Do you ever feel like there has got to be an easier way? .. that you just keep stumbling from one disaster to another but at the same time you have that niggling doubt that you are also over-complicating things, that you’re getting in your own way?

When we’re stressed already, additional problems do tend to look an awful lot bigger. We tend to over-worry, over-stress and over-exaggerate EVERYTHING.

Take a breath.

Wu-Wei is just what you need then, but first let’s take a look at some similar fundamental concepts…

Similar Concepts: Simplicity, Mindfulness, Zen

Before I introduce you to the beautifully simple, intriguing yet extremely powerful concept of Wu-Wei, let’s first take a look at some similar concepts that I’ve already written plenty about here, because that’s kind of what brings us to this next thing.

If you’ve read other articles on this site you will already know that I am a big fan of keeping things simple, of being in the moment, of focus and enjoyment of the task at hand. We have explored via various articles the concepts of simplicity, mindfulness and zen. As Einstein said, we should look to make things as complicated as they have to be and as simple as they can be. So how can we do that among the struggles of everyday life, when faced with challenges, stresses and disappointments?

Going with the Flow

You have probably already done this at some point or other.

The Wu-Wei concept I am about to describe is simple yet powerful, just like mindfulness, just like zen. It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it can be a great thing to keep in mind for dealing with almost anything, especially when life is feeling difficult.

The good news, as I just mentioned is that you have probably already done it.

Can you think of an example where something was not how you expected it to be, initially perhaps even seeming like a disappointment but then you turned that something to your advantage?

As a very quick example, I, like a lot of people have ‘used’ the tragic Covid situation to reconnect with old friends online who I may not have otherwise contacted – that’s turned out to be a much better move than I could have imagined.

Or… imagine you go to a favourite restaurant but all the tables are taken, rather than getting annoyed yourself for not thinking of booking a table you go with the flow and take it as an opportunity to discover a new restaurant.

A couple of very simple examples but believe it or not, these are basically examples of using the Wu-Wei principle.

Wu-Wei: Be Like Water

So what is Wu-Wei exactly?

I said it was simple yet powerful and it is.

Imagine something as simple and gentle as water. Yet water is also one of the most powerful forces on the planet. Water can cut through rock and create vast canyons. Water is obedient and flexible, yet it always seems to overcome things with strength and hardness. It does this through a patient and tactical submission to the laws of nature.

Consider this: Nature does not make mistakes.

Mistakes are made by man, man who overthinks, over-engineers and gets in the way by interfering with the natural way of things and trying too hard – by battling and creating unnecessary battles.

When we work with the natural order of things then we work with minimal effort.

So Wu-Wei is an alignment with nature, it is working with nature rather than against it – but this means with both external nature – nature of and in the world around us and internal nature – i.e. our own true nature.

It is true that we can be at war with others, with our surroundings, things, events, situations or people around us, but we can also be at war with ourselves.

Wu Wei is is the alignment with the rhythms of the elements both within and outside our bodies. It is a kind of ebb and flow, an effortless surrender to the natural cycles of the world.

In the context of Taoist scripture, Wu-Wei means to not go against nature or to not force something to happen.

It is the same as ‘going with the flow’ and the opposite of ‘dragging your heels’ or ‘trying to turn back the tide’. These are all common sayings that broadly explain the concept of Wu Wei – what it is and the natural tendencies we sometimes have that work against it.

Alan Watts uses the example of a sailing boat. He explains that rowing is a rather thoughtless way of pushing a boat across the water. Using the power of the wind to skilfully move and manoeuvre the boat is so much easier (and more powerful) than the immense strain and hardship it takes to move against the current.

Rather than going against nature, sailing requires that you ‘flow through nature effortlessly’.
This, again, is what Wu Wei means — recognising the forces of nature and acting accordingly.

Wu Wei describes authenticity, it is a reminder to align with the present and accept the flow and course of nature.

