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From The Master 师 傅 之 窗
The Relationship
Between Wuji, Taiji and Qigong
By Yang Yang, Ph.D.
© 2012 Center for Taiji & Qigong Studies –used by permission
Practitioners frequently ask about the relationship
between taiji and qigong. Different people have
differing opinions. And the same person might have
different understandings as their study deepens. I
would like to share my thoughts on this issue. This
topic could easily fill a book, but I will try to be succinct.
QIGONG
The word qigong was not popularly used until
the mid 20th century. Before then, different qigong
exercises were known by the myriad names, or categories,
of exercises. Qigong literally means to exercise,
or nurture, qi, which is the energetic intermediary
between physical essence (jing, 精 ) and spirit
(shen, 神 ). But a simple literal interpretation of the
word qigong is insufficient to convey the full meaning.
Qigong is mind/body/spirit integrative exercise—any
mind/body/spirit integrative exercise is
qigong. Taiji form (if practiced correctly) is one type
of qigong, but other basic qigong exercises are also
essential components of traditional taiji training.
Yoga is qigong; simple exercises such as walking or
riding a bicycle, or even many daily life activities, if
done in awareness and understanding of qigong principles,
can be qigong.
Qigong, then, is a big-picture concept. In traditional
practice, there are two basic categories of
qigong practice: static and dynamic. Static qigong
refers to meditation in sitting, standing, and lyingdown
postures. These are the most fundamental, and
therefore the most essential, qigong training methods.
Dynamic qigong refers to moving meditation,
which as stated can be in many forms.
WUJI
Literally, wu ( 无 ) means “no” and ji ( 极 )
means “extreme.” In contrast with taiji, which means
“grand extreme,” in wuji there is no differentiation
of yin and yang: no good/bad, happy/sad, attraction/
aversion. Wuji is a subtle void, but it is not empty—
it is full of undifferentiated energy from which arise
yin and yang and the “10,000 things.”
Dr. Yang in Santi Standing Posture
September—October 2012 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 9