Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Yoga and More The Peaceful Dragon For the Contemporary Mind, Body and Spirit www.thepeacefuldragon.com June 2015 704-504-8866 Inside Upcoming Events Peaceful Dragon School News Did You Know? Children s Program News Welcome New Students Students of the Month Student Promotions Students Ask Master Sbarge Holly s Recipe Corner Classifieds At a Glance What The Peaceful Dragon Offers Adult Programs Tai Chi Kung Fu Zen Meditation Yoga Asian Culture and Philosophy 2014 Winner of TWO Charlotte Observer Reader Awards! Best Martial Arts Studio Best Yoga Studio Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thepeacefuldragon Children s Programs Kung Fu and Leadership Classes Other Services Seminars and Presentations School Field Trips Community Demonstrations Corporate Team Building
Message from Master Eric Sbarge Shhh. It s a secret! Deadly poison hand techniques Tantric shortcuts to enlightenment Herbal formulas that guarantee longevity Go online and, for a price, you ll be let in on all kinds of secrets. The truth is, much of this kind of knowledge once really was secret, revealed only to a select few lucky individuals. In traditional Asian cultures, these inner door teachings were kept secret out of custom and for practical reasons. An obvious example of a practical reason would be to maintain a combat advantage over your opponent by not letting him learn your most advanced fighting techniques and methods. In days of old, only the most trusted disciples would be taught these secrets. But today, many if not most of these secrets really are out in the open. Most honest and knowledgeable teachers now willingly share everything they know with most if not all of their serious students, and not just the select few. Why are these secrets now publicly available? Two reasons. First, the practical utility of much of this knowledge has diminished. Who cares if you can paralyze a man with dim mak poison-hand techniques when that same man can effortlessly shoot you dead with his concealed-carry-permit handgun? How many people want shortcuts to enlightenment when most people in the developed world are moving away from traditional religions and their esoteric practices? And as for health and longevity, Viagra and a cabinet full of other pharmaceuticals apparently suit busy people better than the use of herbs or other more natural health aids. Second, teachers are willing to share once-secret practices simply because they realize that most people won t make the time or effort needed to actually implement the secrets anyway. Having a chart of dim mak techniques is one thing, but memorizing meridians and then spending countless hours, weeks and months of daily practice until your dim mak is passable is quite another. Just because a Himalayan master shows you special meditative techniques for self-awakening doesn t mean you ll actually make the time to sit down every day and meditate on them. And most people can t remember to take one vitamin pill a day, never mind concocting complex herbal recipes. My students know that I repeatedly say there is only one real secret to success in the arts I teach: Practice. Specifically, practice of basics. You will get the benefits and results you are after if you practice the fundamentals of your art consistently and patiently. Stop searching for some esoteric secret technique passed down by the Wudang gods, and practice what s right in front 2
of you. While it doesn t sound sexy or exciting, the fact remains that the highest levels of skill really do come from practicing your basics and fundamentals over and over, and over and over, and over and over. If you are the rare bird who actually does practice consistently and long enough to master the basics, then you will be ready for the esoteric secrets. And when you re ready, I ll give you the URLs to go find them. If you are not a current student of The Peaceful Dragon, there are many ways to improve your mind, body and spirit through the programs available at The Peaceful Dragon. Visit www.thepeacefuldragon.com and click on Adult Classes or Children s Classes. You can then register for one Free Introductory Class and an Introductory Tour. Upcoming Events Send In Your Registration and Deposit Now for Our Exciting China/Taiwan Tour This October! Guilin, China Just one of the amazing places you ll see on our China tour next year! 3
For tour details and Registration Form, see our Events page at http://www.thepeacefuldragon.com/2015-taiwan-china-tour/ Already over a dozen students from our brother school run by Master John Scattaretico in New York are registered for this tour hope you, too, can join us! Open to all students, family and friends of The Peaceful Dragon of all ages, this promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The tour includes visits to numerous top cultural and historic attractions as well as natural wonders and scenic destinations throughout China and Taiwan. Experience chic Taipei, the magnificent Taroko Gorge on Taiwan s east coast, China s beautiful Guilin River and quaint town of Yangshou, the world-famous Shaolin Temple where our kung fu and Zen practices originated over 1500 years ago, and Western China's bustling metropolis of