Unleash the Dragon Within: Transform Your Life With the Kung-Fu Animals of Ch'ien-Lung

(Paperback)

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Description

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. Unleash the Dragon Within introduces the six Animals of Chien-Lung, an 18th century Kung-Fu practice based on the animal archetypes of three great cats and three great snakes- Black Panther, White Leopard, Boa, Cobra, Python, and Tiger. Each animal represents a martial style, personality type, brain region, system of the body, and aspect of consciousness. They each also have their favorite foods, music, books, movies, and hobbies. Psychology professor and Kung-Fu teacher Steven Macramella shows how to determine which animal the reader most resonates with. He explains the strengths and traits of each Animal and how understanding and working with them can inform not just Kung-Fu or indeed any martial arts practice but also every aspect of the reader's life. When the reader brings their Animal into perfect balance with its "opposite," the combination of cat and snake is formed, resulting in the "dragon" and supporting readers in bringing balance and effectiveness into their lives. Approximately 60 black and white photographs of the author demonstrating basic exercises and bows with which to work with each animal arcehtype are included. Includes cutting-edge research in neuroscience on the mind-body relationship, with detailed descriptions of each aspect of the Animals as well as Animal exercises to improve physical, emotional, mental and sexual health -- topics sure to captivate and enlighten a wide spectrum of readers.

Reviews

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 Chien-Lung. His lively prose and vivid descriptions bring them to life on the page. I've witnessed Stevens embodiment of these archetypal Animals, and it is truly remarkable. His emphasis on the healing potential of the martial artsas 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. Its 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

Chien-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 Chien-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 Chien-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 Chien-lung straddle both personal-level archetypes and representations of the building blocks of nature itselftexture, 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 Group

Author Bio

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.