Qigong vs tai chi: what is the difference for a beginner

Qigong vs tai chi is less of a contest than it sounds. Qigong is the broad family of slow, breath-led movement practices from China, and tai chi is one member of it. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) puts it plainly: "When tai chi is performed for health, it is considered a form of qigong", and tai chi is "one of the hundreds of forms of qigong exercises". For a beginner, the practical difference is length and structure, not purpose.

Qigong vs tai chi in plain words

Both practices move slowly, pair movement with steady breathing and ask you to pay attention to what your body is doing. The differences are mostly about where they came from and how they are taught.

NCCIH's tai chi page notes that "Tai chi originated as an ancient martial art in China" and that it has since become more focused on health promotion and rehabilitation. For qigong, NCCIH says that in most forms "Movements are typically gentle and smooth, aimed for relaxation."

That shape is the reason many people start with qigong. A single qigong movement can be learned in a few minutes and repeated, while a tai chi form asks you to remember a sequence before it flows. Neither is the better choice. If you enjoy learning a long routine, tai chi rewards that. If you want something you can do today in a small space, a few qigong movements are an easier way in.

Is qigong exercise

Yes, when you do it standing and moving. The clearest way to see where it sits is the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research catalogue that gives activities an energy cost in METs. One MET is, in the Compendium's own definition, "roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly".

The World Health Organization's guidelines treat activity from 3 METs up to just under 6 as moderate intensity. So general standing qigong lands at the low end of moderate, seated practice is light, and a demanding style of tai chi chuan reaches the vigorous line. These are average values for a typical adult, not a measurement of your own session.

Does qigong count as exercise toward the weekly target, then? It can. The WHO fact sheet recommends "at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week" for adults, and its guidelines stress that "any amount of physical activity is better than none". Standing qigong at a steady pace can be part of those minutes.

Is qigong aerobic exercise in the sense most people mean? Only lightly. General qigong sits just above the moderate line, so it will not push your breathing the way brisk walking, dance cardio or a fast workout does. Treat it as a gentle option that sits beside your cardio, not a replacement for it. Cardio at home without running covers the harder options. Guidelines also list muscle strengthening as its own weekly job, which gentle qigong is not designed to cover.

What research has looked at

Qigong and tai chi have been studied a lot, mostly as structured programs that run for weeks with an instructor. In a comprehensive look at the trials, Jahnke and colleagues gathered 77 articles reporting randomized controlled trials of qigong or tai chi, published from 1993 to 2007 and covering 67 separate studies. They grouped what those trials measured into areas such as bone density, heart and lung measures, physical function, falls, quality of life, self-efficacy and psychological symptoms. They also argued that the two practices are similar enough to be studied together, which matches the NCCIH description above.

Read that as a map of what researchers have measured, not a list of results you should expect from practice at home. The trials used specific programs with specific groups of people, and a few minutes in the living room is a different dose.

Safety is the reassuring part. NCCIH's summary is that "Qigong appears to be a safe form of activity." It still advises talking with a health care provider about any complementary approach you use, and not using qigong as a reason to put off seeing one about a medical problem. Pregnant women in particular are advised to check first.

Qigong for beginners at home

You do not need a class, a mat or much room to start.

1. Stand with your feet about hip width apart and your knees soft, not locked
2. Pick one movement, such as raising both hands slowly in front of you and lowering them again
3. Breathe in as the hands rise and out as they lower, without forcing either breath
4. Repeat it until it feels smooth, then add a second movement
5. Keep every movement inside a comfortable range, and stop if anything hurts

A few minutes is a fine first session. If you are wondering whether that is worth doing at all, short workouts still count. Qigong also works well as a wind-down after a harder session, when your breathing is settling and a slow, standing practice is easier to face than another round of cardio. Because the feet stay on the floor, it is also a quiet choice if you live above someone, alongside the options in a no-jumping apartment workout.

NCCIH notes that qigong instructors do not have to be licensed and that there is no national standard for certification. If you go on to take a class, it suggests asking about the instructor's training and experience. And if you want the habit to last past the first week, how to stay consistent with working out covers what tends to help.

Where ShakeFit fits

ShakeFit is a rhythm workout app for your phone with 93 tracks across Aerobics, Power, Dance Pop, Boxing, Qigong, Bachata, Salsa, and Swing and jazz. Many of those tracks are faster, music-driven cardio, and ten of them are Qigong.

The Qigong tracks work differently from the camera games. They are guided follow along sessions: a coach leads you through movements such as Cloud Hands, Raise Both Hands, Separate the Hands, Draw the Bow and Side-to-Side Body Flow, and you follow along. The camera does not watch or grade them. Among the app's programs (Comeback Week, Dance Kickstart and Qigong Reset), Qigong Reset is a short program made of two of these qigong flows.

The honest way to use them is the way this article suggests using qigong in general: as a slower option on lighter days or as a wind-down after a harder track, not as your cardio. No study has tested whether ShakeFit delivers the outcomes researchers have studied in qigong and tai chi programs.

ShakeFit is entertainment and general fitness software, not a medical device. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are new to exercise, talk to a doctor first, and stop if you feel pain or dizziness.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

ShakeFit Plus adds adaptive weekly plans, long-term growth reports, custom sessions with tempo control and 5, 10 or 20-minute options depending on available movements, and full play of the 27 level 3 tracks

Questions people ask

Is qigong the same as tai chi?

Not exactly. Qigong is a large family of slow movement and breathing practices, and tai chi is one form within it. NCCIH says that when tai chi is performed for health it is considered a form of qigong. Tai chi usually means learning a longer sequence of linked postures, while qigong often repeats shorter movements in place.

Does qigong count as exercise?

Standing qigong does. The Compendium of Physical Activities lists general tai chi and qigong at 3.3 METs, which falls at the low end of what the WHO treats as moderate intensity. It can count toward weekly activity, but it is gentle, so it does not replace brisk cardio or muscle strengthening.

Can you learn qigong at home?

Yes. Start standing, with one slow movement you can repeat comfortably, and breathe steadily as you move. Add movements as each one feels smooth, and stop if anything hurts. If you have a health condition or are pregnant, check with a health care provider first, and ask about training and experience if you later join a class.