Wuji Posture

How to stand in the empty posture, also known as Wu Ji or Wu Ji Zhuang.  The easiest way to align the body is to go from your feet upwards;

• Heels about one fist distance apart
• Toes angled outwards
• Centre your weight into the middle of the foot, equal weight on each foot
• Let your bodyweight sink into your feet, and feel it push back up the legs and body
• Make sure your knees are aligned in the direction of your toes (not bowing inwards or outwards)
• Softly bend the knee by squatting gently into the hip
• Relax and lengthen the pelvis/tail bone down and under, releasing the lower vertebra and opening the lumbar area (without force or tension)
• Relax any holding in the hip/groin area, let the body holds itself up without effort
• Fill and push the 'ming men' point (opposite navel point) out (without force or tension)
• Relax the lower back as much as possible, this helps the lengthening
• Relax the abdomen, do not contract the abdominal muscles
• Keep the body upright, with lengthening between the tailbone and crown
• Exhale to the end of the breath, this is the chest position needed, slightly hollow with the vertebra between the shoulder blades opened
• Slightly spiral the shoulders outwardly in an external rotation, opening the elbow creases to the front, relaxing the shoulder blades down onto the ribs, not hunching the shoulder crests forwards
• Raise the back of the head (the occiput, the rear skull bulge) and withdraw the chin a little with relaxation, this aligns your crown more upwards and opens the back of the neck
• Keep the front and back of the neck soft, don't exaggerate the chin tuck into tension, nor the chin protruding forwards
• Imagine there is a ‘plumb line’ that connects the top of your crown (heaven) and perineum (earth), this line should be vertical, not leaning to one side or the front or back
• Arms hang loosely by the side of the body
• Open the armpits slightly, like their is a ball under the armpits
• Soft bend in the elbows, wrists, hands and fingers
• Hands relaxed down and palms facing the outside thighs
• Centre of the palms are soft and relaxed, with a slight curved well in the middle
• Eyes half or fully closed, focus relaxed
• Mouth and teeth gently closed
• Tongue pressing lightly on the roof of the palette by the front teeth
• Keep relaxing the physical body more and more

Taiji Posture

How to stand in the empty posture, also known as Ta Ji or Tai Ji Zhuang.  The easiest way to align the body is to go from your feet upwards;

• Step the left foot out, with the width of the feet slightly wider than the shoulders.
• Align your feet either straight forward (Qi Gong posture, closed/yin) or slightly opened out (Tai Chi posture, open/yang)
• Centre your weight into the middle of the foot, equal weight on each foot
• Let your bodyweight sink into your feet, and feel it push back up the legs and body
• Make sure your knees are aligned in the direction of your toes (not bowing inwards or outwards)
• Softly bend the knee by squatting gently into the hip
• Relax and lengthen the pelvis/tail bone down and under, releasing the lower vertebra and opening the lumbar area (without force or tension)
• Relax any holding in the hip/groin area, let the body holds itself up without effort
• Fill and push the 'ming men' point (opposite navel point) out (without force or tension)
• Relax the lower back as much as possible, this helps the lengthening
• Relax the abdomen, do not contract the abdominal muscles
• Keep the body upright, with lengthening between the tailbone and crown
• Exhale to the end of the breath, this is the chest position needed, slightly hollow with the vertebra between the shoulder blades opened
• Slightly spiral the shoulders outwardly in an external rotation, opening the elbow creases to the front, relaxing the shoulder blades down onto the ribs, not hunching the shoulder crests forwards
• Raise the back of the head (the occiput, the rear skull bulge) and withdraw the chin a little with relaxation, this aligns your crown more upwards and opens the back of the neck
• Keep the front and back of the neck soft, don't exaggerate the chin tuck into tension, nor the chin protruding forwards
• Imagine there is a ‘plumb line’ that connects the top of your crown (heaven) and perineum (earth), this line should be vertical, not leaning to one side or the front or back
• Arms hang loosely by the side of the body
• Open the armpits slightly, like their is a ball under the armpits
• Soft bend in the elbows, wrists, hands and fingers
• Hands relaxed down and palms facing the outside thighs
• Centre of the palms are soft and relaxed, with a slight curved well in the middle
• Eyes half or fully closed, focus relaxed
• Mouth and teeth gently closed
• Tongue pressing lightly on the roof of the palette by the front teeth
• Keep relaxing the physical body more and more

Embrace Tree Posture

From the wuji to taiji posture, progress to raising the arms into embracing tree, hugging a tree, standing like a tree or embrace moon at chest posture.  Follow the same sequence as above, the only difference is the hand and arm position.

• Raise your hands slowly from the empty stance posture
• The arms follow the curve of the body in an arc as if hugging around a tree, or as if you are embracing a large balloon
• The armpits are open
• Elbows are slightly heavy, pointing down and out.
• The wrists and elbows are also resting on water with an external buoyant quality, or as if supported by balloons
• Palms rotated to face the body any height from lower abdomen to chest height
• Centre of the palms are soft and relaxed, with a slight curved well in the middle
• Hands are slightly curved
• Fingers are slightly separated and expanded
• Fingers are inflated like full of air or water, not tensed and not floppy
• Thumbs point upwards (Tai Chi), thumbs are relaxed down (Qi Gong)
• External rotation of the shoulder joint, shoulder blades are relaxed down, tops of the shoulders are not tensed or raised, collarbones open
• Chest is relaxed and empty
• The back of the head is lifted, lengthening the back of the neck which draws the chin slightly
• Raise up the crown with gentle opposing power from the hips