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The Microcosmic Orbit'' (小周天), also known as the 'Self Winding Wheel of the Law' and the circulation of light is a Taoist Qigong or Taoist yoga Qi energy cultivation technique. It involves deep breathing exercises in conjunction with meditation and concentration techniques which develop the flow of qi along certain pathways of energy in the human body which may be familiar to those who are studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, T'ai chi ch'uan, Neidan and Taoist alchemy. The exercise can be performed usually at first in a sitting position, but it can also be practiced standing as in Zhan zhuang or with movements included as with T'ai chi ch'uan. The clear understanding of the microcosmic orbit technique is very important not only because of its historical context in the story of Chinese alchemy but because it is at the heart of many Taoist forms of exercise performed throughout the world by many millions of people today. ==History== The history of the Microcosmic orbit dates back to prehistoric times in China, and the underlying principles can be found in the I Ching which according to legend was written by the Emperor Fu Xi approximately five thousand years ago or at least two centuries before the time of the Yellow Emperor Huang Ti. For example the Chinese character for the I Ching hexagram number 5, Waiting, depicts a person sitting in meditation and the commentary pertains to the flow of energy from one of the psychic energy channels to another during meditation:
Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu have also alluded to the technique of meditation and encouraging circulation of energy through the psychic meridians in their writings. For example Chuang Tzu's chapter entitled ''Yang Sheng Chu'' or "Principles of Health and Longevity" states: "Use your mind to carry the vital energy along your Tu Mo upward constantly"〔Da Liu: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Meditation (pages 12 and 16), Shocken Books 1986 ISBN 0-14-019217-4〕 A stone carving in the White Cloud Temple in Beijing which bears an inscription "the sixth month of the year Ping-hsu of the Kuang-hsu era" (1886) contains a pictorial representation of some of the symbols which describe the processes involved in the microcosmic orbit meditation technique. These particular techniques are derived from the Taoist Patriarch Lü Dongbin who was born in 798 AD.〔Spiritual Disciplines edited by Joseph Campbell page 76 "Spiritual Guidance in Contemporary Taoism" (1933) by Erwin Rouselle ISBN 0-691-01863-4〕 Lü Dongbin was one of the Eight Immortals.
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