Rites for Life

introducing rites for life Many spiritual teachers speak about the importance of being guided by your heart, living in the moment and meditating, yet how do you do this? For the past three decades I have been teaching the Rites for Life around the world to thousands of people. I have found the Rites to be the most profoundly healing tool that opens your heart, stills the mind, creates greater awareness and heals the body. The Rites for Life consists of eight simple yogic exercises that you practise daily. Many of you may know of the five Tibetan Rites. The Rites for Life include these five exercises with an additional three Rites to complete the practice. The Rites were developed many thousands of years ago as a healing and cleansing tool and were passed down through the generations. The ancients were aware that the mind and body needed to be cleansed so that they could work to raise spiritual consciousness. The purpose of their life was to gain and maintain a higher level of consciousness not only for their own development but also for the development of humanity. Today the Rites for Life are tools that are available for our use and benefit. The Rites for Life strengthen and tone the body very quickly. They also create greater flexibility and work to heal disease and discomfort. In yoga philosophy it is recognised that the mind, body and emotions are connected, so the exercises not only improve the health of the body, they also allow the emotions to be more stable and the mind to be clearer and more focused. When the body, emotions and mind are in balance, then we can have a greater understanding and awareness of our own spiritual nature. It is like peeling away the layers of stress and tension on all levels in order to be in touch with the heart. In yoga we consider the heart centre to be the seat of the higher self. In essence the Rites for Life are tools that help us surrender all that stands in the way of our true purpose in life. No matter what you do, who you are or where you live, your purpose in life is to grow spiritually and to be the best that you can. The Rites for Life will enable you to do exactly that. This ancient energetic ritual allows us to connect to the inner wisdom of the heart. As a spiritual teacher I am aware of the importance of being guided by the heart, living in the moment and having a purposeful life. Yet how do you do this? By practising the Rites for Life. The subtleties, modifications and precautions that are necessary for a safe and successful practice are included in this book. Regardless of age, fitness levels or your circumstances in life these transformational tools are here now. The Rites for Life keep the body healthy, strong, flexible and balanced. We are able to transform physical, emotional and mental imbalances, allowing for an unobstructed path to our divine purpose. My purpose was discovered through adversity and this led me to search for ways of greater awareness and health. The Rites were revealed to me in a vision and further instruction was provided many years later that there were another three. Immediately, I startedtopractise them witha healthy skepticism andexcitement. I tested them and tested them some more and found that my energies on all levels were greatly heightened. My life shifted dramatically and since then I have had the privilege of introducing the ritual to many other people. Observing the growth in people doing the additional three proved to me that they were powerful and were here to help us in this day and age. I witnessed profound energy shifts and cellular regeneration. People expressed a magical transformation of their minds and emotions, as well as enhanced flexibility, a stronger body, and afeeling of being healthier and looking younger. 8 | rites for life ANNE LEWIS Intuitively, I still felt that there was something more. In contemplative meditation I developed a significant complement to the practice. The 'I am' consciousness has been introduced in later chapters to help with the focus and ease of the practice. This tool is profound and uses the power of the 'I am' to remind us of universal truth which leads us to higher consciousness. The key to success with the Rites for Life is to do the practice daily and slowly working uptothe complete practiceover 30 weeks. By week 30you are practising about 40-60 minutes a day, which includes yoga, relaxation and meditation. The Rites for Life are an evolution. Now, the ritual is complete. An advanced and evolved practice has come to be! As human beings we have progressed and it is only natural to take this next step. It is extremely exciting when we start to feel more energy, which the Rites promote. This added energy in yogic terms is called prana. Prana is a sanskrit word for "life force". This life force is healing on all levels and it is this life force that is largely responsible for the healing and transformative process. Welcome to the beginning of a life full of joy, purpose, greater health and awareness. Remember that as you work on yourself you will be contributing to the planet and all of her inhabitants. So let's get started with a great sense of joy and a deep gratitude to the ancients for their wisdom and the tools that have been passed down to us.