I am just starting slow also 8)
and i personally from my pas back ground do not believe
that i t wcoudl be harmful.
there is an old saying.. youar e only as young
as your back is limber.

i believe i twoudl be veyr harmful ( as woudl any excerise)
if not doen with care given to only go as far as your feel comfortable and not push it.. and i also beleive in strtchign or buidlign up circulation before strechign muscle sgroups , etc and also slowlyeasign oout of them so no cramps.
i tis better to go slow and reach a finsih line
then to run break neck and pass out only 1/3 o fthe way there with damamged body.

i think that most folks ar ein teh 2nd category / so yes i am sure there are many who migth sayit was damamgeign to them
when possible the fact was that they di dnot alk th etiem to do it slowily and listen ign to their body an dnot pushign it..
may ggod thigns you don't feel a bnenefit from right aways
take forinstand any good exercise plan..
youfeel hot oh yeah .. gonna bust my buut 8smile*
you beat upteh carpet an dnext day youffel a bit bad but hey..
no pain nogain ? *laugh*?
well teh 3rd day tells the story.. youcan barely move..
youache all over an dsay oh thisis jstuawful!
bu ti fyoucontimue on pullback and easeup and give a rest day here an d there.. all of a sudeen 2 motnhs down the line
youllok at your sefl and youar efelign beeter and looking better and toner and hav more energy
and then it hit syou .. wow tha treally is paying off 8)

and that i s when yourealise how important it is to continue even when youdon't feel upt o it/ to disciplien your sef to do it anyhow.. cau seyou KNOW tha tyouwill feel lousy if youdont.

i fi miss several days of soem orm of light exercise i start of feel all sluggish and losemyenergy etc
i forge t who said it..
energy out =energy in.
the more energy we generate teh mor e capacity we gain to store greater amt sof energy

The second rite bad for your back? Not to dismiss your friend's physical education, but they are basically leg lifts...

I have shared these exercises with my chiropractor, and he did not mention anything about any of these exercises being bad for my back. Instead he encouraged me to continue with the exercises. At this point my back feels better than ever...

And when I do them, I feel the pain in my stomach, more than my back. Are you bracing yourself with your hands at your sides as the rite describes?

I started slowly, and now do all 21 repetitions for each rite...and when I have a day that starts without them I feel sluggish...

Keith S. :{)>

The second rite becomes much easier if you " glue" the small of your back to the floor and contract your abs real tight. I have found incredible benefits doing the tibetans for the last 8 years but the benefits really increased when I included deep breathing in my practice