tried, I could not lift more than
4 pounds without severe lung pain. So I finally gave up. Then,
about a year after my surgery, I learned about the Tibetan Rites. I
bought the books and began. Progress was very slow. After 4 mos, I
could only do 10 of each rite. For every two steps forward, I had to
take one step back. However, I did make progress and could tell that
my body was 'changing' even though I could not do more than 10. I
was finally able to try weight training again. I can now lift up to
10#s. My lungs do not hurt in the morning. I have more stamina and
endurance. I can even do a few push-ups! But most importantly, my 02
diffusion has increased from 32% to 47%! Also, the capacity of my
lungs to contract has improved by 20%!. This means I can release
more C02 from my lungs!
When I began doing my weight training in earnest, I did have to stop
the rites until I could master the weight training. (I can do only
about 1 hour of intense physical exercise a day. If I do more, my
lungs suffer and I can do nothing for several days. Therefore, I am
learning to 'build up' slowly and steadily.) My doctors are amazed
and say they rarely see someone who was so close to death improve as
I have. Of course, they assume it is only a matter of time before I
begin a downward spiral. I am trying to prove them wrong. I don't
care how long I live as long as I have a decent quality of life until
I die.
Someone asked, in a former post, if something was being overlooked as
the individual did not feel the rites were bringing 'miracles' to
pass. The answer is 'yes' and 'no'.
The Tibetan monks did not live to be 120 ONLY because they did the
rites. The rites were only a part of a total lifestyle which would
have also included diet and spiritual beliefs..which included
personal pondering/meditation. It would also have included a SIMPLE
approach to life. In my youth, I was a nun. There were many very
old nuns in my community. It was not uncommon for an 80 year old nun
to look 50!!!! Why...not because they did yoga or the Tibetan
rites. They didn't. Not because they were vegetarian...because they
weren't. Not because they meditated....although they did. It was
the SIMPLICITY and CALMNESS with which they approached life BECAUSE
of their personal beliefs.
What did the rites do for me? I believe that they gave me HOPE. I
could feel my body strengthn as I was able to increase the number of
times I did each rites. I noticed that each of the rites exercised
my lungs in a different manner. I have come to the personal
conclusion that the monks chose these specific yoga asanas precisely
for their impact on the lungs and oxygenation of the body! After
all, they lived at a very high altitude where the atmosphere would
have been very thin (low in 02). I believe the exercises helped my
lungs relearn how to expand and contract enough so that I could
finally lift weights and begin rebuilding lean muscle.
When I began the rites (5/2004), I needed about 14-16 hours of sleep
daily. I now need only 10-12 hours of sleep. I could not do any
push-ups. Now I can do about 5 in a row. I could not lift more than
4# weights. Now I can lift 10# weights. I could not be physically
active more than 3 hours per day. Today I prepared (by myself) a
large Christmas dinner for 10 people which I then cleaned up (almost
by myself). My day began at 8:30 am and I am typing this at 11:30pm
without having taken a nap all day...of course, I will be very tired
tomorrow.
Now that I have learned yoga, have mastered the basics of weight
training (hand weights), and know the rites, I am in the process of
making an exercise program that incorporates all three of these. I
have also begun making drastic dietary changes. (I have a PHD in
holistic nutrition.) I may not live as long as I might have had my
lungs not been damaged but.....at least I now have some control over
the quality of my life. IMHO, the monks did not do these rites in
order to live to 120+ but to improve the quality of their life at
such a high altitude. I can use them to bring about the benefit in
my life.
mary
Back to the inhaler drawing board because Breo sent me to the ER after the 1st use
Copd?
I am excited to join COPD Friends! A Right2Breathe introduction...
