Microcosmic Orbit question….

Not having qi flow *at all* is more stagnant than
occasionally stopping the flow due to losing focus! 😉

No, one can start with the orbit practice straight away,
and develop focus through continued practice.

If you want to do preparatory practices,
usually in the Healing Tao, we have the
recommendation to do the Inner Smile and
Six Healing Sounds before starting the orbit.

The reason for this is as follows:

The place to start is with self-acceptance.
If you don’t cultivate this, you are not harmonizing
with the Dao and you are creating internal resistance.
Since this internal resistance interferes with all
other practices that one might do, the Inner Smile
meditation is the natural first step.

Having done so, tension decreases and this allows for
held toxic qi to be mobilized and potentially released.
Thus Six Healing Sounds are the natural next step. Flush
out toxic waste material rather than moving it around.

Then with tension reduced, and toxic qi released,
you do the Microcosmic Orbit to harmonize any
imbalances in the body, create balanced qi flow,
and start creating a vortex that pulls in additional
qi from the earth below and heaven above . . .

So if you want a “correct sequence”, it is
Inner Smile -> Six Healing Sounds -> Microcosmic Orbit

But even these are only recommendations so that you
benefit more from doing the Microcosmic Orbit practice;
they are not intended to create fear or concern that
doing the orbit practice straight away will cause
problems. The orbit is inherently self-regulating,
self-balancing, and safe. If you want to do the orbit
right away, there is no problem.

There is a danger in being too overly rigid in worrying
about doing things in a correct order, a correct schedule,
etc. This is just the mind that wants to control
everything with a rigid schedule and doesn’t want
to give up that control. The Dao is free-flowing
and natural. This is what you want to harmonize with.
Always remember this, or you miss the point of doing
the practice to begin with.

To make a long story short, if you want to start doing
the orbit right away, go ahead. There is no problem
in doing so. Have fun.

Qi,
Steven