ANCIENT SECRET OF THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

I was recently travelling in the United States and stayed with a friend in Virginia, on whose shelf I found the first of these books. Just perusing some comments from previous readers on the extraordinary effects of practising the exercises in this book was enough to pique my curiosity. So I read it, and started practising what are called the five rites straight away. The book first came out in 1939, and told the story of an ex-British Army officer and diplomat, Col Bradford, who had travelled to a monastery deep in Tibet. When Peter Kelder first met him, he looked old and was walking with a stick. The Colonel invited him to accompany him on his travels, but the author turned down the offer. Some years later, Col Bradford appeared again at his door and was almost unrecognisable due to the fact that he looked 25 years younger rather than four years older. The Colonel tells his own story where he was amazed when, after three months in the monastery, he looked at himself in the mirror to find a much more youthful person looking back.

The book then explains how to perform the five rites, starting with only three repetitions and gradually moving up to 21. Some are similar to yoga exercises, and lead to improved circulation, muscular strength and flexibility. The first one, however, consists of spinning round in a clockwise direction and can serve as an introduction to the theory behind the practice, namely that, as one grows older, the speed of circulation of the chakras slows down and becomes uncoordinated. The exercises are meant to remedy this and provide a boost to the vital energy, prana or qi so that the physical system as a whole benefits from increased energy flow. Research, however, has been more along the lines of surveys and feedback than systematic trials, but it makes practical and intuitive sense to me.

In addition, mental attitude is very important: we must want to think, act and feel as a younger version of ourselves and can create an affirmation to this effect that will be carried out through the operation of the superconscious, as the author explains. He also gives advice on diet and food combining as well as an exercise for men's voices. The sixth rite receives a separate treatment and is designed to rechannel sexual energy.

The second book builds on the first with experts contributing more detail to the basic concepts and also giving a historical context through the travels of other scholars and an interesting conversation with Robert Thurman. Helena Blavatsky, Baird Spalding, Alexandra David-Neel, Theodore Illion and WY Evans-Wentz all travelled to Tibet before or during the 1930s and clearly discovered some of the same secrets set out in this book. Alexandra David-Neel learned Tumo breathing and was able to go about in light clothes even in freezing temperatures. She also lived until the age of 101. Various authors reinforce the point that it is quality of life or health span that really counts, while Robert Thurman emphasises the importance of compassion. This second book contains more detailed stories of people whose lives have been transformed by these exercises. The authors explore in more depth the understanding of energy that underlies not only these practices, but also Tai Chi and Qigong. The section on the exercises themselves adds a few more postures, while there is an extensive chapter on food combining and diet, as well as on the energetics of the voice, sound and meditation. All this expands the rationale of the first book and encourages readers to persist in their practice of the rites. Although I have only been practising them myself for just over three weeks as I write, they have certainly contributed to an increase in strength, flexibility and energy.