hi im new here and was wondering what every one thought of combining yoga with tai chi it was something that just entered my head and thought id ask what people think smiles…and any adivce for me as i wish to start yoga and learn as much as i can about it…many thanks cori 
What style of Taiji, what lineage and how long have you been training it?
Combining it how?
It is “okay” to do whatever you wish in addition to your yoga practice. However Yoga itself is a complete system. If you enjoy both, do both. But there’s no need to “improve” on yoga nor dilute it.
okies and thank you both smiles and like i said im researching as much as i can both yoga and ta chi both interest me for simular reasons speaking of yoga which type would u suggest for me to try out as there are a few different kinds
Try them all. From as many instructors as possible.
ok thank you very much smiles
I’m trying to learn Yang Short Form from Terrence Dunn on the DVD.
I sometimes incorporate Qi Gong stuff from the standing position when I do asana.
Do Vinyasa to the sitting in the morning.
Do Tai Chi form to slow yogasana to the sitting in the evening.
sounds like a gd idea to me thank you scales i apreciate the info
Presuming we are talking about asana when referring to yoga…
There are all sorts of yoga. There’s yoga where it is so hot that you will perspire profusely for 90 minutes. There is yoga where you will barely move. There is yoga that is fast and hurried. There is yoga laughing and there is yogalates and iron yoga and so on.
So ‘how do I know?’ is a very valid question.
What I suggest is that you first determine your intention for the practice. Is it to aggrandize your ego, be slim, embody a narrow definition of “fit”, compete, evolve, or simply move your body. Until there is that clarity it is nearly impossible to accurately find the right fit - though accidents happen.
Then I suggest you find the three closest yoga studios and make an internal commitment to your intention and the practice through which you will pursue it. Call each of the studios and ask about the training of their teachers, their continued education, the mission of the studio’s teachings (one consistent thread or a potpourri that caters to the whims of the day). Feel the conversation and energy from the studios and you will likely have one resonate with you.
Go to that studio, take about 8 classes with three different teachers, then feel the residue of the practice by sitting quietly after. Again if there’s resonance you will know (only by feeling) and that will be the place for you to study, for now.
“Instead of digging many shallow wells,” said Ramkrishna Paramhansji, “dig one deep enough to get immersed.”
Time permitting, one can always work on the second and life permitting, even innovate a corridor between the two.
thank you all so much this info is really helpful and given me lots to think about and digest smiles…i meditate quite abit and was thinking bout doing yoga to help find more inner peace and a deeper level become more intune with my body and self smiles so thank you all for ur advice and help
corina
The reason I asked my above question was because one could, in early stages interfere with the other depending on the depth you wish to go in either system and as InnerAthlete said
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;49430]Combining it how?
It is “okay” to do whatever you wish in addition to your yoga practice. [B]However Yoga itself is a complete system. If you enjoy both, do both. But there’s no need to “improve” on yoga nor dilute it[/B].[/QUOTE]
It is ok to do both if you wish but both are complete systems that are not in need of improvement and should that be diluted.
The reason I asked lineage and style tells me more about what your taiji is about and where it can go or where it should go.
I myself am much more of taijiquan person than a Yoga person. This is not to say I feel one is better than the other because I do not feel that way at all. It is to say that Taijiquan just fits me better
ah ok thank you for breaking it down for me im not sure what type of tai chi it is as i use youtube as a guidline to follow tai chi makes me feel calm at peace relaxed almost like a secret world i can escape to and feel safe weird as it might sound and i like yoga not for slimming or any thing but being one and intune with my body to feel connected in a deeper way on a higher level if that makes sense
[QUOTE=Yulaw;49511]corina
The reason I asked my above question was because one could, in early stages interfere with the other depending on the depth you wish to go in either system and as InnerAthlete said
It is ok to do both if you wish but both are complete systems that are not in need of improvement and should that be diluted.
The reason I asked lineage and style tells me more about what your taiji is about and where it can go or where it should go.
