Wu Ji – Original Stillness
Wuji standing meditation provides some of the main benefits Tai Chi is known for without requiring the complex body mechanics and massive leg strength that Tai Chi is also known for. All that is required for Wuji practice is fortitude and consistency, otherwise the method is physically simple. Wuji is an essential precursor for transformation through Tai Chi.
Yang Fenghou
“as one enters into the state of Wuji, the mind doesn’t think, the ears don’t hear, & the eyes don’t see. One must be extremely calm before creating any movement
What is Wuji ?
The most reductive translation for WuJi that I’ve ever read is standing-at-attention posture. Wu ji is the practice of standing in quite meditation and letting the body, mind and breath return to a natural resting state. In Chinese culture, the first item on a list has special emphasis, so it is with Wuji, the first posture in every Tai Chi form.
Wuji facilitates relaxation though letting go & releasing (fāng sōng) tension by shifting the body into a parasympathetic, “rest and digest” state. If you practice yoga, the Wuji state is similar to yoga nidra or savasana. It is an essential precursor for the development of of peng jin.
The Posture
Because wuji is found in every style of Tai Chi variation do exists but all share 4 characteristics. Arms hang at the sides, the crown point is suspended, outside of the feet are at shoulder width, total relaxation.
The eyes can be closed at first to facilitate relaxation, but at later stages they must be open. The main thing is to relax everything while keeping the posture suspended. The totally letting go or Fang Song is a sort of release of tension that allows the chi to sink down. Fang Song can be translated as “abandon tension.” This is the main point of wuji.
Important Points:
- The crown point – bai hui – is gently suspended.
- Neutral yet upright posture.
- Outside of the feet at shoulder width.
- Arms hang at sides, elbows hanging.
- Keep hands and fingers relaxed and pointing down.
- Soften the lumbar area and sacrum
- Deepen the breath
- Fāng Sōng – Abandon tension
Common Mistakes
“Suck and tuck” the sacrum, this common error probably comes from a mistranslated early tai chi text. Chest sticking out, slouching are very common errors. Arms and hands spreading out away from the body.
Meditative Approach
The chan master Hsu Yun Empty Cloud in meditation. Through the concept of emptiness Wuji can be approached as a form of meditation.
Personal Practice
Learning wuji requires daily 15 – 30 minute sessions, with a few longer sessions per week.
I spent two months practicing Wuji daily for minimum of 30 minutes per session, a fairly modest regimen as far as standing meditation goes. The first week my spine started decompressing and my breath deepened a bit, but nothing major happened.
Towards the end of the second week I had a spontaneous release of tension most likely at the facia level. It put me in a good mood for the rest of the week and I had access to more energy that was restricted under the tension.
After that I began to have small releases of tension almost every session, not quite as big as the first. All these releases happened after the 15-20 minute mark. My mood and sense of well being really improved, sometimes to the point of feeling a sort of high.
At around 5 weeks of this experiment I experience emptiness leads spirit to the crown. I can’t describe, other than to say it is a deep change in awareness, attention and focus that is conducive to Tai Chi. This mind state is essential for transformative tai chi practice, it is not found in other martial arts, even the the other internal arts don’t have this mind state. It is neither passive or aggressive.
At around 6 weeks I had a very deep release of tension in my hands, down to every bone in the hands and wrist, especially my right hand. I can’t really describe how good this felt. This happened during a longer session at around 40 minutes of standing.
Another experience I had during some sessions was a notable increase in production of saliva , this is called Producing Jade Elixir in Qigong manuals. Anything described as an elixir in tai chi or qigong manuals is to be particularly sought after.
At the end of the two months I was able to get the releases of tension down to about 5 minutes, but without the longer sessions the feeling of raising spirit to the crown generally faded away. It took me a lot of work to build back to it. Like many benefits of tai chi practice, it is a very perishable skill.