Warm the Navel

温煦脐轮 · Wēn Xù Qí Lún · Form 10 of 12 · Twelve-Section Brocade

Form name in the official English edition: "Burning Navel Ring" Health Qigong — 12-Routine Exercises, General Administration of Sport of China (Foreign Languages Press 外文出版社, 2012 · ISBN 9787119078717). We checked this title against that book's table of contents; the step text below comes from a different source, named underneath.

Where this step text comes from. The Twelve-Section Brocade is the routine promoted by the General Administration of Sport of China (2010). The official textbook is not obtainable, so the step-by-step text here follows Zhang Hailing's Shi Er Duan Jin (Beijing Sport University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-7-5644-1117-6), the only source we can verify word for word. It agrees with a separately transcribed copy of the textbook's technical notes. We are not claiming this reproduces the official standard word for word.

Stack both palms on the navel with the left palm innermost, let the eyelids drop, and rest your attention there for two to five minutes. Then open the eyes and stroke the belly in three slow clockwise circles followed by three anticlockwise ones. Almost the whole form is stillness: the contact is light, the circles are small, and nothing is pressed.

Works on: abdomen, palms, breathing, attention
Repetitions: Two to five minutes of quiet holding, then three circles clockwise and three anticlockwise
Time: 4 min
Difficulty: Gentle
Chair version: Yes — no floor work
Official English name: Burning Navel Ring
Official source: General Administration of Sport of China, 2010

The classical verse

尽此一口气，想火烧脐轮

This form belongs to the verse line above, from the classical seated routine. Quoting it is how you can tell whether a version of this movement you find elsewhere is the same one.

The corresponding verse line reads "with this one breath, imagine fire warming the navel wheel". The technical notes ask for a light use of intention, forward abdominal breathing, an upright and easeful posture, and a soft, unhurried rubbing of the abdomen with the laogong point held over the navel. They also draw a clear line between this form and the one before it: here the palms rest on the abdomen and rub, without any pressing-down action, which is a difference in kind rather than of degree. No effect beyond the description of the practice itself is claimed here.

How to do it

The official form is practised sitting cross-legged on a firm wedge-shaped cushion with the front edge lower than the back. Every step below also says what to do if you are sitting in a chair — the two are the same movement, only the seat differs, so there is no separate version to choose between.

Continue from the previous movement. Lay the left palm flat over the navel, then cover it with the right palm so the hands are stacked at the navel with the left hand innermost. The laogong point, the centre of each palm, sits directly over the navel. The sitting position makes no difference to this form, so it is done the same way on a chair: sit tall with both feet flat on the floor, the spine long and the shoulders dropped.
Let the eyelids drop to half mast and rest your attention at the navel. Hold there for two to five minutes.
Keep the contact light and let the trunk stay upright and at ease. Breathe in natural abdominal breathing, the belly rising softly as you inhale. In a chair: keep the trunk upright rather than folding forward as the hands move.
Keep the use of intention light. There is no counting to do during these minutes.
Open the eyes. With the palms still stacked, rub the abdomen in three slow clockwise circles, keeping the centre of the palm over the navel. In a chair: keep the circles small — the hands barely travel and the skin moves with them rather than sliding over it.
Without pausing, rub three slow anticlockwise circles at the same pace and with the same light pressure.
Let the gaze rest forward and downward throughout. Finish with the palms still over the navel and a few quiet breaths.
Throughout, the palms stay resting on the belly and carry out a rubbing motion. They do not push down into the abdomen and do not sweep across it the way the previous form does.

If you are sitting in a chair

The differences worth knowing before you start — the substitutions are already written into each step above.

This form is done exactly the same way on a chair — the sitting position makes no difference to it.
Keep the circles small and the trunk upright rather than folding forward as the hands move.

Breathing and intention

Use natural abdominal breathing, the belly rising on the inhalation and settling on the exhalation. When rubbing the abdomen, keep the laogong point aligned over the navel and the motion gentle and slow, with the breathing natural and unforced. The traditional instruction adds that the person practising imagines a warmth at the area around the navel, and that this imagining should be kept light.

Common mistakes

Stacking the right palm innermost instead of the left.
Letting the palms press down into the abdomen. The palms rest on the belly and carry out a rubbing motion; they do not push the abdomen down, which is a different action in kind from the abdominal stroking of the preceding form. This distinction is the one the official notes single out as most important to remember.
Letting the hands sweep or glide across the abdomen as in the previous form. The action here is a stationary rub at the navel, not a stroke travelling over the belly.
Making the intention heavy or effortful, which the official notes warn against.
Making the circles wide or quick, so the stillness part of the form is lost.
Skipping the two to five minutes of quiet holding, which is the substance of the movement.

