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MOVING OUR VITAL BREATH THROUGH THE MICROCOSMIC ORBIT

From the Taoist perspective, the natural movement of energy, of chi, in our organism is, in fact, the movement of our “vital breath.” This movement is governed by the law of yin and yang, which corresponds to the law of polarity, to the negative and positive charges of electricity and magnetism, and takes place through a complex network of energy pathways associated with the various sense organs, internal organs, and energy centers of the body. Energy flows from areas of greater “electrical” potential to areas of lesser potential. Illness and disease occur when this flow becomes blocked or unbalanced in some way. The channels can be opened or brought back into balance through a variety of means, including acupuncture, herbs, massage, meditation, special movements and postures, and, of course, work with breathing.

Based on their own observations and discoveries, Taoist masters and Chinese physicians believe that there are some 60 major energy channels, or meridians, in the human body. While some of these channels, called “primary channels,” guide the vital breath (our life force) to the various organs and glands of the body, others, called “psychic channels,” serve as special energy reservoirs connecting and feeding the primary channels. To understand the power of natural breathing from the Taoist perspective, it is necessary to explore the two main psychic channels: the governor channel and the functional channel. For it is these two channels that connect the main energy centers in our bodies. And it is these centers that absorb and transform our energy as it moves through them, and then supply the appropriate energy to the primary channels for distribution to the entire organism.

The Governor and Functional Channels

The governor channel, a yang channel, starts at the perineum (between the anus and sexual organs), moves back to the tip of the coccyx and up through the outside of the sacrum, and then rises up through the spinal column. When it reaches the skull, it continues to run upward along the surface of the brain up to the crown. From here, it descends through the middle of the face (about an inch and one-half below the surface of the skin) and ends at the palate at the top of the mouth. The functional channel, a yin channel, also starts at the perineum, rises up under the pubic bone and continues up the center line of the front of the body through the navel, solar plexus, and heart at depths of one to one and one-half inches until it reaches the tip of the tongue. In general, energy moves up the governor channel and down the functional channel, although it can move in the opposite direction as well. The energy circuit is completed between the two channels most efficiently when the tip of the tongue is touched to the roof of the mouth. This circuit is called “the microcosmic orbit,” or “wheel of life,” (Figure 34) and is the basis of Taoist alchemy for both health and spiritual growth.56

The Direct Sensation of Energy

Though our lives depend on the continuous circulation of energy through these two channels, the quantity, quality, and movement of this energy is often insufficient for the high level of health and vitality that is our birthright. From the Taoist perspective it is only through the direct sensation of this energy that we can correct this situation. Mantak Chia makes this clear when he writes that “Knowledge of the energy flow in our bodies makes it easy to understand why the Microcosmic Orbit must be kept actively open to accommodate and enhance the movement of Chi. When we do not know how to conserve, recycle, and transform our internal force through this pathway, our energy consumption becomes as inefficient as a car that only gets five miles per gallon. By practicing the Microcosmic Orbit meditation, we can get in touch with our Chi flow and locate blockages or weak spots in its path so we can correct them. This will help us use our life-force more efficiently and achieve better internal ‘mileage.’”57

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