The Difference Between Yoga and Tai Chi

Yoga is a multi-body, mind and body system that originated in ancient India and spans physical exercise to spiritual practice. Tai Chi is a physical and mental movement method that originated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties of China and is rooted in the traditional Taoist philosophy and martial arts framework. The two are fundamentally different from the root logic, movement patterns to the core goals they ultimately lead to.

To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference at first. After all, they were both "slow health exercises" in the eyes of outsiders. It wasn't until I practiced Ashtanga for 6 years and Chen-style Tai Chi for 3 years at the same time that I felt some real differences. I just finished an hour of flow yoga at the gym last Saturday. I was soaked in two layers of sweat in my quick-drying clothes. The soreness and swelling in my shoulders and back still lingered. I turned around and went to the park to play with the master three times. There was only a thin layer of sweat on my back, and the sweat on my forehead didn't even fall down. The energy of the two exercises was completely different.

What’s interesting is that many people have stereotypes about the two. In fact, the differences within each genre are much greater than you think. Let’s talk about yoga. Hatha, Flow, and Ashtanga, which are common in commercial studios nowadays, do focus on physical exercise, focusing on opening the shoulders and back, shaping and reducing stress. However, traditional devotional yoga and jnana yoga do not have many physical exercises at all. The core is chanting and meditation, and pursues the spiritual state of "the unity of Brahma and me." If you follow people who practice this kind of traditional yoga and say "yoga is stretching," others may think you are an amateur. The same goes for Tai Chi. In competitive Tai Chi at the National Games, you need to practice flying in the air and positioning your lotus feet. The movements should be so stretched and beautiful that you can get high scores. ； Traditional Chen-style Tai Chi also has powerful movements, whirring and blowing, which is completely different from the slow-speed health-preserving Tai Chi practiced by the uncles and aunts in the park, not to mention that there are schools that specialize in martial arts and push hands. It is really not just about paddling in the water.

What impressed me the most is that the two requirements for "effort" are completely opposite. In the past, when I practiced the three standing warrior postures in yoga, the instructor would come over and hold my hips, asking me to tighten my core and raise my legs a little more. What I wanted was the soreness and swelling in the muscles. The master never let me compete when doing Tai Chi. The last time I did the cloud hand exercise, I subconsciously clenched my fists, but he directly slapped me on the back of my hand: "Relax, the force starts from the feet and goes to the waist. Who are you clenching your fists to compete with?" ”The key to the whole process is to be relaxed and let the force flow along the body. You don’t need to deliberately carry or tense up. The core is to seek stillness while moving.

The logic of breathing is not even close. Practicing yoga is mostly based on breath-guided movements. Inhaling to raise hands and exhaling to bend forward are standard. Ashtanga's vinyasa is a Ujjayi breath every movement. You even need to deliberately hold your breath to keep the posture stable, which is equivalent to breathing being the baton of movements. When practicing Tai Chi, no one requires you to inhale or exhale for a few seconds. The movements are all carried out with the breath. Inhale naturally when you get up, and exhale naturally when you press your palms. If you feel out of breath during practice, slow down and adjust the movements after your breathing has caught up. You will not hold your breath to hold the posture at all.

There is a lot of quarrel on the Internet now. Some people say that yoga is all about cheating little girls on their IQ tax. If you practice too much, your knees will be hurt.； Some people say that Tai Chi is practiced by old men and old ladies and is useless. In fact, there is really no need to distinguish between high and low. I know a girl who has been practicing yoga for 10 years. She can do slow handstands and has stronger core strength than many boys who have been working out all year round. ； My master is 72 years old. Last time, a young man in his early twenties came over to "discuss". The master gently led him to sit on the ground. Is there any saying that one is superior to the other?

Last month, I took the yoga instructor at the studio to do Tai Chi. After she finished the exercise, she rubbed her shoulders and said that it turned out that she didn’t have to deliberately stretch her shoulders. She just turned her hands a dozen times and the shoulders actually opened up on their own. Last week, my master followed me to experience yin yoga. I held the butterfly pose for 5 minutes. I got up and rubbed my crotch and said that sitting still can make my crotch feel warm. After all, the two things originally grew up in different cultural soils. If you want to quickly open your shoulders and train your core, choose the appropriate yoga style to get quick results. ； If you have bad knees and want to slowly adjust your condition, Slow Tai Chi is also very comfortable. There is no standard answer. The one that suits you is the best.