How do yoga and tai chi
compare?
Here is a very simple way to explain the difference: in tai chi, you relax to
stretch; in yoga, you stretch to relax. Tai chi emphasizes stretching through
sophisticated dynamic fluid motions rather than by holding static postures. Yoga
tends to use more extreme stretches than tai chi and some postures lock the
joints and arch the back, which never happens in tai chi. These poses can be
difficult for those with back or joint problems.
(Bruce
Frantzis)
We don't teach yoga
Despite practicing yoga since 1983 we do not teach it to our students.
We only teach tai chi.
Our tai chi classes never feel to be long enough. There is always so much
more to teach people.
There is no time for any digressions.
We certainly could not fit yoga practice into the lessons without diminishing
the quality of the tai chi tuition.
The tai chi classes are just for tai chi.
If our students want to learn yoga we ask them to attend a yoga class - and
learn yoga from a yoga specialist.
Stretch
Yoga offers a serious variety of stretches that are unlikely to be found in
other exercise methods - even pilates - and can offer an excellent workout
to supplement your tai chi.
Yoga
stretches are diverse:
Standing
Sitting
Twists
Supine
Prone
Inverted
Backbends
Balancing
Jumping
Relaxation
Typically a yoga student moves into a posture and then
stays in the same shape for a period of time.
The pose is not static.
The student is actively drawing certain muscles inward, pressing others
downwards.
There is a lot happening within the body.
It is easy to see how this is very different to tai chi:
The emphasis in tai chi is upon the movement, not the
so-called posture.
We are interested in the physical mechanisms that move the body into the
eventual position rather than the position itself.
Hatha yoga
Many yoga teachers refer to their classes as being 'hatha'. Yet,
hatha is not a style of yoga, it is the type.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutra mentions the different branches of yoga:
Raja yoga (mind mastery)
Hatha yoga (willpower/physical)
Mantra yoga (chanting)
Laya yoga (absorption into god)
If your yoga teacher simply calls the class 'hatha',
why not find out which style they are offering?
Here are some examples:
Ananda
Anusara
Ashtanga
Bikram
Iyengar
Kripalu
Kundalini
Sivanada
Each hatha yoga style has a unique emphasis.
Force
Some yoga teachers may force you into positions that exceed your 'comfort zone'
because they feel that you can make the stretch but are holding back.
This may well work, but it can also cause anxiety.
An attitude of forcing is very different to tai chi, where the emphasis is
clearly upon
allowing, not forcing.
Easy & hard
Some yoga classes are exceptionally demanding.
Others are light-hearted.
It is important to be realistic about your own physical condition.
A new starter should not expect too much from themselves.
If your body is not supple, you need to be sensible and cautious.
Tai chi is not moving yoga
Tai
chi form is not yoga; it does not involve fixed postures.
The so-called
‘postures’ serve to shape movement so that it can be used constructively in
combat.
If the tai chi postures are too static or inflexible, your ability to shape movement
will be impaired.
Movement must pass through your body.
The movement is discharged in the form of a kinetic energy wave.
We are interested in both the way in which your body produces the kinetic
wave and the effect the energy wave has upon an opponent.
Every physical action you perform in life involves connecting and aligning
your body such that the movement can produce an effect.
Pressing a light
switch requires accuracy, balance and the correct degree of pressure,
applied in the appropriate direction.
Page created 19 September 2003