3 Dantiens Microcosmic Orbit

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3 Dantiens Microcosmic Orbit

Postby joeblast » Fri May 31, 2013 3:19 pm

Ok, so here is an interesting method to establish the MCO by using the Bigua waxing and waning set of hexagrams:

Image

I had to revise this to give a bit more of a conceptual introduction to the practice...



Traditionally, the microcosmic orbit has been taught and practiced by drawing qi up the governing vessel in the back and leading it down the conception vessel in the front. This method aims to abandon the idea of leading the qi and instead, build from the very basic fundamentals of breathing practices, and directly work with the 3 dantiens energy centers which will serve as the catalyst for the practice.



As the fundamentals of breathwork are performed, the signals of the body's breathing mechanics are streamlined and attenuated to a very significant degree - resulting in utter and complete stillness; the very essence of anapanasati. This is a very important practice point that must have a certain level of mastery attained by the practitioner if any strong energy moving practices are to be done. The energy is best integrated in utter and complete stillness, it is every bit a fundamental point as it is a safety mechanism for the energies raised.



After the fundamentals of breathwork are accomplished, embryonic breathing and then lower dantien breathing are utilized to develop the energy center of the lower dantien. I differentiate the two as such: embryonic breathing is works with the gut to develop more sensitivity so that the fundamentals of anapana may combine with the somewhat concentric circled nature of embryonic breathing, with the lower dantien point at the center. After proprioception is developed and the lower dantien begins to reveal itself more significantly, then the approach can be used to start working with the lower dantien itself - therefore when I consider lower dantien breathing, it is using one's intention to harmonize and work with the waxing and waning of the energy center itself along with the breath. Heat and light are two common manifestations of some success with working with the lower dantien.



Next in the process is locating the upper dantien, the niwan, at the pineal gland in the midbrain. By bringing the focus of awareness in to the niwan, a measure of energy is prevented from manifesting itself in the cranial nerves, how our senses extend themselves into the world. Dr Yang, Jwing Ming described the process as "condensing the shen at the upper dantien" and Luk's translation of Taoist Yoga described it has "fixing the spirit at the seat of awareness"...as if one is simply placing a lamp in an empty room. This technique must be done gently, there is simply no muscular action that may assist this process. Another good description touted by Drew Hempel is "finding the source of the I-thought" as this identification with "I" resonates at the seat of awareness. This technique may be employed to great effect as an added technique to anapanasati; when combined with lower dantien breathing the results are multiplicative and an eventual harmonizing of the upper and lower dantien takes place. Eventually one may wax and wane the two energy centers in unison to increase the process of harmonizing the two.



The third component is the middle dantien - the solar plexus, translating to the celiac plexus from which all of the lower zang organs - it innervates the stomach, spleen, kidneys, duodenum, liver, just to name some of the most significant innervations. One good and potent technique I used to develop this was via Yan Xin's 9 step method - after having established the fire at the lower dantien, an idea of a lotus flower at the solar plexus is used to further develop that energy center. Eventually, a similar waxing and waning of the energy center is accomplished, and harmonization takes place.





These 3 pieces comprise what fits into the larger framework of the microcosmic orbit. When we begin applying these 3 to the concept of the chinese Hexagrams, it emerges that the yin or yang lines wind up relating to what the energy centers are doing. The yin or yang line is a direct expression of the energy center in question. The method in this instance utilizes reverse breathing, and considers the hexagrams split into two trigrams - the lower (inner) being the inhale, the upper (outer,) the exhale. Relating to the beginning stages of Taoist Alchemy, the reasoning for the middle dantien being the solar/celiac plexus - for further reference see the nature of the cauldrons in works such as Taoist Yoga or Foundations of Internal Alchemy - so the middle dantien only equates to the heart center after the generative force and vitality have been fully restored and the 'mating of dragon and tiger' happens in earnest and the nature of the cauldron-configuration changes.




