What is the difference between Tai Chi and Qigong? Q&A

A member of my YouTube community left the following question on one of my Qigong videos:

Q:

"What [is] the difference between Tai Chi and qigong?"

This question comes up all the time, and understandably so.  These terms are thrown around so frequently among practitioners of these arts that we often lose track of the fact that these are completely new terms to millions of people around the world.  If this is a question you have asked, read my response below:

A:

"That is a great question and it is something that confuses a lot of people. The main difference is the original purpose of each art. Tai Chi was originally created as a martial art for fighting and Qigong developed many different systems for many different reasons. 

Some Qigong systems are meant to help the practitioner improve their health, others were meant to help practitioners develop power so they could be more effective martial artists, others were developed for spiritual pursuits. So, Qigong is meant to accomplish internal energy work and Tai Chi was meant to be a martial art that depends on internal energy work, which means that Tai Chi can also be used for internal energy work. 

As the martial arts use of Tai Chi has become less popular and people have become more interested in using Tai Chi for exercise and health, Tai Chi has taken on more of a Qigong role in popular use. So, Tai Chi can be used as Qigong, but not all Qigong is Tai Chi. The main difference is that the way a person moves while practicing Tai Chi follows very specific guidelines about movement which come from the martial arts heritage of Tai Chi, but those movement principles may or may not be present in a particular Qigong set..."

"Qigong" literally means "energy work" and can include a wide range of practices.  Anything from sitting still and focusing on breathing or moving Qi/energy through the body, to body conditioning techniques that include repeatedly striking or being struck by hard objects, can all fall into the bucket labeled "Qigong".  The important aspect of Qigong is that there is some sort of energy or breath work being done. In other words, they are exercises that include very specific mental intention, which often serves to increase interoception, or awareness within the body, and better control over various aspects of the body. 

"Tai Chi" (the correct pinyin spelling is Taiji) is shorthand for Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan).  The "Chuan" (quan) portion of this name means "fist" and indicates that the subject is a fighting style.  The "Tai Chi" (Taiji) portion of this name roughly refers to the concept of differentiating and integrating opposite energies.  These two "opposite" energies are Yin and Yang and each has characteristics that can be seen as opposite characteristics from the other.  This concept is more involved, but we do not need to go much further into it here.  Integrating Yin and Yang in the body is the basis for Tai Chi movement principles and is very similar to many Qigong practices.  

As I stated in my response above, the primary difference is that Tai Chi movements are based on martial art techniques and require specific movement principles to be in place for the movement to be effective as a martial art technique.  Do to the internal focus present in Tai Chi practice, it can be used as a Qigong practice.  So a majority of Tai Chi practice can fit into the "Qigong Bucket" as well.

You are probably starting to see that the answer is not super straightforward.  The good news is, if you are wanting to practice either Tai Chi or Qigong for wellness, you can use either.  Just be sure to find a good instructor to ensure you avoid injuries or improper training. 

If you do not have a Tai Chi or Qigong instructor in your area, stop by my YouTube channel with over 300 free instruction videos that can help you get started today.