What’s the difference between T’ai Chi and Qigong?
What’s the difference between T’ai Chi and Qigong?
The ancient, beautiful, and mysterious arts of T’ai Chi and Qigong are best known for their “cool” and inspirational martial arts movements. Slow moving, and fascinating Chinese masters on the mountains… enlightened masters meditating and healing others. And while most all of that is true, there is a much broader and very special aspect to these ancient treasures.
Basic definitions of T’ai Chi and Chigong
Qigong, qi gong, chi kung, chi 'ung, or chi gung is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training.
Tai chi, short for T'ai chi ch'üan or Tàijí quán, is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits, and meditation. “Internal” by virtue of the inner power, or power from softness and stillness, or use of inner spirit, energy, or “Qi (pronounced “Chee”). And while internal as defined, it certainly has an “external” component as well—expressing many physical forms and techniques, essentially martial art movements with a very slow, calm, soft, yet powerful flow. The emphasis and most important aspect however IS the internal.
Taijiquan, as I was taught
As I was taught, Taijiquan is an ancient Daoist philosophical term symbolizing the interaction of yin and yang. The classic round black and white symbol. Opposite manifestations of the forces in nature. The changing of all things. In the classic “Taiji” diagram, where Taiji can be translated as “grand extreme” and “quan” meaning basically fist or boxing. So essentially, “Grand extreme boxing.” And it’s very important to think about yin and yang as complimentary opposites. Each gives birth to the other. The essential teaching here is that hardness comes from softness, and speed comes from stillness. There is much, much more to Taijiquan, but these are important basics.
Variations of T’ai Chi and Qigong
There are many variations of T’ai Chi and Qi Gong around the world. They all originated in ancient China long ago— and both serving a cohesive, yet different purpose.
T’ai Chi—has many definitions, descriptions, and meanings around the world, with varying stories, traditions, and beliefs, but primarily all tend to point to the same thing. And although principally the same, even in its traditional Chinese roots there is a great deal of variance among its own history. Keeping in mind that as time goes on and styles evolve, slight variations occur thus affecting the accuracy of (THE) meaning. But principally it is all the same.
T’ai Chi been said and taught that it originated first as a healing art. Slow movements, light touch, and energy cultivation behind the art of Qigong. Qigong is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance Qi. Qi is a concept from traditional Chinese culture that roughly means vital energy, information, breath, life energy or spirit, among other definitions‚ but primarily think of it as energy—the energy in all things.
“Gong," although translated in many ways, in Gong Fu (or Kung Fu as said in many American cultures), as well as in Qigong, generally means “cultivation” or “mastery.” But as my teacher has taught, Gong has a much broader and special, deeper meaning. I am only focusing here on the basics.
Qigong practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. People practice qigong throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventive medicine, self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation, self-cultivation, and training for martial arts.
And while there are many studies linking wellness to these traditions, there are equally as many studies showing there is no affect. So it ultimately is left to personal belief— after all, your truth and my truth may be different than the real and actual truth!
Me personally, I believe whole heartedly behind it and its affects on our spirit, soul, and body—as well as the affect it has on others. It’s no secret that that (1) everything is made of mysterious energy, (2) movement is a vital part of human existence and health—which in includes flexibility, strength, balance, and motion, and (3) the spiritual component of the human condition is mysterious, factual, and easily affected by positive and negative thought patterns, practices, methods, etc… All of these things go hand in hand.
So Qigong and T’ai Chi, for me especially, play an important role in bettering my Self as well as in helping others. Both work together FIRST as an internal art or practice—developing vital energy and spirit from the universal, earthly, or Godly spirit (or Chi, Qi, Dao, etc…). External power—which can be impressive, is merely a way to exert, express, and impove physical energy, strengthen and improve cardiovascular, ligament, tendon, and muscle wellness—as well as martial art skill. The ancient teachers, and even my current friend and master teacher will always teach non-violence, and not focus on the “fighting skill.” Not to use it as a “kicking ass” technique. In fact, most good teachers won’t even accept students like this, and this practice moves you much farther away from the true and deeper skills.
Think of T’ai Chi and Qigong as a very special, ancient body, mind, and spiritual practice that can contribute to nurturing, development, and training the best version of yourself.
Historically speaking, Confucianism may have used it to promote longevity and improve moral character. In Daoism and Buddhism as part of meditative practice, and in Chinese martial arts to enhance self defending abilities. Traditionally, qigong was taught by master to students through training and oral transmission, with an emphasis on meditative practice by scholars and gymnastic or dynamic practice by the working masses. It became— and still is, a very important part of Chinese culture, as well as making its way around the world.
