www.ThePeacefulDragon.com September 2016 704-504-8866

Inside

Upcoming Events New Students and Promotions

Peaceful Dragon School News Disciple’s Forum

Did You Know? Students Ask Master Sbarge

Children’s Program News Classifieds

Students of the Month

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

September Holidays! Self-Improvement Month

5th Labor Day 16th POW/MIA Recognition Day 6th Read a Book Day 19th Talk Like A Pirate Day 11th Patriot Day 21st International Day of Peace 13th Positive Thinking Day 25th National Comic Book Day

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Message from Master Eric Sbarge

Yes, we ARE GLAD when you show up! For many years I’ve studied various trade magazines and marketing materials for the health and fitness industries, as well as the martial arts industry. I’m now going to share with you a dirty little secret that you may not have known. Many if not most gyms and health clubs purposely enroll many more members than their facilities can accommodate. In fact, some enroll as many as five times the number

they can handle. For example, if their facilities can hold 500 people each month they will nevertheless push to enroll 2500 members per month. Why and how do they do this? The why is easy: The more members they enroll, the more money they make. The how is less savory: They are able to enroll so many people because they know most of the people will rarely, if ever, show up. Most initial memberships are for one year. Do you think the average well-intentioned health-club member actually attends regularly for that full year? If you guessed that they only attend for three months, you’re an optimist. The actual amount of time averages just 30 days! So people are paying for a year, but only attending for a month. You are not encouraged by the staff and management to show up more because the whole model is predicated on you not showing up. This business model may not fall under the category of white-collar crime, but it sure does seem a good bit dishonest and unethical. In case you haven’t noticed yet, The Peaceful Dragon operates on a different model. We are content to have a much smaller student body, but one whose students attend regularly and for a long duration. Most of our students make it to classes at least two to three times per week, and the majority of them continue their training year after year. In fact we have many students who have trained at The Peaceful Dragon for over ten years, and several that have trained here for the nearly twenty years we’ve been open. If you fail to show up for more than a week or two, our staff is usually calling or emailing you to make sure everything is okay with you. We are not a gym – we are a school teaching the traditional arts of kung fu, tai chi, yoga and meditation. As a school, we’re only successful if our students are successful in reaching their goals, and our students can only be successful if they are coming here regularly and training. I’m sure there are good health clubs that take care of their members and have good show-up and renewal rates. But the statistics don’t lie – the majority not only have poor attendance rates, but are actually built on a model that demands poor attendance. We welcome your attendance, and contrary to the norm, We Really Are Glad When You Show Up!

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“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Woody Allen

Upcoming Events

200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Begins

Led by Our Director of Yoga Studies, Mara Healy,

Right Here at The Peaceful Dragon Friday-Sunday, September 2-4

The training group meets each weekend for a total of 9 weekends. Each weekend

is a 20 hour commitment with reading assignments, guided asana practices,

lecture, discussions, and detailed explanations on how to both deepen your

personal yoga practice while also laying the foundation for being a skillful yoga

teacher. You do not have to want to teach in order to join the program! Check

the yoga page for the weekend dates and more information.

Universal Yoga Sequencing Practicum and Quarterly Workshop

with Yogini Mara Healy, assisted by Yogi James Yancey Friday-Sunday, September 16-18

Learn how to organize and perfect the panorama of your asana and vinyasa practice on the mat. This weekend workshop will help you create sequencing strategies that expand your understanding of a wide variety of asana pairs for legs, arms and spine while you use vinyasas and turns on the mat as the creative elements in practice. You will learn the fundamental underpinnings and rules of sequencing. You will be able to synthesize the wide variety of options in yoga to construct consistently effective practices for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. $130/person Full Weekend September 16th-18th Saturday Afternoon, September 17th, 1-5pm is free for all Peaceful Dragon students as the Quarterly Yoga Workshop Please register at the front counter by Wednesday, September 14th.

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Adult Block A Promotional Testing

Saturday, September 17, 11am

Makeup Day Wednesday, September 28, 6:30pm

Good luck to all of our testing adults. Please fill out your Testing

Application no later than one week before your chosen testing date.

They are available at the front counter.

Quarterly Cleanup and Fall Landscaping Day Saturday, September 24, 9am-2pm

Please join us as we work to make our school sparkle. Come in for 5 minutes before

or after class or come in for the whole day. We appreciate any and all help.

