www.ThePeacefulDragon.com April 2015 704-504-8866

Inside

Upcoming Events Students of The Month

Peaceful Dragon School News Disciple’s Forum

Did You Know? Students Ask Master Sbarge

Children’s Program News Holly’s Recipe Corner

Welcome New Students Classifieds

2014 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

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Message from Master Eric Sbarge

Less is More, Except When it’s Not Last month I wrote about the tai chi concept of “investing in loss” and discussed the importance of learning how to give up in order to gain. Now I want to address the idea of less being more, especially as it pertains to our martial arts and yoga.

Yes, we do want less effort to give us the greatest results; less tension to allow for more energy cultivation; less worry to allow for more inner peace, and so forth. But sometimes less is not more. For example, is less practice more beneficial? Usually not. If we graph more practice on one axis and greater results on the other, there will come a time where the line levels off and then eventually reverses itself. At a certain point extra practice offers no noticeable improvement, and at some point beyond that the extra practice can exhaust our energy or create stress injuries or simply cause a counter-productive mental burnout. But realistically, are you usually at the point where you’ve over-practiced, or are you simply failing to practice consistently and fully and so when you do practice hard it may seem overly stressful or challenging to you? I would argue that for most students it is the latter. Be that as it may, the extra challenge (or enjoyment) of periodically practicing harder and more deeply than you normally do is really beneficial. When you have the opportunity to train extra hard for a tournament, or immerse yourself in day-long or even week-long intensive workshops or retreats, you almost always end up better for it. Maybe the answer is to do more of doing less?

“When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'Oh yes - I already have everything that I really need.” Dalai Lama

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.

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Upcoming Events

Send In Your Registration and Deposit This Month for Our

Exciting China/Taiwan Tour This October!

Important News: To lock in the rates currently posted for this trip, you must register and send in your deposit by April 30th. After that, you can still join through July, but airline and visa rates are subject to increases and availability cannot be guaranteed.

Guilin, China – Just one of the amazing places you’ll see on our China tour next year!

For tour details and Registration Form, see our Events page at

http://www.thepeacefuldragon.com/2015-taiwan-china-tour/

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

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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

Day-Long Meditation Retreat Saturday, April 4

th, 9:00am-4:00pm

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 Chan philosophy. The retreat is open to and suitable for everyone regardless of experience levels. The fee for the Public is $69; Peaceful Dragon and affiliated-school students and family members just $39. Please register at our front service counter or call (704)504-8866. Bring a yoga mat and your meditation cushion or stool of choice; we have them for sale or a few available to borrow if you don’t have your own.

Children’s Promotion Ceremony Saturday, April 11th, 11:00am

Makeup Day Thursday, April 23rd

Congrats to our promoting Young Dragons! Please fill out a testing application no later than one week before testing. Applications are available at the front counter.

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Parents Night Out “Board Breaking Night” Friday, April 17

th, 6:30-9:00pm

Board breaking will be the special activity for this month’s Parents Night Out event. Students will practice various kinds of breaks on the plastic reusable boards. They will learn the confidence, strength, and technique to break the board and overcome any challenge thrown in front of them.

Tai Chi Workshop in Columbia, SC

Saturday, April 18th

, 9:30am-9:00pm

This workshop, led by Master Eric Sbarge, will be held at the Columbia Tai Chi Center, 2761 Rosewood Dr., Columbia, SC, the school of Peaceful Dragon student, Sifu Wes Adams, and is open to beginners and advanced, old and young alike. Session I: 9:30am-4:30pm Tai Chi to Boost Health and Vitality Through lecture, discussion and hands-on applications you’ll gain a thorough understanding of Tai Chi’s key philosophical principles and how to put them directly to work for your own health and well-being. Movement emphasis will be on perfecting your forms, smoothing transitions between movements, and using tui shou (push hands) patterns to refine posture. Session II: 6:00pm-9:30pm Tai Chi Self-Defense and Push Hands You’ll learn principles, strategies and methods to maximize your inherent power, and minimize your disadvantages. See how positioning and leverage allow you to make the most of your physical and energetic power. Learn to develop explosive “fa jing” striking and breaking power. Workshop Tuition: Early-bird special if registered by April 1. Space is limited; this is a first come, first served event. Register right away to ensure your spot. Please pay at Columbia Tai Chi Center in Cash Only. Session I only: General Public $130; students at affiliated schools $90. Session I and II combined: General Public $180; students at affiliated schools $120. After April 1, add $15. (A 50% non-refundable deposit required to hold your reservation.)

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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 All Blocks: Full Sparring Equipment

Shaolin Block C: Staff

Shaolin Block D: Spear

Tai Chi Block C/D: ¾ Staff

Kids

4-12 year olds: White Sash and above: Short Stick

8-12 year olds: After Promotion: Full Staff

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Monthly Classes, Seminars

and Discussion Groups

Leadership Seminar – Saturday, April 4, 12:30-1:30pm Topic: Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement

Open only to Leadership Club students.

