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

These two seem to be slow-paced, heavy-breathing physical and mental practices. The core difference is actually that the underlying cultural logic and movement paths are completely different. The more superficial ones are to regulate the body and mind, while the more advanced ones are two completely different paths.

I have been practicing Hatha Yoga for six years, and I have been practicing with a master of Chen-style Tai Chi for almost three years. At first, I wanted to find a less tiring exercise to adjust my work and rest. I also encountered the pitfall of practicing the two together, and then I slowly figured out the difference between the two. When you first start practicing yoga, the teacher is always careful about the "alignment". When standing in Tadasana, you need to adjust the arches of your feet, the orientation of your knees, and the alignment of your hips. In Downward-Facing Dog, you need to press your heels, straighten your arms, and spread your shoulder blades. All of these are to first calibrate the "shape" of your body to the maximum. It conforms to the state of human body mechanics, then breathes along the adjusted body, and finally returns the attention to the mind. It is a bit like wiping away dust from a glass bottle. First wipe away the stains on the outer wall, and then slowly clean up the dirt on the inner wall. This is the way to go from the outside in.

It was completely different when it came to practicing Tai Chi. The master didn’t even let me learn the moves in the first class, so he asked me to stand on a round pile. While standing, he repeatedly said "loose the waist and sink in the hips, and Qi sinks in the Dantian". After standing on the pile for three months, I felt that I could find that heavy energy in my waist, so I started When teaching the posture, the requirements for all movements are that "the energy originates from the feet, dominates the waist, and the shape comes from the fingers." The form always follows the internal energy, which is equivalent to stirring the water in the bottle first. When the water flows, the dirt attached to the wall of the bottle will naturally fall off. This is the way to bring it from the inside out.

Tai Chi yoga fusion classes are very popular on the market now, and I have experienced them several times. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the two can be integrated. Many young practitioners feel that they are very complementary. For example, the girl who works at the same yoga studio as me has her shoulders and neck as stiff as rocks all year round. She always hurts to tears when practicing yoga to open her shoulders. After practicing the method of shoulder relaxation in Tai Chi, she feels that her shoulders are sinking in half a month. However, there are also many old-school practitioners who have been practicing for many years. They are firmly opposed. My Tai Chi teacher always said that the two are completely opposite in nature. One focuses on extension and the other focuses on sinking. It is easy to practice the "four different postures" together. In last week's fusion class, an aunt who has practiced Wu-style Tai Chi for ten years told the teacher on the spot that it was a complete mess to teach Tai Chi's Single Whip and Yoga's Warrior 2 together - I did two sets of them myself and I really felt it.

In fact, for ordinary enthusiasts who just want to adjust their bodies, there is no need to be so obsessed with it. After all, most people do not want to be yoga masters or Tai Chi successors. They like to feel comfortable after stretching and then choose yoga. Those who are easily upset and want to find a way to calm down can feel the changes after standing on the Tai Chi pile for two weeks. If you really want to practice deeply, it is not too late to slowly ponder the fundamental differences between the two.