Joseph Cardillo

Discover the spiritual wisdom of the martial arts.

Whether you'd like to conquer fear and anxiety, develop a more compasionate mode of communciation with others, or simply learn to be utterly hapy wherever youi may be, this little book packs a big message. What exactly is it we're all driven to achieve, possess, and know? How can we be happy and nurturing individuals? Be Like Water examines these questions through the lens of martial arts and offers spiritual exercises and written 'resolutions' to serve as mantras in order to help readers improve their lives.

Author Joseph Cardillo-a black belt in Kenpo karate-draws on sixteen core principles that all martial artists rely on to be strong yet supple, agile yet fluid, sensitive yet powerful. Capturing the essence of these qualities in clear, simple prose, Cardillo illustrates how even the most mundane tasks at home and at work become Zen-like exercises. Here you'll learn that summoning chi is about finding one's center, seeing with your skin means developing sensitivity and intuition, and wrestling an empty jacket teaches us how to overcome force with softness. Inspiring and accessible, this book will help all of us sail through the hectic times in our search for a better life.

'A fascinating and helpful book for everyone trying to make sense of our crazy world.'-Joe Hyams, author of Zen in the Martial Arts

'Drawing from his basis in the martial arts, Joe Cardillo guides the reader through an exciting passageway of new discoveries-ultimately leading to a more refined method of encountering and interacting with life.'-Scott Shaw, author of Nirvana in a Nutshell and The Warrier is Silent: Martial Arts and the Spiritual Path

'Delivers ancient tools for living well. This book will teach you how to walk in the world like a martial arts master.'-Fred Miller, author of How to Calm Down

Contents

Introduction How to use this book
Lessons
1 Summoning chi-Find your center
2 Emptying your mind-Avoid assumptions
3 Being the flume; Being the hand-Observe and listen to others
4 Assessing threats-Conquer your feer
5 Seeing with your skin-Develop your sensitivity and intuition
6 Knowing your targets-Control your urges
7 Intensifying your effort and striking-Channel your energy
8 Feeling the rhythm-Respond apropriately
9 Finding your range-Expand your comfort zones
10 Identifying your priorities-Consider your net gain
11 Pacing yourself-Manage your energy
12 Wrestling on empty jacket-Overcome force with softness
13 Being like water-Go with the flow
14 Living creatively-Follow your bliss
15 Cutlivating spirituality-Seek enlightenment
Conclusion… (altro)

Open the door to what's possible for living a brilliant and vivid life.

Have you ever hit the figurative physical, emotonal, or mental wall? What about having a worn-down feeling at the same time every day? We always tell ourselves, Power through, mind over matter, you can do it! But what if it's not about aligning our mindset to create a better life but about synching our body's energy to create a better mind?

Teaching our bodies how to use energy wisely is the first step. Renowned body energy expert Joseph Cardillo uses the latest science and technologies combined with proven methods to show you how to tap your individual energetic sweet spots. Packed with exercises, self-tests, and step-by-step instructions, this comprehensive guide provides all the interactive tools for beginner and experienced energy-balancing practitioner alike. You'll learn to master the specific energy you need to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.

Joseph Cardillo, PhD, is a top-selling author in the fields of health, mind-body-spirit, and psychology. An expert in Attention Training,,creative thinking, and body energy, Dr. Cardillo has taught his methods to more than twenty thousand students at various colleges, universities, and institutes. He is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and is the author of Be Like Water, the body-energy classic. He holds a doctorate in holisitc psychology and in mind-body medicine.

'You are energy, your world is energy, and everything in your world is energy.'

From holistic psychology expert and author of the mind-body-spirit classic Be Like Water, comes a revolutionary guide to help you find the physical and psychological energy you need to live a vibrant life. By combinining Western science, technology, psychology, and holistic medicine in a cutting-edge approach, Body Intelligence teaches you to amplify your body's naturally flowing energy to ehance your mind and life.

