The combination of comfortable humidity (80%), balmy temperature (29C/84F) during an hour of intense Qigong + Yoga (YoQi) was a great way to start this Monday.

After practicing Yoga and Qigong for a couple of years now, I’ve come to see how the two complement each other wonderfully. These two ancient practices have so much in common! While Yoga is more physically demanding, Qigong teaches a higher level of focus on slower, controlled movements and breathing.

Both provide incredibly valuable insights into how even the seemingly simplest poses, movements and breathing exercises can both calm the mind and improve health.

It’s all a mixtape, anyway…

There is no way that folks from China and India didn’t ever cross paths and compare notes, exchange poses, remedies and integrate their experiences. There are just too many similarities between Chinese medicine and traditional Indian medicine to deny this. Both aim to promote health and enhance the quality of life with therapeutic strategies and holistic treatment based on the fundamental elements of life. As opposed to much of western medicine, both focus on the individual, not the symptoms.

While Yoga and Qigong are recognized as two totally different disciplines from two wildly different – yet bordering –  countries and cultures, I’ve found that both can be combined to add even more wealth and health to body and mind.