Unforced Doing
WuWei (a term deriving from early Daoism) means to ‘not force the way of things’ in life.
And instead to flow with nature, to lean downstream, or as Alan Watts describes it as ‘the art of sailing rather than rowing’. Not to be misunderstood as laziness, but rather engaging in effortless action. Indeed the Dao reminds us to ‘do nothing, and yet leave nothing undone’.
Gemma Louise Pugh
Wu Wei is the concept of not forcing in anything you do.
Alan Watts
The Rhythm of Chi and Work, Rest, and Recovery
The power of life comes sometimes in not acting. When we can be present with an “allowing patience.” The wise person knows when to engage but “stay out.” At other times, the power of life comes in acting without forcing. To engage fully in and participate with the flow of the universe without forcing an action that is contrary to the moment. We might call this “letting go in the midst of doing.” This not doing, this not forcing, is inherent in the Chinese idea We Wei. The Dao Te Ching puts it this way.
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Tê Ching
There is a Wu Wei in work, in rest, and in recovery. There are times to cease from action. There are times to act with great intention. There are times to creatively solve, to deliberately retire, and to intentionally recharge. Yet in all of these moments, there is a way to “be” that connects us with our life-force. There is a way to tap the energy that is beyond the moment but available in it. Sometimes this happens to us quite naturally. We fall into this flow. But most of life is a learning to enter and stay longer in Wu Wei no matter what we are “doing” or experiencing. Today, see if you can find the Wu Wei in your work, in your rest, and in your recovery.
The second segment of this Aldea Explores Series, The Rhythms of Life, explores what it means to mine the energy as we work, rest, and recover. We’ll explore small but potent practices that tap energy and how to conserve energy for later use. Each week of the series, we’ll provide:
- Weekly thoughts/blogs about the topic of the week
- A weekly podcast that focuses on the topic of the week
- A reflective guide you can use for individual or group exploration