This is going to get complicated real fast, but let's start first with how Chinese often talk about "internal work"
- medical
- religious
- martial art
NONE of these is cut and dry. Many martial art traditions got their internal work from religious and medical methods. Many martial art methods found their way back into religious sects...
Yoga also has different branches, different traditions and different schools
Raja or royal yoga was a life style, but yoga itself is a general term meaning "union" and is related to the English work "yoke" or to bind. Yoga is to become "one"
Various Yogi have said this means different things, one with YOURSELF, one with NATURE, many today, to appeal to westerners, say one with G'd
Similarly, Taoist Chi Gong has been said to either 1) make you literally immortal (not die) or to 2) make you "one with the Tao" (which could mean one with the Jade Emperor, ie a god, or one with teh correct path, or one with the universe/nature
Depending upon the Buddhist school, you can be doing Chi Kung to strengthen your body for meditation, or to literally make yourself a Lo Han!!!! That may mean depending upon the tradition, becoming an imortal (like the Taoist Sin Yan) or simply making yourself no longer exist!!!
Theory and religion aside, on a practical level the many techniques both share is quite astounding. They are really sort of one and the same. You have both posture and breath, movement and stillness, alll which have quantifiable physical results and benefits....
Remember, Yoga includes Asana (posture, including movement) and Pranayana (breathing), then later there is deep meditation and contemplation
