What is the difference between yoga and Tai Chi

The most essential source of difference between the two is the completely different cultural core and movement logic - yoga originated from the spiritual practice of Brahmanism in ancient India, and ultimately points to the spiritual transcendence of "the unity of Brahman and self". Tai Chi was born out of the Chinese Taoist Daoyin technique and traditional martial arts system, and its core is to follow the law of "unity of nature and man" to balance health and defense.

I signed up for the Chen's Tai Chi class downstairs and the yoga annual pass in the business district at the same time in the past two years. The difference in my experience in the first class was particularly obvious: when the yoga teacher helped me adjust the downward dog pose, he pressed my shoulders and said, "A little deeper, feel the back of my legs." Stretch and hold for another 5 seconds." Even if my hamstrings hurt, I have to grit my teeth and hold on. The Tai Chi master came up and pinched my tense shoulders first, and said, "Relax, don't compete with yourself, and stop if it hurts. We practice boxing to be friends with the body, not to fight with it."

Many people think that yoga is just stretching and Tai Chi is just slow boxing. In fact, they are just mainstream commercialized improved versions on the market. In the past two years, scholars in the field of sports rehabilitation have also debated the intervention effects of the two on chronic pain. Some people think that they are both low-intensity aerobics and have no significant difference in improving the waist, back, neck and shoulders. People who have actually practiced it know that it is completely different: the core activation of yoga is active tightening. The core relies on muscle strength to maintain the stability of the posture. The core of Tai Chi is the "waist as the axis", which is loose but not slumped internal strength. I rested for half a month after an acute attack of lumbar protrusion last year. When I tried to do the cat-cow pose of yoga, I had to deliberately tighten my core and back. If I accidentally pulled it, I would cause back pain. When practicing Tai Chi Cloud Hands, you don't have to consciously exert force. The waist naturally rotates with the hips. After practicing for 20 minutes, most of the soreness in the waist has disappeared.

If these two sports are compared to writing, yoga is more like writing Western-style cursive calligraphy. Each posture has a clear movement standard. According to this standard, you must stretch to your limit as much as possible. What is important is "shape to"; Tai Chi is more like writing Chinese running script. There is no rigid movement scale. The punches can follow your own breathing and strength. What is important is "awareness".

Of course, this does not mean that there is any distinction between the two. I have a girl who is naturally flexible. After practicing yoga for a year, she can do advanced postures such as handstand and wheel pose, and her whole body posture and mental state have improved a lot. There are also elders with old knee injuries who have been practicing traditional Tai Chi for half a year, and their original pain when going up and down stairs has been relieved by most of it. If you really just want to do daily activities, which one you choose depends on your preference. If you want to practice more deeply, you have to follow the cultural roots of each. Otherwise, your practice will be empty and you will easily hurt yourself.