The Taoist sage sits and forgets. Not striving, not seeking, not even trying to meditate—just returning to what is natural. This approach to meditation is uniquely Taoist: no effort, no goal, no doing at all. And yet something profound happens.
Taoism (or Daoism) is China's indigenous spiritual tradition, emphasizing alignment with the Tao—the way of nature, the flow of reality. Its meditation practices cultivate this alignment through stillness, breath, and the paradox of effortless effort.
The Taoist View
The Tao
What it is: The Tao cannot be defined—"The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao" (Tao Te Ching). Yet everything flows from it and returns to it. It's the source, the way, the natural order.
Implications for practice: Since the Tao is already the case, meditation isn't about achieving something. It's about removing what obscures your natural alignment—returning to what you already are.
Wu Wei
Non-action: Wu wei is often translated as "non-action" or "effortless action." It doesn't mean passivity but acting without forcing—like water flowing around obstacles.
In meditation: Wu wei means not trying to meditate. Not pushing thoughts away, not cultivating states, not achieving anything. Just sitting. Just being. Letting whatever happens happen.
The paradox: By not doing, everything gets done. By not seeking, you find. This paradox is the heart of Taoist practice.
Naturalness (Ziran)
What it means: Ziran translates as "self-so" or "naturalness." Things are what they are, doing what they do, without contrivance.
The implication: Your natural state is already aligned. The problem is artificial contrivance—forcing, controlling, improving. Practice means dropping these.
Return (Fu)
The movement: Taoism emphasizes return—returning to the source, to simplicity, to origin. Life moves out into complexity; wisdom moves back to simplicity.
In meditation: Each session is a return. Return from distraction to presence. From complexity to simplicity. From doing to being.
Core Practices
Zuowang: Sitting and Forgetting
The classic practice: Zuowang means "sitting and forgetting." You sit and forget the body, forget thoughts, forget that you're meditating. Eventually, you forget forgetting.
From Zhuangzi: "Smash up my limbs and body, drive out perception and intellect, cast off form, do away with understanding, and make myself identical with the Great Thoroughfare."
How to practice: Sit comfortably. Don't focus on anything. Let attention be diffuse, open, unfocused. When you notice yourself doing something—concentrating, thinking, trying—stop. Return to doing nothing. Sit until the sense of separate self fades.
What happens: Not much, experientially. That's the point. The one who would experience something dissolves. What remains is natural being.
Inner Observation (Neiguan)
The practice: Turning attention inward to observe the body, breath, and energy without manipulating them.
The method: Sit quietly. Close eyes. Simply observe what's happening inside—sensations, breathing, subtle feelings. Don't change anything. Just watch.
Difference from concentration: In concentration practices, you fix attention on an object. In neiguan, you observe whatever is happening without fixing or forcing. The observation itself is loose, relaxed.
Breath Practice
Natural breathing: The first practice is simply breathing naturally. Not controlling the breath but observing it. Letting it find its own rhythm.
Abdominal breathing: Breathing into the lower abdomen (lower dantian area below the navel). This grounds energy downward, calming the mind.
Embryonic breathing: Advanced practice where breathing becomes so subtle it seems to cease. The body breathes itself. The practitioner does nothing.
Breath and energy: In Taoist view, breath and energy (qi) are connected. Working with breath affects energy circulation.
Stillness Practices
Physical stillness: Holding the body completely still. Not rigid but relaxed stillness. This calms the nervous system and quiets the mind.
Mental stillness: Letting thoughts settle without engaging them. Not forced emptiness but natural quieting, like water becoming still.
Dual cultivation: Physical stillness supports mental stillness; mental stillness deepens physical stillness. They reinforce each other.
Energy Practices
Dantian Focus
The centers: Taoism identifies three dantian (energy centers): - Lower dantian: Below navel. Physical vitality. - Middle dantian: Chest/heart. Emotional energy. - Upper dantian: Head. Spiritual awareness.
Basic practice: Bring attention to the lower dantian. Simply rest awareness there. Feel warmth or fullness develop naturally. Don't force sensations.
The purpose: Gathering and storing energy in the lower dantian builds vitality and grounds the spirit.
Microcosmic Orbit
The circulation: Energy circulates up the spine (governor vessel) and down the front of the body (conception vessel), forming a complete circuit.
The practice: Using attention, guide energy up the spine on inhale, down the front on exhale. Or simply intend the circulation and let it happen naturally.
Cautions: This is intermediate practice. Some practitioners experience problems if done incorrectly. Traditional guidance is recommended.
Inner Alchemy (Neidan)
The tradition: Inner alchemy uses meditation to refine essence (jing) into energy (qi), energy into spirit (shen), and spirit into emptiness (xu).