'Drawing from science, quantum physics, ancient traditions and teachings, as well as traditional Western and Eastern medicine, Cardillo makes a compelling case for a holistic approach to-well, eveything. Everyone who wants brilliance should read this book.'-Irene Conlan, MSN, PhD, The Self Improvement Blog and The Self Improvement Show

'Loaded with fascinating science and technology, Body Intelligence is a compelling, life-changing approach to acquiring and mantaining your best physical and mental energy. Cardillo's remarkable theory is a serious breakthrough in tapping the body-mind connection and is a must read for anyone wanting to live life at their full potential. You'll never think about human energy the same again.'-Carl O. Helvie, RN, DrPH , host of the Holisitc Health Show and bestselling author of You Can Beat Lung Cancer

'Body Inteligence is the right book for our time in exploring the new frontiers integrating the technologies of Western science with the new mind-body medicine--it teaches us how to synchronize mind, body, and spirit in daily practice.'-Ernest Lawrence Rossi, PhD, and Kathryn Lane Rossi, PhD, authors of creating New Consciousness in Everyday Life

Contents

Introduction
1 What is energy?
2 Identifying how energy affects your whole person
3 Identifying your energy needs
4 Using energy to boost alertness
5 Using energy to reversse stress
6 Using energy to reverse harmful moods
7 Using energy to reverse conflict
8 Using energy to reverse detrimental agression
9 Using energy to beat obsession
10 Using energy to enhance physical strength
11 Using energy to improve memory
12 Using energy to live vividly
Acknowledgments
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography… (altro)

I stumbled onto this book while doing some research, and picked it up primarily out of curiosity. Once I began reading it, though, I was so taken in by Cardillo's style, and curiosity, that I couldn't help but continue.

In each short chapter, Cardillo takes on one core principle of the martial arts, explaining how it relates to the art, how he experienced it in his own training, and how it can relate to the average person's daily experiences and aid them in their own personal/professional development. At the end of each chapter, he finishes with explaining an exercise (usually meditation related) to help the reader get a more sincere feel for the principle, and then concludes with a short list of resolutions for moving forward with the principle as a tool for moving forward in life.

In many ways, I think this book could be classified either as philosophy or as self-help. I can't say that I gained something from every chapter, but I did gain enough from the reading that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book. At the very least, it gave me some more tools for mediating conflicts around me and for dealing with colleagues who I tend to have trouble understanding or relating to (few as they are, they are a distraction, for most everyone I'm guessing). On the whole, I do think I benefitted from reading it. And, while I'm not generally an anxious person...I think I will return to this work the next time I'm feeling intimidated or anxious about a decision or relationship.

Last, I'll note that I'm generally skeptical of the idea of meditating--I'm not good at sitting still, and always thought of meditating as something that would require significant chunks of time. Cardillo's approach and exercises, though, felt both approachable and worthwhile, which really surprised me.

I can't say how this would compare to similar books, but I'm glad to have stumbled across it. Recommended.… (altro)

Be Like Water: Practical Wisdom from the Martial Arts by Joseph Cardillo is a 160 page non-fiction work that offers solid instructions for improving one’s life via the implementation of martial arts philosophy. Cardillo’s text and its teachings are derived from his own life experiences and martial arts training.

Be Like Water is complete with easy to implement exercises. The exercises offered in Be Like Water will ultimately teach the reader to properly focus and channel chi, and how to master the natural tendencies of water; in doing so, the reader is instructed on how to surmount mundane obstacles as well as how to make the most of every moment. Using a mixture of martial arts principles, Be Like Water is not a text that teaches one how to master martial arts, but it is a text that teaches the reader how to gain mastership over one’s self, life, and spiritual journey.

Cardillo delivers a fast paced text, one that is concisely written and easy to read. Full of positive, life changing visualization techniques, relaxing and empowering meditations, and affirmations, Be Like Water is highly recommended for any reader looking to make major changes in his or her life. Ultimately, the reader of Be Like Water will learn how to successfully “go with the flow;” how to understand the natural wisdom provided by the nature of water, and how to put the latter nature- wisdom to work in one’s life.… (altro)