Tai Chi or Qi Gong | What is better?

Would you like to know whether Tai Chi or Qi Gong is better for you? In this video I explain how you can find out which system suits you better!
"David, what's actually better? Tai Chi or Qi Gong?” This video gives you an overview of both systems.
I have been training Tai Chi myself since 1991 and, in addition to the Yang style, I also got to know the Chen style and the Wudang style. Each of these Tai Chi styles also has Qi Gong exercises. E.g. the 24 health exercises. In addition, I got to know various Qi Gong exercise series. These include the "Eight Brocades" and also the 18 Qi Gong exercises.
Let's start with the obvious. The movements we see. In Qi Gong there are thousands of movements, some even say there are thousands of styles. The movements are usually performed while standing and they are repeated several times, e.g. 10 x left, then 10 x right.
The movements in Tai Chi can be very similar, sometimes even the same, but they are combined into a so-called form. This means that a movement flows smoothly into a new movement. The movements in tai chi also have a meaning that is rooted in the tradition of tai chi.
Qi Gong is thousands of years old. According to legend, Tai Chi originated in the 13th century. You see, Qi Gong is much older than Tai Chi.
Qi Gong was developed to help people stay and become healthy. From the beginning it was a health system, part of TCM, traditional Chinese medicine.
Tai Chi was originally a martial art. According to legend, Chan Zangfeng watched a fight between a crane and a snake or turtle.
Tai Chi and Qi Gong have their roots in Taoism: Qi Gong as a system of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Tai Chi as an internal martial art. This is not a contradiction. In a traditional image, a good doctor can wield the acupuncture needle as well as the sword.
The goal of Tai Chi is to train the practitioner in combat. The movements in the Tai Chi form are a series of attack and defense techniques. After the martial arts lost their military value, Tai Chi was no longer kept secret but was taught publicly. And with that, its position as a healthcare system also came to the fore. Most people today practice Tai Chi to improve or maintain their health. Unfortunately, the aspect of martial arts is too often lost. But this is what makes Tai Chi so unique as a stress management system. That too is a topic for another video.
The goal of Qi Gong is to maintain your own health with movements and breathing techniques and thus to prolong life. The life energy “Qi” is in harmony in a healthy body. Yin and Yang are balanced. In the case of complaints or illnesses, yin and yang are no longer in balance. Qi Gong aims to balance these energetic imbalances as early as possible.
One could say that with Tai Chi and Qi Gong you build up inner strength to strengthen your health. In Tai Chi, this power was originally used to be a better fighter.
Qi Gong is a generic term for a very large number of individual breathing exercises. Individual exercises are often combined into a set, e.g. B. There is “The Game of the Five Animals. The exercises are usually performed while standing, but also while sitting or lying down. The practitioner combines the movement with a high level of mindfulness and a specific breathing. The movements are repeated several times.
Tai Chi is a diverse and extensive martial arts system that consists of meditation, silent Qi Gong, e.g. the standing column and moving Qi Gong, e.g. the silk exercises, the Tai Chi forms, there are hand forms, weapon forms and partner forms and partner exercises. It is thus a complete and self-contained combat and health system. The central element of Tai Chi is the hand form, a series of slowly executed movements that flow into one another and combine into a seemingly endless flow of movements. If you want to try it yourself, just start with my mini-course.
Today, the biggest difference between Tai Chi and Qi Gong is the variety of exercise options.
The health effects of Tai Chi and Chi Gong are based on the same principles. There are hardly any differences here. Keep the movements smooth, move out of the core, and so on. Both systems serve to maintain and improve health. They are both practices. In order for them to work, you should train them regularly. Ideally, they have a preventive effect, but they can also help to alleviate or completely eliminate certain symptoms.
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