Tibetan yogis, monks, and nuns are human like you and me; they have feelings, emotions, and obstacles in their lives, like all of us. That is why the practices they have created to remove the obstacles from their body, energy, and mind are suitable for us, too. More important is that these meditative practices have enabled them to connect more deeply to themselves, and to others. And they can do this for you as well.
These ancient tools remained secret recipes for centuries, and only in the last couple of decades have they become more known in the West, been researched scientifically, and been put into practice by thousands of people. These Tibetan yogas are called Trul khor, which means “magical movements.”
Since at least the 10th century, ancient Tibetan meditation and yogic practices have been utilized for healing the body, energy, and mind. In the 20th century, teachers such as His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima and Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche preserved these teachings by risking their lives to bring them to safety in India and training many geshes (the equivalent of having a Ph.D./Th.D., a doctorate in philosophy or theology, in Bon and Buddhist Studies) and yogis at Menri Monastery, as well as at Triten Norbutse Monastery in Nepal. Among these geshes was Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, with whom I had the great fortune and blessing to train, as well as his teachers (mentioned above) and other wonderful teachers like Lopon Trinley Nyima and Khenpo Tenpa Yungdrung. Since 1999, we have been utilizing these yogic practices at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and at other hospitals under the supervision of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
The material for this book stems from over a decade of work, including my Ph.D. dissertation on Tibetan yoga and its applications in contemporary health care settings.1 I first learned of Tibetan yogic practices in the early 1990s, and since then I have been practicing and continuing to learn. With the authorization of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, I have taught these practices for over 20 years to students that included cancer patients, their families, and their caregivers.
My goal is to help you learn how to remove obstacles in your everyday life by applying powerful ancient Tibetan yogic methods of body, energy, and mind. The five principal breaths of Tibetan medicine and yoga can become the five main principles in your everyday life, bringing you health and well-being.