Unleash the Dragon Within

Some folks practice martial arts. Some folks are martial artists. Steven has given us this book, which 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. Most lifelong martial artists figure out the life lessons encoded in their distinct arts after decades of training. Steven delivers his art with clear explanations on how exactly the movements and practices apply to life every day and you needn’t wait decades to begin understanding. The whole world is your dojo and your life is your practice. With this book Steven introduces a unique martial art and the instructions to begin living it from day one.

Unleash the Dragon Within by Dr. Steven Macramalla, 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 within a particular mindset. This book is about becoming our best selves and our willingness to look into another human soul and see the good, about taking responsibilities for our lives, both the good and the bad. Unleash the Dragon Within sets us on that path, with storytelling that is insightful, knowledgeable, and informative. A must read for anyone longing for a more rewarding and productive life, with a well grounded mind, body and spirit connection.  This book is about Life, and how we can become our Best selves. This book is a must read.

After thirty years sitting at a desk, I came to think of myself as a brain in a jar. I was sure it was too late for me to reconnect with my body. But a flyer for a nearby kung fu class reawakened an adolescent fantasy, and I found myself awkwardly standing in the back row of Steven Macramalla’s Ch’ien-lung class. That was eight years ago. In that time Ch’ien Lung has provided my body with a vocabulary of movement and spirit, a poetry of bows and forms. As I glide through the graceful serpentine movements of Boa or explode through the intense frightening movements of Tiger, my brain is quietly amazed by what my long-mute body has to say. I am grateful for Steven’s patient coaching over the years, and honored that he asked me to write this endorsement for his book. With his dual backgrounds in psychology and martial arts, Steven 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. My hope is that another brain-in-a-jar will read this book and be inspired to take those first awkward steps toward re-discovering the awesome power and wisdom of the body.

Steven Macramalla bridges Eastern philosophy, martial arts, and ancient wisdom to modern life.  He gives 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, Qi Gong 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.  It continues to challenge me physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically to be the best version of myself.  I have learned the fluidity to change perspectives in a number of important ways, and to respond to my environment creatively and openly.  Ch’ien-lung has encouraged deep exploration of my world in ways that no other teaching has.  I can honestly say I would not be the person I am today, or have achieved what I have, without the gifts of this Art.  I remain a life-long student of the Dragons. If you want to explore and transform your inner and outer world in the most astonishing of ways, I highly recommend this book, and the study of Chien Lung.

Unleash the Dragon Within is a beautifully written, practical book on personal development through the art of Ch’ien-lung kung-fu. Using 6 animals as the basis for 6 aspects of the human experience – Steven takes you on a fun, explorative and body centered journey into your own way of being, and how to use these ancient techniques to give meaningful and practical tools to better cope with everyday life. I am very grateful to have trained with Steven for 5 years, during this time he has encouraged me to embrace my inner ‘tiger’ to deal with challenges at work and home – and to cultivate the opposite  – ‘boa’ – to find a more empathetic, considered and creative way to see any situation. It really helps! Steven is a patient teacher, an enthusiastic co-learner and a very wise and astute observer of the human condition. I am truly thankful for Steven’s continuous efforts to support others, and I’m sure that through the writing of this book he will be able to guide others on their journey in physical and emotional health as he has supported me. 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.

Studying six animals kung-fu introduced me to the lush interconnectivity between nature and my physical and spiritual bodies.   It gave me the invaluable understanding of how an unlimited supply of energy can be maintained by cultivating this relationship, from which I still benefit to this day. Through his decades-long love affair with this practice, Steven’s passion to share its energetic mystery is evident in his skillful and attentive teaching methods.  In addition to the physical aspect, he uses engaging games and metaphors that guide the nervous system to a return to balance. For me, the usual result after participating in these exercises is a feeling of calm and wholeness.  Who can’t use more of that in this world?  It is a gift that keeps on giving, beyond the purview of the actual practice session. In this book, culminating after many years of study, Steven’s lyrical writing is as fluid as the animal archetypes he brings to life on the page.  Whether you pick up this book as a casual observer or as a devoted student, you will be fascinated by an interwoven resonance of heart, mind and nature.

After turning the last page of this textured, thoughtful, relevant, and accessible text you will be inspired and eager for an even deeper dive into the rare and fascinating martial art form, Ch’ien-lung.  This book is so much more than an instruction manual for those curious about Ch’ien-lung.  Author Steven Macramalla PhD expounds a revolutionary new perspective on an ancient path forward through 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.