I now understand why the book by Mantak Chia was confusing me.
He uses the term ‘Microcosmic Orbit’ for the flow of energy that occurs when all the energy centers around the torso are opened. So in his book he is describing how to proceed in opening each center. Once each center is opened, you have completed the Microcosmic orbit according to him. In my perception the Microcosmic Orbit was a meditation technique, and the fact that the book by Mantak Chia does not describe a meditation that is called such was confusing to me.
So now I understand that this book is about opening the centers and not describing a single meditation technique, I will do that. That means I will meditate as described by him and attempt to open the centers in the order he proposes. I’m actually glad because with the MCO’s I did in the past I felt that the circulation was not complete; some centers would structurally give me strong sensations and some none so maybe this methodic approach is good for me. The book gives instructions and warnings for each energy center, what sounds of trouble there are and what to do in that case. Also he warns not to spend more than 4 consecutive weeks on a single center in general. So I’ll be opening my centers in a structured way for the time to come , spending no more than 4 weeks on each.
The first center is the belly button. He instructs to put a finger against it and bring awareness to that place in the body, about an inch below the skin. Do not visualize it and focus on that image, but actually bring your mind to the place in the body you want to focus on.
I tried just that for 15 minutes. Although it did nothing for me yet, I like the combination because now I get to train my concentration while working with energy. I actually was a bit surprised I did not feel anything because usually I will at least feel some warmth in my belly.
Tomorrow I will modify my MCO page with the new information.