The Five Rites Exercises
The following instructions and photographs are taken from the book Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2.
Rite #1 Stand erect with arms outstretched horizontal to the floor, palms facing down. Your arms should be in line with your shoulders. Spin around clockwise until you become slightly dizzy. Gradually increase number of spins from 1 spin to 21 spins. Breathing: Inhale and exhale deeply as you do the spins.
Rite #2 Lie flat on the floor, face up. Fully extend your arms Along your sides and place the palms of your hands against the floor, keeping fingers close together. Then raise your head off the floor tucking your chin into your chest. As you do this, lift your legs, knees straight, into a vertical position. If possible, extend the legs over the body towards your head. Do not let the knees bend. Then slowly lower the legs and head to the floor, always Keeping the knees straight. Allow the muscles to relax, and repeat. Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you lift your head and legs and exhale as you lower your head and legs.
Rite #3 Kneel on the floor with the body erect. The hands should be placed on the backs of your thigh muscles. Incline the head and neck forward, tucking your chin in against your chest. Then throw the head and neck backward, arching the spine. Your toes should be curled under through this exercise. As you arch, you will brace your arms and hands against the thighs for support. After the arching return your body to an erect position and begin the rite all over again. Breathing: Inhale as you arch the spine and exhale as you return to an erect position.
Rite #4 Sit down on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your feet about 12″ apart. With the trunk of the body erect, place the palms of your hands on the floor alongside your buttocks. Then tuck the chin forward against the chest. Now drop the head backward as far as it will go. At the same time raise your body so that the knees bend while the arms remain straight. Then tense every muscle in your body. Finally let the muscles relax as you return to your original sitting position. Rest before repeating this Rite.¬†¬†¬†Breathing: Breathe in as you raise up, hold your breath as you tense the muscles, and breathe out fully as you come down.
Rite #5 Lie down with your face down to the floor. You will be supported by the hands palms down against the floor and the toes in the flexed position. Throughout this rite, the hands and feet should be kept straight. Start with your arms perpendicular to the Floor, and the spine arched, so that the body Is in a sagging position. Now throw the head back as far as possible. The, bending at the hips, bring the body up into an inverted “V”. At the same time, bring the chin forward, Tucking it against the chest. Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you raise the body, and exhale fully as you lower the body.
SPECIAL CAUTION: Spinning and stretching through the following exercises can aggravate certain health conditions such as any type of heart problem, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons’s Disease, severe arthritis of the spine, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a hyperthyroid condition, or vertigo.
Problems may also be caused if you are taking drugs that cause dizziness. Please consult your physician prior to beginning these exercises if you have any difficult health issues or if you have any other concerns.