What are the similarities between yoga and Tai Chi?

For those who have been practicing and teaching yoga and Tai Chi for more than ten years, the most essential thing they have in common is that they are not competitive sports that pursue short-term bursts. Instead, they are an overall practice system that uses breathing as the core link to connect body control and mental concentration, and ultimately leads to physical and mental balance.

This sounds a bit mysterious, but people who have actually taken two courses will most likely feel it. I just finished teaching Yun Shou in the Tai Chi class last week, and when I went to the yoga classroom next door to practice the Warrior Three Posture, the precautions I mentioned were almost exactly the same: keep your core tight and don’t slump your waist. Walk upwards from the soles of your feet, follow the movements with your breath and don't hold your breath, find a fixed point with your eyes to stabilize your balance, and finally add, "Don't force yourself to break the movements." The veteran student below who has signed up for two courses at the same time laughed out loud, saying that he had discovered that the reminder words for the two courses could be used in common.

Of course, there are many professionals who do not agree with the statement that "the two are connected". After all, from the perspective of origin, yoga originated from the religious practice system of ancient India, and Tai Chi was born out of traditional Chinese martial arts and Taoist culture. The cultural core and development path are completely two lines. It is definitely not rigorous to force the same origin. But when it comes to the actual physical sensations and training logic of ordinary practitioners, there are actually many common details hidden.

Let’s talk about the most basic standing posture. In Tai Chi, it is said to “stand upright.” When standing, the Baihui point is required to be raised, the tail gate is lowered, and the shoulders are lowered and the elbows are lowered. The whole figure is like a puppet held by a string from the top of the head, loose but not slumped.； The logic of adjusting the Mountain Pose posture in yoga is exactly the same. It also requires that the head and heart should be in the sky, the heels should be firmly planted on the ground, the shoulders should be lowered away from the ears, the spine should maintain a natural physiological curvature, and the stomach should not be protruded or the waist should be slumped. Even the introductory words "Feel your feet digging into the ground like tree roots", I sometimes can't tell whether it is used first in Tai Chi class or yoga class.

Both of them also oppose the use of "clumsy strength". In Tai Chi, it is said that "it is better to strengthen an inch of muscle than to exert an inch of strength." When punching, you should be loose and soft, and you should not force yourself to use force.； Yoga also repeatedly emphasizes that you cannot break joints or pull ligaments with brute force in order to perform difficult movements. It requires following the rhythm of breathing and slowly broadening the boundaries of the body's activities. If you are eager for quick success, you will easily get injured.

The deeper commonality is the requirement of "awareness". Tai Chi emphasizes "using the mind to guide the Qi and using the Qi to control the form." The route of each movement and the direction of the energy must come first. You cannot act mechanically with your mind empty, otherwise it will just be a gesture no matter how many times you do it.； Dynamic exercises in yoga also focus on "meditation in motion", which requires practitioners to focus on the force and stretch of the muscles, and feel the coordination of breathing and movements. In essence, they draw the attention away from the outside to themselves, temporarily shielding themselves from external distractions and entering the current state.

There used to be an aunt in her 60s who started practicing yoga to improve her shoulders and neck. Later, she heard that Tai Chi was good for blood pressure and signed up. After practicing for more than half a year, not only her old shoulder and neck pain was mostly cured, but her blood pressure that had been high and low before was also stabilized. She concluded that whether it was Tai Chi or yoga, as soon as she got started, she forgot all the troubles in her head, relaxed her whole body, and her body naturally felt comfortable. In fact, for ordinary enthusiasts, there is no need to worry about how big the cultural differences between the two are. As long as you keep your mind down and practice according to the requirements, you will be able to gain a state of relaxation no matter which one you choose. If you are both interested, you may be able to find many interesting common details by practicing together.