Tai Chi vs Yoga: Which is Better For Body and Soul?

Yoga and Tai Chi are two of the most well known forms of exercise that incorporate stretches and breathing to improve your physical and mental health. They are often put in the same category, but are there any real differences between Tai Chi and Yoga, and is one noticeably better for you than the other?

While Tai Chi and Yoga are both very similar, Tai Chi is slightly more beneficial for strength and muscle growth, while Yoga edges out Tai Chi as the best pick for flexibility. However both styles are so similar in their benefits that it will ultimately come down to how the practitioner performs the actions.

Although Tai Chi and Yoga can help you see similar results, it doesn’t make them similar styles of exercise. Both Yoga and Tai Chi have very different styles, forms and actions. Don’t worry, if you’re interested in either of them, this article has everything you need to know.

Table of Contents

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi (Tai Ji Quan) is a form of Chinese Wushu (martial arts) that dates back to the 1600s, that is popular now amongst people of all ages for its long, stretching poses and flowing movements that benefits people of all ages. It is popularly referred to as a “moving meditation”.

The ancient Chinese principle of yin (positive) and yang (negative) is applied in Tai Chi movements. This principle believes in unity and balance in opposites. Tai Chi is originally a form of martial arts and most of its postures have self-defence purposes. The movements may look gentle and each one adopts the name of an animal or a natural element.

However, these movements can also be used to defend yourself from physical attacks. For combat application, the sparring in Tai Chi is called “push hands” and is about and is not about amplifying your physical force but redirecting energy to unbalance the opponent. The holistic focus of tai chi makes it a great entry to martial arts for women and anyone else more motivated by health benefits than self-defence.

Aside from having practical defence applications, the discipline focuses on balancing the mind, body, and spirit. The movements in Tai Chi are deliberate and slow, yet consistent and graceful. The controlled yet still dynamic actions promote body coordination and physical fitness. Tai Chi also focuses on breathing exercises that aim to relieve stress and tension as well as improve awareness of our body and its relation to the environment.

Benefits of Tai Chi

Tai chi has become a popular form of exercise in recent years and is practised all over the world. Some of the reasons it is so popular are because the style:

Improves the health of cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal systems through dynamic actions and controlled movements.

Enhances physical fitness that can help prevent chronic diseases and promote longevity.
Releases stress and tension through sustained breathing exercises
Promote psychological well-being

When practised in groups, it can help promote social interactions and create healthy personal relationships.

Disadvantages of Tai Chi

Tai chi may seem like the perfect way to stretch and exercise your body, but it’s not the right pick for everyone. Tai chi has some drawbacks that you should be aware of before you commit to classes.

Beginner practitioners may experience pains and aches.

Improper practice of rigorous Tai Chi can lead to muscle and joint injuries.
Movements can be hard to follow and remember and you will most likely need a Tai Chi instructor to start.
May be difficult to practise independently and may take years to master.

Basic movements are usually slow so they may feel boring and mundane.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is an umbrella term that comprises spiritual, mental, and physical practices that promotes mental and physical well-being through a variety of stretches and breathing exercises all centred around improving your body. It was in the early 20th century that the physical aspect became a popular form of exercise.

The physical practice of Yoga revolves around “postures”. These postures are a series of movements that enhance muscle strength and flexibility. These poses were originally created to help people to meditate better and comfortably.

Basic postures in Yoga should be performed while breathing mindfully. Poses fall into categories like standing, balancing, seated, backbends, and resting/supine. Beginners typically start with basic poses to build the strength and skills to execute more challenging ones.

Today, many styles of Yoga exist and the traditional and modern versions have big differences. In general, modern Yoga styles are focused on breathing and completing postures. There are many varieties of yoga with different intensities and benefits, including hot yoga or Bikram yoga.

You don’t have to choose between yoga and gym workouts, either – yoga classes are commonly offered in health clubs, gyms, hospitals, and leisure centres. However, you can practice Yoga in any comfortable space, but you will need a yoga mat to execute many postures.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga is incredibly popular, and people of varying skill levels see noticeable results after doing yoga for even a short period of time. Some of the reasons people choose to practise yoga are because it:

Improves body coordination, flexibility, and balance
Helps relieve stress, depression, and anxiety

Promotes self-awareness
Develops spirituality
Regular practice can reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, and improves breathing

Helps in reducing or managing pain

Disadvantages of Yoga

Regardless of its popularity, yoga is still something that many people find difficult that not all people will enjoy or find benefits in. Some of the negatives associated with yoga include:

Fatigue in experienced practitioners

Improper execution of Yoga postures can lead to muscle stretching, strains, and body injuries.
Can worsen existing musculoskeletal injuries
Beginners can feel body aches and pain after sessions.

Some postures, especially advanced ones, are hard to remember and execute. You will need to hire an instructor to do them properly.

What are the Similarities Between Tai Chi & Yoga?

The basic Tai Chi and Yoga movements can be adapted to suit the age and physical fitness of the practitioner, and Yoga offer similar benefits like improving muscles and coordination. You don’t need much room to practice either, making both styles very versatile in what you need to perform them, and what they involve.

Both Tai Chi and Yoga ultimately promote physical and mental well-being. The two disciplines require mental focus or meditation to reap their optimal benefits. They integrate mindful breathing that coordinates with body movements.

Both yoga and tai chi complement other sports and training styles – for instance, improving flexibility for gymnastics training or helping recuperate from weight training.

What’s the Difference Between Tai Chi and Yoga?

