Tai chi or yoga: the practice that will best meet your needs

Tai chi or yoga: the characteristics of each

Tai chi or yoga, do these terms mean anything to you? But do you know what these practices are about? This article is here to enlighten you on the particularities of these sports. Maybe by the end of this article you will know which of the two will suit you best. 

Yoga 

Yoga has been around for 5000 years and originated in India. Yoga consists above all of self-realization. Beyond being a physical practice, yoga emphasizes the mental well-being in particular by providing a feeling of freedom, of healing for certain diseases and longevity. 

To achieve this, yoga relies on 8 pillars : 

• Niyana

• Asanas

• Pranayama

• Yama

• Pratyahara

• Samadhi

• Dharana

• Dhyana

To discover their uses, take the time to read our article on benefits of yoga.

Over and above yoga postures and breathing exercises, yoga allows you to achieve a state of relaxation and of full awareness. It's a philosophy of life. Within yoga itself, there are several methods such as hatha yoga or yoga nidra and many others. There are forms of yoga like dynamic yoga where the muscles are worked more or you can stay at a less toned form like gentle yoga. 

Tai chi 

Tai chi is a internal martial art from Chinese tradition. It is the opposite of external martial arts such as Kung Fu. Tai chi is based on diffusion throughout the body vital energy, chi. Belonging to the Taoist movement, chi energy is considered a essential support for all life. To circulate energy, movements are slow, precise and flexible. As is believed, the gestures start from the center of the body where the vital energy is housed.

However, this practice is not the only option in yoga. Find the different alternatives to yoga. 

Why turn to tai chi? 

Tai chi, like yoga, offers a spiritual aim to the practice of this art. But they don't have the same effects. Find out right away. 

Predicts insomnia

Tai chi helps you properly distribute your yin and yang energy. What do these energies correspond to? THE yang represents the sun, similar to the element of fire. THE yin, it has the meaning of moon, it is an element ofappeasement and of wisdom. When yin energy is too high, the risk of insomnia is high.. The practice of tai chi allows you to return yin to its original place in order to reduce sleep problems. Qigong is part of the same family as tai chi. It transmits another energy, qi. It is a similar alternative to yoga. To find out more, don’t hesitate to read our article Qigong or yoga.

The anti-stress remedy

Tai chi is a very good way to decompress. In fact, by associating breathing et slowness of gestures targeted at relaxation you learn to let go. All the anxieties that you have accumulated are felt in your muscles which contract, in your joints which stiffen, your back which locks up, your stomach which knots and perhaps even your sleep deteriorates. You can't control everything, that's why tai chi is there to teach you how to detach yourself from it and encourage letting go. It is also a form of questioning. 

The benefits 

As part of a regular practice, tai chi offers real profits about health : 

• Gain flexibility

• Reduce back pain

• Increase heart and lung capacity

• Develop your balance

• Learn to coordinate your movements

• Stimulates memory and concentration

• Lower blood pressure

• Solves sleep problems

• Focus your energy

• Strengthen self-esteem

Opt for yoga

Yoga has different approaches and techniques. Indeed, it can be both intense and relaxing, it all depends on the postures and the type of yoga chosen. Like tai chi, yoga also has potential!

A 360° practice

We can say that yoga is a versatile practice. Indeed, in most of its forms, yoga offers meditation, of the relaxation, postures to hold more or less long with types of dynamic or calm yoga. In this sense, yoga appears as a complete sport. 

It is a practice that makes you work on muscle strengthening thanks to its sequences of postures which shake the deep and mobilizing muscles as well as the lower and upper limbs.

Please note that it is not uncommon for yogis to hesitate to move towards another sport: stretching. This is why we invite you to learn about the yoga or stretching. 

Obviously, the postures are not performed without breathing. It's a central element so that the relaxation and the relaxation muscular se do. Even if you don't realize it, breathing affects certain areas of your daily life like stress, sleep, etc. so that you can face these situations with composure in the future. 

It is also a method that allows you to recharge. Indeed, yoga highlights the practice of self-consciousness. 

To go further, it has been scientifically demonstrated that yoga has a impact positive about health. In the context of certain problems such as depression, cardiovascular or intestinal problems or drug addiction, the yoga maybe a Good support to rely on during treatment. 

Avoid injury 

Yoga is a good school to avoid injuries. In many sports, the pace and the boundaries of each are put aside, these are the main causes of injuries. But in yoga, it's your look and your boundaries that take precedence. As soon as your red line is crossed, THE risk of shock increases. Some parts of your body there are more sensitive. 

To start, you need to pay attention to your neck. It is important to protect, especially if you practice postures reversal. That is, as soon as your head is below your heart. Don't rush to produce it as quickly as possible, It is by doing this too quickly that your cervical area can be damaged. 

