[Martial Arts] Kung Fu in Sleep

Author: Jeffi Chao Hui Wu

Time: 2025-8-20 Wednesday, 5:10 PM

········································

[Martial Arts] The Kung Fu of Sleep
For decades, I have been accustomed to falling asleep lying flat 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 breathing power can reach the pelvic floor directly, and the diaphragm's rise and fall resonate in a 1:1 manner with the pelvic floor, 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 can flow smoothly, allowing the qi 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 xiphoid process at the lower end of the sternum becomes noticeably prominent. The areas around the Jiuwei, Zhongwan, and Jueque acupoints rise and fall with my breathing. The effect of pressing against the spine that 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, my entire weight 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.
Thus, 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 breathing 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, requiring one to find balance in gravity. It involves 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 long breath. Inhaling and exhaling through my nose, soft and continuous, just like natural breathing at night.
Some masters require the abdomen to press against the spine during inhalation. This is reverse abdominal breathing. I clearly understand the reason. Because when a person breathes naturally while awake, exhalation will naturally contract the abdomen, but it does not press deeply 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 qi be gathered while awake.
Therefore, my practice is actually complementary. During sleep, abdominal breathing allows me to continuously practice "relaxation." I cultivate sinking qi and ensure the smoothness of my meridians. When practicing while awake, reverse abdominal breathing allows me to actively practice "gathering." I consolidate the dantian, stabilize the central axis, and gather internal energy without dispersing it. The combination of relaxation and gathering is the complete method.
Decades of habits are not formed overnight. They are like subtle, transformative practices. Others may never experience the natural feeling of the abdomen deeply pressing against the spine in their lifetime. 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 heat up in three minutes, sweat in five minutes, and start sweating on my forehead in ten minutes. While others shiver in thick clothing, I practice martial arts comfortably in autumn attire.
This made me realize that the so-called qi attacking 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. My qi and blood flowed smoothly, and my sense of touch returned.
I began to cherish this seemingly ordinary habit. While others pursue flashy techniques, I know that true foundations often lie hidden in the simplest things. Just as my master said, to strike someone, one must first stand firm. To practice kung fu, one must first know how to relax. To the utmost relaxation is to lie flat.
Every night when I sleep, I practice relaxation. Every morning when I practice standing, I practice gathering while awake. Between day and night, relaxation and gathering 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 breathing and the natural force of your abdomen pressing against your 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