Which is better to learn, yoga or Tai Chi

In fact, there is no absolute "better study". It all depends on the individual's physical foundation, study habits and core needs. My best friend who sits next to me in the office always takes time to practice core and flexibility exercises. I went to a yoga experience class for the first time. I followed the teacher three times and I was able to do the sun salutations on my own. The tightness in my shoulders and neck was mostly relieved immediately. I turned to try Tai Chi class. My legs were shaking after just standing for 10 minutes. I was always told by the teacher that "the exertion is too stiff and the energy is all floating on the shoulders."

But in another scenario, the conclusion may be completely opposite. Uncle Zhang, who had just retired from the Tai Chi team in my community, had an old knee injury and rarely did strength training. When he went to try yoga classes, he stretched his Achilles tendon in the downward dog pose and swayed like a scarecrow in the wind when he stood in the tree pose. He gave up after two classes and turned to learn Tai Chi. I didn’t know how to do it, and I was exhausted after five minutes of standing. I patiently followed the teacher for half a month to adjust my center of gravity and exert force, and suddenly I felt the feeling of loose shoulders and heavy hips. Now that I have learned it for three months, I can do the 24 postures with style, and the old knee problems are much better. Everyone I meet says that Tai is very easy to learn.

Many people think that it is easy to get started with yoga. This is actually because most of the popular yoga classes on the market do not involve complicated breathing and mental requirements at the entry level. You only need to imitate the teacher's movements and find the feeling of stretching and exerting force. You can see the effect in a few classes, and you will naturally feel "easy to learn". But we really need to go deeper into the practice. We need to avoid compensatory exertion that injures our waist and knees, we need to fully coordinate Ujjayi breathing with the postures, and we even need to combine it with meditation to practice concentration. The threshold is not low at all. The core strength of my former yoga partner is already far beyond that of ordinary people. In order to stabilize the center of gravity of the Warrior Three Postures without shaking at all, it took more than two months to figure out the details.

Taijiquan gives people the impression that it is difficult to get started, precisely because it requires "intention without force" from the first lesson. We ordinary people are used to tightening the muscles when exerting force. Suddenly, we have to relax all the strength and sink to the soles of our feet. Just this change of consciousness takes a long time. Many people have learned three or four classes and have not yet grasped the door, so naturally they find it difficult. But when you really get started, you will find that the logic of Tai Chi movements is consistent, and the connection between moves all follows the strength. On the contrary, the more you practice, the smoother it becomes. Unlike yoga, as you go to more advanced levels, the requirements for body flexibility, strength, and balance are higher. Many people are stuck in a bottleneck and cannot move forward for more than half a year.

If I have to give an analogy, the learning curve of yoga is a bit like learning to cook home-cooked food. You can make tomatoes and eggs that are edible after watching the instructions. However, if you want to make hard dishes that can be served, you have to perfect the knife skills, heat, and seasoning. If you are really confused about which one to choose, in fact, no analysis is as practical as trying two classes on your own. Do you feel relaxed and able to keep up while standing in class, or do you feel restless and always looking forward to the end of get out of class? The answer your body gives you is more accurate than any standard.