Abstract: Tai Chi and Yoga, as two major oriental fitness programs, are being presented to the world with vigorous vitality and infinite charm, and have become popular fitness programs. The movement characteristics and movement requirements of Tai Chi and Yoga are explained, and the health-preserving principles of Tai Chi and Yoga are compared.

1, Movement characteristics and movement requirements of Tai Chi and Yoga

    The movement characteristics of Tai Chi can be summarized into four points: relaxed and soft, coherent and uniform, round and natural, coordinated and complete. The whole set of movements is relaxed and soft, like flowing clouds and water, continuous, and can make all joints move. Round and natural means that the whole body should relax and do circular movements, and exercise according to the natural bending state of each joint of the human body, so that all parts of the body can be soft, round and evenly developed. Coordinated development requires Tai Chi to train tendons, bones, and skin externally; and to train essence, qi, and spirit internally.

    Yoga movements are slow-paced and can fully mobilize the subjective initiative of practitioners, allowing them to change from passive to active, and from material to spiritual; the movements also need to be coordinated with breathing and thoughts at any time, organically combining relaxation, posture, breathing, and meditation, and achieving harmony between the body and mind through thoughts. The variety of yoga postures and asanas is to imitate various animal postures to achieve exercise effects, which have effects on all systems of the body, can mobilize the physiological potential of the human body, and exert the regulatory mechanism between psychology, physiology, and morphology.

    2, Yoga attaches importance to the balance of yin and yang as Tai Chi

    (I) “Yin and Yang” of Yoga

    1, “Hatha” means yin and yang. There are many schools of yoga, and the most popular one today is Hatha Yoga, which focuses on breathing and asanas. “Hatha” means sun and moon. Hatha Yoga means that yin and yang are combined to achieve balance, so as to maintain an ideal health condition. When practicing yoga asanas, the left-right symmetry of the movements and the combination of the two hands also contain the theory of yin and yang balance. Moreover, the practice of Hatha Yoga postures also emphasizes the combination of movement and stillness. There is stillness in movement and movement in stillness. Stillness produces Yin, and movement produces Yang. Hardness and softness complement each other, and Yin and Yang complement each other, thus maintaining the health of the human body.

    2, Yin and Yang in the Hatha Yoga system. Hatha Yoga believes that the human body is composed of a mental system and a physical system. Most of people’s ordinary mental activities are a waste of energy. For example, fatigue, excitement, sadness, excitement, etc. Under normal circumstances, if this phenomenon is not too serious, the balance can be restored through rest. If this imbalance becomes increasingly serious, it will lead to imbalance between Yin and Yang, and the mind and body will be infected with diseases.

      (II) “Yin and Yang” in Tai Chi

      1, Yin and Yang is the theoretical basis of Tai Chi. The Yin and Yang theory believes that all things in nature have two opposing aspects of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are both opposite and unified; Yin and Yang are interdependent, and neither side can exist independently from the other; and Yin and Yang are always in constant motion and change, and there is a “balance of growth and decline” between Yin and Yang; under certain conditions, Yin can be transformed into Yang, and Yang can also be transformed into Yin.

      2. The Yin-Yang theory is the foundation of Tai Chi. The Tai Chi diagram is actually a microcosm of the combination of Tai Chi and the Yin-Yang theory, which means the opposition and unity of Yin and Yang. In every move and posture of Tai Chi, both arms must be moved at the same time, divided into Yin and Yang, and transformed into each other. The opening and closing of Tai Chi is Yang, and the closing and emptiness are Yin. Yin generates Yang, and Yang generates Yin. Tai Chi combines movement and stillness, hardness and softness, and virtuality and reality, which are integrated into the movements of Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou, and Kao, all of which contain the theory of Yin-Yang theory. The highest realm pursued by Tai Chi practitioners is “extremely soft and hard, hardness and softness complement each other, and Yin and Yang exist”, which is enough to show how perfectly the Yin-Yang theory is combined with Tai Chi.

      3, The Meridian Principle of Yoga and Tai Chi

      (I) The Meridian Principle of Yoga

      The Yoga “Three Channels and Seven Chakras” theory believes that everyone has an internal energy system in their body, called the spirit body, which consists of: 3 meridians (central channel, right channel, left channel), 7 energy centers (root chakra, reproductive chakra, navel chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, brow chakra, crown chakra), and five qi (vital qi, ascending qi, parallel qi, descending qi, and pervasive qi). Through practice, the Kundalini energy is awakened. The seven chakras of yoga are the “meridians” of traditional Chinese medicine, corresponding to the Ren channel in the middle of the front of the human body and the Du channel in the middle of the back. The three meridians of yoga are the “collaterals” of traditional Chinese medicine.

