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Wu-Wei — The ancient art of getting into the flow
In Daoism, there is the concept of Wu-Wei (无为). In English we would translate this term as “non-action”, but that’s actually a misleading definition.
Rather, Wu-Wei is about actions that are arising spontaneously in accordance with the Dao. In this state, the mind intuitively recognizes the best way to achieve something, while the intellect would only interfere. So it’s more about acting intuitively instead of actively.
In the West, the Wu-Wei principle is known by a different name. Here we refer to it as the flow state. This state first became known to a wider public in 1975 thanks to the work of psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.
The flow state is that state in which things seem to work by themselves: When we are in flow, we have no sense of time and certainly not hunger, we don’t think about yesterday and certainly not about tomorrow. Rather, we are completely immersed in our work. The ancient Chinese would say that the body and mind have merged into one.
The Inner Game of Tennis
In sports, the flow principle was even known before the work of Professor Csíkszentmihályi.
A prominent example of this is the book “The Inner Game of Tennis” published in 1972 by tennis coach Timothy Gallwey. Originally intended as a…
