www.ThePeacefulDragon.com June 2018 704-504-8866

Inside

Upcoming Events Student Promotions

Peaceful Dragon School News Students of the Month

Did You Know? Students Ask Master Sbarge

Children’s Program News Classifieds

2014 and 2015 Winner of TWO Charlotte Observer Reader Awards! Best Martial Arts Studio

Best Yoga Studio Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThePeacefulDragon

At a Glance…

What The Peaceful Dragon Offers

Adult Programs

Tai Chi

Kung Fu

Zen Meditation

Yoga

Asian Culture and Philosophy

Children’s Programs

Kung Fu and Leadership Classes

Other Services

Seminars and Presentations

School Field Trips

Community Demonstrations Corporate Team Building

Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Yoga and More

The Peaceful Dragon For the Contemporary Mind, Body and Spirit

2

Message from Master Eric Sbarge

The Chinese often repeat the aphorism, “The tea leaves will only settle when they’re ready to.” They’re referring of course to the way tea leaves float on top of your cup or pot when you first add hot water – you’ll ingest the leaves or get them stuck in your teeth if you try to drink the tea before the leaves sink to the bottom, but once they’re on the bottom you can drink or pour the clear tea and fully enjoy it.

With our impatience or thirst we may want the leaves to hurry up and sink faster, so we try to stir the leaves, or blow on them, or push them down with a spoon – but none of these efforts work. The only thing that does work is giving the leaves time and letting them naturally settle when they’re ready to. By way of comparison, practicing the arts of tai chi, qigong, kung fu, yoga and meditation are like making loose-leaf tea. We may want our body, mind and spirit to change right away so we can fully enjoy the health and other benefits of these arts, but there is a natural process to these changes, and this process takes time. The good news is the changes do start to take place from the very first day we begin practice, just like the tea leaves do begin to soak up the water and get heavier from the first instant they’re infused in water. So rather than look for ways to short-cut your training or acquire instant miracles which really don’t exist, simply do your daily practice, allow yourself to be content with whatever your conditions are at the present, and welcome your improvements and changes as they inevitably, and naturally, occur. Be patient but observant, and just like the tea leaves begin to sink one at a time, your obstacles will naturally and inevitably drop away one at a time.

“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

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 a Free Semi-Private, No-

Obligation Introductory Class and an Introductory Tour.

3

Upcoming Events

Student Appreciation Barbecue Saturday, June 9, 2-6pm

To thank you for your dedication and hard work as students or family members supporting our students, The Peaceful Dragon welcomes you to our annual barbecue. We’re providing all the food and drink for this family-fun bash! The barbecue will be held right here at The Peaceful Dragon. Come out with the whole family and enjoy sports, games, water gun fights – or just a relaxing afternoon in the shade of our patio. This event is totally FREE for the whole family, and will be held rain or shine. Please register at our front counter by Wednesday, June 6 so we will have a head count for how much food to prepare.

Hsing-I Class Begins Thursday, June 14

th, 6:30pm

Pakua is wrapping up for now, so the Hsing-I cycle is beginning. Every Thursday night, Master Eric Sbarge and other instructors will be leading Hsing-I. This class is open to all teens and adults in the Mastery Program only.

Meditation Retreat Saturday, June 16, 12-6pm

Master Eric Sbarge, head instructor at The Peaceful Dragon, will lead this extended session of Chan (Zen) meditation, interspersed with relaxing and invigorating yoga and qigong as well as discussions on meditation principles, methods, and Zen philosophy. The retreat is open to and suitable for everyone regardless of experience levels. Early-bird fee through June 2: Public – $75; Peaceful Dragon and affiliated-school students and family members just $39. After June 2 add $15. Please register at our front service counter or call (704) 504-8866. Bring a yoga mat and your meditation cushion or bench of choice; we have them for sale or a few available to borrow if you don’t have your own.

