Taiji and qigong have a lot in common, including the different way you can spell them.
In this article I'll use Qigong/Chi Kung and Taiji/Tai Chi which are both different spellings for the same thing.
Taiji and qigong also have some important differences as well.
How can you tell which is best for you to practice? Just answer the following three questions: 1.
How much spare time do you have to learn the moves? The major similarity between Taiji and qigong is that they are a composite of form, energy and mind.
This means that gentle external movements (form) are, usually, co-ordinated with the breathing (energy) and performed in a meditative state of mind (mind).
But a Tai Chi set usually consists of 24 to 108 different patterns, where as a qigong set is 3 or 4 patterns.
As a result it takes a lot of time to learn a taiji set.
We're talking in months here.
Because not only do you have to be able to remember 'what comes next?', you also have to be able to move flowingly from one pattern to the next.
Taiji practitioners often dedicate their whole life to mastering a taiji set.
And that's absolutely fine if you are ready to invest the time required.
Because a qigong set has far fewer patterns in it, you can learn it much quicker and easier.
2.
Do you want to learn self defense? Believe it or not and I can understand why you might not if you've watched a Taiji class before.
But Taiji or Taijiquan as it is properly known, means 'Supreme Ultimate Fist'.
In the past Taiji was practiced as a martial art that just happened to give health and energy benefits.
Where as today Tai Chi is practiced for its health and energy benefits and sometimes is practiced as a martial art.
Qigong is not a martial art and whilst specialist types of qigong can be used to improve martial arts capabilities it does not offer self defense benefits.
Chi Kung is primarily practiced to improve health, increase energy, develop mental and spiritual cultivation.
3.
Do you enjoy learning complex theory? Because Tai Chi is a Taoist art, its theory is complex and can be very confusing, often deliberately so.
The reason being that such arts where originally taught from master to student face to face.
As a result the students understood what an escoteric term like 'bring qi to the dan tien' meant and more importantly they knew how to do it.
When you consider that such knowledge was highly prized and often gained at great personal sacrifice it was important to keep it secret.
So that even if sacred texts fell into the wrong hands, only the initiated could properly understand and apply the concepts.
There are a lot of very complex theories to be mastered if you wish to become a Taiji master and they can only be learned and applied when learned from a master of those theories.
Such masters have always been rare and hard to find.
Qigong theory on the other hand is relatively simple when compared to Taiji.
From the Chi Kung perspective there is only 1 illness and this illness is a problem of energy.
Illness, irrespective of what title we might give it is considered to be caused by blockages to harmonious energy flow through the energy streams (meridians) of the body.
The practice of Qigong first seeks to remove these blockages and once harmonious energy flow is restored, good health will be restored also.
But that's just the first step.
Once harmonious energy flow is restored qigong then increases the flow of energy and the result is vitality.
The final step of Chi Kung is to develop an abundance of energy and then you have longevity.
Perhaps the greatest asset of qigong is that you don't need to know any theory to be able to benefit from its practice, as long as your practice is correct.
The major difference between Taiji and qigong is that Taiji can be used for self defense if taught properly, where as qigong cannot.
If self defense is not important to you then the best way to decide between practicing Tai Chi or Chi Kung is by asking yourself how much time you can dedicate to practicing.
If you don't have lots of spare time then Chi Kung may be the better option for you.
If you're still in doubt then the very best idea is to attend a Taiji and Qigong class and see which you prefer.
Trust your instincts on this decision.
In this article I'll use Qigong/Chi Kung and Taiji/Tai Chi which are both different spellings for the same thing.
Taiji and qigong also have some important differences as well.
How can you tell which is best for you to practice? Just answer the following three questions: 1.
How much spare time do you have to learn the moves? The major similarity between Taiji and qigong is that they are a composite of form, energy and mind.
This means that gentle external movements (form) are, usually, co-ordinated with the breathing (energy) and performed in a meditative state of mind (mind).
But a Tai Chi set usually consists of 24 to 108 different patterns, where as a qigong set is 3 or 4 patterns.
As a result it takes a lot of time to learn a taiji set.
We're talking in months here.
Because not only do you have to be able to remember 'what comes next?', you also have to be able to move flowingly from one pattern to the next.
Taiji practitioners often dedicate their whole life to mastering a taiji set.
And that's absolutely fine if you are ready to invest the time required.
Because a qigong set has far fewer patterns in it, you can learn it much quicker and easier.
2.
Do you want to learn self defense? Believe it or not and I can understand why you might not if you've watched a Taiji class before.
But Taiji or Taijiquan as it is properly known, means 'Supreme Ultimate Fist'.
In the past Taiji was practiced as a martial art that just happened to give health and energy benefits.
Where as today Tai Chi is practiced for its health and energy benefits and sometimes is practiced as a martial art.
Qigong is not a martial art and whilst specialist types of qigong can be used to improve martial arts capabilities it does not offer self defense benefits.
Chi Kung is primarily practiced to improve health, increase energy, develop mental and spiritual cultivation.
3.
Do you enjoy learning complex theory? Because Tai Chi is a Taoist art, its theory is complex and can be very confusing, often deliberately so.
The reason being that such arts where originally taught from master to student face to face.
As a result the students understood what an escoteric term like 'bring qi to the dan tien' meant and more importantly they knew how to do it.
When you consider that such knowledge was highly prized and often gained at great personal sacrifice it was important to keep it secret.
So that even if sacred texts fell into the wrong hands, only the initiated could properly understand and apply the concepts.
There are a lot of very complex theories to be mastered if you wish to become a Taiji master and they can only be learned and applied when learned from a master of those theories.
Such masters have always been rare and hard to find.
Qigong theory on the other hand is relatively simple when compared to Taiji.
From the Chi Kung perspective there is only 1 illness and this illness is a problem of energy.
Illness, irrespective of what title we might give it is considered to be caused by blockages to harmonious energy flow through the energy streams (meridians) of the body.
The practice of Qigong first seeks to remove these blockages and once harmonious energy flow is restored, good health will be restored also.
But that's just the first step.
Once harmonious energy flow is restored qigong then increases the flow of energy and the result is vitality.
The final step of Chi Kung is to develop an abundance of energy and then you have longevity.
Perhaps the greatest asset of qigong is that you don't need to know any theory to be able to benefit from its practice, as long as your practice is correct.
The major difference between Taiji and qigong is that Taiji can be used for self defense if taught properly, where as qigong cannot.
If self defense is not important to you then the best way to decide between practicing Tai Chi or Chi Kung is by asking yourself how much time you can dedicate to practicing.
If you don't have lots of spare time then Chi Kung may be the better option for you.
If you're still in doubt then the very best idea is to attend a Taiji and Qigong class and see which you prefer.
Trust your instincts on this decision.