Bagua and Tai Chi: Brother and Sister Arts

Bagua zhang and tai chi chuan are both rooted in Taoism, a Chinese philosophical and spiritual tradition, and are designed to help develop and balance your chi (qi), or life-force energy. They are expressions through the physical body of such Taoist concepts as: yin-yang, balance and naturalness.

Although bagua zhang and tai chi chuan have important differences, they are wonderfully complementary brother and sister practices.

• Tai chi chuan is known as the sister internal art because in its initial learning stages it strategically approaches the great art of chi more from a yin-energy, or Water approach.
• Bagua zhang is known as the brother internal because its beginning practices approach chi more from a yang-energy, or Fire approach.

Both bagua zhang and tai chi chuan include each other’s yin and yang strengths and special qualities with only slight areas of differentiation. They equally share the ability to access and develop important and innate potential human abilities.

Bagua and tai chi chuan can develop the art of movement to very sophisticated degrees, particularly through their methods for developing the chi of the body, mind and spirit.

Unlike tai chi chuan, bagua zhang is not normally done in slow motion. Bagua zhang is practiced in slow motion for short periods of time to develop physical coordination or balance. After the skill is grasped, you then go back to practicing at normal or fast speeds.