John L Mayfield - Body Intelligence A New Paradigm: Living a Heart-Centered Life in a Mind-Centered World

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Names: Mayfield, John L.

Title: Body intelligence : a new paradigm / John L. Mayfield.

Description: Grass Valley, CA : Nubalance Publishing, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015901889 | ISBN 978-0-9884937-4-2 (pbk.) | ISBN 978-0-9884937-3-5 (ebook)

LCSH: Medicine, Chinese Traditional. | Change (Psychology)--Philosophy. | Spiritual life. | Quantum theory--Popular works. | Mind and body. | BISAC: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & Personal Growth. | SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / General. | SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects.

Classification: LCC BF161 .M41 2016 (print) | LCC BF161 (ebook) | DDC 158.1--dc23.

Copyright 2016 by John L. Mayfield. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Although every effort was made to ensure that the information was correct at the time of going to press, the author and publisher do not assume and thereby disclaim any liability to any party for any injury allegedly arising from any information or suggestions in this book. Readers are advised to consult with their health care practitioners before beginning any new health regimen. The publisher has no control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, third party websites or their content, where portions of this book may appear.

Publisher: Nubalance Publishing Company, Grass Valley, CA

Editors: Nora Isaacs and Jim Gebbie

Book Doctor: Kim Tally

Proofreader: Kim Tally

Layout: Howie Severson

Cover Design: Kimberly Nelson-Coombs

Original Art: Judy Mayfield

T his book has been a long time in the writing, and consequently I owe thanks to a great many people. First of all I want to acknowledge my family and friends, and especially all of my patients. Along with all of you I have lived, practiced and honed the principles discussed in this book. Working with you has been the crucible of fire that forged these principles into a more pure essence. You have helped me to turn this information into something cohesive and usable. Your contribution is invaluable.

After we thought the book was done, Kim Tally proofread it. She said This is a great book, but all the chapters need to be stitched together like a patchwork quilt. Then over the next seven months she worked with me to clarify each concept until they were completely fleshed out and comprehensible. She is the Book doctor who left no stone unturned in helping me craft an impeccable piece of literature. The effort has made this book into a more cohesive and pleasurable read.

Right after my first book Body Intelligence, How to Think outside Your Brain came out I met Susan Schrier-Williams, an Alexander Method posture practitioner in my hometown area. Thank you, Susan. You taught me an understanding of posture that feels more like alchemy. With your simple and elegant understanding of posture, I knew immediately that I would have to completely rewrite every page in the book that dealt with posture. When the chapters on posture were brought up to this new awareness, they raised the bar for the rest of the book to be just as clear and concise. As every concept fleshed out into a more complete understanding, over time Body Intelligence, A New Paradigm morphed into an entirely new work.

I would like to honor the late Jeffrey Kauffman, M.D., who also held a secondary acupuncture degree from the Worsley Institute. He read my manuscript and gave so generously of his time by providing valuable insights into the five-element section.

I sincerely thank Wenda OReilly, Ph.D., of Bird Cage Press and her husband James OReilly, the developer of Travelers Tales. Wenda has read my manuscripts many times over the years. The many changes she recommended helped this book (and me) to mature into something much finer than I ever could have imagined. She helped give the habits catchy names and suggested I reshuffle the information into smaller, more digestible chapters. As a result, the book became more enjoyable and accessible to all readers. Wenda has been my coach, mentor, critic, and, most of all, my dear friend.

Thank you, Kimberly Nelson-Coombs, for all the time and thoughtfulness that went into the brilliant cover design of this book, for your artistic suggestions, and for organizing the formatting of the book. Thank you to Howie Severson of Fortuitous Publishing for your impeccable formatting of this book for print, e-book and Kindle.

Nora Isaacs helped make changes, and recommendations that made Body Intelligence more fun to read. A very special thanks to Jim Gebbie for his nurturing manner and proficient editing, a wonderful person to work with.

I want to thank Kim Morris, Jennifer Crebbin, my brother Jim Mayfield, and my whole family for all their love and encouragement.

My wifes influence shows up all through this book. She is an incredible artist, a loving and generous partner, and my most fierce advocate. She is my first, last, and most exacting reader who has helped with each of the hundreds of edits, and lovingly stood with me through all the joys and difficulties of manifesting this work. Her wisdom and encouragement show up in every page. She made it all worth doing.

I also want to acknowledge how happy I am that Body Intelligence, A New Paradigm has matured into a book that takes the complexities and mysteries of our incredible body, mind, and spirit and presents them in a manner that is easy for everyone to fathom, enjoy and be able to implement into their lives. To this end I have dedicated my life.

T HE E LOQUENCE OF B EING H UMAN

W e are living in interesting times, which is both an ancient blessing and a curse. Collectively, we are waking up to the notion that what we focus on is precisely what we create in our lives . We are beginning to understand that we each manifest our own personal reality, our own unique world. Then we live in it.

When I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropracticeven armed with the incredible understanding of philosophy taught at Palmer and all the knowledge of western medical physiologythe mind still seemed as vast and totally mysterious as the fathomless, trackless ocean must have seemed to early explorers. At that time I could not imagine how one could possibly understand human consciousnessmuch less master it.

As I started working with the five elements of acupuncture theory, and practicing all the habits included in this book, the simple elegance of our bodys functioning became clearer and clearer. Now it is so clear that most of what happens to us is predictable and easy to understand.

As individuals, we are the dreamers who have always dreamed our own unique world into being. We have always had the freedom to focus our attention on whatever we choose. The consequence of that focus is the world each of us has manifested into being. We have the free will to create our own personal reality within the context of what is going on around us.

All the chaos we have created in our lives comes from dividing our mind. Instead of single-mindedly focusing our precious attention on our plans and dreamsand letting our core values, beliefs and principles dictate our thoughts and actionswe let our mind wander about, focusing on all the problems of the world, our fears, and things we suspect will happen. As we bring our mind into harmony with the simple operating systems of our body, the chaos dissipates. We begin to manifest the desires of our heart. The once mysterious mind reveals that its consciousness is both elegant and simple. We attain peace of mind.