Many in the fitness industry are talking about "Mind/Body exercise", but how do "regular" people use this kind of activity?  The answer has to do with trends in modern life, the nature of the public gym, and, oddly enough, the course of world history.  It also shows us how, while a fitness routine is a very good tool for keeping our bodies in good shape, it might not quite do the trick when it comes to handling stress and getting control of our bodies on a mental level.

Disciplines like yoga and pilates are good examples of a Mind/Body type of training.  These are taught frequently in gyms and civic centers across the nation.  Other Mind/Body training includes martial arts practices like tai chi.

So how do we understand what we mean by Mind/Body?  Well, contrast the activities of yoga and pilates with what you see in other areas of the gym.  Look around in the general training area.  You have bulked-up individuals throwing heavy barbells ups.  You have office workers giving their hearts a workout on ellipticals.  But what you see is really just power training: the body is working, and the mind is somewhere else, often on the music coming from headphones, or the captioned tv in the center or the room.

That's not to say that power training isn't important: it is.  But more and more Americans are choosing to balance it with something else that addresses both the physical needs for fitness and a mental or emotional component.

Mind/Body training "works" the mind as it works the body.  How is this done?  It's done by exercises involving deep and deliberate breathing.  It's done with the use of inner mantras, specific periods of holding poses, and other activities that force the mind to focus on what the body is doing.

A helpful way to understand this is to think about the difference between "Eastern" and "Western" thought.  If power training is the equivalent of the constant striving that characterizes Western ideology and religion, Mind/Body training is a manifestation of an Eastern "holistic" spirituality, the idea that strength can be found, not just in striving, but in inner reflection and meditation.  Read up on this a little more, and you'll see how these two ideas complement each other - and why so many Westerners are taking pages from writers like Lao Tzu, or seeking inner focus with Mind/Body practices, from yoga and pilates to self-made meditation routines.

That's the idea behind Mind/Body exercises that combine some controlled, nuanced muscle training with the word-associations of held poses, the calming effects of deep breathing, or anything else that you will find in a Mind/Body book or video, or other fitness aid.  Books and videos will demonstrate a lot of these ideas, and the fitness enthusiast can learn more about why and how they should seek the Mind/Body connection, at home or in the gym.