So, today’s subject is tai chi vs yoga. These ancient practices share many similarities, but not so much as you may think. Therefore, let’s break it down to help figure out which one suits you better.

You don’t need to huff and puff to stay fit and healthy. If you’re not eager to start vigorous and intense exercise regimes, low-impact activities provide a great alternative.

While there are dozens of different low-impact activities, I’ll talk about two methods that use a mind-body approach to help you improve both your physical and mental fitness.

What Is Tai Chi?

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art. It is closely related to taiji (Yin & Yang) philosophy, hence the meditative part. However, it has evolved into a gentle form of health-improving exercise.

Like yoga, tai chi is easily recognizable – it unravels in a series of graceful postures and movements. One can describe it as a meditation in (slow) motion. There are several different forms but they all share the same essential principles. It’s all about controlled breathing and relaxed movement from one posture to another.

Health Benefits of Tai Chi

Tai chi appears to be so easy, doesn’t it? It makes you wonder if there are any health benefits other than relaxation and graceful appearance. The looks can be deceptive as you’ll find out very soon.

Dozens of studies such as Harvard Medical School’s Special Health Report have shown numerous benefits of tai chi.

The slow movement can be challenging and it builds muscle strength and endurance. It’s not like weight lifting or long-distance running, but you will feel and see improvements.

Dance-like, flowy movements and stretches will enhance your mobility and balance.

Proper breathing techniques, focusing, and a relaxed approach help to reduce stress and anxiety.

It may help with arthritis and high blood pressure. While tai chi is not a cure for these conditions, it won’t hurt and it may alleviate the problem.

Tai chi is safe for any age or fitness level. You can choose your own pace and difficulty level.

Pros

• It is easy to learn.
• It improves strength and balance.
• You need very little gear (I like my yoga bolster).
• Increased flexibility and agility.
• It improves mood and decreases stress.
• It provides aerobic benefits.
• Artistic and graceful movements.
• You can start at any age.

Cons

• It can be difficult to find a good teacher nearby.
• Some forms cause excessive joint stress.

What Is Yoga?

Yoga is a mind and body practice that goes all the way back to ancient India about 5,000 years ago. Modern practices vary wildly as there are more than 100 different schools and styles.

Hatha yoga is the most common style in the West. It focuses on poses and postures called asanas.

Like tai chi, it is an exercise for the body and mind. However, the execution is different. While tai chi focuses on movement, yoga is more static. Typically, it involves stretching, holding poses, breathing exercises, and meditation.

And like Tai Chi, a lot of people love doing it in the great outdoors.

Health Benefits of Yoga

You can find thousands of articles and testimonies about yoga benefits all over the internet. Some people even claim that if you practice yoga you’ll get more dates! While this may be a stretch it is obvious that yoga enjoys a great reputation when it comes to health benefits.

I like to stick to rock-solid evidence and there’s plenty of it as well. Your flexibility and balance must improve tremendously if you practice yoga. It will also strengthen your muscles and body core.

A combination of exercise, breathing techniques, and meditation is a powerful stress reliever.

Sometimes, yoga can alleviate chronic pain. Furthermore, there’s growing evidence that yoga can be an effective treatment for low back pain.

Pros

• It improves flexibility, balance, and muscle strength.
• Needs little equipment – a yoga bolster comes in handy.
• It relieves stress.
• A wide variety of styles to suit anybody’s needs.
• It helps with low back pain.
• Protection from injury.
• Improved breathing and lung function.
• Good for all ages.

Cons

• Overstretching can cause injuries.

Tai Chi vs Yoga the Showdown

Even though they provide similar benefits, tai chi and yoga use different techniques to achieve goals. Let’s dive into specifics to see how they fare in each segment.

Fitness & Strength

While both practices improve fitness and strength, they do it in a different way. Tai chi is dynamic, there’s a constant movement with less or no holding and pausing. On the other hand, yoga utilizes postures, stretching, and less movement.

Entry levels of tai chi and yoga are pretty easy, yet yoga is a little bit more demanding. So, as a beginner, you’ll probably improve your fitness quicker if you choose yoga. However, higher intensity levels of tai chi include some partner drills and pushing hands technique.

These practices target the heart and lungs as well as large muscle groups. Therefore, intensive tai chi styles can exceed intensive yoga training when it comes to fitness.

It is almost the same with strength. Yoga will improve your strength pretty quickly. As for tai chi, your legs will become stronger quicker than the rest of the body. Once again, advanced tai chi techniques will challenge the whole body.

Overall, both methods are decent for moderate enhancement of fitness and strength.

Flexibility & Balance 

Gentle tai chi movements will help you to develop flexibility through flexion, extension, and rotation. Your shoulders and hip joints will benefit the most.

While tai chi is good for your flexibility, yoga truly shines in this department. A wide variety of stretches will help you achieve incredible levels of flexibility. Just make sure to take one step at a time to avoid injury risks.

As for balance, both disciplines are excellent and it’s hard to pick a clear winner.

Tai chi is a dynamic art. Precise postures and movements will develop your balance as well as hand-eye coordination.

On the other hand, yoga focuses on static postures. It requires precise alignments while you do challenging poses. Obviously, your static balance will improve immensely.

