Ratziel Bander is one of only two people, outside of the Shaolin monastery, who teach Hsin Tao, also known as Zen Buddhist Yoga.

Hsin Tao consists of a combination of breathing techniques and circular movements that force energy into vital centers, tone internal organs, and revitalize metabolism. Designed specifically for people of mature years, this secret tradition of movements, practiced in China 1,350 years ago, is profoundly effective in strengthening the physical body, revitalizing and calming the mind, and rejuvenating the spirit, leading practitioners into a deep contemplative state.

Ratziel was recently directed by his Master to bring this ancient practice to America.

Celeste: What does Hsin Tao mean and how did this tradition develop?

Ratziel: Hsin Tao means the Way of the Gods. In America it is called Zen Buddhist Yoga, just because people can relate to that name. It was started about 1,350 or 1,400 years ago by a Buddhist monk who went by sea from India to China.

When he reached China, the monk settled in a cave next to a ramshackle old monastery in Shaolin. He decided to meditate in that cave for nine years because he was seeking enlightenment. When he finally stood up he was a Buddha, but he couldn't move his body. His body was wrecked.

At that point, in this enlightened state, he "discovered" certain movements and started to perform them, and they rejuvenated his body.

This monk then took these movements into the monastery, where the monks were all sick from sitting in meditation all day. And using them, the monks were able to heal themselves. Since that time, this practice has been kept secret by the Shaolin monastery, and years later the techniques were developed into the Shaolin style of martial arts. The most famous is Kung Fu, but there are many other styles, including sword fighting, Tai Chi, and Chi Kung.

Celeste: When were the techniques of Hsin Tao revealed to people outside of the Shaolin monastery?

Ratziel: It's only now, in the last three years, that these techniques have been released. They have been used as the basis for a fighting style, but they're not a fighting style, they're a rejuvenating style, and they offer healing for the body, mind, and spirit.

This practice is called the Way of the Gods because it is said that if you practice it long enough you will develop siddhis — you will develop perfection and become like a god. When that happens, you are no longer restricted to the rules of mortality.

There are some exercises in this technique that are said to have been passed on from the Immortals, to help foster physical immortality.

Celeste: Why are these secrets being revealed to the world at this time?

Ratziel: We've been living in a different era up until now. It's been an era where people have coveted power over each other. It corresponds to the Kali Yuga in the Vedic teachings. It has been dangerous to pass on powerful techniques to people, because they would use them for their own selfish purposes.

The fighting styles of the Shaolin Temple were not meant to be used for aggression. Rather, they were meant to be an adjunct for a journey towards enlightenment, and that's how they were always used. The fighting style was developed to protect the poor and the weak from the people who were taking advantage of them.

We're in a different era now. There are many prophecies regarding this period. These prophecies say that in this time, in the "quickening," many secrets will be revealed. And many secrets are being revealed, not only in the tradition of Hsin Tao, but in other traditions as well.

I was involved in a similar release of secret knowledge back in the 1970s, when I was a teenager. The oral tradition of the Kabbalah, which had been kept underground for thousands of years, was finally revealed and practiced in a non-secret way. When we do these things, the hundredth monkey effect comes into play. Other secrets become revealed, and things that are practiced catch on.

Thirty years ago, the world was spiritually in a very different place. The spiritual opportunity that we have nowadays and the abundance of things that are being channeled and released, like these teachings that I'm talking about, were almost impossible to find. We're in a situation now where there is an abundance of spiritual opportunity in the world. This is steamrolling, and I feel very lucky to be a party to revealing this one secret healing technique and releasing it to the public.

Celeste: How can these techniques transform the mind?

Ratziel: Besides being a healing technique for the body, Hsin Tao is a fast path to still the mind. I've worked with people who may never have been able to meditation beore in their lives, and within one session they go into a deep meditation. People are astonished by this work.

I've worked with psychologists who are amazed at the depths to which it's so easy to go. I've worked with people who have had no inclination to spirituality at all, but after a number of months of working with this technique they've found an inner resource within themselves that is infinite and deep. It is something much bigger than the self that they had known. Not only have they connected with it, but they're able to acknowledge it as some sort of spiritual depth to themselves. Some of these people were completely agnostic when they started working with me. It works on all levels at once.

Celeste: How is it possible to rejuvenate the body through these movements?

