Is Taichi better than Yoga? i'm asking you because i would like to choose the best technique.?
479812
Hello.  I've trained and taught in Tai Chi Chuan since 1993. Tai Chi and yoga are two completely different things.  Because some people use and teach tai chi as a 'moving meditation' people think its the same as yoga.\n\nactually yoga is not a meditation per se.  yoga was used to keep the body stretngthened because of long periods of meditation. \nYou 'can' use meditation in movement but its very different than deeper meditation used in sitting.\nYoga is very good for opening the joints and stretching muscles and tendons and ligaments.\n\nTai Chi Chuan is actually a martial art.  if you find a good teacher you can gain a lot from tai chi.  though many teachers will give a very watered down version of what tai chi is.\nits a martial art. period.  but tai chi is often taught as a 'new age' exercise.  it would be like taking western boxing slowing it down and saying its good for you.\nsure it is but the benefits are not the same as boxing.\nso too real tai chi chuan and 'new age' tai chi are very different.\n i could go on and on but in short  it depends on what you want to achieve.    in closing i could tell you that you could do both tai chi and yoga. they are very good for different things. in both though you will learn balance and lower leg strength...and calming the mind.\nbut thats about it.
1114881
Tae Kwon Do is pretty nasty...it's a little like kickboxing and works alot of muscles.  Apparently, Akita (sp?) is supposed to be a new thing for working out your upper body.  It uses swords.  The examples I saw were more like carved pieces of wood, but the real thing is straight lethal.  Tai Chi is probably your best bet though...look it up and see.  I thin that's what you're looking for though.
730374
You can never tell which one is the best just by saying this is a better art then the other.The arts you are mentioning are very different in style and not to compare with the other.\n\nIt depends a lot on a couple of matters.\n\n1.Everybody is different and has a different way of moving, to find the right martial art for you is just a matter of trying them for a while.\n2. what do you want to reach with the sport, do you want it for self defence, to become fitter and more flexible or to become good in a art.\n3. do you like the classes in the first place, every school and every teacher is different so it has to fit you.\n\n \nThe best thing to do is try all of them for a couple of beginners classes, most of the better schools will recoment that to you any way.\n\nTae kwon do is a fast moving and high kicking art, use to be powerfull and fierce, but lately very focust on competitians mostly( Depends on the school of course)\n\nKung fu can be a very good and fierce way of self defense, but not really easy to learn the basics.\n\nKarate can be a very static way of defending, but happy to say they have very various way of practising it, \nAll of them have many styles so enough to  choose from.\n\nthe problem with all of them is that they do not teach you how to break your fall if you are in a ground fight.\n\nI am a martial arts teacher for 10 years now in 4 different arts.\nKarate, tang soo do, Aikido and tae kwon do.\nI practiced about 10 different arts in a period of 22 years and enjoyed them all.\nI alway recomment my students to combine at least 2 of them to really become self confidence.\n\nMy advice is to look around.\nGood luck and enjoy what ever you choose
93069
It's a good exercise for beginners as long as you start at a beginner level and not with an advanced class. It focuses on slow, controlled movements, breathing, flexibility and balance. It does not burn many calories though if that's your reason for exercise. For more info on Yoga, visit http://www.abc-of-yoga.com
213718
Many things can help: meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, et.  I personally like Taijiquan (Tai Chi).  Find a local practitioner in one of these arts and speak to them.
190183
I'm a beginner as well and I highly recommend www.yogajournal.com. There's a section for beginners that gives you information about yoga, definitions and all that stuff and the section also has a quiz that you can see which type of yoga is best for you. The website also show you how to do many poses.
1133505
The answer would be yes. I think Taichi makes people healthy.