4

10 Week Meditation Course – Level Two Begins Wednesday, July 11, 8-9:15pm

This 10-week Level Two Meditation course will be led by Master Eric Sbarge, head instructor at The Peaceful Dragon, every Wednesday night from 8-9:15pm beginning on July 11th. Following up on the Introductory Level One course, in this course you will probe more deeply into the traditional Chan (Zen) and Taoist approaches to developing greater focus and awareness, reducing stress and worry, and boosting health and overall happiness. This course will blend both discussion and theory with actual practice. The fee is $149 for the public, $69 for family members of current students, free for all Peaceful Dragon students. Please register for the course ahead of time at our front counter or by calling us at (704)504-8866. Bring your meditation cushion or bench of choice, or we have some available for purchase or limited numbers that you can borrow. NOTE: The prerequisite for this course is that you have completed our Level One Meditation course, or permission from the instructor if you already have an equivalent consistent seated-meditation practice. To request the permission of the instructor, please email info@thepeacefuldragon.com describing your practice and how many months/years you have been practicing regularly.

International Kuoshu Tournament in Baltimore Fri-Sun, July 27-29

Join Master Sbarge and many of our instructors and fellow classmates at this weekend-long international tournament that highlights tai chi, pakua, hsing I, kung fu, shuai chiao and more, with weapons, forms, full-contact lei tai fighting, push hands, and much more. Divisions are for all ages from 5 on up, and beginner to advanced. Whether as a competitor or spectator, you will come away from this weekend with a much greater appreciation for the variety of Chinese martial arts, and a better understanding of your own practice and how you can improve your skills and derive more benefits and satisfaction from your training. For tournament information see the USKSF site.

Our complete 2018 Special Events Calendar is available at http://thepeacefuldragon.com/specialevents.shtml.

Mark your planning calendar now!

5

Equipment Needed for Classes

Adults

Shaolin All Blocks: Full Sparring Equipment

Tai Chi Block D: Broadsword Kids

8-12 year olds: Green Sash and Above: Full Sparring Equipment

Monthly Classes, Seminars

and Discussion Groups

Jr. Mastery Program Seminar – Saturday, June 2, 12-1pm Topic: The Key Differences Between a White Sash and Black Open only to Junior Mastery Program students.

Yoga Seminar – Thursday, June 7, 6:30-8:30pm Topic: Philosophies relevant to practice plus a 75 minute asana practice 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. Mastery Roundtable Discussion – Tuesday, June 12, 8-9pm Topic: Attaining Your Success Starts with Defining Your Success Open only to Mastery Program students.

Lecture and Discussion – Thursday, June 21, 8pm

Topic: Making Sense of the Organic vs. Natural vs. Conventional Foods Debate Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students.

Future Instructors – Saturday, June 23, 11am Open only to Junior Mastery Program students. Double-Mat Mandala Yoga – Sunday, June 24, 11am-2pm Open to all teens and adults. Suggested donation of $10 for Peaceful Dragon students, $25 for the public

6

Peaceful Dragon School News (All Real!)

A Big Thanks to our Volunteers Who Helped Re-Seal the Parking Lot!

Nearly two dozen students came out on a 95 degree day to help with this necessary job – some for a few minutes and others for the WHOLE DAY – and thanks to your efforts the parking lot looks great and is better protected to keep it in good shape for the future. Many, many thanks to you all!

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

1st Kaashvi Sanjay 18th Sophia Mullis

3rd Brandon Mobley 19th Zeke Anderson

5th Mark Rindner 21st Ann Staples

5th Fan Soo 23rd Michael Frank

5th Robert Macnab 26th Lauren Cirillo

5th Saba Solaimani 26th Benjamin Mullis

9th Ellen Little 27th Chase Campbell

9th Victoria Burke 28th Jarrett Jackson

13th Brandon George 28th Samir Masih

7

Congratulations to our Young Language Experts!

A couple of our American youngsters who are in Chinese language immersion programs at school are tutored by Simu Debra Sbarge – and they were winners at the state-wide speech competition. Congratulations to Jordan Baker and Sophia Mullis for writing and demonstrating their original speeches in Chinese. Sophia took 1st Place with a speech on “My Family”, and Jordan got Stage Charisma with her speech on “Spring in North Carolina” as well as 3rd place in Writing. Congratulations to these two ladies for working so hard!

A Successful Dragon Dance and Martial Arts Demo at

Asian Festival! Nice job demo team! The Peaceful Dragon was once again invited to perform the opening Dragon Dance and martial arts demo at the annual Charlotte Asian Festival, and this was a great opportunity for our students to showcase what we do, and help bring some “Asian style” happiness to the community. Many thanks to all who participated!

8

Plan and Start Saving NOW for The Peaceful Dragon’s 2019

China and Japan Tour!