To begin relating the concepts directly to the hexagrams, let us consider lower dantien breathing, hexagram 24:

Image

There is a yang expression about the lower dantien as the reverse abdominal breath inhale is executed and then a relaxing yin expression on the exhale. Personally, I feel there should not be too much emphasis on constricting the front of the abdomen in learning reverse breathing since it places an unnecessary focus on the front. The fundamental breath mechanisms, from an internal energetic standpoint, are the diaphragm, psoas, and perineum - I came to this conclusion from deep longevity breathing as a result of my own practice - at some deep point, "the breath externally disappears" and this is the result of significantly harmonizing the breath mechanisms and calming the body to a very low consumption state where every process must become as streamlined as possible. Eventually one is able to breathe without moving the front of the abdomen - combine that with Dr Yang's notation that the 'false dantien' qihai point lies along the MCO route, thus qi generated there tends to into the loop and utilized.

Once such a calm, deep state has been reached, that bottom line is really no longer yang either - so the deep utter and complete stillness resultant of longevity breathing can be correlated to hexagram 2 - a perfect way to end most any energy practice:

Image

This covers the most basic conceptual and safety mechanisms for the practice.
Last edited by joeblast on Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 3 Dantiens MCO

Postby joeblast » Fri May 31, 2013 3:22 pm

From YMAA's small circulation book there was a concept of "small-small" circulation which is a loop around the lower/middle jiao as a preparatory mechanism. Since the hexagrams are a direct expression of the energy centers, it proceeds by placing the awareness at the point in question and executing the corresponding hexagram expression. There is some simultaneity in the concepts - the awareness stays fixed at the niwan; the awareness performs anapanasati (this is where a well established pattern of the practice fundamentals carries forth so that not too much mental capital is used in performing anapana); lastly, the awareness is lightly placed at the point in question along the loop. No leading of qi is done, any flow that happens emerges from these fundamentals of focus of awareness, energy center waxing and waning, and light focus at the point along the loop that corresponds to the current piece of the progression being performed.

Image

The first breath is still hexagram 24 at weilu, the first 'tricky gate.' The second, 19, at mingmen:

Image

This is the only portion of the practice I have discovered where there is any leading of qi, and this is done as a resolving method of the lower loop - once the full loop is being done, there is no leading component. The qi is led from the mingmen to the front yinjiao point on the 3 yins inhale, with the exhale using the upper dantien to connect to the lower dantien on the exhale of hexagram 23 - 23 is where the prerequisite of harmonizing the upper and lower dantiens shines forth, it is akin to the concept in Taoist Yoga of 'driving vitality into the lower dantien'...there is further note on this just below:

Image

Completion of the small-small loop is back to hexagram 2.

This small-small practice also gives a simplified basis for working with the concept of yinyang expression a la the hexagram progression.


***The practice should only stop at hexagram 2 - and once the decision is made, continue doing hexagram 2 until one achieves utter and complete stillness. It is also highly recommended that the stillness be of at minimum the same duration or longer than one has put into the active part of the practice. That is a big reason why an important prerequisite is for the practitioner to achieve utter and complete stillness before attempting exercises that move energy - I've found this to be particularly powerful, so I wanted to make sure this point is stressed so that the energy may safely be worked with and then completed properly.***


Part of the efficacy of the small-small loop lies in that it familiarizes one with the yang phase of the middle dantien and it is also a great conditioning exercise for the lower and middle jiao. Not only that, but it also begins to familiarize on with utilization of the upper dantian in connecting the back and front aspects in part 3 of the small-small loop - you simultaneously "assert focus" at the upper while at the same time leading the qi from the mingmen (gv4) to the yinjiao (cv7) - the natural connection path where the conception, penetrating vessels and the kidney channel all meet at cv7. So in a sense this portion of the practice is also fortifying the kidneys by using a yin/yang dynamic between the mingmen point (yang) and yinjiao (yin), you are using your own circulation as a treatment in a sense. Further investigation reveals cv7 to be a regulating point - literally, yinjiao="Yin Intersection"; CV being "sea of yin channels", penetrating vessel "sea of blood" so in a sense this is fortifying all of these aspects.
Image
Last edited by joeblast on Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Even in mildly complex systems, any outcome is the wrong thing to target, with the process being where the focus should be.
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Re: 3 Dantiens MCO

Postby joeblast » Fri May 31, 2013 3:23 pm

The full loop:


Image


I also made an animated gif that gives a more dynamic representation, broken down by trigram - the green waxes on inhale, wanes on exhale.