      During yoga meditation, the thumbs and index fingers of both hands intersect, which coincides with the meridian circulation of the hand Taiyin lung meridian and the hand Yangming large intestine meridian. The lung meridian and the large intestine meridian are exterior-interior relationships, and are interconnected with the large intestine meridian. During yoga meditation, the combination of hand gestures and breathing can achieve unexpected effects of dredging meridians and collaterals. Moreover, during yoga practice, the tongue pressing against the palate can connect the Ren and Du meridians. Therefore, yoga practice can clear the meridians, calm people’s minds, inhale oxygen, expel carbon dioxide, produce physical and mental health, and purify the left and right meridians.

      (II) The “meridian principle” of Tai Chi

      The meridian system is composed of crisscrossing meridians and collaterals and numerous acupuncture points distributed on them. The abdominal rumbling and numbness of the fingertips that appear after practicing Tai Chi for a certain period of time are the manifestations of the smoothness of the human body’s meridians. First of all, Tai Chi’s “dominance in the waist”, “empty spirit and top strength, qi sinking into the dantian” are important methods for exercising the Ren, Du, Dai and Chong meridians. The waist is relaxed and upright, and the slight rotation drives the movement of the upper and lower limbs, which not only exercises the Ren and Du meridians, but also expands the Dai meridian. Secondly, the “tailbone is straight” of Tai Chi. When practicing forward, backward, left or right, always pay attention to the loose, sinking and upright “Changqiang acupoint”. “Changqiang acupoint” is the meridian of the Governor Vessel, not the Ren Vessel. Therefore, while paying attention to “Changqiang acupoint”, the continuous operation and squeezing of “Changqiang acupoint” in the whole set of boxing can connect the two meridians. Thirdly, the “winding movement, moving through the four extremities” of Tai Chi requires the movement to be spiral and arc-shaped, becoming a circular movement, so that the muscle fibers, ligaments, and joints can be exercised in uniform and continuous repeated rotations, adjusting breathing, unblocking qi and blood, and flowing through the limbs to achieve the purpose of strengthening the body.

      4, the “Qi and Blood” Principle of Yoga and Tai Chi

      (I) “Qi and Blood” of Yoga

      Yoga exercise can regulate the Yingwei Qi and Blood. When the human body is deficient in Qi and Blood, insufficient Yang Qi, sparse pores, and Wei Yang is not solid, wind, cold and dampness can easily invade and cause neck, shoulder, waist and leg pain. All pains are caused by stagnation of Qi and blood. Excessive exertion can cause blood congestion and blood stasis. If the heart Qi is insufficient, blood flow is not smooth, and blood stasis occurs, blood stasis can also occur. If the blood stasis is in the waist, pain will arise. Therefore, neck, shoulder, waist and leg pain are closely related to liver and kidney deficiency, insufficient Qi, Qi and blood stasis, wind, cold and dampness, and excessive fatigue. Yoga breathing exercises can regulate the human body’s Qi. And posture exercises can play the role of Chinese medicine massage, massage, functional exercise, etc., to relieve fatigue and promote the purpose of blood supply throughout the body.

      (II) “Qi and Blood” of Tai Chi

      When practicing Tai Chi, the whole body is relaxed and the forward and reverse winding silk is changed. The movements require softness and toughness, and are full of toughness, so that all the large and small muscle groups and joints of the whole body are exercised, producing the effect of dredging the meridians and smoothing the Qi and blood. When practicing boxing, the inner mind and qi move, while the outer mind and qi move. “As long as the mind moves, the qi moves, and as long as the qi moves, the strength moves.” You can “use qi to move the body.” The “mind” controls the “qi” as the “mind.” The “qi” refers to the information transmitted from the higher centers through nerve and humoral regulation, regulating the supply of nutrients in the body. Using qi to move the body refers to the information and energy regulated by nerves and humors supplied to the body and limbs, so that they produce corresponding metabolic changes and movement changes. It can be said that “where the qi moves, the strength moves.”

      5. Conclusion of Tai Chi and Yoga

      To sum up, Tai Chi and Yoga, as two emerging fitness programs in the East, have similarities in fitness. However, they have a very close connection in traditional Chinese medicine. They are both methods of strengthening the body that conform to the laws of human physiology. They are multifunctional and high-value sports and medical care programs.