What is the difference between yoga and Tai Chi

As a sports enthusiast who has practiced Chen's Tai Chi for 7 years and systematically studied Hatha Yoga for 3 years, I think the core difference between the two is the two completely different paths from the origin and background to the logic of exertion.

What’s interesting is that last month I took my teacher who often takes yoga classes with me to my master’s Tai Chi studio to experience it. When she stood on the cloud hand, she couldn’t help opening her chest and pulling her spine upward. The master smiled and pressed her shoulder and said, “Little girl, your strength is floating on top. , we have to sink down, take it into our arms, we are not trying to stretch out our body, but we are trying to wrap up our strength." She tried to close her shoulders and slump her waist, but within five minutes she said that the deep muscles in her back were so sore that they were completely muscle groups that she had never used in daily yoga practice.

In fact, if you trace back to the roots, you will understand why there is such a difference. Yoga originated from the ancient Indian practice system. Essentially, it is to polish the body through postures, cooperate with breathing meditation, and finally break away from the shackles of the world. Therefore, the underlying logic of many postures is to "break through the boundaries." Whether it is joint mobility or muscle endurance, it is to go to the limit within a safe range. If you look at the difficult postures of advanced yoga, many of them are anti-daily movements, and they pursue absolute control of the body. Tai Chi grew out of Chinese Taoist culture. It emphasizes the unity of nature and man. All movements follow the physiological structure of the human body. When punching, you must align with breathing and even the rhythm of heaven and earth. The essence is to "nurture", not to break through. Even in the stage of practicing Fa Jin, it is required that the energy is transmitted from the feet, through the waist and hips to the hands, and never allows a single joint to bear the force alone. It’s particularly intuitive when you compare the slow motions of the two sports together. The yoga movements are like a newly-snapped spring willow, stretching higher and farther, making every inch of the muscles and bones stretch; the Tai Chi movements are like a fish swimming in the water, all the energy is wrapped in the body and flows along the water without even dissipating outside.

Nowadays, many people think that there is no difference between the two exercises. They are both slow-paced and suitable for middle-aged and elderly people to maintain their health. This is actually not wrong. If you just take a basic yoga class in the gym once a week, or follow the uncle and aunt in the park to play simplified 24 poses for 20 minutes, after the exercise, the whole body will be stretched and the stress will be eliminated. The physical feeling is indeed the same. But if I really concentrate on practicing for three to five years, the difference becomes apparent: After a moderately intense yoga class, I always feel that my whole body is "light", my shoulders and back are open, and I want to raise my head and chest when walking; after practicing an old routine and going down Tai Chi, I feel "heavy", my feet feel like they are glued to the ground, my whole center of gravity has dropped, I feel very stable, and even my speech is subconsciously slowed down by half a beat.

I used to have a friend who worked on the Internet and was always anxious and insomniac. I first took her to practice yoga for half a month. She always said that she was relaxed during the practice, and she still couldn't control her mind when she was lying in bed. Then she followed me to do Tai Chi for a month, and she stood for half an hour several times. Of course, these are all my own physical sensations. Everyone’s experience is different. Some people are suitable for the stretching of yoga, while others love the deep strength of Tai Chi. There is no better or worse. If you are comfortable practicing and can persist, it is the most suitable exercise for you.