I myself am much more of taijiquan person than a Yoga person. This is not to say I feel one is better than the other because I do not feel that way at all. It is to say that Taijiquan just fits me better[/QUOTE]
Dayum. Me too. Yogasana has its benefits but with the Taijiquan form I get all kinds of tingly almost immediatly and can feel the energy ball if i’m relaxed and Concentrating.
Plus Taijiquan is also a martial art. Yogasana isn’t. Yogasana can be learnt fairly quickly - Taijiquan not so much.
I wouldn’t say study and practice of one would dilute the other. Rather the opposite. This is my experience.
Thematically I see them as similar.
So . . . What style of Taiji, what lineage and how long have you been training it?
[QUOTE=The Scales;49516]Dayum. Me too. Yogasana has its benefits but with the Taijiquan form I get all kinds of tingly almost immediatly and can feel the energy ball if i’m relaxed and Concentrating.
Plus Taijiquan is also a martial art. Yogasana isn’t. Yogasana can be learnt fairly quickly - Taijiquan not so much.
I wouldn’t say study and practice of one would dilute the other. Rather the opposite. This is my experience.
Thematically I see them as similar.
So . . . What style of Taiji, what lineage and how long have you been training it?[/QUOTE]
20 years, Yang Style, Lineage: Chen Changxing > Yang Luchan > Yang Jianhou > Yang Cheng Fu > Tung Ying Chieh > my Yang style sifu > me
I also studied Chen Style but nowhere near as long but for at least part of that I briefly trained with Chen Zhenglei. However I would not claim any lineage to the Chen family since it was so brief and I was never told I was part of it.
I feel that Yoga can compliment Taiji and vice versa, if done correctly. But I also feel you need a rather solid base in one before you start the other.
[QUOTE=Yulaw;49521]20 years, Yang Style, Lineage: Chen Changxing > Yang Luchan > Yang Jianhou > Yang Cheng Fu > Tung Ying Chieh > my Yang style sifu > me
I also studied Chen Style but nowhere near as long but for at least part of that I briefly trained with Chen Zhenglei. However I would not claim any lineage to the Chen family since it was so brief and I was never told I was part of it.
I feel that Yoga can compliment Taiji and vice versa, if done correctly. [B]But I also feel you need a rather solid base in one before you start the other.[/B][/QUOTE]
Agreed.
Can you tell me about your practice? Can you generate Jing? I’m a total noobie with this Taijichuan stuff, but I feel I’ve got a head start in it due to the background in yoga.
I’ve read an introductory book on the subject by Bruce Frantzis.
I have Shambala Suns “the essence of Tai Chi” by Waysun Liao.
I learned the Yang Short form (at least I thought i did) from a VHS tape I checked out of the library for a while…
Learned some more about QI Gong and taijichuan from some Gaiam Videos.
Got Terrence Dunns Yang Short form. It was certainly a surprise when I realized the VHS tape I checked out of the library (again and again) to learn the Yang Short Form only covered the first 15 ‘movements’ - out of 50! :eek:
There I was thinking I mastered the whole short form from the tape and - uh -a no.
[QUOTE=The Scales;49522]Agreed.
Can you tell me about your practice? Can you generate Jing? I’m a total noobie with this Taijichuan stuff, but I feel I’ve got a head start in it due to the background in yoga.
I’ve read an introductory book on the subject by Bruce Frantzis.
I have Shambala Suns “the essence of Tai Chi” by Waysun Liao.
I learned the Yang Short form (at least I thought i did) from a VHS tape I checked out of the library for a while…
Learned some more about QI Gong and taijichuan from some Gaiam Videos.
Got Terrence Dunns Yang Short form. It was certainly a surprise when I realized the VHS tape I checked out of the library (again and again) to learn the Yang Short Form only covered the first 15 ‘movements’ - out of 50! :eek:
There I was thinking I mastered the whole short form from the tape and - uh -a no.[/QUOTE]
The Yang Short form is actually not from the Yang Family. It is a form that was designed by Li Tanji who was more of a Xingyiquan guy than a Taijiquan guy but he did train a bit with Yang Chengfu. It is a nice form and it was the first form I learned from my first sifu, and I still do it from time to time, however my Yang sifu does not know it since all he ever trained was traditional a Yang style.
