# Is This Ancient 5-Minute Routine the Fountain of Youth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6u3EwNTCE

[00:00] Tibetan monks mythically did the same routine every day multiple times per day.
[00:04] claiming it was the fountain of youth.
[00:06] No crazy contortions or muscle burning sets.
[00:09] They found that movement paired with breath led to an undeniable increase in energy and vitality.
[00:16] Stretching has become popular but the five Tibetan rites value something different.
[00:20] Movement with breath.
[00:22] Not just limbering up but energizing, rejuvenating.
[00:24] Many people today still believe that this is the key to anti-aging.
[00:30] Let's dive into their practice.
[00:33] The first movement is spinning.
[00:36] It's simple to the point it may seem a bit silly.
[00:38] Spin in circles with the arms wide.
[00:40] Traditionally this is done to the right or clockwise.
[00:41] Try to grab the same focal point in front of you with each spin.
[00:46] This stimulates the vestibular system which is the control center for movement.
[00:50] Without a strong vestibular system you'll feel stiff, uncoordinated, unbalanced.
[00:55] Your body can't make sense of movement and spatial orientation.
[00:59] Your nervous system feels afraid of
[01:01] moving.
[01:01] Kids learn to move through vestibular stimulation, rolling, crawling, jumping, climbing, and spinning.
[01:06] But most of us spend our days locked in an upright position.
[01:10] Tibetan monks found that spinning stimulates this lost function in a simple way.
[01:14] Don't do too many when you first start, you'll need to build tolerance to not get super dizzy.
[01:20] But try five spins and build upon it and feel free to do it in both directions.
[01:24] The second, lying leg raise.
[01:27] Arms by the side, chin tucked.
[01:29] Lift the legs with the knees straight.
[01:31] Inhale on the way up, exhale on the way down.
[01:34] The midline of the body is where tons of power is found.
[01:37] When we hinge at the hips from the supine position, the core and hip flexors are the main movers.
[01:41] The center of our body becomes strong and reverses the slumped forward position while giving active flexibility to the hamstrings.
[01:47] The breathing is maybe the most important benefits of the Tibetan rites.
[01:50] James Nestor in his book Breath says that pairing the Tibetan rites with intentional breathing completely changed his lung volume and posture.
[02:00] Number three is the kneeling back bend.
[02:03] Hands on the hips or low back, lift the chin and arch the back.
[02:07] Breathe in on the back bend and out on the return.
[02:09] If I were to put myself in the mind of the ancients, I see the logic.
[02:13] The spine holds our youth.
[02:15] Stiffness there means rigidity in all movements.
[02:18] No matter if we spend our days sitting on computers or doing physical jobs, we're constantly in spinal flexion.
[02:22] This movement is essentially [music] the opposite of the first.
[02:25] It's a reverse hip hinge, gently nudging the torso to open in the direction that we rarely ask it to.
[02:29] The ribs and chest open to create more space for air.
[02:34] The neck and jaw get a moment to relax.
[02:36] The hip flexors, where most of us hold our tension, get some breathing room.
[02:42] Number four, the reverse tabletop.
[02:45] Sit on the floor, legs out in front, hands beside you.
[02:47] Lift the hips while pushing into the ground with the hands.
[02:49] Drop the head back, breathe in on the way up and [music] out on the way down.
[02:55] The back side of the body is the most likely to shut off with daily activities.
[02:58] Re-engaging this is crucial for balance in the body.
[03:01] The glutes and the hamstrings get full engagement at the
[03:03] top position and the back of the shoulder, the area that gets slack from sitting with our arms in front of us all day, turns on in a way most people rarely experience.
[03:14] Having dealt with numerous shoulder problems, this is the one I personally do every day without fail.
[03:18] We've said before, it's like push-ups for your back side.
[03:22] We need it for a balanced body.
[03:25] And the final Tibetan right, upward to downward dog.
[03:29] Start with your hands supporting your shoulders and hips on the ground.
[03:31] Upward dog.
[03:33] Transition to downward dog by pushing your hips up and back with the knees as straight as possible.
[03:37] Breathe in moving to upward dog, breathe out moving to downward dog.
[03:42] Your heart pumps your blood, but we have fluid in our lymphatic system and spine that don't have their own pumping mechanism.
[03:48] Moving the spine and body rhythmically like this pumps the fluids that remove waste and oil up the spine.
[03:54] This is why we feel stiff in the morning or feel lethargic after long bouts of sitting.
[03:58] We need movement to survive.
[04:01] Just this simple exercise can make you feel healthy and energized if you're in
[04:04] A lethargic state.
[04:07] Many people start with just three reps of each movement.
[04:09] Traditionally, it's done with up to 21 repetitions, but I personally fall on nine repetitions for most people, and that should only take about 5 minutes.
[04:18] This is enough to get all the benefits and as little time and effort as possible.
[04:21] I highly recommend doing this routine in nature.
[04:23] No music, just you and your breath can de-stress the body, open important joints, and energize the heck out of your spirit.