Wuji 無極
When
you practice Taichi (Taiji) stances, you first start from Wuji. In Wuji, you stand straight but your whole
body must be relaxed and your mental state must be in rujing. Wuji is the state of things in which yin and yang are totally
harmonized that the things are neither yin nor yang. According to Daoist cosmology, before the
universe exists, the world was in the state of Wuji. At this point, not
only things but even emptiness did not exist.
When Taiji, which is yin and yang, emerged, existence and emptiness
emerged. From this point, everything in
the universe emerged. However, the
universe will gradually decay and in the end, the universe goes back to the
state of Wuji. The universe than grows again thus there is
an endless cycle of emergence and decay of the universe. In Daoist cosmology, a human body is
considered as a small universe.
Therefore, when a person practices Taichi, the person is supposed to
follow this principle of growth and the decay of the universe. Thus, before you begin Taichi, your body must
be in the state of Wuji. Your body is in the state of Wuji when your mind is in rujing because when you get into rujing, yin and yang of your body
is completely harmonized that your body is neither yin nor yang. Daoists believe that your mental state
affects your physical state. When your
mind is in rujing, your mind is
supposed to be empty and this leads your body to be relaxed and rested. When
you begin the Taichi movement, you can start flow your qi by using your
imagination and at this point your mind is not empty so that your body is not
in Wuji. When you have imagination, your body is
activated by your images so that your body has cycle of yin and yang which is
Taiji. After you finish all the
movements, you go back to original posture and empty your mind again so that
your mind goes into rujing
again. By taking this process, your body
imitates that cycle of birth and return of the universe and Daoists believe
imitating this cycle can enhance one’s physical and mental health.
Tao Wellness Taiji Institute
Hawaiian Relaxation Qigong and Taichi Class