Chengdu with its famed Panda Research Center, plus more! The itinerary also includes the chance to join daily morning practice in tai chi and kung fu with our own Master Sbarge and teacher-level instructors, plus training with local masters and visits to several spiritually-uplifting temples and monasteries. We hope you can join us for this custom-designed, first-class tour to experience the awe and wonders of China and Taiwan for yourself. If you have any questions contact Master Sbarge, otherwise go ahead and make your reservation early! Walking 10,000 miles of the world is better than reading 10,000 scrolls. ~Chinese Proverb Yoga Workshop Absolutely Everything About Arm Asanas Saturday, June 6 th, 1:00-5:00pm Learn the fundamental alignments, variations, modifications and cues for the arm asanas of Universal Yoga. We will divide into partners and practice basic assisting and adjusting for several basic arm asanas. This workshop is free to all Peaceful Dragon students and is open to the public for a fee of $49. Please register at the front desk by Wednesday, June 3rd. We require a minimum of 6 confirmed students to hold this workshop. 4
Parents Night Out Friday Night Lights Friday, June 12 th, 6:30-9:00pm This month s Parents Night Out is Friday Night Lights. All students are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite team s uniform. Whether professional or college football, basketball, baseball, or cheerleading, we are going to have an exciting night. They will learn team work and organization while playing awesome sports games with a kung fu twist. Please sign up at the front counter by no later than Thursday, June 11 th. Check out our complete 2015 Special Events Calendar at http://www.thepeacefuldragon.com/specialevents/ and mark your own planning calendar now! Please Tell Your Friends and Co-workers about The Peaceful Dragon Referrals are the number one way new students learn about us, and we really appreciate your help with this! Equipment Needed for Classes Adults Shaolin Full Sparring Equipment Tai Chi Block D: Broadsword Kids 4-12 year olds: White Sash and above: Short Stick 8-12 year olds: White, Yellow, and Orange: Nunchuks 8-12 year olds: Green Sash and above: Staff 5
Monthly Classes, Seminars and Discussion Groups Shuai Chiao Grappling Tuesday, Junes 2, 6:30-8:00pm Open only to Mastery Program students. Mastery Roundtable Discussion Tuesday, June 2, 8:00-9:00pm Topic: Comparing the 5 Elements of Chinese Culture with the 5 Elements of Hindu Culture Open only to Mastery Program students. Yoga Seminar Thursday, June 4, 6:30 Topic: Yoga Pathways for Differing Temperaments Presented by Yogini Mara Healy. Open to all teens and adults: FREE for Peaceful Dragon students, $29 for guests. Note: There will be no regular yoga classes on the evenings of the monthly yoga seminars. Leadership Seminar Saturday, June 6, 12:30-1:30pm Topic: Discipline vs. Self-Discipline Open only to Leadership Club students. Lecture and Discussion Thursday, June 25, 8:00pm Topic: Herbs, Vitamins, and Supplements for Peak Health and Performance Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students. Leadership Assistants Saturday, June 27, 11:00am Open only to Leadership Club students. 6
Peaceful Dragon School News A Big Turnout for Our Student Appreciation Barbecue Many thanks to all our students and their family members who joined us for a fun afternoon of food, games, and great company we re already looking forward to doing it again with you next year! Our Dragon Soared at the Charlotte Asian Festival Once again The Peaceful Dragon was honored to have been invited to perform the opening Dragon Dance and martial arts demonstration at the annual Charlotte Asian is entertain the thousands in attendance at the festival while sharing in traditional Asian culture. 7
Robert Beaver Moving on to Bigger and Better Things We are both saddened and happy to report that after several years as a full-time program director and instructor at The Peaceful Dragon, Robert Beaver is leaving to work on opening his own martial arts school. We wish him the best, and hope you will do what you can to help him succeed in promoting the arts we teach. Almost $2500 Raised to Benefit Victims of Nepal Earthquake The yoga fundraiser class organized by our yoga director Mara Healy and held at The Peaceful Dragon raised almost $2500 to go directly to aid the children of Nepal who have been injured or displaced by this tremendous disaster. Many thanks to your donations every dollar makes a difference! Some Exciting New Improvements Coming! In case you missed the big email from Sifu Sbarge, here s the list of what is coming up: 1. Parents, we re expanding the instruction time of daily classes for all children. Beginning next Monday, June 8 th, all Little Dragons 4-7 year old classes will be expanded from 30 minutes to 40 minutes (except white sashes will remain at 30 minutes) and all young Dragons 8-12 year old classes will be expanded from 45 minutes to 55 minutes (including white sashes). This extra 10 minutes of instructional time at each class will allow for more in-class corrections and perfection of kung fu techniques and forms, and more in-depth discussion of the monthly Powerful Words lessons. Note: The structure of our weekly class schedule, including the 15-minute Leadership classes, remains the same but the exact start and end times will be adjusted starting June 8th. To see the new schedule times, click here or visit the Members section of our website (left-side column). 