Tai Chi vs Yoga
658 sats \ 12 comments \ @cristaiji 26 May alter_native
Over the last couple of years or so I have started to incorporate some Yoga into my daily exercise practice and I thought it would be interesting to get some perspectives from you guys.
I did Iyengar Yoga with an instructor years ago and then forgot about it as I got back into martial arts and more combative type training. However in recent years as I have changed my Tai Chi practice to be more about profoundly ‘opening the body’ - see my previous post #542815 I realised that Yoga postures could be incredibly useful. 
My teacher said to a group of us while we were sitting on the grass in Hyde Park London Summer 2019 ‘you really need to get deeper into the body guys’ while he demonstrated a stretch.
He was talking about not just lengthening the muscles but going much deeper with the mind and awareness using intention (Yi), Song and Ting as well as changing up the angles that we were using. His approach was to spend much longer in each position and to progressively release deeper into the posture. This can be painful but the benefit of practising like this is that it teaches us stability of awareness, discipline and release under pressure. 
Later this got me thinking about Yoga postures as I realised that they could aid the ‘going deeper’ that my teacher was talking about. What practising Tai Chi was bringing about was an increased awareness of where my body was tight.
So for example I remember becoming aware that I couldn’t really feel my calves in much detail almost like there was a block in my awareness of my lower legs. So I started to use Yoga postures that would help stretch and get into my calves for example the ‘downward dog’ exercise.
The other example that I must share is regarding my neck and shoulders. Honestly they have been screwed up for years! A combination of hours sitting hunched at a desk, incorrect weight training and even surfing did a real number on my posture and led to increasing pain in my neck.
As my awareness grew of the problem and how it had arisen I realised again that certain Yoga postures would be useful and I’m happy to say that after working on this using various back bends, I am slowly reversing the damage, bringing back my flexibility and the pain is lessening with every practice session.
So to wrap up I don’t usually advocate combining different methods for reasons that I will perhaps discuss in a future post however lately this has proven to be beneficial and to bolster the healing process.
If any of you practice Yoga I would be fascinated to hear your experiences around health and healing. Thanks. 🙏
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132 sats \ 1 reply \ @freetx 26 May
I started doing yoga in 2010 (Bikram). For many years I went 5 times per week. Since 2020 I no longer go to a class, but do yoga in my house 3 times per week.
I can say the following: The newbie thinks about yoga as "stretching" (I'm not meaning that insulting to you, I thought that for 5 or 6 years). In reality, the best way to conceptualize yoga is "compression". You are not "stretching your hamstrings"....you are "compressing your stomach / intestines"
I had a good yoga teacher who was unconventional and taught me lots of things. One of the things he would frequently dwell on is that your body, muscles, and organs are sponges. By doing yoga you are wringing out the blood from those sponges and allowing them to fill with fresh blood.
Imagine I gave you a dirty dish rag and said: The rules are you must clean this rag, but can only use the rag itself to clean it....no external equipment. Well, the simplest way would be to fill the rag with water/soap and then "wring it out". That is what you are doing to your organs with yoga.
Fun fact: Bikram (who was unfortunately #metooed) was a carnivore. This used to shock and dismay much of his upscale vegan suburban wife clients. He used to say: "Eat like a cow, look like a cow. Eat like a Tiger, look like a Tiger"
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji OP 27 May
That’s really interesting about the compression. Do you think other Yoga styles have their own nuances and focus?
That’s got me thinking about another potential post regarding nuances in the Yang style of Tai Chi . Thanks.
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22 sats \ 1 reply \ @BTCFC 27 May
Awesome that with increased awareness and practice you are bringing back your overall health! With health it is never too late, it's just a matter of getting back into it!
I don't regularly practice yoga in it's stretching form, but I have been practicing yoga nidra for a little over a month now and it has been one of if not the best recovery modality I have come across!
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji OP 27 May
That's great to hear. Yes I have been surprised how in my 40s I've been able to turn around my health to the extent that I have.
There's a story about one of the old masters I think from the Wu style and how it took him 10 years to fix his shoulders. But once he had I believe he was then able to achieve many of the more difficult martial skills which require that the shoulders are correct.
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22 sats \ 0 replies \ @Satosora 27 May
I like Taichi more than yoga. Not that Yoga is boring, it has complex stretches. It just seems to drag on. Taichi at least you are focused on moving, even if it is slow.
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22 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby 27 May
Tai Chi is much more fun than Yoga.
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20 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji OP 27 May
I agree. 😄
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22 sats \ 0 replies \ @MiddleWay 26 May
Read your previous post and decided to start going to Tai Chi classes. They are once a week on Mondays, tomorrow is my third one only. Interesting stuff. Been practicing Aikido for a few years when I was younger. Now learning the roots of it all...
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22 sats \ 3 replies \ @Roll 27 May
From my point of view it s dificult to compare Tai Chi and Yoga.
Tai Chi is a mind-body exercise originating from ancient China, where it started as a famous martial art. These days, it’s practised around the world as an effective exercise for health. At the heart of it, Tai Chi is a moving meditation in the form of a series of gentle exercises that create harmony between the mind and body. The ultimate purpose is to cultivate our inner life energy (qi) to flow smoothly and powerfully through the body. This is a spiritual experience, as much as a physical one.
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to yoke,” or “to unite”. The practice aims to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. Such a union tends to neutralize ego-driven thoughts and behaviours, creating a sense of spiritual awakening. Modern yoga is most commonly associated with the physical practice of asana, a series of postures.
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @cristaiji OP 27 May
yeah totally, it's probably a fruitless task tbh. I mean even in Tai Chi alone there is a lot of debate and disagreements within the community as to what it is, how to practice, what authentic Tai Chi is etc.
In fact even within the Yang style there is not as much consistency as you might hope.
And I think the same is true of Yoga from what I have seen. Both traditions are large and diverse however I do believe it is still possible to find the essence of whichever art you practice if you are sincere and put in the effort.
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11 sats \ 1 reply \ @Roll 27 May
Absolutly agree with, and one more time
Tai chi is a self defense Art martial and Yoga is to create a spiritual awakening
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cristaiji OP 27 May
I’ll probably write a post on that question as for me it’s both actually. But yeah Tai Chi has a strong martial art component to it and was considered formidable in China .
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