The best way to go with Taiji is work on the form and everything else will follow. If at all possible I recommend finding a sifu to train with. But in liu of that you might want to look to a book and DVD by Liang Shouyu
Book: Tai Chi Chuan: 24 & 48 Postures with Martial Applications
DVD: Simplified Tai chi Chuan with Applications (YMAA) (2005)
Qigong however is a lot harder than most realize, but a good starting point is a book by Yang Jwing Ming
Book: The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets of Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment
It is more like a Qigong text book
[QUOTE=Yulaw;49523]The Yang Short form is actually not from the Yang Family. It is a form that was designed by Li Tanji who was more of a Xingyiquan guy than a Taijiquan guy but he did train a bit with Yang Chengfu. It is a nice form and it was the first form I learned from my first sifu, and I still do it from time to time, however my Yang sifu does not know it since all he ever trained was traditional a Yang style.
The best way to go with Taiji is work on the form and everything else will follow. If at all possible I recommend finding a sifu to train with. But in liu of that you might want to look to a book and DVD by Liang Shouyu
Book: Tai Chi Chuan: 24 & 48 Postures with Martial Applications
DVD: Simplified Tai chi Chuan with Applications (YMAA) (2005)
Qigong however is a lot harder than most realize, but a good starting point is a book by Yang Jwing Ming
Book: The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets of Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment
It is more like a Qigong text book[/QUOTE]
Thanks Dude. I made note of your suggestions.
i got to thinking . . . most Westerners think of Yoga as the “Funny Indian Exercise Stretching System” where as I think of yoga as Raja.
Its not so much the asana or funny breathing exercises but the sitting that strengthens and DEEPENS the practice of Tai Chi.
If you just learned the form and did no meditation I don’t think it would be Tai Chi. In the same way asana by itself isn’t yoga.
I think it’s important to learn chi kung and tai chi from an adept instructor. The primary reason for this is stance difficulty - many people completely ruin their knees by approximating what they think they’re seeing.
I imagine these instructors are few and far between. The nuances of the movement must be evaluated by someone with an actual knowledge of the practice.
I’m incorporating yoga into my life. I’d say I’m at an early intermediate level learning the 48 move Chen form, as well as chi kung. Chi kung is a lot more accessible I feel than tai chi, although the really potent practitioners are still more difficult to find than “Bob’s Qigong and Tae Kwon Do Shack”.
[QUOTE=The Scales;49784]Thanks Dude. I made note of your suggestions.
i got to thinking . . . most Westerners think of Yoga as the “Funny Indian Exercise Stretching System” where as I think of yoga as Raja.
Its not so much the asana or funny breathing exercises but the sitting that strengthens and DEEPENS the practice of Tai Chi.
If you just learned the form and did no meditation I don’t think it would be Tai Chi. In the same way asana by itself isn’t yoga.[/QUOTE]
Your Welcome
Most westerners miss the point of Taijiquan too. And in the beginning in Taiji it is best to focus on form to learn and understand the form and the rest will follow
[QUOTE=AthMJ;49848]I think it’s important to learn chi kung and tai chi from an adept instructor. The primary reason for this is stance difficulty - many people completely ruin their knees by approximating what they think they’re seeing.
I imagine these instructors are few and far between. The nuances of the movement must be evaluated by someone with an actual knowledge of the practice.
I’m incorporating yoga into my life. I’d say I’m at an early intermediate level learning the 48 move Chen form, as well as chi kung. Chi kung is a lot more accessible I feel than tai chi, although the really potent practitioners are still more difficult to find than “Bob’s Qigong and Tae Kwon Do Shack”.[/QUOTE]
Yup.
A good taiji instructor will also help you with proper breathing as well
A note on Qigong at the more advanced levels of Qigong I highly recommend having a very qualified teacher. Training high levels of qigong with out one can be dangerous, look into something called Qigong psychosis or qigong deviation