Wu-Wei and Sawing Wood

A few weeks ago I was showing my daughters boyfriend how to saw some wood. He is a strong, fit and healthy young man with plenty of strength. But his strength is irrelevant. I encouraged him to pay attention, to follow the line we had made across the wood, to keep the saw blade vertical and straight and to allow the saw to glide across the wood and do it’s job.

It may seem like a simple task and many people will be in a great hurry to power through the wood not realising that the more force they use with the cut & thrust of the saw blade, the less likely they are to cut straight and the harder it will get as they cut deeper into the wood. They will also splinter the back of the wood which wouldn’t happen if they used a more graceful motion with the saw.

Even knowing this it takes practice and through practice, focus and attention to the task at hand, in that moment we learn how to perform the task more effectively, with less effort and hopefully we enjoy the process. Thus we become more skilled at the task at hand rather than more frustrated.

A skilled carpenter will let the saw do the work, patiently allowing the blade to glide across the wood without causing any splinters or tiring themselves out.

Even hammering a nail can be done well or done badly. Similar to sawing wood, it needs to be a controlled, straight action, letting the tool do its work rather than trying to force it. Every endeavour is like this when we really look at it.

Wu-Wei & The Golf Swing

Again, if you read here regularly you probably know that I am a big fan of golf.

Professional golfers know that the power in the golf swing comes from the ground and from allowing the club to swing freely driven by their lower body rather than actually swinging the golf club with their arms.

This is counter-intuitive for a lot of people. It looks very much like you are swinging the club with your arms. Truth be told, in the worlds most powerful golf swings, the club is held in the arms, it is attached to the arms but that’s about it. The arms and wrists need to be passive if the golfer is to achieve the maximum club head speed and therefore the maximum power.

Those that try and ‘hit’ at the ball will find that the harder they try, the less effective this is. They can hit at the ball as hard as they want, they will never come anywhere close to the efficiency and power of the top golfers.

The golf swing done properly is actually very graceful but also very, very powerful. Just like water. Or Wu Wei.

Some Great Quotes That Relate To This Concept

I already paraphrased one from Einstein but I’ll chuck it in again here. These quotes say so much and have so much wisdom in them and relate beautifully to Mindfulness, Simplicity, Taoism, Zen and the concept of Wu-Wei:

Not all who wander are lost. ~ JRR Tolkein

Worry gives a small thing  big shadow. ~ Swedish Proverb

Nothing is wiser than nature. ~ Socrates

Make it as simple as it can be and as complex as it needs to be. ~ Albert Einstein

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. ~ Soren Kierkegaard

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. ~ David Brinkley

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ~ Sun Tzu

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. ~ Marcus Aurelius

Your problem isn’t the problem. Your reaction is the problem. ~ Anonymous

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. ~ Anonymous

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise. ~ Oscar Wilde

Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out. ~ John Wooden

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. ~ Dale Carnegie

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. ~ Lolly Daskal

The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same. ~ Colin R. Davis

Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. ~ John R. Wooden

Real difficulties can be overcome; it is only the imaginary ones that are unconquerable. ~ Theodore N. Vail

Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting. ~ Anonymous

Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning. ~ Robert Kiyosaki

I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing. ~ Martha Stewart

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~ Bruce Lee

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. ~ Mark Caine

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~ Confucius

You need to be curious and never stop studying. You have to challenge yourself to think every day to understand and react to what is happening. ~ Miuccia Prada (co-CEO, Prada)

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. ~ Seneca

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Never spend your money before you have it. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. ~ Buddha

If you’re present and awake, you become this great thinker, this great worker. You become a fine-tuned machine. ~ Russell Simmons (hip-hop pioneer; serial entrepreneur; yoga guru)

Wherever you go, there you are. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life. ~ Thích Nhat Hanh

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. ~ Pema Chödrön

Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it. ~ Sharon Salzberg

The feeling that any task is a nuisance will soon disappear if it is done in mindfulness. ~ Thích Nhat Hanh

Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. ~ Pema Chödrön

Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present. ~ Roger Babson

The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. ~ Thích Nhat Hanh

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well. ~ Jack Kornfield

Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive. ~ Thích Nhat Hanh

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. ~ Pema Chödrön

That’s life: starting over, one breath at a time. ~ Sharon Salzberg

Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality. ~ Thích Nhat Hanh

You cannot control the results, only your actions. ~ Allan Lokos

The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Altogether, the idea of meditation is not to create states of ecstasy or absorption, but to experience being. ~ Chögyam Trungpa

What would it be like if I could accept life – accept this moment – exactly as it is? ~ Tara Brach

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows. ~ Jack Kornfield

How you look at it is pretty much how you’ll see it. ~ Rasheed Ogunlaru

Your actions are your only true belongings. ~ Allan Lokos

The Way is not in the sky, the Way is in the heart. ~ Buddha

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it. ~ Jack Kornfield

If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking. ~ Buddha

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Treat everyone you meet as if they were you. ~ Doug Dillon

A mind set in its ways is wasted. ~ Eric Schmidt

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are moments when we touch one another. ~ Jack Kornfield

You only lose what you cling to. ~ Buddha

The stiller you are the calmer life is. ~ Rasheed Ogunlaru

The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle. ~ Tara Brach

Training your mind to be in the present moment is the #1 key to making healthier choices. ~ Susan Albers

Nothing is forever except change. ~ Buddha

When you bow, you should just bow; when you sit, you should just sit; when you eat, you should just eat. ~ Shunryu Suzuki

Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be. ~ Sonia Ricotti

Attachment leads to suffering. ~ Buddha

Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more. ~ Mother Theresa

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it. ~ Sylvia Boorstein

The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is. ~ Eckhart Tolle

Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind. ~ Amit Ray

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. ~ Buddha

Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t). ~ James Baraz

Being mindful means that we suspend judgment for a time, set aside our immediate goals for the future, and take in the present moment as it is rather than as we would like it to be. ~ Mark Williams

The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little. ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it. ~ Buddha

The greatest communication is usually how we are rather than what we say. ~ Joseph Goldstein

Mindful and creative, a child who has neither a past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks and plays in freedom. ~ Arnaud Desjardins

Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside. ~ Ramana Maharshi

There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life. ~ Tara Brach

If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath. ~ Amit Ray

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again. ~ Buddha

This is the real secret of life — to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play. ~ Alan Watts

Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think. ~ Buddha

I know, I know. That’s a lot of quotes, but there is also a lot of wisom contained in every one of them and also every single one of them relates in one way or another to the concept of Wu-Wei.

Final Thought: How to Use Wu-Wei

Well, it’s fairly simple really.

Bring yourself back to the present and embrace it, don’t spend too much time in your head worrying about the past or the future. If things are not the way you hoped, look at how they actually are and accept that. Then, once you accept the present reality as it is, you will be in a far better position to act accordingly and benefit from the present rather than fighting it, denying it and feeling threatened by it.

Wu Wei can be applied to all aspects of our everyday life. Let us take writing for example.

If you feel uninspired and tired, do not force yourself to write. Instead, recognise the direction of the current and take care of yourself, maybe go for a walk. Then, when you feel inspired and motivated, take advantage and write.

Obviously it is going to be easier to write if you feel like it than if you don’t.

Sometimes though, you just have to write, maybe you have a deadline. So, of course it is possible to push through a lack of inspiration and tiredness. It is also possible to move from an uninspired position to an inspired position, maybe just by getting started.

All of these factors are for you to judge and balance and in the end, life is about balance. The thing to bear in mind is the concept. You have to accept that if you work against nature (in this example, writing when you don’t feel like it and failing to seize the opportunity to write when you do feel like it) it will be more effort and you may be putting more strain on yourself and eventually maybe even burn out because you can only paddle against the current for so long.

You have to know when effort is useful and when it is wasted.

The more we fight against nature, the more difficult life becomes.

So, embrace the concept of Wu-Wei whenever you can.

When things aren’t quite how you expected, is it really that bad? How can you ‘go with the flow’ and embrace reality instead of fighting it? Can you turn things to your advantage? If not, at least face reality as it is so that you ultimately put less strain on yourself and those around you.

That’s Wu-Wei.