Maybe, just maybe I would give a slight edge to tai chi due to the dynamic nature of the exercise. Nevertheless, both arts are outstanding for balance improvement.

Less Stress

Tai chi encourages you to stay calm and balanced. When you combine harmonious movements with proper breathing and physical exercise it’s impossible not to feel relief.

So, stress reduction and peace of mind come quite naturally. One of the main goals of tai chi is to achieve “stillness through motion”.

Yoga takes emotional well-being to another level. It utilizes breathing techniques and guidance to help you achieve ultimate tranquility. Meditation and self-reflection are integral parts of yoga.

Also, yoga targets stress relief more directly.

At the end of the day, any kind of exercise is helpful to reduce stress and anxiety. Both tai chi and yoga are exceptional methods to improve your mental and emotional health.

In my opinion, there’s no clear winner here. It depends mostly on your preferences.

Tai Chi vs Yoga the Differences and Features

By now, it is obvious that tai chi and yoga share many similarities. Let’s see where they differ significantly.

Space. Usually, while doing yoga you won’t need to move away from your yoga mat. Unlike yoga, tai chi requires more space.

Tai chi is more like a slow dance while yoga is more about striking poses. Whether you’re standing, sitting, or lying down, you’ll be doing stretches and figure-like postures that don’t require moving through space.

Tai chi is a martial art. Even though most classes focus on exercise, calmness, and breathing, at its core tai chi is still a martial art. Advanced courses will often include the self-defense application of tai chi.

Flow vs stillness. This is another fundamental difference. While many forms of yoga include flow from one posture to the next, they always include long (meditative) pauses and holding positions.

In tai chi, pauses are few and far between. One movement flows into the next smoothly and continuously.

Spirituality and philosophical approach. I won’t go far down this road as I would need much more than one article to get to the bottom of it.

The difference between tai chi and yoga spirituality is subtle but profound. Yoga is more of a mental and spiritual practice that utilizes physical exercise to reach the goal.

On the other hand, tai chi is a martial art that utilizes meditation and spirituality to generate internal energy and balance.

Q & A

Tai Chi vs Yoga Which is Easier to Learn?

It’s pretty easy to master entry levels of both arts. And then, there are upgrades and upgrades…

Overall, I would say that yoga is slightly easier to learn at the beginning. It is easier to remember distinct poses than flowing uninterrupted movements. Then again, it also depends on your fitness level and ability to focus.

Which One Is Better to Learn?

It is completely up to you. Tai chi and yoga offer similar health and fitness benefits. It comes down to styles and differences in training regimes.

Is Tai Chi/Yoga Bad for Knees/Joints?

No, they are good for knees and joints. Both arts improve muscle strength and flexibility which in turn provide extra protection for knees and joints.

Truth be told, some high-intensity varieties could stress your joints, but if you build your strength gradually, you should be fine.

Even people with arthritis and some injuries can practice tai chi and yoga. They would need a modified regime to avoid stressful positions or movements.

Is Tai Chi or Yoga Good for Weight Loss?

Well, yes and no. Tai chi and yoga promote healthy eating and they burn some calories. However, they are not at the top of the list of calorie-burning exercises.

So, I wouldn’t rely on them to lose weight, but they can complement your diet to achieve some results.

Can You Do Both?

Yes, you can. Actually, it’s a great idea if you can’t make up your mind. Yoga and tai chi match quite well. They are different enough to avoid over practicing and similar enough to avoid injury risk.

The combination of static and dynamic workout regimes will reinforce the benefits of both disciplines.

Good for Beginners?

Tai chi and yoga are versatile enough to embrace people with any skill or fitness level. Therefore, they are very beginner-friendly and the fun starts immediately.

How About Seniors?

Once again, versatility and different intensity levels make these arts appropriate for seniors. Furthermore, tai chi and yoga have excellent safety records. They encompass gentle regimes to suit practitioners of all ages.

Many health facilities are including yoga or tai chi in their recovery processes. I guess you’ve got it. They are not only safe but helpful for seniors.

Tai Chi vs Yoga the Conclusion

For some reason, East and South Asian culture has always attracted and mesmerized people in the Western world. From Chinese tea and Indian textile to martial arts and philosophical systems. Tai chi and yoga are no exceptions.

However, choosing between them can be difficult. They promote similar values and benefits so eventually it comes down to personal preferences.

Yoga is a better choice if:

• You prefer contemplative training that switches between meditation, breathing, and physical exercise.
• You want to achieve maximum flexibility, static balance, and strength.
• You don’t like standing on your feet all the time.

It’s very likely there are yoga studios in your neighborhood. You can also use apps, DVDs, or online courses, but I would still recommend live classes with a trained instructor.

Tai chi is a better choice if:

• You prefer martial arts.
• You like dynamic, dance-like movements.
• You want to improve dynamic balance and coordination.

Sign up and you won’t regret it. Once again, the best way to learn is with an instructor.

Of course, if you find both styles equally attractive you can enjoy doing both. They won’t get in each other’s way.

If for any reason, you can’t or don’t want to practice yoga or tai chi there are several worthy alternatives. You can opt for barre class, qigong, pilates, and many more low-impact exercises.

Ultimately, any exercise is better than none. As long as you do it correctly and don’t overdo it.

With so many options available, I am sure there’s at least one that suits you great.