At the level of pain lumbar, if you operate on flexions too drawn towards the front, conversely, extensions that push you too much back, you can experience lower back pain. So it is not no need to force your body to reproduce the exercises exactly. 

One of the main targets of abrasions are the wrists. Due to certain positions that must be performed on the ground to have the wrists as support, it is not uncommon for yogis to hurt themselves. feel free to adapt your postures depending on the pain. 

Finally, as yoga involves a solicitation of the muscles, it happens that some practitioners undergo a stretching of the muscles. To spare your muscles, you must know your body and its limits. If you can't reproduce a posture, it doesn't matter, let your body go at your own pace without forcing it, this will protect you from some injuries. 

Regain bodily vitality

Yoga offers bodily well-being due to its complete form. 

Thanks to its sequences and different postures, yoga is the perfect way to strengthen your deep muscles as well as mobilizing muscles and takes care of the musculature of the lower and upper limbs. 

Another quality that yoga brings is the flexibility. Indeed, yoga calls on your flexibility to exercise the sequences and positions. Therefore, you gain flexibility at the level of members superiors, lower and on the spine. It will have the effect ofimprove your daily posture and your alignment. 

Help mentally

Yoga not only benefits your body, it is also effective for your mental health. 

The first advantage concerns your mood. It helps you to neutralize anxiety and depression thanks to its delicate movements and breathing exercises. This combination offers benefits as'reduction of negative emotions such as sadness, confusion, emptiness or anxiety. 

This discipline is a good way to to work et improve your memory. By combining concentration et endurance, you come to you surpass without hurting yourself. You also arrive at better manage stressful situations on a daily basis. 

How to talk about yoga without relaxation ? It is practiced by focusing on your breathing, forgetting your physical pain, both muscular and joint. Through the different postures, you will feel a feeling of calm in your body. 

Finally, practice teaches you let go and the resilience particularly through its philosophy. Yoga teaches you to find the positive in negative situations. The goal is to understand that difficult times eventually pass. One of the most important things in yoga philosophy is to Live in the moment. 

In summary

In short, tai chi or yoga are two intrinsically linked practices. However, they do not have the same aims or the same ways of doing things. A look back at these two disciplines. 

Yoga has existed for 5000 years. It is built on 8 pillars. They consist of acquiring a mental well-being, to realize yourself as a person, to find freedom, extend your life expectancy, achieve full consciousness and a feeling of fullness at all levels. 

Concerning tai chi, it is a chinese internal martial art. During the tai chi session, its objective is to spread vital energy, chi, throughout your body. So, for it to soak in correctly, the gesture sequences is slow, defined et elastic. 

What does tai chi provide? Tai chi believes in two energies: the yin and the yang. Too strong a presence of yin causes insomnia. Exercising tai chi allows you to reduce your dose andavoid sleep problems. 

It can also be used as natural antidepressant. In fact, it teaches you how tolet go by mixing slow movements and breathing. 

Profits

here are some benefits tai chi: 

• Reduction of lower back pain

• Improve your self-esteem

• Better lung and heart capacity

• Engages your memory and concentration

• Gain flexibility

• Solves problems falling asleep

• Decreased blood pressure

• Coordinate your movements

Understanding yoga

For yoga, it is a versatile sport. It appears as complete, notably through its multiple forms of gentle and dynamic yoga and his exercises relaxation and of meditation. 

We note several key points how yoga works: 

• THE muscle strengthening lower and upper limbs and deep muscles. 

• There breathing to enter the relaxation and to achieve a muscle relaxation. 

• Yoga can be a good complement for treatment such as depression or cardiovascular problems. 

This activity allows you to pay attention to potential injuries. It teaches you to go at your own pace and not exceed the limits of your body. These are two essential factors since, generally, athletes get injured because they want to surpass themselves without listening to the restrictions that their bodies impose on them. So it is important to protect certain areas of your body such as neck, THE wrists, THE back and your muscles.   

The mental

Finally, yoga brings its share of joy to your mental : 

• Control your anxiety and stress

• Work on your memory

• Feeling of calm

• Learn to let go

• Increases resilience

• Live in the present moment

Try yoga with POSES

It's not easy to choose between tai chi or yoga because they have big differences, that's why we suggest you try one yoga totally innovative, dive into a bubble of postures at POSES. 

POSES is defined by what? A yoga workout composed of 50 minute sessions where the postures et sequences the most valuable ones are discussed. 

To put you in good conditions, playlists animated are there to make you move beneath the backdrop of light sifted. 

Don't be afraid to practice reinforcement muscular or body weight, our coaches experienced are there for follow your progression and let your body express yourself without judgment. 

Convinced by the POSES proposition? It's the right time to unify your body and mind.