Wu Ji
Wu Ji is the natural state occurring before one begins to practice the martial arts. The mind is without thought; the intent is without motion; the eyes are without focus; the body makes no movement….
Master Sun says to stand as if on sand, without the toes griping or the heels pressing down. One of the most pleasurable times practicing the form for me was on the beach. I would practice on sand always if I could. On sand, "one stands and flows with what naturally occurs." There is potential rather than movement. The "sinking the Qi to the Dan Tien" is done through intention rather than force.
Standing in stillness (li ding shi), says Yang Chenfu, is the taijiquan posture for preparing to move. While it may seem obvious that stillness comes before movement, the cultivation of correct stillness is crucial to the practice of Tai Chi. In most Tai Chi classes the beginning posture is explained as a period of relaxing the body but the mind must also be emptied.
Concentration is on the Lower Dan Tien, the center of the body, its balance point. From the earliest writings of unknown masters called the Tai Chi Classics we find: Relax the neck and suspend the head from the crown point. The eyes should focus and concentrate on the direction in which the ch'I flows. Relax the chest and arch the back. Drop and relax the shoulders, drop and relax the elbows. The wrist should be set comfortably while the finger tips stretch outward. The entire body must be vertical and balanced. The coccyx must be pulled forward and upward with the mind. Relax the waist and the juncture of the thighs and pelvis. The knees should stay between relaxed and non-relaxed. The sole of the foot should sink and attack comfortably to the ground. The real secret of Tai Chi lies in bringing the essentials of this stillness through into movement. To clearly separate the "substantial and the insubstantial" means to maintain balance in movement as if you are still.
Stand up straight. Your feet should be close together - touching each other. This aids in the improvement of balance; however, a stance with the feet 7"-15" apart may be more productive and efficient for many persons. The toes should be pointed straight ahead. Both feet should be flat on the floor. The weight should be equal on both feet. Don't lean to one side or the other. Relax your body. Stay balanced and centered. Clear you mind and set aside the work and worries of the day. Your face should seem happy, joyful, reflecting an "Inner Smile." Smile! Refer to Mantak Chia's comments on the "Inner Smile." Keep your head up and look forward. Your eyes should be open, with a soft and wide angle focus. Breathe in and out in a relaxed, easy, and regular manner. Keep your lips parted slightly. Your arms should hang down in a relaxed manner at your sides. The palms of your hands should face your thighs. Relax the shoulders and let them hang down. Some recommend that you keep the tip of your tongue lightly touching the roof of your mouth. Breathe softly in through your nose and blow out softly through your mouth.
This posture is often called the "Wu Ji Posture" in Taijiquan. It is the resting position, the position before any motion begins, a state of "grand emptiness." It is the primordial condition - empty, free, motionless, without qualities. It precedes the movement of Yin/Yang both logically and temporally. The classics talk of Wu Ji giving birth to Tai Ji, emptiness transforming itself into the manifold of cyclic dualities. Of course, our bodies are never completely at rest: our hearts contract and relax, our blood moves up and down, we breath in and out, our two feet and two arms help keep us in balance as we stand, our mind may be calm and focused at the same time as billions of neurons are quite busy in our brains creating that phenomenon we directly apprehend as consciousness. So, the "Wu Ji" state of this posture is more symbolic, allegorical, or figuratively interpreted. Students should note that the Wuji posture is very similar to the Yoga posture of Tadasana - the Mountain Pose. It is also called the Samasthiti pose in Hatha Yoga. We should stand like a Mountain: strong, stable, unmoving, grand, still, aloof, above the mundane, powerful, accepting but unbroken by the storms of ideas, emotions and worries. The arms are held out from the body by 8"-10" in Tadasana. Reference: Light on Yoga, B.K.S. Iyengar, 1977, p.61-62. Please also refer to my instructions for Wu Ji in the Zhan Zhuang (Standing Like a Tree) webpage. The very best book on the power of Wuji qigong is by Jan Diepersloot: Warriors of Stillness: Meditative Traditions in the Chinese Martial Arts. Also refer to Jan Diepersloot's Tao of Yiquan: The Method of Awareness in the Martial Arts. Simply standing can have great benefit to body and mind. After completing each of the eight movements in the Eight Section Brocade Chi Kung, then use Wu Ji as the transition: Return you left foot back into the Wu Ji position to rest and realign the body-mind. Wu Ji signals the end of one movement and the beginning of the next movement. Wu Ji is called "Mountain Pose" Tadasana in Hatha Yoga. Bring your feet closer together or have heels touching. Keep the knees slightly bent. Enjoy some cleansing breaths. Opening/Closing. Stand up straight and tall. Lift the head. Tuck the chin inward a little. Loosen Up, Soften, Merge and Relax. Feel yourself sinking and rooting into the Earth. Free up the mind, reduce thinking, forget, become outside more. Wu Ji is the fertile nothingness that precedes Yin and Yang, an empty and free state of being conscious, the still place before movement, the Zhong Ding of the Tao, a stop-rest-pause stop, an orgasm of the Chaos of Emptiness at the Big Bang, a transition point in the exercise routine, etc.
"When you see excellence, you should try to surpass it. When you see the opposite, examine yourself." - Lao Tzu
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