What the microcosmic orbit is
A Daoist meditation practice in which attention (and, in the energetic framing, qi or breath energy) is circulated in a continuous loop: up the spine from the base to the crown, then down the front of the body from the crown back to the base. Each circuit takes one breath. Done daily for several weeks, the loop becomes felt rather than imagined. Done for months, it becomes a foundation for other Daoist sexual practices including non-ejaculatory orgasm and extended arousal.
The route
The classical map: start at the perineum (base of the trunk). Move attention up the spine — through the lower back, mid-back, between the shoulder blades, up the back of the neck, over the crown of the head — to a point at the centre of the top of the head. Then move attention down the front — through the forehead, the centre of the chest, the solar plexus, the lower belly — back to the perineum. That is one orbit. Each up-stroke happens on the inhale. Each down-stroke happens on the exhale.
The setup
Sit upright in a chair or cross-legged on a cushion. Spine straight but not rigid. Tongue resting against the roof of the mouth (this is the classical instruction; it closes the energetic loop, and yes, do it whether or not you believe in the energetic framing). Eyes closed or softly open. Twenty minutes is the standard duration. Set a timer.
The first session
Spend the first ten minutes simply tracing the route slowly with attention, breath by breath. Do not worry about feeling anything energetic. Most beginners do not. The point of the first session is to learn the route well enough that you do not have to think about it. The energetic feeling — heat, tingling, a felt loop — usually arrives somewhere between week 2 and week 8 of consistent daily practice.
What to do when attention wanders
It will. Constantly. Every time you notice attention has wandered, bring it back to the orbit at the point where you remember leaving off. Do not start over. Do not judge yourself. The wandering and returning is the muscle that the practice builds.
After 4 weeks
Most practitioners begin to feel the loop as a real-but-subtle phenomenon — warmth, tingling, a sense of motion. Whether this is "energy" or trained somatic attention is a question we leave to you; the practice produces the same effects either way. From here you can begin to layer in the more advanced Daoist practices: the inner smile, the testicle/ovarian breathing, the sexual-energy circulation work that is the foundation of Daoist non-ejaculatory orgasm.
Common mistakes
Trying too hard. The orbit works through soft sustained attention, not effort. Skipping days. The practice is cumulative — daily for a month is much more powerful than three sessions a week for two months. Confusing the energetic vocabulary with magical thinking. The classical Daoists were rigorous empirical observers of their own bodies. They were not asking you to believe in invisible plumbing.