Tai Chi Chuan (taijiquan) commonly known as Tai Chi is an internal martial art. However, the majority of practitioners just treat Tai Chi exercises as a slow dance. Without a solid Qigong foundation, it is just a slow and gentle exercise and practitioners do not get most of the Tai chi benefits. At best, you just feel more relaxed and flexible by practicing it that way. Proper breathing and meditative techniques as well as the use of ‘qi’ are the keys to maximize the health benefits of Tai Chi.

In general, when practicing Qigong exercises daily, people experience faster health benefits than when they practice Tai chi. Even the world famous Tai Chi grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang recommends that people practice Qigong instead of Tai Chi to gain health benefits if time is an issue. However, practicing Tai Chi and Qigong at the same time is most beneficial. Qigong is the foundation of Tai Chi. Students learn to move their body and feel internal energy (qi or chi) and the use of the will to guide the energy as it flows through its channels (meridians). Practising Qigong exercises helps practitioners to learn faster the Tai Chi form and to access its internal aspects. Tai chi moves build upon the flexibility and internal skills developed through Qigong and bring them to a higher level, deepening the internal understanding and utilization of vital energy (qi).