Ratziel: The practice of Hsin Tao strengthens the cells and increases their capacity to hold spiritual Light. That is one of the ways we prolong life, by enabling the cells and the smaller levels of our body to hold more and more spiritual Light. When we reach our capacity to hold Spiritual Light, we usually drop the current body and come back in another, which will hold more Light. And so the process continues over thousands of years, until we attain a body which can hold the ultimate spiritual Light — and then we are said to be enlightened.

Or, as I did when I was ready to pass over from a lung tumor, you rejuvenate this present body to the extent that it can hold more spiritual Light. Often, people who go through a death experience and then have some miraculous recovery come out the other side with a deeper spiritual capacity. That's common.

When we continue this rejuvenation process, we enable ourselves to hold more and more spiritual understanding, and we go deeper and deeper into the spiritual realm. Rejuvenating ourselves helps us look and feel better, but the point of it is that it enables us to go deeper into the spiritual journey, to accumulate more knowledge, and to be able to hold more Light.

Celeste: How can people become more open to deeper spiritual experiences through these techniques?

Ratziel: This practice takes you to a place of silence and tranquility. From the place of tranquility, it takes you to the place of bliss. It calms the mind and makes the mind expansive and clear. If people do these exercises regularly, they're not only calmer, but they're clearer. It also opens your mind to a level where you are available for deeper and more profound spiritual experiences.

That's why it's used by the senior monks. It not only keeps them alive, it enables them to go deeper and deeper into their spiritual journey. They say that a person who practices this, if they leave the current-life body, will be reborn into the realm of the gods. From the realm of the gods, they can choose to come back into this realm where they can teach.

Celeste: I know it's not easy to find words to explain the specifics of the techniques that you teach — these movements need to be demonstrated. But I wondered if you could speak in general terms about how these movements work?

Ratziel: The techniques are a combination of breathing with certain movements that do not require to ability to "exercise." You don't have to be strong. You don't have to be free of pain to do these movements. You don't have to be able to balance well, or stretch — and yet doing this practice will increase your ability to balance and stretch. It increases your strength and energy dramatically.

Unlike most forms of traditional yoga, the Way of the Gods is more akin to martial arts. In fact, the movements practiced in this discipline are the seed movements for what later became the Shaolin fighting styles.

Yet they were conceived originally as a self-healing art form. As such, they are simpler and easier to perform than conventional types of yoga, Tai Chi, or Chi Kung. And they can be practiced at home, in the office, or in any quiet space, without the need for special equipment, clothing, exercise rooms, or — except in the beginning — instructors.

Hsin Tao is divided into three stages (click on pictures to see larger version).

The first exercises are to rejuvenate the body and at the same time take you to a place of silence. They are performed standing up. And unlike the martial arts, these exercises consist not of a series of moves but of a singular, circular movement that takes the practitioner into a deep, contemplative state. This is combined with a type of yogic breathing.

And although it is not possible to describe these movements in words — they need to be demonstrated — once learned, they are very easy to do, and an instructor is no longer required.

Besides creating a meditative state, this first stage strengthens the body from deep inside, forcing energy into the vital centres, lubricating joints, toning internal organs, and revitalizing the entire metabolism.

The second set of exercises, to calm and revitalize the mind, are performed sitting on either a chair or cross-legged on a cushion or the floor. These combine a breathing technique with hand and arm movements, and take the practitioner into a very deep state of meditation, bringing the mind to a place of calm and silence with remarkable speed. These exercises also tone the kidneys, liver, spleen, and spine. Again, the actual movements are difficult if not impossible to convey in words, but easily learned and easy to practice once they have been demonstrated. The breathing is very similar to martial arts or yogic breathing. There are a few fundamental differences, and a few very easy additions.

Finally, to rejuvenate the spirit, the third stage consists of a simple breathing technique that rebuilds the store of energy at the core of the body while drawing increased power of Spirit into the body and mind.

I can work in a class of fifty people, and I can give them two keys to this breathing. Within three minutes, the whole room comes to a state of absolute stillness. You don't have to practice breathing for weeks and weeks to get it right. This is like a fast track to where we're going.

Celeste: What kind of results can we expect to achieve at first?

