A respected Kung-Fu instructor shares a lineage using six cat and snake animal archetypes to deepen any martial arts practice and reach beyond the mat to help transform other physical, emotional, and sexual aspects of the reader's life.
Steven Macramalla, Ph.D., earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He was an associate researcher at NASA Ames through the San Jose State Univerisity Foundation for six years. Macramalla has been practicing Chien-Lung for 20 years, and has been a certified weight training and fitness instructor. In addition to writing article submissions for prestigious psychology journals, he has published fitness articles for Alive magazine in Canada. He currently teaches Chien-Lung in Santa Cruz, CA, where he lives, in addition to leading Dragon Quest retreats in the Grand Canyon, as well as other workshops along the California coast. He has taught psychology at San Jose State University for 10 years.
“Long-time martial arts practitioner and professor of psychology
Steven Macramalla gives us an amazing window into the rich
interaction of mind and body in the practice of the Six Kung-fu
Animals of Ch’ien-Lung. His lively prose and vivid descriptions
bring them to life on the page. I've witnessed Steven’s embodiment
of these archetypal Animals, and it is truly remarkable. His
emphasis on the healing potential of the martial arts—as deeply
creative 'Life Arts'—is most welcome in a world urgently in need of
healing. A stimulating read!”
—Linda Holiday, aikido 6th dan, author of Journey to the Heart of
Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei
“Macramalla details how to become a martial artist. He uses
beautiful and exact language to walk you through his unique style
and show you how it is a life art, not a hobby. Steven delivers his
art with clear explanations on how exactly the movements and
practices apply to everyday life. This book introduces a unique
martial art and the instructions to begin living it from day
one.”
—Gene Smithson, certified Systema instructor and author of Shot
“Unleash the Dragon Within is an artful and intelligently written
book about life, not just about martial arts. It’s about the human
experience and how we all can discover our best selves through
discipline, focus, concentration, and determination. Macramalla
sets us on that path, with storytelling that is insightful,
knowledgeable, and informative.”
—Homer Hans Bryant, artistic director of Chicago Multicultural
Dance Center
“Ch’ien-lung has provided my body with a vocabulary of movement and
spirit, a poetry of bows and forms. With his dual backgrounds in
psychology and martial arts, Macramalla is that rare individual who
can not only bridge the gap between Eastern and Western ideas, but
who can write about them with delightful clarity.”
—Jon Pearce, professor, Department of Computer Science, San Jose
State University
“Unleash the Dragon Within is a beautifully written, practical book
on personal development through the art of Ch’ien-lung kung-fu.
Macramalla takes you on a fun and body-centered journey into your
own way of being to better cope with everyday life. If you want to
have better relationships, a calmer mind, a firmer grasp on your
own emotional responses as well as be fitter, more flexible, and
toned, you really should buy this book.”
—Sarah Turner, alternative medicine researcher
“Steven Macramalla bridges Eastern philosophy, martial arts,
and ancient wisdom to modern life. He provides deep insight to the
Western mind and awakens our inner psychology to the amazing
possibilities life has to offer. He gives new insight and
perspective on how to live more fully and how to ignite our human
potential.”
—Lee Holden, author, TV personality, producer, and qigong
master
“Discovering and studying Ch’ien-lung changed my life drastically,
in the greatest of ways. It has given me tools for every area of my
life, which I still use on a daily basis. I have learned the
fluidity to change perspectives in a number of important ways, and
to respond to my environment creatively and openly. If you want to
explore and transform your inner and outer world in the most
astonishing of ways, I highly recommend this book.”
—Peter Irish, six-time world hacky sack champion, award-winning
juggler, and artist
“Steven Macramalla expounds a revolutionary new perspective on an
ancient path forward by which we may better understand ourselves,
others, and our relationship to our environment. This book invites
us to profoundly shift the way we see our world. At the same time,
it provides a practice framework that enables us to access the
vitality, potency, and poignancy available to each of us through
this strange and beautiful thing we call life.”
—Valerie Moselle, author of Breathwork: A 3-Week Breathing Program
to Gain Clarity, Calm, and Better Health
“The Animals of Ch’ien-lung straddle both personal-level archetypes
and representations of the building blocks of nature
itself—texture, weight, flow, weather patterns, and the elements of
fire, water, and earth. You are deeper than your personality,
deeper than archetype even, and, as an Animal, you are little more
than a loosely bound-together collection of attributes.”
—Emilia Sandilands, massage practitioner and movement teacher
“For those who are looking to embody the greater version of their
self that is waiting just around the corner, I highly recommend
that you read this book!”
—Sifu Kelly Ryan Lake, daoist priest, doctor of medical qigong
therapy, acupuncturist, and instructor of Chinese martial arts
“The Ch'ien-lung Animals practice enriched my work as a young
dancer and continues to do so now as an international show
director. Macramalla has brought to life an exciting and unique
fusion of science and art that will inspire any artist with ideas
and themes for a lifetime.”
—Susan Gaudreau, show director, Cirque Du Soleil Entertainment
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