12340
Have you ever considered yoga? It's incredibly beneficial - great exercise, soothing, relaxing, stress relieving, and will help improve confidence and posture. \n\nThere are a LOT of yoga teachers out there these days and a LOT of different styles and teaching techniques. You don't have to go to a touchy-feely, chanting type class if you're not into that sort of thing. There are even classes just for women (in case you're like me and would rather not do downward dog in front of a guy). \n\nI highly recommend taking a class instead of following along with a tape, though. At least to start. There are a lot of subtle adjustments to the postures that help you get the most out of yoga and it's incredibly difficult (maybe impossible) to get that from a tape if you've never had anyone help you with it first.\n\nwww.yogajournal.com is a decent place to do some research, but the nice folks who run it are a little hardcore - there's a lot of lighter yoga out there to start out with. I included a link to the Yoga 101 section in case you're curious!  :)
1070886
I would love to invest more time in both esp. yoga. I work 12-14 hour days 3-4 days a week and I have 2 kids. I'm tired. When I sit down to relax into yoga I usually fall asleep or get so tired, I don't care do do anything. I do love to do it though, if you have any advice email me.
17241
It all depends on what you're looking to gain from participating in a martial art. I prefer Aikido because I think it has the best moral philosophy behind it. The goal in training in Aikido is to be able to diffuse a conflict without bringing harm to yourself or your opponent. This takes an a great deal of skill and training but it is worth it. If you want an art that goes beyond the physical aspects of how to defend yourself and actually makes you a better person mentally, Aikido is the way to go.
292628
Do something YOU like...but I would say, if you're not very active, try yoga.  \nThere is different kind of yoga, so choose the yoga that will fit with you.  You don't need to be very motivated to go to a yoga courses, just take your car and go there, that's it....after that, it's not difficult, you breathe, you move slowly but everything you do is good for your body.  \n\nThe more you practice, the better you will become, the better your focus and concentration will be.  So in a sens, we can say that yoga is meditation also.  Finally, if you think yoga is too difficult for you, try tai chai, it's easier !  \nGood luck !
726466
it's fairly difficult to learn taijiquan or tai chi chuan from the web. still photos and explanitory paragraphs don't really explain how and what to do... videos are much easier to follow, if you don't want to buy one, you should at least check your local public library for any available videos or books on the subject. \n\nhowever here's some sites that have taijiquan forms and how to execute them:\n\nhttp://www.gilmanstudio.com/OnLine_Class/LessonIndex.htm\nhttp://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/longyang.htm#List\nhttp://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/long.html\n\nif you're not familiar with basic movements in tai chi it may be difficult to learn via web or book... \n\nas for exercises i'm not exactly sure what you mean by exercises, taiji has two forms, short form and long form, you practice these complete forms over and over and over and over again, is that what you mean by exercises? \n\ni hope some of this helps, it's a great art, and a invaluable tool for any martial artist, be it internal or external martial arts and i recommend it to all our clients...\n\nif you have anymore questions please feel free to contact me, i'm happy to help!\n\n~*good luck*~
9211
Ayurvedic Medicine is great, I especially love all the uses of natural ingredients.  There are a ton of great book sout there for you to look at.  I would recomment doing that.  \n\nI don't know much about yoga, I have taken a class in it, but I have an Ayurvedic Medicine woman, and she is great.
852597
Yoga is great exercise and an amazing stress release.  It is very relaxing and really teaches you to focus on what you are doing, and your breathing, instead of the outside world.\n\nThe best way to start would be to find a gym or yoga studio with beginners classes.  It is really important to have a good instructor when you first learn so that you don't hurt yourself, and so that you get the most out of the postures.\n\nI was always shocked when I thought I was fully in a pose, and the instructor would walk over and adjust me an inch or two and it was a whole other feeling!!\n\nThe other thing about yoga is - don't rush it.  You can do the same poses for a year and still get the benefit from doing it.  Don't feel like you have to rush from beginner to intermediate in any timeframe.  Once you learn poses in class, try doing just one or two of them at home every day, and you will feel much better.
664822
Yoga is a great way to stretch but it is sooo much more. It builds strength, balance, and spiritual connection. Yoga is the fountain of youth. There are different types of yoga depending on your goals. There are yoga styles with a heated studio like Bikram and Ashtanga which allow you to go really deep into the poses because you are already warmed up. The style I practice is called Anusara which is focused on alignment so the chances of injury are very little. Check with your local studio and make sure your instructor knows about your ability level and any injuries. \nJust to add to the other comments, Pilates is about strengthening your core more than about flexibility. Yoga is better for flexibility.\nNamaste!
467266
yoga would be my suggestion
886903
Try Tai Chi,it`s a bit gentler and has good results.