Which is healthier, yoga or Tai Chi

In fact, there is no standard answer to "who is healthier". Both are physical and mental synchronization exercises that have been verified for hundreds of thousands of years. If you practice them correctly, they will nourish your body, and if you practice them wrongly, they will harm your body. The core thing is whether it is suitable for you.

I went to a regular rehabilitation room to do some stretching a while ago, and met an Aunt Zhang who was in her sixties. In order to compete with her younger sisters to see whose one-size-fits-all standard she had to compete with, she worked hard for three months, and the meniscus of her right knee had accumulated fluid, making her unable to squat. Later, she listened to the doctor’s suggestion and started practicing Chen Style Tai Chi. The Internet girl who was waiting for physical therapy next to her also talked to her, saying that her parents had taken her to the park to do Tai Chi for a week. She felt itchy all over while standing, and always felt that the pace was so slow that she almost fell asleep. Later, she signed up for a midday flow yoga class. Every time she followed the teacher's breathing to stretch her shoulders and neck, she broke out a thin layer of sweat. Her head didn't hurt much when she went to work in the afternoon. She said that yoga is her "life-sustaining tool".

I have also discussed this issue with friends in the sports rehabilitation circle before, and the preferences of different practitioners are indeed quite different. Most doctors who work on geriatric rehabilitation recommend Tai Chi. After all, a large sample of clinical data shows that long-term and standardized Tai Chi practice can improve the strength and proprioception of the lower limbs, reduce the risk of falls for the elderly by about 30%, and has a clear effect on improving the symptoms of chronic diseases such as hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The force exerted follows the physiological curve of the human body, without the need to forcefully break through the range of joint mobility, and puts less pressure on the joints. Many doctors who work on the rehabilitation of teenagers and white-collar workers prefer to recommend yoga. After all, there are many yoga schools to choose from. If you want to improve your strength, you can practice power yoga. If you want to relax, you can practice yin yoga and restorative yoga. There are also specialized physical therapy sequences that can specifically adjust modern bad postures such as rounded shoulders, hunched back, and anterior pelvic tilt. Many foreign rehabilitation programs will use improved yoga movements as core training content.

I used to think that these two exercises were completely incompatible. It wasn’t until I chatted with a teacher who has practiced Tai Chi for ten years and taught yoga for seven years that I realized that the core of the two is actually very similar. They both pay attention to the coordination of breathing and movement, and pay attention to being aware of your own body, rather than pursuing external movement standards. Many people think that yoga can hurt the waist and knees, and that Tai Chi is absolutely safe. In fact, this is not the case at all - if you force your movements during yoga and do not consider your physical limits, it is common to strain ligaments and wear out joints.

If you really want to compare who is healthier than this, it is better to feel your own bottom first: whether the joints are good, what rhythm can be accepted, and what are the demands of the exercise. Choosing the right exercise, practicing the right exercise, and being able to stick to it for a long time is the best exercise for you.