Review: Major Points of Microcosmic Orbit

1. Sit easily and erectly on a chair with your right hand clasped

over your left. Your chest should not be held up but be allowed to

collapse slightly, while the head is tilted a bit forward. Count your

breath, now, either from 1 to 10 or 10 to 1, doing this 10 times. This

is done for its calming effect. When you have practiced in this way

for some time you can dispense with counting. More advanced

practitioners are immediately calmed upon assuming their seats.

2. Next on the agenda is abdominal breathing. This is done to

stimulate the internal organs. In this method, exhale your breath by

contracting the abdomen, compressing and massaging the organs

therein and acting as an adjunct to the function of the diaphragm

as it rises to compress the chest cavity. When you inhale, the diaphragm

descends and again there is a compression and massage

of the abdominal organs. This helps bring the Chi (or life force

energy) into the abdomen where it can be collected and utilized

more effectively.

3. Breathe in this way for 36 cycles. After you feel calmed and

concentrated and the energy is experienced in the abdomen you

can practice progressive relaxation. This is accomplished by the

method of “smiling” in the eyes and extending the feeling to the

rest of the body, as has already been described. When you have

completed this, down to “smiling” in your toes and fingers, use the

index finger of your right hand to point at your navel. This is to be

your point of concentration, unless you have high blood pressure.

In the latter case you are advised to concentrate, instead, on

the soles of your feet. If you have heart burn or an extended chest,

you should concentrate on the Ming-men, the point in back, opposite

your navel. If you have low blood pressure, bring your index

finger to the area between your eyebrows and bear down on it,

maintaining the pressure for a few moments, so that when you’ve

taken your finger away, the residual sensation helps in keeping

your mind on the selected point.

4. If you practice using the navel area in the prescribed manner

to develop Chi, it usually takes two weeks to a month before you

feel anything. Once you do feel the energy there, you should shift

your attention down to the sperm palace, which is near the pubic

bone and represents the prostate gland. Young people who do this

may be too sexually aroused, in which case they should instead

focus on the coccyx or Ming-men. Women are to concentrate 3

inches down from the navel, which is where the ovaries are to be

found. However, those who have menstrual problems are referred

to the Ming-men or coccyx, instead of the navel. After that you can

switch to concentrating on the Hui-yin (or perineum).

5. Some people may feel power very rapidly rise up the back

when they place attention on the perineum and so they ought to

concentrate, instead, on the coccyx. Before actually concentrating

on either of these places, however, it helps to sit and rock back

and forth on them. The coccyx has an opening called the hiatus.

Rocking on that and focusing your attention on it can sometimes

lead a very rapid channeling of chi or your back. When it does

happen concentrate on the navel.

6. After you have practiced for two months or so you can concentrate

directly on the navel. That is, you don’t have to count your

breath or do the deep abdominal breathing — though you can do it,

if you like. From the navel, the Chi should go to the ovary or sperm

palace, the Hui-Yin, coccyx and up to the Ming: men on the back.

Remain here until the power pushes up to the adrenal gland. Always

remember to follow the energy flow and not force It.

7. The power ascends, thereafter, to the level of the shoulder

blades and then the neck. Do not concentrate on the adrenals too

long as this can cause insomnia. If you find this happening, concentrate

on the coccyx. This will again send power up the back

and into the small brain. When this is concentrated on you may feel your back get warm and you may find yourself unintentionally

doing yoga-style breathing.

8. In time you may feel something in the top of your head in the

pineal gland area. The energy, when encountered here, feels warm

or numb and as though something were pressing from inside. From

there, the Chi flows down to the mideyebrow region, making it feel

very tight. Once you’ve reached this point, the Chi has completed

the “Governor Route”. Thereafter, the power must be directed downward,

no matter what your level of development.

9. When you’ve reached the head, reverse it and direct it to the

Ming-men, directing it from there to the inner sides of the thighs

and ending in the soles. Concentrate there for a while and then

bring your attention to your toes, knees, Hui-yin and then navel

again. Stay there for a while and then go up one center to the solar

plexus and concentrate there. Since you’ve opened the functional

route, as soon as you concentrate on the solar plexus, you should

feel energy there and in the area between the eyebrows as: well.

The energy that is developed at this time flows in both the Governor

and Functional routes. Doing it this way is much safer and

spares you side effects.

10. When you’ve developed more power, it will push up from

the solar plexus into the heart chakra. This should be your next

point of concentration, then, but if you spend too much time here

you will develop heart burn and find difficulty in breathing.

11. If you’ve concentrated for one or two weeks and the power

has not yet risen to the throat energy center, you can either direct

your attention to that center during your practice sessions or concentrate

on your solar plexus and allow the energy to push its own

way up to the throat center. When the power does get to the tip of

your nose. This is a crucial point. Think the energy up to the tongue

from the throat area and bring the energy in the brow area or nose

down to the palate. When the energy descends along the nose,

this causes some practitioners to sniffle (so that you can have

some guide as to what might be happening).

Your tongue may seem to grow warm. When the proper place

on the palate has been touched, you will feel as though you had a

small electric shock in your tongue. When this happens, it marks

the completion of the Microcosmic Orbit by the fusion of the Functional

and Governor routes, known as the Small Heavenly Cycle.

This can later include your arms and legs, at which time you are

said to have completed the full Microcosmic Orbit within the Large

Heavenly Cycle.

12. Everyone, regardless of age, must conclude their practice

by directing the energy downward. Collect it in the navel and circulate

it from 3 to 36 times in either direction. This is absolutely essential

as a precaution against energy getting “stuck” in some other

parts of the body.