Enhanced Microcosmic Orbit Practices – Expanding Beyond the Basics

Once you have established a stable foundation in the basic Microcosmic Orbit practice, you can begin to explore more advanced techniques to deepen your experience and enhance the benefits of Qi circulation. These enhanced practices refine your ability to direct, store, and amplify energy, increasing the overall efficiency of the orbit while cultivating a more profound connection with your internal energy system.

Expanding beyond the basic practice allows you to:

• Strengthen the flow of Qi and refine its quality.
• Open and clear energetic blockages with greater ease.
• Increase sensitivity to the subtle energy movements within the body.
• Activate deeper layers of the energy body, furthering the path of internal alchemy.

These enhancements are designed for those who are already comfortable with guiding energy through the orbit and can feel the circulation with clarity. If you feel ready to move beyond the foundational practice, the following techniques will help you explore new dimensions of energy refinement.

(i)  Visualising Energy Vortexes

• At each energy centre, imagine small spinning energy vortexes or substations that draw, refine, and accelerate Qi movement along the orbit.

(ii)  Expanding the Orbit to the Legs

• Once comfortable, expand the orbit to include the legs:
  • Follow the standard path up the spine and down the front of the body.
  • When reaching the perineum, extend the awareness to the back of the knees, then to the soles of the feet.
  • Guide Qi up through the front of the knees and back to the perineum, then continue the standard orbit.
• This creates a figure-eight circulation, amplifying energetic grounding and balance.

(iii)  Incorporating the Eyes

• Gently roll the eyes in sync with the movement of attention, following the direction of Qi.
• This strengthens the mind-body connection and enhances visualisation of the energy pathway.

[Image from Mantak Chia]

(iv)  Coordinate with Breath – Accelerating Energy Circulation

Another variation of this exercise is to move attention along the circuit in coordination with the breath. By coordinating your breath with the circulation of energy, you can progressively accelerate the orbit, making it more dynamic and powerful. 

• You might start slowly at first, cycling through a single point along the circuit for every inhalation and exhalation.
• When you have more familiarity with sensation at each of the points, you can speed the cycle up so that you cover one point with the inhalation and another point with the exhalation.
• With more practice, you an speed up further, covering 2,3, 4 or more points with each inhalation or exhalation.
• Eventually you can build up your speed so that you are able to complete an entire orbit with a single inhalation or exhalation, or even several orbits with every inhalation or exhalation.

Practice this exercise until you can move the circuit very fast.  The faster and smoother your cycle becomes, the greater the refinement and amplification of Qi within your body.

Just as faster internal processing in the body leads to better health, a rapid Qi cycle enhances energy purification, spiritual activation, and mental clarity.

Consider the vast speeds at which our planet moves through space:

• Earth spins on its axis at 465 metres per second.
• Earth orbits around the sun at 30,000 metres per second.

By accelerating the Microcosmic Orbit within our own body, we align with these cosmic forces. If we could circulate our Qi even a fraction as fast as these celestial movements, we would tap into profound energetic power — bridging the microcosm of our body with the macrocosm of the universe.

Practice this acceleration technique consistently, and over time, you will experience an increase in internal energy, heightened awareness, and a deeper connection to the universal flow of Qi.

(v) Utilising Advanced Tongue Positions

As we saw earlier, the placement of the tongue is a crucial element in the Microcosmic Orbit practice. It acts as a bridge between the two primary energy channels in the body—the Governing Vessel and the Conception Vessel. By connecting these two channels, the tongue completes the energy circuit, allowing Qi to flow continuously without interruption.

While the basic practice involves lightly placing the tongue on the upper palate just behind the front teeth, advanced practitioners can refine this position to further enhance the energy flow. The upper palate is lined with several energy-sensitive points, and the optimal position for your tongue may change depending on the state of your energy system at a given time.

Here are the key recognised points for tongue placement, each serving a specific function in energy work:

Wind Point (Front Palate – Behind Upper Teeth)

•  Located just behind the upper front teeth, this is the default position for the basic Microcosmic Orbit practice (as suggested earlier) and the most common position for the tongue in foundational Qigong and Taoist meditation practices.
• The Wind Point is associated with the element of Air (Wind), breath control, and the movement of Qi.
• Stimulating this point can help calm the mind, regulate breathing, and promote mental clarity.
• Beginners are advised to start here before experimenting with deeper tongue placements.

Fire Point (Mid-Palate – Roof of the Mouth)

• Found along the midsection of the upper palate, this point is associated with the element of Fire and energy amplification.
• Placing the tongue here heats up and intensifies Qi flow, making it beneficial for advanced practitioners who need more power in their energetic circulation.
• Activating this point enhances digestion, increases vitality, and boosts emotional warmth.
• This point is especially useful for those practicing advanced breathwork or cultivating Yang energy.

Water Point (Back Palate – Near Soft Palate)

• Located near the soft palate, this point is associated with the element of Water, bringing a cooling, calming, and harmonising effect.
• Engaging this point deepens meditation, enhances intuition, and supports kidney energy.
• The Water Point is often used in deep internal alchemy practices, helping to regulate the balance between Fire and Water energies within the body.
• This point is beneficial for calming excessive emotional heat, soothing the nervous system, and enhancing fluidity in energy movement.

Throat Point (Deep Palate, Near the Throat)

• The deepest position, where the tongue gently presses against the back of the upper palate, near the throat.
• This point is associated with activating higher consciousness and connecting to the brain’s energy centres.
• It is used in advanced Taoist alchemy, deep meditation, and spiritual awakening practices.
• Practitioners should approach this placement with gradual progression, as it can induce powerful energetic shifts.