Ratziel: The Way of the Gods does not try to achieve spectacular results. As the practice works synergistically to rejuvenate and regenerate all levels at once, results start to happen as a natural consequence. There are effects — like kundalini rising, or heat and emanations of energy from the hands — but these are all side effects of the exercises. We see these not as what we are trying to achieve, but as just something that we notice happening on the way. This way of looking at the effects is much healthier, because we are not trying to force anything to happen. Whatever happens is a natural consequence of the body's rejuvenating itself.

And we're not saying to the body, "You've got to do this now because they say it's good for you." We're saying, "Entire mechanism — body, mind and spirit all at once — rejuvenate yourself!"

We don't force anything to happen, and that's the beautiful part of this technique. It's also called the Art of the Enlightened One. It's so absolutely beautiful.

The movements themselves are exquisite. When you do them, as you do them, they get deeper and deeper, and you can refine them more and more. Certain times, it feels as though you are just shifting energy around you and within you. That's what you're doing. You're no longer moving your body; you're moving energy. When people watch you, they're captivated by the exquisite beauty and depth of the movements, because as you work with them, they become less and less physical.

For people who are mature, this is a great advantage. You don't have to get more and more physical and more strenuous with them. Instead, you go the opposite way! They become less physical, and more based upon energy. So the movements become easier and easier. And in fact the body starts to crave them.

Celeste: Can you describe the effect that these movements have had on some of your students?

Ratziel: I had a client who was just reaching 50 who had practiced Chi Kung and Tae Kwon Do for 13 years. He practiced Hsin Tao, the Way of the Gods, for six weeks, and told me that he had dropped those other practices because he was getting greater results from doing Hsin Tao. Now he says he feels better when he wakes up. He feels more alive. He has increased energy, and is more relaxed. With his Chi Kung, he was getting spectacular side effects, like shaking in the arms, feelings of this and feelings of that — but he didn't actually feel that much better in himself.

Another client that I've been working with had done all sorts of yoga. When she'd been practicing the Way of the Gods for about two months, she called me on the phone and said, "You know, I can't stop doing this stuff. I'm increasing the time I'm doing it, because I'm getting the effects of energy rising up my spine, and I'm not trying to make it happen. It just is happening for me, and I'm feeling so great."

I worked with one man who had asthma as a child. He's now in his late thirties and was using a puffer everyday, at least five times a day. I worked with him for two weeks and he reduced his puffer use. Within a month he was down to half a puff every four days. He said to me that that half puff was all that he could take, he couldn't take a whole puff.

I worked with a psychologist in Santa Monica who had lived with a split disc and a slipped disc. She had lived with it for ten years because she didn't want to have major surgery. She was practicing her own method of pain management. She'd see a lot of practitioners every week just to keep it under control. She moved like a board, and when she sat on a chair she couldn't twist to the right or left. I worked with her twice a week in private sessions, and she came to me one day and she was moving her hips like rubber. I looked at her and asked myself, Is this the same person that came to me six weeks ago? It was such a total transformation. It had happened in such a subtle manner that she didn't notice until I said something to her.

I worked with a woman who was suffering from clinical depression. She was sent to me by a psychologist, who thought that maybe this technique would help her. It was very tenuous working with her, because she was in such a delicate state. I was briefed by the psychologist, who told me I had to be careful about everything I said and how I said it. But the woman felt at ease with me. She liked what she saw, and she started to practice. Halfway through the class, she expressed with astonishment that she felt a breakthrough. She never turned back from that day. Not only did she recover from her depression, but she moved into a new space where she felt a level of confidence and inner strength that she had never known before. And this was just halfway through an hour's lesson! I was astonished.

There was another woman that I worked with on just one occasion. I gave her exercises to practice at home. The day that she came to me for the second session, she had a big car accident, yet she cruised into the place where I was staying. She told me about the accident and I said, "Gosh, you're incredibly calm about it all."

She said, "I know. I couldn't believe how easily I handled it. Normally I'd be screaming and yelling and going into a panic."

It works in different ways for different people. Everybody goes through a different process with it. I've been astonished with all this stuff. It's one thing for it to work on myself — it's another thing for it to work on other people. That's even more amazing to me.

Celeste: How do these techniques release blocks in the mind and body?

Ratziel: It processes stuff automatically. Some people have trouble with these techniques if they practice just a bit and then stop. These movements quickly start to repattern people, and things start coming up. If they keep practicing, it processes automatically, and whatever is being processed never seems to come into the conscious mind. Nothing turns into an issue or crisis. If they stop the practice, they usually have to deal with an emotional issue or some form of anger, resentment, or blame, or a physical thing, like a cold or flu.

