Several years ago we were introduced to the Tibetan practice of Kum Nye by the lama Tarthang Tulku at his place in Sonoma, CA. It sounds like the Five Rites are brief descriptions of hath yoga practices that involve breathing and posture asanas and the chakras (spinning wheels). Hatha Yoga as you probably already know is connected to the yogi Matsyendranth, an early exponent of Kundalini Yoga. The Five Rites are all about placement and positioning- according to Tarthang Tulku, it is a "gesture of balance.".
These Tibetan exercises are similar to the Yoga Asanas in the three levels recommended by MMY: Yoga Asanas, Course 1-3. Kum Nye (pronounced "Koom Neeay") contains elements of yoga, meditation and massage and is rooted in the Dzogchen tradition. I once attened a seminar by Reginald Ray at Naropa University in Boulder where he explaining the Dzogchen practices. They are similar to basic TM practice. According to Ray, in Tibetan Buddhism Dzogchen is considered the highest and most definitive path to enlightenment. However, it is doubtful if these exercises date back 2,500 years, since Hatha Yoga wasn't even invented until the Gupta Age in India. Go figure. "...it has been suggested that the Rites are more likely to have originated from a system of Kum Nye which, like the Rites, date back 2,500 years." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Tibetan_Rites [image: Inline image 3] Reginald A. Ray, PhD The Tantric Consort http://youtu.be/VGvwzRP89zA Work Cited: 'Secret of the Vajra World' by 6 ^ Reginald Ray, Shambhala, 2001 p. 303 Other titles of interest: [image: Inline image 1] 'Tibetan Relaxation: The Illustrated Guide to Kum Nye Massage and Movement - a Yoga from the Tibetan Tradition' Duncan Baird, 2007 'Gesture of Balance' by Tarthang Tulku Dharma Publishing, 1977 On Tue, Feb 11, 2014 at 4:42 PM, <cardemais...@yahoo.com> wrote: > > > Anyone lately practised 5 Tibetans? > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Tibetan_Rites > >