Plan Now for Our Mountain Tai Chi Retreat This September

This Year Space is VERY limited for this popular event, so it’s

first come first served for reservations! Friday-Sunday, September 30

th-October 2

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Relax and rejuvenate while enjoying intensive instruction and practice in the Chinese arts of tai chi and

pakua, complemented with sessions of qigong, Zen meditation and yoga. Led by Master Eric Sbarge,

director and head instructor of The Peaceful Dragon in Charlotte, NC, the retreat will be held at the

beautiful YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC, just 10 minutes from Asheville. Suited for

beginners or advanced practitioners, from teens to senior citizens, the retreat includes all instruction,

comfortable lodging, and all meals except for Saturday evening when you’ll have free time to explore

downtown Asheville or simply relax on your own in the wooded mountains with hundreds of acres and

many beautiful vistas and trails.

We have a limited number of rooms available, register early!

Double occupancy: $625 public; $500 for Peaceful Dragon and affiliated schools’ students AND their

family members! (We will gladly assign you a roommate if you wish).

Single occupancy: $745 public; $620 for Peaceful Dragon and affiliated schools’ students or family

members.

A non-refundable 50% deposit is required to reserve your spot. Full payment must be received no later

than September 20th.

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Our complete 2016 Special Events Calendar is at http://thepeacefuldragon.com/specialevents.shtml.

Mark your planning calendar now!

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.

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

6th Wayne Smith 22nd Amelia Lenke

9th Kimberly Gerace-Mason 23rd Tim Starnes

11th Sheryl Meyer 24th Marcia Ilardo

14th William McLean 24th Alexander Kelly

14th Kaitlyn Kelleher 26th Katherine Snider

16th Aaron Nicely 26th Henry Fox

19th Hannah Eidsness 28th Leonard Roberts

19th Ryan Hoellein 30th Nancy Darden

21st George Lu

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Equipment Needed for Classes

Adults

Shaolin none

Tai Chi ¾ Staff Kids

4-12 year olds: White Sash and Above: Full Sparring Equipment

Monthly Classes, Seminars

and Discussion Groups

Yoga Seminar – Thursday, September 1, 6:30-8:30pm Topic: YIN Yoga - the perfect complement to Kung Fu's Yang Energy 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. Jr. Mastery Program Seminar – Saturday, September 3, 12-1pm Topic: Positive Peer Pressure vs. Negative Peer Pressure Open only to Junior Mastery Program students.

Mastery Roundtable Discussion – Tuesday, September 6, 8-9pm Topic: Practical Guidelines from the Tai Chi Classics Open only to Mastery Program students.

Lecture and Discussion – Thursday, September 15, 8pm

Topic: Vitamins, Herbs, and Nutritional Supplements – Are They Beneficial? Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students.

Future Instructors – Saturday, September 24, 11am Open only to Junior Mastery Program students.

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“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Peaceful Dragon School News

Congrats to our New Junior Black Sash Students

Congratulations to Aaliyah Perkins, Aiden Hanger, and Tanusree Chepuri on passing their Jr. Black Sash Test. These three students have worked hard for 5 years to reach this point! Keep up the good work!

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!

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Did You Know…

The Peaceful Dragon was built from the ground up mainly with the kind and generous labor of student volunteers?

Stress management is the number one reason adults join The Peaceful Dragon, and tai chi is the most popular program at The Peaceful Dragon?

Statistically, martial arts training has fewer injuries than basketball, football or baseball?

Children’s Program News

A Message from Mr. George

Master Park is one of the top Pa Kua kung fu masters in the world. I was fortunate to attend a few of his workshops. He talked about when practicing our forms, students need to understand the variations of intensity. High stance is for mobility and application; you can step around quickly for quick attack or defense. Mid stance is for moving chi; the middle point between mobility and rigidity. Finally the Deep stance is for improvement of flexibility, strength, and balance. Years later, I hear the same principle in Yoga. If the young students want to just maintain their skills, but not progressing to a higher level, most will practice in high or mid stances. However, when the young student practices in deep and low stances, even just for a 20 seconds, that's where the magic of kung fu begins. The refinement of higher skill comes from repeated practice. Finding that internal motivation and having the “I can do this” attitude is important. As the old Chinese proverb: Eat bitter then taste the sweet.

