Which is better, yoga or tai chi?

In fact, there is no absolute superiority or inferiority at all. It all depends on your own physical condition, practice goals and even daily routine. The one with a high enough adaptability is the best choice for you.

I met a 1996-year-old girl who was doing UI design in a sports studio. She had a protruding waist and round shoulders. She sat for twelve or thirteen hours a day, and her whole body was as stiff as if she was stuck in a paste. She initially thought about doing slow exercises and doing Tai Chi twice with the aunt in the community. As a result, the pace was too slow and she couldn't calm down at all. As she stood, her thoughts drifted to the requirements for version 8 next week, and she didn't feel at all relaxed after practicing twice. Later, I switched to midday flow yoga. The 40-minute class took up half of my lunch break. I followed the teacher's rhythm to open my shoulders, activate my core, and stretch my tense hamstring muscles. After three months, not only did the frequency of back pain drop from three or four times a week to not even once every half a month, but the anxiety I had felt from staying up late all night was much lessened. If your daily rhythm is fast and you need to adjust your posture and improve your flexibility, or you don’t have the patience to adapt to ultra-slow-paced exercise, the adaptability of yoga will indeed be higher, and there are many subdivided schools. Even people with bad joints can find Yin yoga and restorative yoga with gentle movements to practice.

But having said that, if you are intolerant of muscle strain, or have old joint injuries, or are older, then the advantages of Tai Chi will be much more obvious. Uncle Zhang, who lives downstairs from my house, had synovitis in his knees before and it hurt when he ran and jumped up and down stairs. The doctor asked him to do some low-intensity whole-body exercises. He also practiced yoga with his wife at the beginning. Many bending and single-leg support movements were either not done properly or he did it reluctantly and the knee pain subsided for several days. Later, he went to the park and practiced Yang Style Tai Chi with the Tai Chi team for half a year. Not only did he rarely get synovitis now, but his blood pressure, which had been high and low before, had stabilized a lot. The doctor during his last physical examination praised him for being in good condition. The movements of Tai Chi are all circular and coherent. There is no need to pursue large-scale bending and stretching. The pressure on joints is almost negligible. It also pays attention to breathing in conjunction with movements and sinking Qi into the Dantian. The effect of regulating autonomic nerves and improving balance has been proven by many sports medicine studies. It is especially suitable for people who need to treat chronic diseases and do not pursue the pleasure of exercise.

There are a lot of controversies on the Internet now. Some people say that yoga is a financial investment, and it often hurts the waist and knees. Some people say that Tai Chi is only practiced by the elderly, and young people seem to be lifeless after practicing it. In fact, it is just a stereotype. If you really want to practice blindly, you are prone to injury in any exercise. A reliable teacher will adjust the movements according to your physical condition and will not force you to do the splits at all. ； Tai Chi also has a style like Chen Style Tai Chi, which has bright and powerful movements. Many young people feel that their ability to calm down has become stronger after practicing it.

I currently practice both together. I take 20 minutes during my lunch break on weekdays to do a group of yoga stretches to relax my shoulders and neck. On weekends, when I have free time, I go to the park to do 20 minutes of Tai Chi with the master to calm my mind. I have never struggled to choose one or the other. After all, for exercise, if I am comfortable practicing and can persist, it is better than anything else.