Qi Gong vs. Tai Chi: What’s the Difference?
When you mention Qi Gong to someone who isn’t too familiar with the practice, you’ll sometimes get the response, “Oh Qi Gong, isn’t that kind of like Tai Chi?” The conversation continues and brings up another question: “So, what is the difference between Qi Gong and Tai Chi?” Most Qi Gong practitioners get this question all the time.
This post discusses the similarities and differences between the two practices. It’s an excellent resource if you’re trying to decide which practice to pursue.
The Origin of Qi Gong and Tai Chi
Qi Gong was developed by Taoist sages in ancient China between 3000 and 5000 years ago. Like many ancient cultures, they realized that each person has an invisible, life-force energy inside them. They called this energy Qi (pronounced “chee”). Qi Gong is the practice of cultivating that energy.
In ancient times, Qi Gong was widely used for many of the same reasons we practice it today — to cultivate physical vitality, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual clarity. The three most common types of Qi Gong are medical Qi Gong, spiritual Qi Gong, and martial Qi Gong. However, with so many possible applications, there are over 3000 different kinds of Qi Gong.
Tai Chi originated as a martial form of Qi Gong between 700 and 1500 years ago. It is based on the same understanding of Qi and operates with similar principles. Therefore, many of the practices in Tai Chi resemble those of Qi Gong.
Both Qi Gong and Tai Chi work with the internal energy of the body by using movement practices and meditation. Since body-awareness is an essential element of both practices, the movements are slow and meditative. Mind and body work together in each to benefit the whole.
These remarkable similarities are what often cause confusion between Qi Gong and Tai Chi. In both practices, you seek to increase energy, deepen relaxation, and find your flow state. The differences between the two lie in the intention of your practice, and how you seek to apply the energy and flow state that you cultivate.
Differences Between Qi Gong and Tai Chi
Qi Gong is practiced for a wide variety of reasons while Tai Chi is much more specific. Instead of offering 3000 different kinds of practices, Tai Chi has only five different styles. All of the styles of Tai Chi fall under the “martial” category of Qi Gong.
Because of its specificity, Tai Chi is thought of as a more contained and well-defined practice. Traditionally, people practiced Tai Chi as part of martial arts training. However, it also is commonly learned with the intention of relieving stress, cultivating energy, and improving health. One of the wonderful things about Tai Chi is that as long as you are practicing based on the core principles, it will deliver all three of its primary benefits — meditative, martial, and medical benefits.
In almost all cases, Qi Gong is an easier practice to learn. With simpler, repeating movements, a novice practitioner can memorize a new routine rather quickly. This makes Qi Gong more accessible to people who don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to an extensive training and practice.
On the other hand, in Tai Chi, you practice a longer set of movements that are more complex and have less repetition per movement. In many cases, it can take up to six months or a year to memorize a full sequence that you can then practice on your own. This also means that it can take a lot longer to really start to experience the positive benefits of Tai Chi.
Obviously, Qi Gong is much different. Anyone who’s done a Qi Gong class before knows that it only takes a few minutes to fall into a deep state of relaxation and have an experience of Qi.
Although Tai Chi takes considerably more work to learn, the effort is not without its advantages. As a martial art, Tai Chi constantly requires you to focus on postural alignment and body mechanics to a very high degree. This invites the practitioner to constantly align and refine your technique and posture. The level of discipline and consistent practice carries over into many aspects of life, and helps to cultivate holistic strength, balance, and resilience.
Similar benefits can be experienced with Qi Gong, but only with specific practices and the right discipline. Since Qi Gong is a much more broad and accessible practice, most practitioners will not delve into a specific aspect with the same focus and directedness that many Tai Chi students adhere to. Qi Gong practitioners often prefer to make good use of the practice’s wide versatility and try routines that reflect a variety of intentions.
Choosing a Practice for Yourself
All of these differences make either practice a wise choice. Someone who is interested in immersing themselves in a more specific and rigorous path may choose Tai Chi for the health or martial benefits. Someone who wants a more accessible practice that has a wider breadth of opportunity may prefer Qi Gong. And of course, some people may want to practice both.
Like all decisions, the right path for you is completely dependent on your own self and situation. What are you seeking? What are your values for your practice? How much time and energy do you have to dedicate to a practice? Do you want to delve deep into one contained practice or be expansive into many?
It may also be the case that one practice is right at one stage of your life, and another serves you better at the next stage. There are a lot of factors that contribute to finding the right path for you in the here and now. Whichever practice you are most drawn to, you can feel great knowing that you’re on a path of cultivating your greatest gifts and becoming your best self.
If you found it to be helpful for furthering your understanding of Qi Gong and Tai Chi, then others will too. Please feel free to share this blog post with friends or family. It always feels good to empower those you care about, and it is our hope that articles like this one can contribute to your happiness and wellbeing.
