21 Tibetan Yogas

21 Ways to Purify the Body from the Vajra Matrix of Profound Teachings of
Kunkhyen Longchen Rabjampas Wish-Granting Treasury1
As Taught by Khenchen Paljea Dorjee Rinpoche
August 11, 2014
Do each of these daily, monthly or at least yearly.
(Video times are indicated in parentheses.)
(0:00) Begin with prostration yoga in a seated meditation posture and slowly recite OM AH
HUNG SHRI (thinking of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; may all sentient beings attain
enlightenment) with the appropriate hand gestures. (Video shows two sets of gestures.)
(1:37) Follow with 9-Round Breathing2: In seated posture make a vajra fist (thumbs inside) and
extend the index and small fingers. Place the fists in the groin between the torso and legs. Take a
deep breath, then block the right nostril with the right index finger and blow out the air, expelling
white anger/aversion three times. Take another deep breath, then block the left nostril with the
left index finger and blow out, expelling red passion/attachment three times. Take another
deep breath and expel blue ignorance through both nostrils three times. From the seven point
Vairochana posture, doing the nine breathings removes the disease of disturbed elements,
drowsiness, and agitation.
1. (3:31) Sit upright with crossed legs and cross your arms over your chest, right over left with
palms open. Then swing your arms out to either side while breathing out. Pause, then cross
arms again. Crossing the legs and the rest, the mode of embrace; that way the diseases of the
limbs are removed.
2. (4:00) Raise hands to shoulder level with palms open and forward. Rub your hands to warm
them, then rub eyes, face, arms, body and legs. Place hands together at chest. Massage in the
mode of anointing and rubbing; that way heat is produced in the body.
3. (5:23) Interlock fingers, hold palms to chest, then extend hands forward, rotate palms out as
extend arms forward; hold then extend arms out to the sides. This is the blessing of the 5
Buddha Families [sending the Buddhas out to help all beings]. Entwining the fingers in the
direction of the chest so the diseases of the chest are drawn out and removed.
4. (5:52) With arms out to the side, rotate hands down and back with head down, forward and
up with head up. Hold. By shaking the right and left arms around the rotating shoulders
diseases of the shoulders are removed.

Translated at the request of Khenchen Paljeapa Dorjee by Lotsawa Palden Phuntsok (James Rutke) for Losar 2010,
2010, James Rutke. Commentary from notes of Khenpo Drimed Dawa (Dr. Dean Pielstick).
2
There are a wide variety of these practices taught. This is one version. The original movements have been modified
somewhat by Khenchen Lama to make them more accessible for Western yogins.

5. (6:04) Make vajra fists (thumb inside), bring to chest, hold; then move out to sides, opening
your hands palms up. Throwing the two hands with clenched fists against the chest removes
pus (yellow water) diseases of the skin and flesh.
6. (6:26) Grasp the biceps with your hands (right arm over left), raise the arms up to chin
together, rotate the body right, then left. Winding the arms around the two shoulders to
constrain them and rotating the whole body, diseases of the waist are removed.
7. (7:07) Extend the arms and legs in front, grasp your feet by reaching over your toes; stretch
and massage your feet. Return to cross-legged position. Stretching out the two legs and
drawing out the two arms from the two breasts removes diseases of the sinews, ligaments,
and nerves.
8. (7:30) Slowly move the right hand to the chest while moving the left arm to the side and up
with palms open, like pulling the string on a bow; then slowly reverse the motion to the other
side. Using the two arms like drawing a bow, diseases of the joints and shoulder blades are
removed.
9. (7:54) Make fists with the thumb inside and the index fingers extended. With the right arm
over the left across the chest, rub the collar bones slowly outside to inside and down. Repeat.
Making fists and putting the two hands together in the manner of offering a mountain in
front removes diseases of swollen hands and the broad flesh of the upper part of the body.
10. (8:10) Bend knees and place soles of feet together with hands on the knees, slowly bend the
head down and then up; then bend your head and torso as low as you can, then up three
times. Bending the back and front of the body removes diseases of the kidneys and spleen.
11. (9:20) Cross legs and make the offering mandala mudra without hooking the index fingers
(extend straight); then touch the crown of your head with the ring fingers (representing Mt.
Meru) with palms down. Hold. The two little fingers joined in the lu gy gyu and the two
thumbs placed like a raised crown remove diseases of the ribs of both sides of the body.
12. (10:06) Press in your abdomen with your hands, breathing out; then place vajra fists in groin,
breath in and hold. Repeat three times. Drawing up into the inside of the navel removes
diseases of the stomach including indigestion.
13. (10:47) Extend arms and legs to the front, raise the arms, then bend the head back. Planting
the hands and feet on the ground and nodding the head removes diseases of the limbs and
facial features.
14. (11:07) Continuing from that position, turn head far right, then far left. Planting the hands
and feet on the ground and looking to the right and left removes diseases of the neck.
15. (11:28) Bring hands down in front of chest, palms forward. Cross right leg over left thigh,
balancing on bent left leg. Interlace fingers and press down on top of right thigh. Return
hands to chest, palms forward; hold position. Face down, legs outstretched, palms of the
hands placed on the ground, elbows brought toward the chest, diseases of the top outer part
of the body are removed.

16. (12:02) Cross legs and rest hands on knees. Rotate your head around from down, right, up,
left, then down three times; reverse three times. Nodding the head rightward and leftward in
a circular motion removes diseases of the throat and neck.
17. (12:45) Hold your biceps near the elbows; then slowly raise to the crown of your head, hold,
then release to the sides then down. Entwining the arms and placing them on top of the head
removes diseases of the upper part of the body.
18. (13:06) Lying on your back with bent knees, raise right leg until you can hold it in fold of
your right elbow and bend toes up and down; then alternate legs. On ones back, knees held
rigid toward the sky, head as in sleep, hands drawn up and folded above it, diseases of leg
joints and arms are removed.
19. (13:38) Continue lying on your back, fold both legs up into both arms, rock back and forth.
Alternating the two legs, bring them to the hollows of the elbows, stretching them out and
drawing them back as they are rubbed, the fish flesh of the legs is removed.
20. (13:48) Still lying on your back, place the arch of your left foot on your right knee cap with
the raised knee facing upward (not to the side). Fold palms together overhead with elbows
bent. Hold then alternate. In alternation on the tops of the two kneecaps, one of the pair
planted on the ground, the other having folded hands on it, diseases of the whole top and
bottom of the body are removed.
21. (14:11) Sit up with knees bent and soles of feet together, interlace fingers with middle fingers
extended, insert between soles of feet. Hold position. [No commentary available]
Blessing (14:37) Cross legs, raise hands up to shoulder height, rotate palms up and return to
knees. Touch middle fingers to thumbs, then little fingers to thumbs, index fingers, then ring
fingers.
(End) You can follow with your normal meditation session.