As moving meditation, qigong practice typically coordinates slow stylized movement, deep diaphragmatic breathing, and calm mental focus, with visualization of guiding qi through the body. While implementation details vary, generally qigong forms can be characterized as a mix of four types of practice: dynamic, static, meditative, and activities requiring external aids.
Qigong forms and practice
There are numerous qigong forms. Roughly 75+ ancient forms from what I could find, that can be found in ancient literature and also roughly 56+ common or contemporary forms have been described in a qigong compendium and literature. The list is by no means exhaustive. Many contemporary forms were developed by people who had recovered from their illness after qigong practice.
Most of the qigong forms come under the following categories: Medical qigong, Martial qigong, Spiritual qigong, Intellectual qigong, and Life nourishing qigong. Some forms include (but certainly not limited to) Health Qigong Muscle-Tendon Change Classic (Health Qigong Yì Jīn Jīng), Health Qigong Five Animals Frolics (Health qigong Wu Qin Xi), Health Qigong Six Healing Sounds (Health Qigong Liu Zi Jue) and Health Qigong Eight Pieces of Brocade (Health Qigong Ba Duan Jin).
Techniques of QiGong
The most advanced practice is generally considered to be with little or no motion. Whether viewed from the perspective of exercise, health, philosophy, or martial arts training, several main principles emerge concerning the practice of qigong:
Intentional movement: careful, flowing balanced style
Rhythmic breathing: slow, deep, coordinated with fluid movement
Awareness: calm, focused meditative state
Visualization: of qi flow, philosophical tenets, aesthetics
Chanting/Sound: use of sound as a focal point
Softness: soft gaze, gentle, expressionless face
Solid Stance: firm footing, erect spine
Relaxation: relaxed muscles, slightly bent joints
Balance and Counterbalance: motion over the center of gravity
Equanimity: more fluid, more relaxed
Tranquility: empty mind, high awareness
Stillness: smaller and smaller movements, eventually to complete stillness
T’ai Chi forms and practice
Tai chi's formative influences allegedly came from Taoist and Buddhist monasteries. Ways in which locals, families, and individuals could maintain a healthy way of life, as well as protect themselves from factions, armies, or enemies. It was written however, that T’ai Chi’s roots stem from the Chen family village, by Chen Bu, a skilled martial artist. There is a LOT of history here, so I encourage you to read and research further.
While tai chi is typified by its slow movements, many styles (including the three most popular: Yang, Wu and Chen) have secondary, faster-paced forms. Some traditional schools teach partner exercises known as pushing hands, and martial applications of the postures of different forms.
Essentially, T’ai Chi practice combines meditation, movement, push hands, drills, self defense techniques, balance, core work, and forms, as well as a very important aspect of “internal” energy, or mental and spiritual emphasis.
There are basically five major styles of T’ai Chi, named after the Chinese families who originated them:
Chen, Yang, Wu Hao, Wu, and Sun. Each style shares the underlying theory, but their training differs. And dozens of new styles, hybrid styles, and offshoots followed, although the family schools are accepted as standard by the international community.
How T’ai Chi and Qigong relate
Qigong involves coordinated movement, breath, and awareness used for health, meditation, and martial arts. While many scholars and practitioners consider tai chi to be a type of qigong, the two are commonly seen as separate but closely related practices. Qigong plays an important role in training for tai chi. Many tai chi movements are part of qigong practice. The focus of qigong is typically more on health or meditation than martial applications. Internally the main difference is the flow of qi. In qigong, the flow of qi is held at a gate point for a moment to aid the opening and cleansing of the channels as they are called. In tai chi, the flow of qi is continuous, thus allowing the development of power by the practitioner. Again, the emphasis is on the “grand extreme” or opposites. They work together—hand-in-hand, as do most things in life.
If you are interested in a very deep, spiritual, and fascinating mind, body and spiritual practice, I encourage you to look more into Qigong and T’ai Chi. There are hundreds if not thousands of books, movies, videos, and articles on these practices— and endless information online. For me, an absolutely beautiful and honorable part of my own physical and spiritual growth that helps me not only better myself, but to help others achieve their best.
My recommendation would be to start with my teacher, master Yang Yang. He and his teachings can all be found online at https://www.wa-qi.com where you can study, practice and learn from your own home. He also has books and videos available as well. Beyond that— start your journey. Right where you are. One step at a time. And then, grow, learn, and practice— and share that with others.
Please visit https://www.toddszen.com for more
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