Image



Some commentary:

I've found a handful of references around regarding this Bigua sequence. In following a natural logical extension from dantien breathing, establishing the upper dantien and discovering its waxing and waning - I knew there was something more to it, some pattern that would be useful. Much contemplation was already put into it by the time I was sitting waiting for a massage one day and picked up Steven Chang's book of internal exercises - flipping through, when I got towards the end, I knew what this was as soon as I saw it, although Chang's assessment didnt seem to really correlate to what I saw, but I had to buy the book just to study it further (the exercises therein are a great compilation of Dao Yin, incidentally.) I kept looking for further confirmation as I began growing my understanding of it. The pattern is also in Master Wu's Chinese Shamanic Orbit Qigong, which is an excellent practice also, the various mudras and such compliment this interpretation very well - but I didn't see it described this way there either. Also a reference on pg 78 of Wang Mu's Foundations of Internal Alchemy under the River Chariot section of refining essence to transmute into breath chapter. This also seems to correspond to the 36 ascents of positive fire and 24 descents of negative fire as found in Taoist Yoga. Other sources of information on the hexagram set were somewhat dry and analytical - but if you're interested in some of the old chinese and related drawings there are some at the link.

If one examines the hexagrams and correlates them to the points, the meanings are quite consistent, but perhaps I will expand on that in the future. The effects of this practice have been very unambiguous - it almost seems as though it is a prerequisite, to open the MCO - from there the "normal" method of inducing flow up the Du and down the Ren had tenfold the meaning once I had done a decent amount of this method - prior, it was as if I was stirring a bathtub of water with my pinky finger - then comparing sticking my entire forearm in to stir! Depending on the rate of breath, a single loop can take 5-10 minutes or more - so when first getting started with this, I would recommend 3 loops, then return to utter and complete stillness - then wait a day or three, the practitioner should be developed enough with the prerequisites so as to be able to know themselves well enough to know if they need more time to integrate, as sometimes the effects of a strong practice take some time to manifest. I've had times where I've sat down days afterward and still felt the flow from this looping. One of Steven Chang's other cautionary points on this practice was that one should be relatively free of significant energetic blocks, do not regard this practice lightly. Again, another reason why I tried to emphatically stress the prerequisites for this practice.

At any rate, I haven't invented anything here, merely putting already existing pieces of puzzle together from my own studies and intuition.

:)
/\
Even in mildly complex systems, any outcome is the wrong thing to target, with the process being where the focus should be.
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Re: 3 Dantiens Microcosmic Orbit

Postby joeblast » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:22 am

Did I make this too complicated? I put it in 3 posts so as to try and separate out fundamentals and prerequisites vs the actual practice. Each inhale and exhale, the awareness is brought to the particular point on the loop, simultaneously the 3 dantiens wax and wane, based on the pattern of the hexagram, so differentiate between waxing yin and waxing yang, for instance. One does sort of have to have his awareness in a few places at once.
Even in mildly complex systems, any outcome is the wrong thing to target, with the process being where the focus should be.
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Re: 3 Dantiens Microcosmic Orbit

Postby joeblast » Wed Aug 14, 2013 8:05 am

Just giving this a bump, it seems that I didnt make the fundamental concepts clear enough and from elsewhere I had many questions about what exactly is going on here. So I rewrote the intro and a few other bits, I hope it may be more thoroughly understood.


..
Perhaps its better explained in person...I had the opportunity to explain this to one of my teachers recently and he was pleased and immediately understood :)
Even in mildly complex systems, any outcome is the wrong thing to target, with the process being where the focus should be.
joeblast
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