How many important differences are there between yoga and Tai Chi?

The core difference between the two is rooted in the completely different body philosophies of the East and the West. The difference in actual practice is far more than superficial as "one is mostly static and the other moves slowly and coherently".

I have been practicing Hatha Yoga for four years, and in the past three years, I have learned Chen-style Tai Chi from teachers in the gym. The two practices are interspersed, and the experience is particularly obvious. Last month, I took a friend with whom I often book yoga classes to try out a Tai Chi trial class. After she had stood on the Wuji pole for three minutes, she couldn't help but open her eyes and look at me. She said it was too weird. No matter what postures yoga does, it requires "extension", pulling the spine upward and extending the limbs far away. Why does Tai Chi have to loosen the hips and sink the shoulders, making the whole person "tuck in"?

In fact, this is the difference at the root. Yoga originated from the ancient Indian practice system. Even though it has evolved into completely different popular schools such as flow yoga, Ashtanga, and aerial yoga, the underlying logic still seeks "connection" - the connection between the body and consciousness, as small as feeling every toe when doing downward dog pose. Strengthening is as big as the connection between the self and the universe pursued by advanced practitioners. Most of the exercises at the public level also revolve around body posture adjustment, muscle stretching, and core control. When I had an acute lumbar muscle strain, I relied on cat-cow pose and baby pose for ten minutes a day to relax the deep muscles. I recovered in three or four days. It is very targeted.

Tai Chi is different. It is essentially an internal boxing under the guidance of Taoist ideas. Even the simplified 24 postures practiced by the uncles and aunts in the square, every move has a logic of attack and defense, and is not a random posture. For example, the "lazy tying" that looks slow is actually about protecting the midline of the body, turning the waist and opening the elbows to remove the opponent's push. The last time the teacher joined hands with me to try, I pushed his forearm with all my strength, but he turned his waist slightly and I almost jumped out without using any effort. If you practice Tai Chi as stretching, you are doing it completely wrong. What it does is not to stretch the muscles, but to "relax" the stiffness. The whole person seems to be sinking in water, and all the force sinks to the soles of the feet.

Even the logic of breathing is completely different. When practicing yoga, the teacher always reminds you to actively control your breathing. For abdominal breathing, you should keep the chest completely still, inhale and expand the abdomen and exhale. Ujjayi breathing is also used in more advanced flow yoga. You need to control the cracks in the throat to emit a slight tidal sound, and rely on breathing to guide the range of movements; Tai Chi, on the other hand, is most taboo about deliberateness. Adjust my breathing. When I first started standing, I always wanted to slow down and lengthen my breathing. I didn’t stand for ten minutes before my chest hurt. The teacher slapped me on the back and said, just treat me like you are in the park basking in the sun and blowing in the wind. Breathe and feel comfortable. Don’t always think about controlling it. I later relaxed, and after standing for less than half a month, my breathing naturally settled in the Dantian, and I didn’t need to worry about it at all.

Of course, many people now think that both are physical and mental exercises, and there is no difference in essence. There are even studios that mix Tai Chi movements and yoga postures to offer fusion classes. I took one out of curiosity last year, and to be honest, the experience was a bit fragmented - the plank posture of yoga is more important. The core needs to be tightened and the body should be in a straight line. The looseness of Tai Chi requires bending the knees to release the force and not tensing up. If you try them all together, you will always feel that you have not practiced any of them well. In fact, there is no need to force the same thing. It is something that grows out of different cultural backgrounds. Whatever suits you is good. For example, if you usually sit for a long time and have stiff shoulders and neck, rounded shoulders and hunched back, and want to adjust your posture, find a reliable yoga studio and take a few precise classes, and the results will be very fast; if you are usually prone to anxiety and have a light sleep, standing Tai Chi is more suitable. I had insomnia for a week while working on a project. I stood for 20 minutes when I got home and fell asleep after touching the pillow. It is more effective than any sleep aid product.