Before you start

Do not press on the abdomen if you are pregnant, or if you have had recent abdominal or pelvic surgery.
Check with a doctor first if you have a diagnosed abdominal condition, a hernia, or unexplained abdominal pain.
If you have these conditions, you may keep the palms resting on the navel without any of the circling strokes.

Safety first

Ask your doctor before starting if you have heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, dizziness or fainting, a fall in the last 6 months, surgery in the last 3 months, diagnosed osteoporosis, a hip or knee replacement, a painful joint, or pregnancy.
Pain is a stop sign. Stop with burning, pressure or sharp pain; ordinary muscle tiredness is different from pain.
For seated work use a sturdy, armless, wheel-free chair with a firm seat against a wall. Keep both feet flat, and use a stable book under the foot if you need it.
For every standing or balance movement keep a fixed support within one arm's reach.
Never hold your breath. Breathe with the movement, and return to normal breathing when the effort rises.
If you feel dizzy, sit down, wait one minute, and end the session for that day.
Drink water, practise at least one hour after a meal, and use non-slip shoes or a non-slip bare-foot surface.
Use a comfortable range. Forward bends come from the hips with a long, neutral spine; avoid sudden twisting.
This programme is not medical treatment and does not replace physiotherapy.

Where it comes from

Comes from the verse line "imagine fire warming the navel wheel", which in the older version was a meditation instruction attached to the breathing rather than a separate numbered form.

The Twelve-Section Brocade is the modern official form of the seated Eight-Section Brocade, also called the literary eight-section brocade (wen baduanjin), which the Ming dynasty texts record in eight figures. Its name appears in the eighteenth-century Shoushi Chuanzhen, and the version in most circulation today comes from the Neigong Tushuo. It was standardised as an official routine in 2010 by the General Administration of Sport of China.

Sources

Chinese Health Qigong Association, Health Qigong · Shi Er Duan Jin (routine overview)
Zhang Hailing, Shi Er Duan Jin, Beijing Sport University Press, 2012 (ISBN 978-7-5644-1117-6) — a second independent source for the movement text, not the official textbook. Our own word-for-word transcription of its seated chapter is not filed in this repository, so the site cites the book rather than a page reference.

Common questions

Can I do Warm the Navel from a chair?

Yes. The official form is practised sitting cross-legged on a cushion, but this page gives a chair version that keeps the same movement while removing the need to get down onto the floor. Both versions are listed further down this page.

How many repetitions does Warm the Navel take?

Two to five minutes of quiet holding, then three circles clockwise and three anticlockwise. The classical texts give their own counts, which are quoted on this page where they differ.

What does Warm the Navel involve?

It works mainly the abdomen, palms, breathing, attention. In the traditional framing it belongs to the 温煦脐轮 principle; practically, it is a slow movement, self-massage or stillness practice depending on the form.

How long does Warm the Navel take?

About 4 minutes. The pace is set by the breath rather than a timer, so slower is generally better.

Where does Warm the Navel come from?

Comes from the verse line "imagine fire warming the navel wheel", which in the older version was a meditation instruction attached to the breathing rather than a separate numbered form.

When should I be careful with Warm the Navel?

Do not press on the abdomen if you are pregnant, or if you have had recent abdominal or pelvic surgery. Check with a doctor first if you have a diagnosed abdominal condition, a hernia, or unexplained abdominal pain. If you have these conditions, you may keep the palms resting on the navel without any of the circling strokes.

What else is Warm the Navel called?

In Chinese it is 温煦脐轮 (Wēn Xù Qí Lún). The official English edition of the routine calls it "Burning Navel Ring". Descriptive English sources also use Warming the Navel Wheel, Warm the Navel Centre and Warming the Navel. It is the same movement in every case, and the classical verse line it belongs to reads "尽此一口气，想火烧脐轮".

Written by LiHe — practitioner, teacher and consultant in qigong and traditional health practice. Review status and sources are shown below where available.

This is general movement education, not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Read the full disclaimer.

The Chinese names are the traditional names of the movements. They are not medical claims, and this site does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-08
Movement data: Standing form follows the Chinese Fitness Qigong Association standard routine. The chair versions are this pack's own adaptation, written for a seated reader.. Version v0.5.
Additional source: The Twelve-Section Brocade is the routine promoted by the General Administration of Sport of China (2010). Step text follows Zhang Hailing, Shi Er Duan Jin (Beijing Sport University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-7-5644-1117-6). English form names follow the English edition of the routine (Foreign Languages Press, 2012, ISBN 9787119078717).