The similarities between yoga and Tai Chi

If we want to find the core common answer for yoga and Tai Chi, the conclusion is very clear: both are essentially physical and mental training systems with "body movements as the carrier, breathing as the link, and inner awareness as the core." They are far more than ordinary fitness exercises. The similarities in the underlying logic are much higher than the apparent cultural differences.

I have been practicing Ashtanga Yoga for five years. Last year, I started learning Chen-style Tai Chi from Master Chen in a park near my home. At first, I went with the mentality of "flexing my waist". Unexpectedly, I was shocked in the first class - "Follow your breath with your movements, don't let your breath follow your movements." What the master said was almost exactly the same as what my yoga teacher said. When I practiced yoga in Vinyasa before, Ujjayi’s breathing was the rope that connected the movements. I exhaled in the cat pose and arched my back, and inhaled in the cow pose and collapsed my waist. When jumping four pillars, I had to exhale and exert my strength. I never held my breath and carried it hard. When it comes to Tai Chi, inhale and raise your arms while raising your posture, exhale and lower your shoulders while holding your posture. When you move your hands in the clouds, your breath will follow your steps. It doesn’t matter if you go too fast or too slow. Even the reminder that “it’s easy to use clumsy strength if you hold your breath in” is exactly the same.

Of course, there are cognitive differences between different schools: adherents of classical yoga will say that breathing is the channel that connects individual consciousness and cosmic consciousness, and is the core of the eight limbs of yoga; veteran boxers of traditional Tai Chi may think that breathing is a method to draw Qi into the Dantian and facilitate the development of force, and there is no need to be so mysterious. But when it comes to the practical level, there is no difference between the requirements of the two sides: breathing must be even, deep, and in perfect harmony with the movements. You must not be gasping for breath, nor must you hold back your strength to perform the movements.

Many people have very different stereotypes about the two sports: Yoga is about young people stretching out on a mat, and Tai Chi is about old people taking a leisurely stroll in the park. Only after I started practicing did I realize that both of them were most taboo about "competing with themselves." I once took a colleague to experience yoga. In order to touch her toes, she forced her upper body to press down. The next day, she had lower back pain for three days. When I first learned Tai Chi, she forced herself to fall down in order to squat into a low horse stance, and her knees hurt for a whole week. It was a replica of the experience. In yoga, it is said that "alignment takes precedence over depth". It does not mean that the lower you go in the splits, the harder it is. The core is the alignment of the skeleton and the non-compensation of the muscles. In Tai Chi, it is said that "loose but not unremitting, tight but not stiff". It does not mean that the lower you squat in the horse stance, the better. You should loosen your hips, stabilize your waist, and use no clumsy strength. Last week, I met an aunt who has been practicing Tai Chi for ten years at a yoga studio. She came to Yin Yoga for the first time. When she held the pigeon pose, everyone else grimaced in pain. She was as stable as nails on the mat. After class, she said to me: "Don't tell me, this is exactly the same as when I stand in a standing position and wait for Qi. There is no need to press hard. When the breath reaches the sore and swollen place, the strength will naturally relax."

I have also met many people who are more serious, saying that yoga originated from the ancient Indian practice system, and Tai Chi is the product of the combination of Chinese Taoist culture and traditional martial arts. They are fundamentally different. How can they be connected? This is indeed true. Going back to the roots, yoga was first used by ancient Indian ascetics to cultivate their mind and pursue liberation. Tai Chi was first used as a practical boxing method to resist violence. One starting point is spirituality, and the other is offense and defense. There is a huge difference. But what’s interesting is that, with the development of today’s practice system for ordinary enthusiasts, the final directions of the two have actually come together: they both teach you to “look inward.”

No one in the yoga studio will give you a grade because you can't do wheel poses, and no one in the Tai Chi team at the park will think your slow movements are holding everyone back. Essentially, they will help you draw your attention back to yourself. When you practice Warrior Three, you are thinking about the work report to be handed in that night, and you will definitely not be able to stand for three seconds without shaking; when you are holding the bird's tail, you are thinking about picking up the children from school, and your movements are absolutely smooth. As soon as the attention leaves the body and breathing, the movements will immediately change. To put it bluntly, this is exactly the same "mindfulness training".

I used to work overtime for half a month. I had insomnia and kept my eyes open until three in the morning. I tried drinking hot milk, taking melatonin, and running five kilometers before going to bed, but it didn't work. At first, I relied on 15 minutes of yoga nidra. When my mind wandered, I would focus on my breathing, and I could slowly fall asleep. Later I learned Zhanzhuang, and now even if I stand for only five minutes, I can clear most of the messy thoughts in my mind. For me, there is really no difference in the effect between laying out a mat and practicing Cat-Cow Pose, or doing Cloud Hands twice downstairs, except for the different movements.

In fact, there is really no need to distinguish between them, and there is no need to worry about which one is more "authentic". These days, everyone is competing with the outside world every day. They need KPIs to go to work, scores to go to school, and even to keep fit, they need to compare who has run more kilometers and lifted more weight. On the contrary, these two slow exercises teach you not to compare with others, but to only talk to your own body. If you can take ten minutes out of the messy life and spend some time with yourself quietly, it is already worth the price of admission.