What is the relationship between yoga and tai chi

In essence, they are two independent sets of physical, mental and spiritual cultivation systems that originated from ancient Indian civilization and Chinese civilization. The underlying training logic has something in common, but the cultural core and practice paths are very different, and there is no mutually derived relationship.

I have practiced Hatha yoga for six years and Chen-style Tai Chi for more than three years. At first, I always felt that the two were similar. They were both slow and leisurely and did not compete with others in terms of difficulty. Until last winter, when I gave a trial class at the gym, a student who had practiced Yin yoga for five years stood on the Hunyuan pile for the first time. After ten minutes, he rubbed his hands and shouted to me, "It's amazing. The feeling of warmth in the lower back and a clear mind is exactly the same as when I hold Yin yoga poses for ten minutes." Don't tell me, this is really not a coincidence. From the root, neither of them pursues outward competitiveness. Instead, they regard breathing as the core link connecting the body and consciousness. Ultimately, they both point to the state of "relaxation of body, concentration of mind, and concentration of mind." This is also the common point that many cross-border practitioners can easily perceive.

Of course, there have been different voices in the circle over the years. Some people say that Tai Chi evolved from the yoga mentality brought to China by eminent monks in the Tang Dynasty. Others say that many static postures of yoga are borrowed from Chinese Daoyin techniques. There is a lot of quarrel. However, judging from the available historical data, the earliest written record of yoga appeared in the "Rig Veda" in 1500 BC, while the systematic formation of Tai Chi did not occur until the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty. The origin time and cultural soil of the two are completely different. These origin theories are currently not supported by solid evidence, and are more of the emotional projection of enthusiasts.

If you really practice it, you will find that the core of the two is actually quite different. Take the most basic movement requirements as an example. No matter which school of yoga it is, it attaches great importance to the alignment of postures. For example, how to adjust the angles of ankles, knees, and hip bones in Tadasana, and how to exert force in downward dog so as not to strain the shoulders and hurt the waist. There is a set of relatively universal standards, such as precise calibration of the body, and the body feel will be completely wrong if it is almost done. ； But Tai Chi is about "leading the Qi with the mind". There is no absolute standard of movement. If you have bad knees, you can squat higher when doing the cloud hand. If your waist is hard, the width of the silk winding force can be reduced. All movements should be adjusted according to your own body condition, just like holding a brush soaked in ink to write in the air. Whether it is smooth or not, only your own body knows best.

It would be wrong to say that the two have nothing to do with each other. In fact, the two circles have learned a lot from each other in recent years. I know an Ashtanga teacher who used to have an old wrist injury. Every time she did tandem jumps, her wrists hurt. After practicing Tai Chi's Silk Winding Strength for half a year, she is now very stable when doing handstands. She now leads everyone to turn their wrists for a few minutes during class warm-ups, using the force-generating logic of Tai Chi. ； My Tai Chi master used to have very tight hips, and the low horse stance always shook. After two months of practicing hip-opening yoga postures with his daughter, the lower body is now so stable that I can't push even with all my strength.

Last month I went to an offline salon for physical and mental healing. A teacher combined Tai Chi stances and yoga rest techniques and led everyone to practice for forty minutes. At the end, several girls were red-eyed and said they had never felt their bodies so clearly before. In fact, there are so many origins and differences that we have to explain clearly. Whether you are doing downward dog on a yoga mat or standing on cloud hands in a Tai Chi suit, it can help you get away from the messy work and feel your breathing and body in a down-to-earth manner. Isn't that enough?