The Tao of Natural Breathing_ For Health, Well-Being, and Inner Growth - Dennis Lewis [56]
APPENDIX 2
The Psychological Dimensions of the Microcosmic Orbit
According to Taoist master Mantak Chia, each of the energy centers of the microcosmic orbit influences our emotions in a particular way, depending on the degree to which the center is opened or closed. In my own personal work with the microcosmic orbit, it has become quite clear to me that learning how to sense these various centers, or points, helps open them so that energy can flow more freely throughout the organism. This work with sensation is also a direct path to self-knowledge.
The following outline of the energy centers and their emotional influences (derived mainly from Mantak Chia’s teachings and books) is not meant to be exhaustive or final. As you begin to learn how to use your breath to sense your body and emotions in the midst of the daily activities of your life, you may find psychological traits other than those listed associated with these centers. What is certain is that working in this way will bring you to a new understanding of yourself, particularly of the relationship between your physical life and your psychological life.
Navel Center
Taoist sages and Chinese medical practitioners regard the navel center, which includes the lower tan tien, not only as the physical center of the body, but also as the body’s main “storage battery” for chi. As Mantak Chia states: “The navel center was our first connection with the outside world. All oxygen, blood, and nutrients flowed into our fetal forms through this abdominal doorway. As a result, the navel center has a special sensitivity that continues far beyond the cutting of the umbilical cord at birth; it stays with us throughout our entire lives.”61
Closed: One experiences a lack of psychological balance—a sense of being distracted or critical. One is not open to receive new impressions.
Opened: One feels a sensation of openness to the world, a sensation of being centered.
Sexual Center
This center—located for women slightly above the pubic bone and between the ovaries, and for men at the base of the penis about one and one-half inches inside the body—is the basic energy “generator” in the human body.
Closed: One feels an overall lack of energy and little enjoyment from life. One feels self-destructive, negative, and listless.
Opened: One feels a sense of personal, creative power, and the ability to get things done.
Perineum
The perineum is located between the sexual organs and anus. Because of its anatomical position, it connects the two channels of the microcosmic orbit and serves as the foundation for the inner organs of the abdomen.
Closed: One feels insecure and lonely. One also fears any kind of change.
Opened: One feels grounded, rooted to the earth and its healing energies. One also feels a sense of peacefulness.
Sacrum and Coccyx
Though the coccyx and sacrum represent two different locations, we will treat them as one for the purposes of the microcosmic orbit. It is in the sacrum and coccyx that many major nerves from the organs and glands come together, and energy is directed up the spine. It is in this area that the Taoists believe that earth energy and sexual energy are refined and transformed before they move up to the higher centers.
Closed: One feels unbalanced, heavy, and hopeless. One feels that the past is a prison, and that one is under the sway of many unconscious fears.
Opened: One feels light and balanced. One feels that the past is a resource that can be drawn upon for a deeper understanding of and engagement with life.
Kidney Center
The kidney center is located between the second and third lumbar vertebrae of the spine. You can find this point by putting your finger on your spine opposite the navel, and then bending forward at this point. The vertebra that protrudes the most marks the area of the kidney center. Called the door of life, or the mingmen, this center is where our prenatal vitality, our sexual essence, is stored.
Closed: One feels fear and a lack of balance.