Baduanjin compared
Five comparisons cover the choices most people actually face: Baduanjin against Tai Chi and against yoga, how Baduanjin relates to qigong as a category, what changes when you sit, and how the two official Chinese routines — Baduanjin and the Twelve-Section Brocade — differ.
- Comparisons in this section
- 5
- Most useful if
- You are choosing what to practise
- Most useful one first
- Standing vs seated, if you are unsure you can stand
- Data in the tables
- Movement counts, session length, position, equipment
The comparisons
- Baduanjin vs Tai Chi — eight movements versus a form that can run past a hundred, and which to start with.
- Baduanjin vs Qigong — qigong is the category, Baduanjin is one routine inside it, and why English sources are inconsistent.
- Baduanjin vs Yoga — two slow mind-body practices that ask very different things of you, especially about the floor.
- Standing vs seated Baduanjin — what is preserved, what is genuinely lost, and how to decide.
- Baduanjin vs the Twelve-Section Brocade — the two official routines, eight movements standing against twelve seated.
How to use these pages
Each comparison is written to be scanned rather than read end to end — the tables carry the substance. Where a comparison involves a position you may not be able to hold, the seated alternative is described in the same page rather than buried elsewhere.
Common questions
Which comparison should I read first?
If you are unsure whether you can stand for twelve minutes, read standing vs seated first. If you are choosing between practices generally, start with Baduanjin vs Tai Chi.
Do these pages recommend one practice over another?
They set out the differences and say which is easier to start with. They do not claim one is better, because the honest answer depends on your situation.
Is the Twelve-Section Brocade a form of Baduanjin?
It is the seated strand of the same tradition, and its other name is the seated Baduanjin. It is a separate routine with its own history and its own official standard.
Written by LiHe — practitioner, teacher and consultant in qigong and traditional health practice. Review status and sources are shown below where available.
This is general movement education, not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition. Read the full disclaimer.
The Chinese names are the traditional names of the movements. They are not medical claims, and this site does not diagnose, treat or cure any condition.
- Last reviewed
- Movement data
- Standing form follows the Chinese Fitness Qigong Association standard routine. The chair versions are this pack's own adaptation, written for a seated reader.. Version v0.5.