The metaphor: The body is a laboratory. Through meditation, coarse material is refined into subtle. The practitioner cultivates an "immortal embryo."
The practices: Specific visualizations, breath patterns, and energy circulations. Traditionally transmitted from teacher to student.
Modern access: Some teachers share these practices publicly; others maintain traditional secrecy. Quality and authenticity vary.
Movement Practices
Qigong
What it is: "Energy cultivation" through gentle movement, breath, and intention. Thousands of forms exist.
Basic practice: Slow, flowing movements coordinated with breath. Standing postures held for extended periods. Simple enough to learn from books or videos; depth requires teaching.
As meditation: Qigong is meditation in motion. The same principles apply—naturalness, non-forcing, attention without fixation.
Tai Chi (Taijiquan)
Origin: A martial art developed using Taoist principles. Practiced slowly, it becomes moving meditation.
The practice: Slow, continuous forms. Weight shifts, turning, opening and closing. The mind follows the movements with total presence.
The principles: Relaxation, rootedness, flow, sensitivity. The body learns to move from center, without tension.
Standing Meditation (Zhan Zhuang)
The practice: Standing in specific postures for extended periods—from minutes to hours.
Basic posture: Stand with feet shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, arms rounded as if hugging a tree. Relax completely while maintaining the structure.
What happens: Initially, tension and discomfort as the body learns to align. Eventually, deep relaxation and strong energy development.
The Taoist Approach
Non-Seeking
The principle: Seeking creates distance. The more you chase enlightenment, the further it recedes. Stop chasing.
In practice: Don't try to have experiences. Don't try to achieve states. Don't try to improve. Just sit. Just be. Let go of even the intention to let go.
Emptiness
What it means: Not vacancy but openness. Not nothing but no fixed thing. Space for anything to arise.
Cultivating emptiness: You don't make emptiness—you remove what fills inappropriately. Drop concepts, desires, fears. What remains is natural emptiness.
Following Nature
The guidance: When uncertain, ask: What would happen naturally here? What would water do? How would a tree grow?
In practice: Don't impose methods on yourself. Find what's natural for your body, your energy, your situation. Let practice evolve organically.
Simplicity
The value: Taoism values simplicity—in living and in practice. Complexity obscures; simplicity reveals.
In practice: Simple methods, practiced consistently. Not accumulating techniques but refining to essence. Eventually, no technique at all—just natural being.
Practice Integration
Daily Sitting
Simple approach: Sit each day. Set no goals. Do nothing. When you find yourself doing something, stop. Return to doing nothing.
Duration: What feels natural. Traditional practitioners might sit for hours; modern practitioners might start with 20 minutes. Trust your sense.
Regularity: Better to sit briefly every day than to sit long occasionally. Regularity builds depth.
Throughout the Day
Taoist living: Carry the principles into activity. Act without forcing. Respond rather than react. Let things take their course.
Micro-practices: Brief moments of stillness throughout the day. Return to natural breathing. Remember non-doing.
With Other Practices
Qigong or tai chi: Moving practices complement sitting practice. Energy developed in movement feeds stillness; stillness developed in sitting infuses movement.
Health practices: Taoism integrates meditation with diet, herbs, and lifestyle. The body is cared for as a vehicle for cultivation.
Finding Teachers
The Tradition
Transmission: Traditional Taoist practice often requires initiation into a lineage. Inner alchemy especially is transmitted directly.
Modern access: Many practices are now taught openly. Some teachers are authorized by lineages; others are independent. Quality varies.
What to Look For
Authenticity: Does the teacher have genuine training? Can they trace their lineage?
Results: Do students develop? Does the teacher embody what they teach?
Fit: Does this teacher and approach resonate with your nature? Taoism values following what's natural for you.
Self-Practice
What's possible: Basic stillness, breath awareness, and qigong can be practiced independently. These form a genuine foundation.
The limits: Advanced energy practices traditionally require guidance. Problems can arise from incorrect practice.
The permission: Start where you are. Practice what resonates. Seek guidance when needed. Trust your nature.
The Essence
Taoist meditation is about ceasing to interfere with what's natural. You're already connected to the Tao—you couldn't be otherwise. The practice is stopping the struggle, the seeking, the self-improvement project.
Sit down. Be still. Do nothing. Let go of even trying to let go. What remains is your original nature—what was always here before you started looking.
That's the Taoist path: not going anywhere but recognizing where you've always been.
Return is a meditation timer for practitioners following any path, including the natural way of Taoism. Set your session, sit in stillness, and let the minimal interface support your non-doing. Download Return on the App Store.