[Martial Arts] Kung Fu in Sleep

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Fecha: 20-8-2025 Miércoles, 5:10 PM

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[Martial Arts] The Kung Fu of Sleep
For decades, I have been accustomed to sleeping on my back. My posture has hardly changed. While others toss and turn, I often lie down and settle in. When lying on my back, my body completely surrenders to the bed. My muscles do not need to support me. My whole body can relax.
I have long avoided using a pillow, and I have done so for decades. When lying on my back, the back of my head naturally rests on the bed, allowing my cervical and thoracic vertebrae to align naturally, forming a continuous support chain from the base of the skull to the sacrum. As a result, the breath can reach the pelvic floor directly, and the diaphragm's rise and fall, along with the pelvic floor's movement, creates a 1:1 resonance, transforming ordinary breathing into an internal massage of the spinal fascia system. In this position, my body is free of any distortion, and my breathing flows smoothly, allowing the energy to circulate freely, truly experiencing the natural connection of the Ren and Du meridians during sleep.
As I relax, my breathing naturally becomes deep and long. When inhaling, my abdomen slightly bulges. When exhaling, my abdomen deeply contracts, pressing against the spine. For decades, every exhalation allows my abdomen to naturally retract, and the position of the xiphoid process at the lower end of the sternum becomes noticeably prominent. The areas around the Jiaji point, Zhongwan point, and Jueyin point rise and fall with my breath. The effect of pressing against the spine, which others need to practice reverse abdominal breathing to experience, I do every day in my sleep.
I gradually realized that this is, in fact, kung fu. Many masters often say that standing meditation requires the whole body to be relaxed and heavy, but can one be more relaxed than lying flat? When I lie on my back, all the weight of my body is completely released, even my thoughts are surrendered to my breath. True relaxation and heaviness, I practice for at least seven hours every night, much longer than the half-hour most people practice daily.
Therefore, I often say that my meridians have never been blocked. While others need to relax during meditation, I cultivate while I sleep. While others need to regulate their breath during standing meditation, my natural breathing is my practice. I just hadn’t realized it for many years. It wasn’t until I practiced martial arts for many years that I understood I had always had this foundation.
Of course, standing meditation and sleep are different. Sleep is a completely passive relaxation. Standing meditation is an active relaxation, seeking balance within gravity. It requires finding unity between effort and relaxation. However, due to my decades-long sleeping habits, I find it easier to experience the feeling of relaxation in standing meditation. While others need to practice for a long time to relax properly, I can enter that state quickly.
This allows me to breathe deeper naturally when practicing horse stance and single-leg standing. My heart rate remains steadier. Even when standing on one leg with my eyes closed for over thirty minutes, I still maintain a smooth and even breath. Inhaling and exhaling through my nose, soft and continuous, just like natural breathing at night.
Some masters require that the abdomen presses against the spine during inhalation. This is reverse abdominal breathing. I clearly understand the reason. Because when a person is awake and breathes naturally, exhalation will naturally contract the abdomen, but it does not deeply press against the spine. Only during sleep can this happen naturally. To achieve this while awake, one must practice reverse abdominal breathing. Only then can the energy be gathered while awake.
Thus, my practice is actually complementary. During sleep, abdominal breathing allows me to continuously practice "relaxation." I cultivate sinking energy and smooth meridians. When practicing while awake, reverse abdominal breathing allows me to actively practice "contraction." I gather the dantian, stabilize the central axis, and keep the internal energy concentrated and undispersed. The combination of relaxation and contraction is the complete method.
Decades of habits are not formed overnight. They are like a subtle and gradual cultivation. Others may never experience the natural feeling of the abdomen deeply pressing against the spine throughout their lives. Yet, I do so every night. Over time, my physical condition has changed. I am not afraid of the cold during standing meditation; in the six to nine-degree wind by the sea, I warm up in three minutes, sweat in five minutes, and start sweating on my head in ten minutes. While others shiver in thick clothes, I practice martial arts comfortably in autumn attire.
This made me realize that the so-called energy rushing to the disease and the skill curing the illness does not necessarily have to happen in the practice space. Sometimes, we are already repairing ourselves invisibly during sleep. My right hand was once numb due to an old injury and carpal tunnel syndrome. After practicing standing meditation, swordplay, and deep sleep breathing every day, the symptoms disappeared after six months. The energy and blood flowed smoothly, and the sensation returned.
I began to cherish this seemingly ordinary habit. While others pursue flashy techniques, I know that the true foundation often lies in the simplest things. Just as my master said, to strike someone, one must first stand firm. To practice martial arts, one must first learn to relax. To the extreme, relaxation means lying flat.
Every night when I sleep, I practice relaxation. Every morning when I practice standing, I practice contraction while awake. Between day and night, relaxation and contraction unite. The foundation of martial arts is unconsciously solidified.
This is my realization. Sleep is not merely rest. It can be a form of kung fu. As long as you perceive the subtle changes in your breath and the natural force of the abdomen pressing against the spine, you will understand that the deepest kung fu often lies in the most ordinary places.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=697272