What makes Tai Chi different from Yoga is its self-defence component, and how it influences the movements. The original version of Tai Chi teaches combative actions for self-defence like striking and thrusting. On the other hand, Yoga is traditionally more centred around meditation and spirituality.

Tai Chi is said to have originated in Chenjiagou village in the Chinese Henan Province during the 1600s in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Over centuries, Tai Chi has evolved and branched out to five styles – Chen, Yang, San, Wǔ, and Wú, Sun. But many attribute the original style to Chen Wangting, who is said to be the first person to create and practice the Chen style of Tai Chi.

Yoga is an older discipline and is believed to be a creation of the Indus- Sarasvati civilization in Northern India, dating back to around 5000 years. The word “Yoga” was first mentioned in the Rig Veda, a collection of old sacred texts.

In terms of physical applications, when it comes to movement, Tai Chi is more fluid while Yoga is more static. Tai Chi involves slow, deliberate, and continuous action sequences. This is why it feels a little similar to dancing. Each movement is often called a posture, and a series of postures is called a form or set.

The postures usually involve shifting from one foot to another. Every movement must come with an awareness of yourself relative to the ground and your environment. Most motions are powered through the hips and focus on improving leg and glute strength.

Yoga, on the other hand, is mainly about performing static poses and deep stretches. You need to hold such poses for seconds or even minutes. Most of these postures strengthen the core and improve body flexibility.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which is Better?

If overall flexibility is your goal, yoga is the better discipline, while you should consider picking tai chi if you want to improve overall muscle strength and toning. However both styles are similar enough that you can get a lot out of either style.

There is no definite answer to this question. Choosing the better side on the Tai Chi vs Yoga argument depends on your preferences, objectives, and overall health.

Tai Chi and Yoga come in many styles and levels of difficulty and intensity. To help you determine which discipline is more suitable, here are the answers to common questions.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which is More Popular?

Although both disciplines are incredibly popular, yoga is significantly more popular. With over 300 million people practicing yoga around the world, it’s more popular than Tai Chi that is performed by roughly 150 million people.

According to Zhang Shan (former vice-chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association) – there are over 150 million Tai Chi practitioners in the world. Tai Chi is the most popular in China, but people from more than 100 countries practice it regularly. While that number is impressive and increasing, Yoga is still more popular. Yogi Times reports that about 300 million people practice Yoga across the globe. Both disciplines are increasing in popularity as time goes by.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which Is Harder?

When you move up intensity levels, Tai Chi may feel more physically demanding than Yoga. This is because high-level Tai Chi is a form of martial arts that involves combat drills with a partner.

Similar to other martial arts like muay thay or boxing classes, Tai Chi has more interactive training sessions involving working with a partner.

However, both disciplines offer basic movements that are easy to learn if you dedicate time and effort. At their lowest levels, both disciplines have almost the same difficulty. Some people, who have a weak core, may find it harder to carry out and hold basic yoga poses for a long period. In this case, an alternative like reformer pilates may be more beneficial.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which is Better For Balance?

Although they are quite similar for balance improvement, Tai Chi does appear to be better for balance. This is due to the flow of the movements in the discipline, and is reinforced by the number of elderly people who practice Tai Chi.

According to a Healthline report, Tai Chi can help minimise the risk of falling for seniors. As for Yoga, holding the designated poses can improve static balance and stability. They train you to distribute weight across your body to maintain positions.

Obviously both are very good for improving balance but in different ways. In Tai Chi, you need to perform a set of movements continuously. You will improve your balance by performing one movement to another seamlessly and constantly, which is why it edges out yoga for how much it improves balance.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which is Better For Weight Loss?

Yoga has more styles and evidence to show that it makes for a better weight loss discipline. Yoga can help reduce body mass index and the more rigorous versions of Yoga (vinyasa, power yoga) are more likely more effective in weight loss than traditional versions.

Both disciplines can promote weight loss, but there is no definitive research to determine which one is objectively better. A sensible decision is for you to choose the intense versions of either discipline to produce better results.

According to a national medical study the Chen-style of Tai Chi is the best style for weight loss because it incorporates more high-intensity, calorie-burning actions like kicking, jumping, and striking. This ranks Chen-style tai chi closer to something like muay thai or kickboxing for calorie burn. That said, power yoga, vinyasa and hot yoga have been used as an effective weight loss training regime for decades.

Yoga vs Tai Chi: Which is Better For Seniors?

Although Tai Chi is often frequently done by seniors, both Yoga and Tai Chi are marketed to be suitable for all ages. They can offer similar mental and physical benefits to the seniors. The crucial thing for seniors is to choose the less intense and age-appropriate versions of either of the two disciplines.

For example, the risks of hot yoga mean it’s not recommended for seniors, and Chen-style Tai Chi is not advisable for older people because of its intensity. Some fitness experts view Yoga as more challenging for seniors because its static positions may be difficult to execute. Some elderly people may not be able to stay in one position for very long. However, it is possible to find Yoga and Tai Chi classes that cater to seniors and their physical abilities.

Can You Do Both Yoga And Tai Chi?

Because of their similar benefits and objectives, Yoga and Tai Chi complement each other. Thus, practising both disciplines at the same time should not cause any problem. In fact, Yoga can help practitioners improve their Tai Chi skills and vice versa.

For example, the more flexible the ligaments and muscles are (which are benefits of practising Yoga poses), the better a person can execute the flowing movements required in Tai Chi.