The energy body – meridians, Dantians and chakras
There is a body you know – muscles, bones, organs. And there is something you can feel when you become still enough. In Qi Gong, this is called the energy body.
What you notice is real: warmth, tingling, a subtle flow, density or spaciousness. The map the Daoist tradition uses to make sense of this is something different from these sensations.
Meridians – the energy pathways
The tradition describes meridians as subtle pathways running through the whole body. You can imagine them as rivers through which Qi flows. When the flow is free, you feel alive and supple; when it is blocked, this shows up as tension, tiredness or a lack of energy.
Qi Gong is intended to open and harmonise these pathways – not through pressure from outside, but through gentle movement, breathing and inner attention. After a good practice session, many people feel something beginning to flow. In the language of this tradition, these are the meridians. I can only speak with certainty about the feeling, not its cause.
The three Dantians – fields of power in the body
The word Dantian is made up of Dan (elixir) and Tian (field). It refers to areas to which the tradition attributes particularly high potential. Through practice, these fields are meant to be built up and nourished – like an inner elixir of life.
The lower Dantian is located in the lower abdomen and regarded as the foundation, a reservoir of power. What I can describe of it: a feeling of density and stability in the abdomen that builds over time.
The middle Dantian is located in the chest, at heart level, and associated with emotions. When something is open there, compassion sometimes becomes something you can feel physically rather than merely think about.
The upper Dantian is located between the eyebrows and associated with mind, intuition and clarity. In advanced practice, this is where the most subtle work takes place.
Within this system, advanced work builds on stable fields. This does not mean that practising without them is worth less – it takes a different direction.
The seven chakras
Alongside the Dantians, the Daoist tradition recognises seven centres located in the spiritual aspect of the channel along the spine. In the West, they are known by their Indian name: the chakras.
In Qi Gong, they are known by three sets of names: Qi Huo (七火, “seven fires”), Qi Ding (七鼎, “seven cauldrons”) or Qi Lun (七輪, “seven wheels”). Each centre has its own name and character:
Chun Zhen Lun (純真輪) – Wheel of genuine truth. Located at the base of the spine, sometimes in the perineal area; corresponds to Muladhara. It concerns the basic drives: when this wheel is open, they transform into a will that is in harmony with something greater.
Zhen Zhi Lun (真知輪) – Wheel of genuine knowledge. At the level of the lower lumbar spine; corresponds to Svadhisthana. Responsible for our emotional conditioning; when it is open, a more subtle emotional intelligence unfolds.
Zheng Dao Lun (正道輪) – Wheel of the upright path. At the level of the solar plexus; corresponds to Manipura. It concerns our spiritual understanding of ourselves – and our sense of what right action and right practice mean.
Ren Ai Lun (仁愛輪) – Wheel of benevolent love. In the heart centre; corresponds to Anahata. It determines how connected we feel to others and how we meet them. When open, it brings deep peace and a feeling of connection with all living things.
Da Tong Lun (大同輪) – Wheel of great harmony. At the back of the head, sometimes associated with the throat; corresponds to Vishuddha. It concerns communication: the ability to express honestly what really moves you. In the tradition, it is regarded as the centre of spiritual teachers.
Kuan Shu Lun (寬恕輪) – Wheel of expansive compassion. In the centre of the head; corresponds to Ajna. It concerns the ability to perceive the nature of reality – and what other living beings actually need.
Zi Jue Lun (自覺輪) – Wheel of awakening to the self. At the crown of the head; corresponds to Sahasrara. It stands for the connection to the Dao itself and is regarded as a preliminary stage of what these systems call awakening.
You do not need to know these names to practise. But they show how seriously and with how much nuance this tradition approaches inner work.
Source: Damo Mitchell, A Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Nei Gong, Singing Dragon, pp. 529–532.
The microcosmic orbit
There is a particular energy circuit that plays a central role in Qi Gong: the microcosmic orbit, also called the small heavenly circulation.
It is described like this: Qi circulates up the back, forwards over the head and forehead, and down the front to return to the lower abdomen. This circuit is said to have a clarifying and strengthening effect. Practitioners describe how it feels in very different ways.
The orbit is indeed a practice – but one with prerequisites. It requires a high degree of Wu wei, meaning action without forcing, and Qi that is already dense enough to sustain the circuit.
The work involves no visualisation at all. Nothing is imagined or mentally projected into it. Where there is still too little, there is simply nothing to accompany – and an imagined circuit would then be something different from this practice.
That is why this work comes late in the practice systems, not at the beginning. Preparation is everything that comes before it: freer meridians, a developed lower Dantian, attention that can remain calm without pushing.
Everything is connected
Meridians, Dantians, chakras, the orbit – this sounds like many separate systems. On this map, they belong together: a network in which everything affects everything else.
Qi Gong works on three levels at once:
- Jing – the physical essence
- Qi – the living energy
- Shen – awareness
When all three are in harmony, something arises that feels like coming home. Groundedness and lightness at the same time. Clarity and stillness.
This is not a goal you reach. It is a direction you move in – step by step, breath by breath.