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FOREWORD

BY TONI TAN

This book is for tough guys, and the phrase “tough guys” is not meant in a gender-specific way. It is meant in a way that understands crisis, stands up to it, and leans into it. What exactly constitutes a crisis?

Webster’s Dictionary defines crisis as: 1) a: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever; b: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function; c: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person’s life; and 2) a: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive stage is impending; especially: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome; b: a situation that has reached a critical phase.

Got crisis? You are a tough guy if you are fighting for your life. Forging ahead through a crisis is not for the faint of heart. It is a war between you and the monster. You are a tough guy. A warrior.

Preparation for battle ultimately comes down to one thing: being in the moment. It seems simple, but this requires precision. A warrior learns to be as sharp as the edge of his sword. Combat training teaches you how to leverage your resources, devise strategies, tactics, weapons, and to find your strength. And your courage. Fear is a thief. It steals resolve. It must be tempered and not toxic on the battlefield.

Stress drives us all: fight or flight is a safety gauge, and there is power inside of it. A warrior understands this, using the adrenalin/cortisol rush to his advantage. Enough is fuel. Too much is overtaxing, exhausting, injurious. The warrior controls its flow; he does not let it control him. He does the same with the flow of his life force, his qi (pronounced chee). The refinement of this is called Qigong (pronounced chee-gung), or energy training. It is a method to cultivate and circulate your life force energy to promote mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. This keeps you focused, lucid, calm, and able to gain energy. It is the art of war, and the art of life. In this book, the tough guy, the warrior, is an “Energy Warrior.”

This work is actually two books in one: first, a literary account, and second, a how-to manual. Energy Warriors presents two perspectives on the value of Qigong. It is Bob Ellal’s personal story, and there is an Energy Warriors Qigong Manual to introduce you to the exercises.

Bob chronicles his journey to triumph over cancer. His prose is immaculate: vivid, haunting, darkly humorous, and inspiring. “Corporate Bob,” out of sheer determination to survive, transforms himself into an Energy Warrior. Bob used the traditional healing art of Qigong to complement conventional allopathic medicine and to combat stress, distress, pain, and illness. His Energy Warrior has a name: “Beowulf.” In the epic poem of the same name, the hero slaying the monster is not the glorious end of the story. The victory was short-lived, as there was another, bigger monster to slay. Like Beowulf, Bob was victorious; he won his first battle with cancer. But another monster reared its many heads. His cancer would return three more times.

This is not an inspirational feel-good story. Bob bares his private hell; his fears, pain, anguish, and the tragic collateral damages at work and home as he copes with illness, doctors, hospitals, chemo, the possibility of death, and ultimately, recovery. It is gritty and brutal. After all, war is ugly.

But because it is so real, it may help prepare you for your health challenges and life crises. You can have an active role. It is not what happens to you that defines you, it is how you manage it. Bob did that. He mastered it. Facing the reality that time may have indeed been running out, he learned to be in the moment. He delivers the message that you can meet obstacles and make better decisions if you have clarity. He found the discipline through Qigong.

This book is not about how Qigong is a miracle cure that saved his life. There is no New Age magical thinking. Bob’s story is too honest. He painfully took his medicine, but by practicing these Chinese mental and physical energy exercises, he covered the gaps that Western allopathic medicine did not address. Qigong meditation helped calm his mind’s fears of uncertainty during this harrowing experience, and the exercises made his body stronger by boosting his immune system. The integration of eastern movement and western medicine helped him to survive. And share his story. Bob is a tough guy, an Energy Warrior.

Following this is an instructional Energy Warrior Qigong Manual by Martial Arts Master Lawrence Tan. Lawrence is a unique breed of martial arts cat. He definitely knows how to fight. But, he sees how the fighting art and the path to wellness are inextricably linked. This truth is present in his TanDao system, where everyone, even the biggest, baddest combat dude, is as proficient in a standing meditation and The Universal Form (the signature exercise Lawrence created), as he is in a spinning wheel kick. Lawrence was arguably one of the first people to use the term “mind/body/spirit”—and to also understand exactly what it means.

Years ago, Lawrence (my partner in work and life) and I were in New York City’s Sutton Park on a warm spring day. A few feet away, near the railing that overlooks the East River and the 59th Street Bridge, sat a frail, elderly woman in a wheelchair beside her attendant. The old woman seemed lifeless; her lap neatly bundled in layers of blanket.

Lawrence started to do The Universal Form. Noticing his movement, the woman became alert and present. As he completed the form, she began to move her hands, then her arms. He smiled at her, moved closer, and started again. She followed his hand movements. On this beautiful afternoon, the park-goers’ gazes were not fixed on the boats going by, or the sunlight on the water. They were watching this woman and Lawrence. Of all the special moments we have experienced in our TanDao travels, this was one of the finest. Pure mind/body/spirit. Life force. Qi.

Qi energy can be cultivated and refined. The Energy Warrior Qigong Manual introduces you to a series of ten core Qigong exercises. Qigong is a system of knowledge based on Chinese philosophy, martial arts, and medicine. This manual provides an overview. The traditional theory and terms have been kept to a minimum, as the goal is to provide simple and practical information that you can put into practice right away. These exercises are gentle, safe, and easy to learn.

If Bob’s story and Lawrence’s manual inspire you, perhaps you will further explore the tradition by seeking out a qualified Qigong master for guidance. You already have two tough guys standing tall with you on the battlefield. May Energy Warriors be a formidable start to your journey.