Powerful Words

This month’s Powerful Word is Positive Attitude! Positive Attitude means having an optimistic way of

thinking, feeling and acting in the face of everyday challenges. Dr. Robyn’s letter to the parents

includes tips for improving your child’s attitude at school and in life.

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Student of the Month Recognition

Adult Student of the Month— Aiden Hanger 1st runner up— Austin Shields

2nd runner up— Katherine Snider

Aiden has shown perseverance in his training since being in the kids

program through joining the teens and adults classes. He’s worked hard

and shown great example of pushing to the limit.

Child Student of the Month— Tanusree Chepuri

1st runner up— Zeke Steele

2nd runner up— Addison Harmon

Tanusree has consistently worked hard in class. She’s recently set a good example for her junior classmates by completing her Junior Black Sash Test.

New Students and Student Promotions

Congratulations to all of our new students!

Tai Chi: Fan Soo Bryan Tan Linda Cochran Ismanie Elmore

Jules Zoen Caroline Potter Jorge Torres

Kung Fu: Sam Chew Andrea Chew

Young Dragon: Summer Tan Ah’Mauri Kiser

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Disciple’s Forum

And It Came to Pass

By Lao Shr Matt Lail

A young county preacher, subject to the distractions of youth, once failed to properly prepare for his Sunday sermon. To fill in the time, he asked the congregation to stand up and quote their favorite verses from the Bible. After someone had quoted the required John 3:16 and several of the Psalms, an old member of the congregation with a reputation for being a little simple-minded stood up.

“Preacher,” he said. “My favorite verse in the Bible is this: ‘And it came to pass.’”

The congregation snickered a little and the preacher said, “Inspirational, but I think you are taking that verse out of context.”

The old man replied, “I don’t know what context is, but I know whatever happens will eventually pass, it says so right there in the Bible. It is my favorite verse because when life gets tough, I know it will eventually pass.”

Growing up as a Southern Baptist, the ideas of emptiness and impermanence we typically associate with Buddhism were not stressed and, if articulated, would have likely been met with resistance. The idea of impermanence, however, is central to the teachings attributed to Jesus, as well as Hinduism and Taoism. The idea that all phenomenon, things, and situations change and pass away has been considered as wisdom in every religious and spiritual tradition I have encountered over the years.

When we are young everything seems so serious. The time before summer vacation seems to never end. Sometimes we wish that it was time for our birthday party, or that school was out for the summer, or that we were old enough to drive, date, drink, etc. Other times things come to an end and we feel regret because we don’t want summer vacation, our first school dance, or that wonderful meal to be over.

The fact is everything ends whether we label it as good or bad; whether we can’t wait for it to end or want it to last forever. When things are gone, they are gone. Holding on to the past causes suffering and detracts from the short time we have in this life. Nothing is permanent. If you believe you are a permanent thing think back to the person you were at 10 years old. What were your dreams, beliefs, habits, hobbies? What was the focus of your life, the things that made you tick? Ask those same questions of your 15 year old self. How about 25 or 35? You will see that the things you think make your identity change. Things change. Things that once defined you fall away and disappear.

Mediation is the key to not only understanding this but gaining direct experience of it. We are around half way through the second 10 week cycle of the meditation course. I hope all students will consider joining the next cycle. As with all the arts we teach at the Peaceful Dragon, meditation requires practice and consistency to achieve results. Your problems won’t vanish in a puff of light and smoke the first time you settle on your cushion, but if you stick with it, you, like the man in the parable above, will see that whatever you will encountered in this life, it will come to pass.

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Getting to Know This Month’s Disciple

Each month, we will be asking our Disciple’s Forum writer to answer a few questions. Here’s this

month’s Disciple’s questions and answers:

What do you do in your free time?

Martial arts, duh. I also like walking, gardening etc.

What type of music do you listen to?

Lots of Desi house, and deep house, with an occasional smattering of gangster rap.

What would the title of your autobiography be?

Master of the Afternoon Nap.

What would I find in your fridge right now?

Beer, cheese, and lots of pickled vegetables (mostly cabbage).

If you won the lottery, what business would you open?

Probably something nonprofit, something to do with cats?

Students Ask Master Sbarge

Question: I really enjoy my classes once I get here, but I’m just so busy that it’s hard for me to get here

regularly. What should I do?

Answer: I’ll remind you of the Zen adage: If you’re too busy to meditate 20 minutes a day, then you

need to meditate an hour a day.

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.

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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!