Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth

It seems the older we get the more aware we are of our own mortality. I have lived ¾ of a century so far even though I have several medical issues. On the upside I have been into numerous martial arts and fitness programs for more than 60 years. I am a voracious reader and I was surprised I had never come across this fascinating 106 page hardcover book (Ancient secret of the fountain of youth by Peter Kelder, foreword by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D.) until recently. I purchased it at a bargain price on Amazon. One of my favorite old black and white movies is “Lost Horizon.” The movie is based upon the book by the same name by James Hilton published in 1933. The main theme is based upon a fantasy place somewhere in the Himalayan Mountains called “Shangri-La. It is a place where everyone is happy and one never grows old. In this respect, I found this book an interesting and informative read. This text is organized into five parts. In the first part the author gives the reader a glimpse of the adventure about to unfold. He meets a retired British army officer named Colonel Bradford. Bradford related a tale about the search for someplace in the Himalayan Mountains where they have discovered “the fountain of youth.” Colonel Bradford invited the author (Peter Kelder) to join him on this search but decided not to travel with Col. Bradford at that time. A few years passed and the author received a letter from Bradford claiming he had found the monastery he was searching for and would be coming back to the U.S. to share what he had learned. This book has six basic exercises that are simple to learn and do to achieve health and youth when done every day. As an exercise nut all my life I added the six Rites shown in this very practical book to my own rugged workout routines. Whether or not those exercises will restore me to a more youthful appearing old guy of 75 is to be determined after a few more months using the six exercises, which they call RITES. Note: The book’s advertisement on the back of the book claims “five ancient Tibetan rites” but the book actually includes a sixth rite. In any case, I really liked this book and still dream of finding my own Shangri-La fountain of youth. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Chair/Seated Tai Chi, Qigong, and Yoga for seniors and the physically challenged).

Simple solutions to reverse aging of the mind, body discovered in Tibet in the 1930’s are explained in detail. This book is an important find for any person - any age To know how to restore the energy centers of the human body. It reads simply with exercises and insight to how they work to restore balance in your body. Clearly written, fast read, valuable information of what works when you apply the rites (exercises) daily. I highly recommend this for anyone who lost hope when aging.-but wants youthfulness back.

I read the preview, and was intrigued. When I looked at some of the rite poses, I wasn't sure if I could do them, but was willing to give it a try. First of all, read the book thoroughly, and understand the concept of the Tibetan rites. I'm someone who has had 3 freak accidents over the last 6 years, and had physical therapy for all with mixed results. I've broken both of my arms (separate incidents), collapsed cartilage in one knee and had to wear a knee brace for a few months, and developed neck pain that physical therapy did not help (I wound up having the nerves burned in a radio frequency neurotomy which worked pretty well & was cleared for activity), so you can probably understand my hesitancy in trying any of these poses. It was a leap of faith to try these rites, but I did, and even after the first day that I tried them, I could feel a difference. With each day that I've done the 5 rites, I've grown stronger and it becomes easier. I actually look forward to starting my morning with the 5 rites. I'm going on my 7th day now, and I can feel a difference in my abs, my posture, strength, and my flexibility. I'm optimistic that it will just keep getting better. Dr. Siegel's forward was right on the money--be kind to yourself, and do what you can. Each day has gotten easier, and I feel better each day. My goal is to get back to hiking primitive trails and to get to enjoy the great outdoors here in SW Utah again. I suggest using the preview function to read several pages of this book, and see if you think it might work for you. I am so happy that I took the time to preview this book, and then purchased it. It isn't a long book, but it doesn't need to be. It has made a difference in my life in only a week, and I look forward to further improvement and change.

While the content is presented as a discovered secret to the fountain of youth, the benefits of yoga and positive thinking are well documented. I believe that people who try these things will indeed achieve the benefit of being more youthful and happy! The exercises (rites) are not the crazy hard ones, but some people will have to do the best they can and they will improve daily until they can do them, and they will benefit rather quickly. I don’t think the author intended to present a “nutshell” version of Yoga and positive thinking. His method for attaining the knowledge was more adventurous. However, if you were to ask a yoga expert to pick 5 doable exercises that would impart the biggest benefit to the average middle aged person, and ask a positive thinking expert to build a single exercise to kick start positive thinking, you would have the content of this book except for the diet suggestions. I didn’t really agree with the diet suggestions, but at some point I may try them and see what happens. Regardless, I think this is a good book.

