Every time I read the words "Mind-Body" "yoga" soon follows. I rarely see tai chi and other MA. So did martial arts, especially internal, specifically tai chi missed out on the mind-body trend? I'm inclined to say yes but I think it's not too late to create some kind of niche...
I believe the "mind-body" saying got its notoriety in recent days from the fitness world. It's heavily associated with yoga, but pilates also make heavy use of the term. The ACE Personal Trainer manual has an entire section on "Mind-Body" fitness in it. The coined term probably didn't come from MA is my guess, but it happens to be a common them in them. Edit: Web MD even has articles on it: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/mind-body-fitness-lifelong-good-health
I find if I'm not getting hit, then my mind and body are working as one. Either that or I'm uncincious and the ref is pulling someone off of me ;P
As the term/concept has been used in conjunction with T'ai Chi-esp in advertising/marketing- at least since the 1970s I'm somewhat surprised at your statement. In fact I can't recall anything from those days which used that descriptive term as much as the TC world. By "trend" I take it that's what you're meaning is,an advertising trend? I'd say TC,at least in the US, was at the forefront of that all those years ago. So I don't understand what you mean by creating a niche (as it's already been there for years now),but I feel anyhoo that it's just a superfluous term that sounds "groovy"-what type of physical training isn't mind-body/body-mind anyway? Just makes it sound like one is doing something "deep" as compared to others. A false elitism. In my experience those using it in the TC world have generally been those not teaching functional MA nor teaching much in depth in general,even for just slo-mo exercise. Not a niche I care to take shelter in.
Web MD, huh? Seems legit. :whistle: My favorite take on the whole "mind-body" thing. http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/bodyandmind.html
I don't know where you're looking, LoChu, but in the DC area, most yoga/mind-body type places seem to also offer a coure in taiji. I don't think they've missed the boat at all. Xingyi, bagua, etc. perhaps. Mind you, the taiji being taught at a yoga studio is likely going to be quite different to a combat-oriented taiji. Just as the krav maga you get at a gym is likely to be different from the krav being taught to the Israeli Defense Forces.