Which one is better, yoga or Tai Chi

I have been practicing yoga for 7 years and Tai Chi for 4 years. Fellow practitioners around me often discuss this issue. To be honest, there is no absolute "better". It all depends on your current physical condition, practice needs and even the compatibility with your life rhythm.

Last time, my best friend was 28 years old. She worked on the Internet for a long time and had a protruding waist and fake hip width. She stayed up until early in the morning every day and was still anxious and insomnia. She started doing Tai Chi with me. She said it was so slow that her whole body felt itchy. Even standing for 10 minutes felt like seconds. Years later, she started practicing flow yoga. She would break into a thin sweat every time she moved to the music for an hour. After the class, her shoulders and neck felt as if a ten-pound burden had been lifted off her shoulders. She even fell asleep much faster. She still says that yoga is much better than Tai Chi when she meets people.

But the 62-year-old Uncle Zhang downstairs doesn’t think so. He has high blood pressure and old knee injuries from his youth. He was dragged by his son to experience high-temperature yoga and almost fainted in the gym. Later, he practiced with the community Tai Chi team for half a year, and his blood pressure stabilized a lot. He used to have to rest twice when going upstairs. Now he can carry ten pounds of vegetables up to the fifth floor without gasping, and his knee pain has been reduced by most. He always says that Tai Chi is a good exercise that really nourishes people.

In fact, the core logics of the two movements are originally two paths, and there is no need to compete with each other. Yoga originated in ancient India. Whether it is Hatha, flow yoga, or the more intense Ashtanga, which is commonly practiced by the public, it essentially strengthens muscle strength and improves joint mobility through physical stretching and breathing coordination. Nowadays, many urban centers also include meditation and singing bowl sessions. , it is really effective for young people who have been sitting for a long time to improve their posture and quickly relieve stress. If you only have 1 hour of free time every day, and want to quickly relax your shoulders and back that have been stiff for a day, and reduce the fat on your belly, find a reliable yoga teacher to practice with it. The adaptability is indeed very high.

Tai Chi is a traditional sport born and raised in our country. It emphasizes "guiding the air with the mind and controlling the shape with the air." The movements may seem slow, but in fact, you have to calm down the core and use secret energy every time. Unlike yoga, many postures pursue a sense of stretching boundaries. Tai Chi pays more attention to "relaxation" and "slowness". All movements follow the limits of one's body, which is very There are few difficult movements such as handstands and deep backbends that are not friendly to novices, and the requirements for the venue are also low. You can practice it downstairs in the community with a pair of soft-soled shoes. There is no need to lay out yoga mats or find a quiet space. If you have old joint injuries, are older, or like slow and effortless exercise, Tai Chi will be much more suitable.

I now alternate between the two practices. I take 40 minutes on weekdays to practice a few sessions of Hatha shoulder opening at home. On weekend mornings, I go to the park with my master to practice Chen-style Tai Chi for an hour. Yoga helps me relax my shoulders and back that have been stiff for a week, and Tai Chi helps me calm down. Adjust your mind and breathe. To put it bluntly, they are like fruit tea and old white tea. If you want to drink something with a sweet taste to relieve fatigue quickly, fruit tea is just right for your mouth. If you want to drink it warmly and comfortably, and can taste it slowly, old white tea is more suitable. There is no difference. By the way, don’t just listen to other people’s opinions about which one is better. I have seen many people injuring their knees by practicing blindly. No matter which one you choose, you should first find a reliable teacher to get started and practice the movements to a standard, which is really good for your body.