Differences between Tao & Yoga

Tao and Yoga are both practices from Asia that focus on balance and harmony through insight and mediation. Both Yoga and Tao focus on non-attachment resulting in peace at the end of the journey. Yoga focuses more on non-attachment in terms of being attached to the human self and staying away from desires and egoism which results in Samadhi in the end. Tao focuses on non-attachment as being a part of nature and understanding the “unconscious state of nature is superior to the conscious state of virtue”. Non-attachment in Tao is also related to consciousness and the ending peace the book describes as “heaven”. Both focus on the self-awareness but yoga focuses more on the mind being a part of us while Tao focuses more on the human being better without the mind and knowledge. Tao is more co-existing, it says everything relies on one another and is interdependent. Yoga focuses on self-governance in terms of restraining the mind from desires while Tao says we should give into our natural desires and animal instinct. In yoga, giving into desire is viewed as ignorance and you can’t reach a state of Samadhi while being ignorant. Even the physical practices of yoga and Tao chi are different. Yoga pulls the body upward and focuses on mediation while Tao chi pushes opposite energy away.

Overall, Tao and Yoga have many similarities but their overall goals and views of control, the mind, body, and soul are different.

-Shawnna M Hall-Enoch