2. A Great New Opportunity for Many of our Students: Master Sbarge is adding a new weekly class to our schedule, open to all Adults, Teens, and Children aged 8 and up ranked green sash or higher. The class will be called the Intensive Forms and Sparring class, and will be led by Master Sbarge personally. Held every Saturday from noon until 1pm, this new class will begin Saturday, June 13 th. The curriculum will rotate quarterly between empty-hand forms, weapons forms, and sparring/push hands. You can attend every quarter, or only 8
attend the quarters that interest you. Everyone in the class will work in-depth on the same form, and the sparring and sparring drills will be divided into Levels One and Two. The purpose of this new weekly class is to help students seeking mastery of the martial arts we teach (including tai chi students) reach the highest levels possible. The curriculum is as follows: Summer quarter (beginning June 13th) Weapons Forms; Fall Sparring/Push Hands; Winter Empty-hand Forms; Spring Sparring/Push Hands. 3. The monthly Leadership Seminar taught to children by Master Sbarge will have a new time: It will still be held the first Saturday of each month, but beginning in July (June remains on the old schedule) it will go from 12noon 1pm, rather than from 12:30-1:30pm. The Intensive Forms and Sparring class will be held simultaneously during that time, but any Leadership students taking that class will instead attend Master Sbarge s seminar. A substitute teacher will lead the Forms and Sparring class for the rest of the teens and adults. 4. Children ranked brown sash and above who were taking the Thursday night class with Instructor Robert Beaver to prepare for their Black Sash Test will instead now join Master Sbarge s weekly Intensive Forms and Sparring class. Master Sbarge will work with these children directly to help prepare them for their Jr. Black Sash test. As is currently the case, attendance at this class will be optional for Brown Sash Level One and Level Two students, required for Level Three and Level Four students. 5. We are changing the name of our children s Leadership Program to Junior Mastery Program. We think this name better reflects our broader goal of helping children not only learn leadership skills, but also truly master the martial arts and become masters of themselves. Leadership is but one quality that must be developed in that process of selfmastery. Note that the 15-minute classes during the week will still be called Leadership classes and they will still focus primarily on a Leadership curriculum, but Master Sbarge s monthly seminar will now be called the Jr. Mastery seminar. 6. Also New! Beginning in the third quarter (October) Master Sbarge will lead structured COURSES in Shuai Chiao grappling, and in Zen meditation. These 12-week courses will be held Wednesday evenings from 8-9:15pm, and will be comprised of weekly classes, Level One and Level Two. All students in each class will be working on the same curriculum, ensuring a strong and uniform foundation of basics and then moving into more advanced material. The curriculum will be as follows: Fall quarter (beginning October) Shuai Chiao Levels One and Two; Winter Meditation Level One; Spring Shuai Chiao Levels One and Two; Summer Meditation Level Two. NOTE: The current weekly meditation class and monthly shuai chiao class schedule will stay the same through August, then the first new course begins in October. Starting in October, our current monthly Discussion group for teens and adults will move from Wednesday evenings to Thursday evenings. 9
7. FYI, starting next week the Tuesday evening Shaolin class that Robert Beaver has been leading will continue but will now be led by disciple-level Jason Field. Jason is looking forward to working with and helping everyone in that class make continued progress! Send Us Your Event Photos or Short Video Clips If you get some nice shots of Peaceful Dragon events please send them to Holly@thepeacefuldragon.com for display in our newsletter, social media pages and our new upcoming lobby-area TV! Did You Know Nearly all Eastern cultures have a simple explanation for child prodigies? Such prodigies were experts in their previous lives, and so are just picking up where they left off. The 21 high-quality herbs that Simu Debra Sbarge uses to make our kung fu herbal tonic are hand-selected by one of the very best Chinese doctors in the United States, in New York s Chinatown? Physical skills in yoga or martial arts may be a reflection of deep spiritual insights in these arts or they may be completely unrelated? Great fighters or twisty yogis are just as likely to be unlikeable fools as they are to be awakened sages. 10