I bought the hardcopy of this book last year on Mother's Day. At first, I thought how could these simple exercises work to keep you young. You see, I was 44 years old, and I exercise regularly, by doing Body For Life which I've been doing for years, eating healthy food etc etc, and yet my daughter said I started having 'train tracks' on my face..:-) So When I found this book, I got nothing to loose. The Exercises (the rites) are simple, in fact for me, it's too easy, but I follow it anyway. I done everything by the book. The first 3 days, I got sick, but it didn't stop me doing the rites.. By two weeks, I could feel my body feeling more energetic, healthier. I found it a bit strange tho.. as I always go to the gym doing cardio and weight training..how come these simple rites could do so much.. So I thought, I'm going to try something.. After doing the rites 7 months, I stopped.. You see, I was a sceptic.. There must be some explanation in this.. After 2 months not doing the rites, my grey hair's coming back, imagine my 'train tracks'. Phew...so I'm back doing the rites, I feel great, healthier and look younger, no more grey hair and no more 'train tracks'.. At parties, I dance a lot, so some 'old' people makes comment by saying, "When you reach our age, you can't do that", I asked, "What age would that be?", "After 35, you have no energy like that", so I said I'll be 45 soon".. They looked at me surprised.. So buy this book, definitely worth it.. Yeah, i know you can get a free .pdf file, somewhere on the internet, but, that file is not complete.. This book is real. God bless you Mr Kelder, and thank you for finding The Fountain of Youth..

I was very skeptical when I first learned of this and of the claims that were being made. I mean, come on, it's only five exercises how powerful can they be? Why wouldn't my normal routine of going to the gym and walking the dogs keep me in the same condition? But I decided to give them a try. It has been three months. I followed the rules, began with 3 reps each and slowly added 2 per week or so. Now I'm doing 18 reps. I have been in the best health of my life. My breathing is especially clear, my lower back stronger and more supple, my energy more 'clear' and 'higher' if that means anything. I've also had 5 pounds disappear from my middle and seen a number on the scale that I haven't visited in a while. The five rites are a part of my daily routine and I'm delighted it has become a habit. It is more than exercise. It is better than hatha yoga. I don't know why it works as well as it does but I don't pick fights with "what is". Try it for yourself, go slow and be prepared to be surprised. An addenda. Now it has been two years since I've been practicing these. There is of course no way to quantify or objectify these exercises alone because I've made a continuing series of healthy choices in my life. Health is about wholeness after all: diet, attitude, meditation and prayer are all important as are these five rites. They are part of the wholesome web that keeps me feeling strong and supple. Younger? Who knows? Younger is as younger does and I'm still doing it. Do these exercises and have fun.

I am still practicing the rites at 77 years and am youthful enough that the local paper did an article about me. - Doing the rites in the morning sunshine can be ecstasy. Number one sharpened my sense of balance and has kept me from getting hurt on a number of occasions. Also, it gives something of a spiritual high. Rite number two is difficult at the beginning but I started by lifting only one leg and eventually got strong enough to lift both legs with ease. Arthritic bone spurs limit extension in my neck, so I probably will never do numbers three and five very well but perfect form is not necessary to achieve good results. The book talks about changing the way you see yourself. For this purpose, I recommend doing the rites in front of a mirror and making videos of your self. I needed visual evidence to convince my self I was making progress. There will come a "wow!" moment when you are able to compare what you see on the video with the shuffling gaits of your contemporaries. If you like the advice on diet in Part Three, you might want to read Supreme Vitality by Bernarr Macfadden. The voice exercises in Part Four keep you from developing the reedy that afflicts many seniors. If you can accept them, the ideas of Part Five on mantrams, mantras, using the super-consciousness and spoken word are even more effective than the physical rites in the first of the book . If so, you may find The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn to be helpful.

I discovered this book "accidentally" while browsing the web and I am really happy I did. Easy read, very precise instruction and a great story -while nobody really kows the validity of it, it still "feels right"! The rites are great, I do them every day but depending on your level of fitness and condition of body you might find one or more of them "tricky". However, they build up your strength very rapidly, you will be surprised. Just keep doing them. I have only been doing them for a short while, so I cannot attest to the regenerative effect, but I can attest to a very quick build up of strength for the weakest parts of my body (wrists). I actually felt the improvement and saw it in my performance in only 4 days! These exercises called "rites" supposedly realign your chakras (energy vortexes of your body) and restore youthfulness. They also have a very relaxing effect. You will feel like you are "gliding through life", stress levels majorly reduced. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Excellent! Recommended reading to all. The 5 tibetans have become an everyday ritual in my life. Awakens body and mind

My yoga teacher gave a 4 week workshop on the 5 Tibetans. Our class of 20 seniors loved the simplicity,and the story, also, our teacher is a living example of a devoted practitioner. Her beauty ,dedication ,inspiration , are a privilege to behold. The book was her recommendation.I purchased 2 more copies to give as gifts to ones I love. Maili

What a gem of a book. Concise knowledgable and practical ... looking forward to practice and see the results for itself.

Whether you choose to believe the spiritual aspects of this and the mysterious retired military officer or not the first 5 rites seem to be a reasonably good coverage of the bodies musculature. Some of these exercises have found their way into a few modern calisthenics books and so will be familiar to many anyway.

I love it! Will use this book as my survival daily guide. I am still in awe with the content. I look forward to seeing my results. Only small disappointment is a very sudden ending. But I guess it’s why there is a part two to this book ☺️🙏