I've worked with these exercises a lot, and I've discussed this process with some psychologists. We looked at it, and it wasn't just me observing it. These exercises are a phenomenon. If people start the practice and then drop it, they may release something that comes up and it may become an issue or crisis to go through. If they continue practicing or resume practicing, everything seems to smooth out. It's fascinating stuff.

Celeste: How did you first become involved in learning these techniques?

Ratziel: I was stricken with post-polio syndrome ten years ago. When I came in contact with these exercises, I was so weak that I was unable to brush my teeth or hold a book up in bed. I was getting spasms throughout my body, which left me unable to walk for three to four weeks at a time.

I had a vast knowledge of herbs and homeopathy and I had a very in-depth knowledge of meditation. I also had expert knowledge of the practical Kabbalah and how to apply it in everyday situations, down to the musculature and the anatomy of the body. But I was too far gone, and nothing was working anymore. I had also developed a tumor in my lung. I was able to abate the decline, but I was still in decline. I was prepared for death and was actually quite excited about the prospect of experiencing that.

I prayed for something to come along because I could no longer use my techniques successfully for my body. At least my mind was at peace and I was happy to go. I prayed for something that would be gentle enough that I would be able to do, that would give me some relief. I was quite happy about dying, but suffering along the way was absolutely not something I had wanted. I had suffered enough by then.

Out of the blue, this Master came along and offered me this technique. He said that he thought it was time, that it was no longer a secret because it could help so many people. He told me that once you learned it thoroughly, you could heal anything with it. You could even reverse the aging process.

When I was stricken with my spasms, I was unable to walk, but I could stand and do these exercises within my pain limit. The movements can be small or big, fast or slow. By doing them within my pain limit, I wasn't hurting myself. He told me that in nine months' time, if I practiced every day, my life would completely change. I didn't believe him, but within two weeks I found enormous benefits and radical changes within my body.

I was able to move more quickly and with much more ease. And I was actually able to still the mind without going into meditation. This was all in a matter of weeks. It wasn't huge amounts of years and years of practice. So I followed the practice and was very enthusiastic to see these results in myself.

Celeste: Did your life change radically after practicing these techniques for nine months as this Master had promised?

Ratziel: My wife and I looked back on the year, and not only had my physical state radically changed, but my emotional relationship to the world had shifted enormously. Our position in the world was in a much more harmonious state than it was previously. Everything had changed, down to the people that we saw. We were still living in the same home, but there was virtually nothing else that was the same. It was quite incredible. I can't say that happens to everybody, but it was what he told me would happen.

Celeste: What kind of spiritual experiences did you have before you discovered Hsin Tao?

Ratziel: I wrote a book based on my spiritual diary. I thought if I was going to leave the planet, I should write my spiritual experiences, which were unique. The book is called Confessions from Behind the Veil: An Adventure in the Principles of High Magic. The book describes my spiritual experiences from the time I was paralyzed in bed with polio, at the age of five and the people around me were waiting for me to die.

Twenty-five years after you get polio, the symptoms kick in again, and it's much more debilitating than the original symptoms because by then your nervous system is completely depleted. Everything deteriorates — your muscles, your nerves — everything. That's quite amazing because you think you're over it by then. Anyway, I was about to die, and I was going in and out of my body, and I had experiences in different universes.

Then one day, a woman dressed in white came into my room and stood by the cot and said, "You can sit up now." So I sat up and stood up. It was a miraculous recovery. That woman disappeared. I don't think she was a woman, I've surmised that she was some sort of angel.

Celeste: Do you believe that it was through a kind of divine alignment that you discovered Hsin Tao?

Ratziel: Absolutely. I prayed for these exercises to come along. That's what I wanted. I knew that everything was available, so I prayed for something that would be gentle enough for me to do, but powerful enough to bring me results. I was absolutely fed up with having spasms.

Two weeks later this Master told me he wanted to teach me something. He demonstrated it sitting down, and I said, "Well I can do that — it's so simple and easy." That was it.

There is a divine alignment for everything.

For information about Ratziel's workshops in Los Angeles, for private consultation and private instruction, or to arrange workshops in other locations, please contact Ratziel Bander by email at or by phone at 310-350-4780.