JUNE BIRTHDAYS 14 th Eric Mullis 21 st Ann Staples 14 th Harvin Dam 22 nd Zeke Steele 16 th Alexandra Hoellein 23 rd Michael Frank 18 th Zeta Held 25 th Darren Brown 18 th Sophia Mullis 29 th Stephanie Bethea 19 th Zeke Anderson 30 th Kasen Anderson Children s Program News A Message from Mr. George Summer break is almost here! By the middle of this month, all the kids will be on summer break. Many of them will go on vacations, visit relatives, attend summer camps and other fun events. While the kids are away, they are still expected to keep up their respect, control, manners and kung fu practice! I m looking forward to the new additions to the children s program. We will have more fun drills and game for the kids. More reinforcement and practice will equal better results. Leadership training will include reading and role playing. Many classes now have at least 1 or more Class Assistants (big brother/big sister) helping the younger students. These little improvements will help the kids development and leadership skills. Powerful Words This month s Powerful Word is Trustworthiness. Trustworthiness means to be deserving of someone s complete faith, belief, and confidence. Dr. Robyn s letter to the parents discusses how to teach kids to be more discerning of their friendships. 11
Welcome New Students Congratulations to all of our new students! Tai Chi: Sheryl Meyer Bryan Davis Ashley Burkell Marty Nadel Michael Frank Yoga: Beth Davis Michele Welch Young Dragon: Avari Davis Evan Vargas Student of the Month Recognition Adult Student of the Month Lisa Lynch 1 st runner up Hannah Eidsness 2 nd runner up Wayne Smith Child Student of the Month Henry Fox 1 st runner up Sahana Sanjay 2 nd runner up Sammy Gross Student Promotions Congratulations to all of our adults who completed their first testing! Tai Chi Beginner Level to Novice Level (Block A to Block B) Frank Farro April Homan Kelly Homan Susan Smith Luke Anderson Don Steele Sarah Hinson Shaolin Kung Fu Beginner Level to Novice Level (Block A to Block B) Andy Barber Azure Steele Raevyn Steele 12
The most important thing I ve learned so far came from one of Sifu s emails the thing that determines how successful I will be in reaching my Tai Chi goals is my own determination and commitment to keep at it. And I m determined to do just that. I absolutely love coming here! ~Natalie McBryant, 37, IT Business Intelligence, Charlotte, NC Students Ask Master Sbarge Question: Why did you close the restaurant that used to be in The Peaceful Dragon? Answer: A combination of a couple reasons. The restaurant won several awards including Best New Restaurant by Creative Loafing and it was fairly popular as a vegetarian restaurant goes. And it was even profitable which isn t all that common for independent family-run restaurants. But running the restaurant was stressful and time-consuming for Debra, who managed it. At the same time classes were growing and we could use more space. So we decided to close the restaurant and focus on our primary objective which was teaching high-quality classes in Asian martial arts and health arts. Holly s Recipe Corner Creamy Cucumber Crackers This recipe makes a great quick and easy appetizer to bring to a summer party. Ingredients 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened 1 (.7oz) package dry Italian-style dressing mix ½ c. mayonnaise crackers (see tips) 1 cucumber, slices thinly 2 tsp. dried dill weed Instructions In a bowl, mix cream cheese, dressing mix, and mayonnaise thoroughly. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a cracker, and top with a slice of cucumber. 13
Sprinkle with a light dusting of dill. Serve slightly chilled. Tips There are lots of great options for crackers. I d suggest something along the lines of Melba toasts or Triscuits. Another option would be to slice a French baguette and toast it lightly under a broiler until just lightly browned. This recipe takes a cue from English tea-sandwiches. It tastes delicious that way as well. As always, any new recipes, tips, or tweaks you want to share with me would be appreciated. Simply email me at holly@thepeacefuldragon.com at any time! Enjoy! ~Holly Field Mission Statement for The Peaceful Dragon Our mission is to help each of our students reach his or her fullest potential for physical, mental and spiritual development through the teaching of traditional Asian health arts and martial arts. We accomplish this by offering the most authentic and effective curriculum, by providing the best possible service to our students and their families, and by maintaining a warm and caring family environment in which every student, guest, and staff member is treated with respect, dignity and love. 14
Classifieds Your ad could be here! Text and graphics, a scan of your business card, or artwork you submit. The cost is $5 for students, $10 for the public. Send your copy to holly@thepeacefuldragon.com. Pay at the front counter. Jennifer Gigi Frye ~ LMBT# 13005 ~ 980.224.3619 http://haramassagetherapy.com 15 Planning to buy something for the house or garden, indulge a favorite pastime, or get that hot new DVD or the latest gadget? Consider shopping through Amazon first, where you ll find competitive pricing on everything PLUS - through arrangement between The Peaceful Dragon and Amazon a percentage of your purchase goes to help our school flourish. Get what you want and support your school, too! Go to: thepeacefuldragon.com/books.shtml and use Search Amazon.com in the upper right corner to find the products you want.