COHERENCE Home                                                                July 9th, 2010                                     

Wuji Style Breathing Exercise (Wuji Style Qi Gong)

By Cai Song Fang (Translation by Men Den)

Presented by Stephen Elliott, Author of The New Science of Breath and Coherent Breathing - The Definitive Method , and the most recent, Wuji Qi Gong And The Secret Of Immortality.    (Also see Chi Arts.)

This small book "Wuji Style Breathing Exercise" contains what I believe to be one of the most profound, and yet one of the most obscure esoteric practices known to man. In it is the only English explanation of the Taoist version of this practice of which I'm aware. I ran across it in 1996, in my search for an understanding of the inner workings of tai chi. Since that time, I've practiced the method very seriously although with varying degree of diligence. Its practice was very instrumental in my development of the Coherent Breathing method, circa 2000, which dramatically enhances the effect of Wuji Qi Gong, as well as other forms of Qi Gong.

The authorship is also something of a mystery. The translater, a Mr. Men Den, explains that he is the student and ghost writer for the well known Tai Chi master, Cai San Fong. However, other reports, purportedly by those including Cai himself refute this. The author, whoever it is, describes that the wuji breathing method was handed down from a direct student of Yang Cheng Fu, it being the esoteric basis of Yang family taijiquan (tai chi).

The reason for all this mystery is that between the covers of this odd little book is (based on my humble opinion) the essential core practice of Taoism. There are equivalent (also largely obscure) yogic practices in Hinduism and Kashmiri Shaivism, which I will bring to your attention a bit later.

If you've studied Taoist philosophy, you'll recognize the term "wuji". In Taoist cosmology wuji refers to the "primordial undifferentiated". Taoism concerns itself with the "process" or mechanics by which differentiation and non-differentiation occur, yielding "taiji", dynamic differentiation of yin and yang, and its ultimate result, the dissolution back into wuji. You may have heard the phase "taiji comes from wuji", and its complement, "taiji returns to wuji".

Very importantly, this "process" refers to the "energetic" evolution of the physical universe, the "cosmos", and to us (humans), as micro-cosms of the macro-cosm. As such, it is through the practice of "Wuji Breathing" that one facilitates this process and realizes the essential Taoist experience of both "wuji" and "taiji".

Tangible benefits include increased vitality, balance, energy, intuition, strength, power, endurance, and wellness. Esoteric effects include, among other things, a "profound energetic capacity" for healing, martial arts, etc. and a very clear and evolving sense of "oneness" with the cosmos.

It is best practiced in a standing position 20 minutes per day, in combination with Coherent Breathing.

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In 1905, the Yogi Publication Society published Yogi Ramacharaka’s Science of Breath, which to this day remains one of his most popular and respected works. 100 years later, Stephen Elliott, accomplished student of Eastern yogic and martial arts, engineer, inventor, and life scientist, asserts a New Science of Breath. With it, Elliott offers us a revolutionary new theory of health based on breathing for autonomic nervous system balance, autonomic nervous function underlying all aspects of health and well being - body, mind, and spirit. Importantly, this new science sheds a light of hope on today’s pandemic health challenges ranging from stress, anxiety, and chronic muscle tension, to hypertension and attention deficit disorder. The emerging medical understanding is that these conditions are rooted in autonomic nervous system imbalance - what has not been understood is the root cause of this imbalance. Elliott posits that the root cause is in fact suboptimal breathing. The New Science of Breath (ISBN 0978639901) introduces Coherent Breathing, a specific breathing modality that promotes autonomic nervous system balance and cardiopulmonary resonance. Autonomic balance yields peace of mind, well being, and enhanced biological function. The therapeutic efficacy of Coherent Breathing is supported by the work of integrative neurotherapist Dee Edmonson, RN, Fellow BCIA - EEG. Dee presents a dozen compelling case observations where Coherent Breathing was applied adjunctively with conventional forms of neurotherapy, all with profoundly positive result. This book is must reading for health care professionals, educated health enthusiasts, and serious athletes. For yoga and meditation enthusiasts, when combined with relaxation and stillness, Coherent Breathing directly results in meditation.