The Peaceful Dragon is sponsoring an Asia tour for our students, family members and friends in October of 2019 – this will be our fourth tour, and each previous one has been fantastic. This two-week tour promises to be a fantastic trip that will include practice in meditation and martial arts with locals, sightseeing, cultural excursions and events, and much more. Our tentative itinerary includes Japan for the first time – Tokyo and Kyoto (with its ancient Zen temples) – and the beautiful Chinese cities of Suzhou (called China’s Venice with the picturesque canals) and Hangzhou (the lake city), the spiritual Yellow Mountains, and the cosmopolitan heart of China, Shanghai. The estimated cost for this all-inclusive custom tour with 4 and 5 star accommodations, all travel and excellent meals, admissions to cultural events, and the service of highly-professional English-speaking guides is between $3500 - $4000. We hope you can go – it’s a great investment for a lifetime of memories!

Gathering Videos from Master Guolin’s Workshop

Did you get a good video at Master Guolin’s weekend workshop? Jason Field is gathering any and all videos to combine into one file. This way we can view multiple angles of the form at once. If you have a video, please send it to his one drive here.

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!

9

Did You Know…

Recent studies show that clutter in one’s home contributes to mental anxiety and

discord – and ancient Chinese feng shui principles say that clutter blocks chi flow in your home, resulting in poor mental and physical health and lack of harmony?

Statistics show that most martial arts and yoga studios or schools that open in the US close within five years, but The Peaceful Dragon is now in its 21st year due to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and staff?

Children’s Program News

A Message from Mr. George

We just had a great weekend training with Master Shi Guolin, the former Head Trainer at the Shaolin

Temple. Over the years we have had several other top level Masters conducting workshops at our

school. Master Park Bak Nam, a master of one of the top Pa Kua Kung Fu systems, Master Roger Soo,

one of the top Shuai Chiao Kung Fu masters and senior student of our Great Grand Master, and Guruji

Andrey Lappa, one of the top Yoga Masters from Eastern Europe and creator of Universal Yoga. These

masters came from different disciplines or arts. The class might be look different, but the basics are

still the same. We learn through the different arts on how to connect our mind, body and breath.

The young martial artists learn forms, self-defense, weapons and sparring. While the students are

training in Kung Fu system, they are also practicing Tai Chi by using the least amount of force to

neutralize the attacks, Yoga with developing strong and flexible body, and Meditation to focus to

dodge the balls during the fun games. Through the Kung Fu training, the young students will develop

great focus, concentration, healthy body, self-defense skills, compassion and character. Just like

improving our mind, body and breathe.

Keep up the good work. Remember all these top Masters started as a new student. Just keep up the

training for a few years or a few decades!

Powerful Words

This month’s Powerful Word is Integrity. Integrity means being true to yourself, your values, and your

word. Dr. Robyn’s letter to the parents discusses how to guide your children to see the value of

integrity over blind achievement.

10

Student Promotions

Congratulations to all of our promoting adults!

Tai Chi Block A to Block B

Cathy Luben

Emmy Verheecke

Ray Spears

Robert Lemmons

Katie Clinton

Shaolin Kung Fu Block A to Block B

Robert Macnab

Jason Baker

Dawn Baker

Student of the Month Recognition

Adult Student of the Month— Ray Spears 1st runner up— Jennifer Allen

2nd runner up— Paul Campanelli

Ray has a good attitude and a positive spirit. He perseveres and trains to

the best of his abilities. Good job, Ray!

Child Student of the Month— Noah Brady

1st runner up— Lilly Clinton

2nd runner up— Breanna Curtice

Noah always has a good focus and great attitude. He always tries his best and keeps up with the bigger

kids. Keep up the great work Noah!

11

Students Ask Master Sbarge

Question: Can my 9 and 11 year old children really learn to defend themselves? Answer: Even a 5 year old can poke your eye out, but self-defense is really as much about awareness and responding correctly as it is about physical fighting. Of course there are some limitations for a child, but this is a great age to begin training so that your children’s expertise and confidence steadily grow as they grow up.

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.

12

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.

George runs two social clubs in Charlotte through Meetup.com:

http://www.meetup.com/North-Carolina-Mountain-

Biking/

http://www.meetup.com/Charlotte-Pool-Shootin-Fun-Meetup/

Mountain biking, shooting pool, hiking, trying out

new restaurants or cruising to the Bahamas!