Shuai Chiao Grappling – Tuesday, April 7, 6:30-8:00pm

Open only to Mastery Program students. Mastery Roundtable Discussion – Tuesday, April 7, 8:00-9:00pm Topic: 64 Success Principles Open only to Mastery Program students.

Lecture and Discussion – Wednesday, April 15, 8:00pm

Topic: Principles and Habits of Success and Mastery Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students. Meditation class is cancelled.

Yoga Seminar – Thursday, April 16, 6:30

Topic: Subtleties of Yoga Ethics: Yamas & Niyamas Beyond the Material 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 Assistants – Saturday, April 25, 11:00am Open only to Leadership Club students.

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Peaceful Dragon School News

Everyone who attended the CACMA Tournament is a

Winner

Most of those who attended CACMA by competing, judging, and cheering!

Congratulations to all our competitors!

Tai Chi Empty Hand Form Women’s Beginner– Alexandra Hoellein, 1st Place Savita Hanger, 3rd Place Women’s Intermediate – Katherine Snider, 1st Place Men’s Intermediate– John Chandler Women’s Advanced– Kate Lyons, 2nd Place Kim Nghiem-Lail, 4th Place Weapons Form Women’s Advanced– Kim Nghiem-Lail, 2nd Place Men’s Advanced– Tim Starnes, 1st Place Push Hands Women’s Fixed– Kim Nghiem-Lail Kate Lyons Men’s Fixed– John Chandler, 3rd Place Tim Starnes, 1st Place Women’s Restricted– Kim Nghiem-Lail, 1st Place Kate Lyons Men’s Restricted – John Chandler, 2nd Place Tim Starnes, 2nd Place

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Kung Fu Empty Hand Form Women’s Beginner– Sarah Hinson, 1st Place Men’s Beginner– Don Steele, 1st Place JP Dasher, 2nd Place Pike Pullen, 3rd Place Men’s 35+ Beginner– Luke Anderson, 1st Place Women’s 13-17 Intermediate– Rosemary Neigenfind, 1st Place Men’s Intermediate– Daniel Smith, 2nd Place Men’s 35+ Intermediate– Chip Payet, 1st Place Wayne Johnson, 2nd Place Women’s 13-17 Advanced– Hannah Eidsness, 3rd Place Men’s 13-17 Advanced– Aiden Hanger, 1st Place Men’s Advanced– Cody Eidsness, 2nd Place Weapons Form Women’s 13-17 Intermediate – Rosemary Neigenfind, 1st Place Women’s 13-17 Advanced – Hannah Eidsness, 2nd Place Men’s Advanced – Cody Eidsness, 1st Place Sparring Men’s Beginner – Luke Anderson, 1st Place Don Steele, 2nd Place JP Dasher, 3rd Place Men’s Intermediate – Daniel Smith Wayne Johnson Women’s 13-15 Advanced – Hannah Eidsness, 2nd Place Shuai Chiao – Daniel Smith, won Pike Pullen Luke Anderson Lei Tai – Pike Pullen, won

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Kids Empty Hand Form Girl’s 7-9 Beginner – Sophia Mullis, 2nd Place Boy’s 7-9 Intermediate – Colin Barber, 1st Place Gabriel Jugan, 2nd Place Hugh Harris, 3rd Place Lee Brownbill, 3rd Place Boy’s 7-9 Advanced – Ryan Hoellein, 2nd Place Boy’s 10-12 Advanced – Brandon Muniz, 2nd Place Jonas Newell, 3rd Place Weapons Form Boy’s 7-9 Intermediate – Colin Barber, 1st Place Gabriel Jugan, 2nd Place Lee Brownbill, 3rd Place Boy’s 10-12 Advanced – Jonas Newell Sparring Boy’s 7-9 Intermediate – Colin Barber, 1st Place Hugh Harris, 3rd Place Boy’s 7-9 Advanced – Ryan Hoellein, 1st Place Boy’s 10-12 Advanced – Brandon Muniz, 2nd Place

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Our Yoga Studies Director, Yogini Mara Healy,

Travels to Monastery in Nepal for Initiations You may have noticed that Mara’s monthly seminar falls on a later date than usual this month, and that’s because she is in the Himalayas receiving initiation in the Tantric Yoga methods of Vajrayana from her teacher Andrey Lappa’s teacher and guru. Congratulations to her for her continued studies and more in-depth practices that she is taking on.

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…

Students from Charlotte are welcome to attend the workshop that Master Sbarge will be leading at his student Wes Adams’s school in Columbia, SC on Saturday, April 18? This is a great way to meet fellow practitioners from our “extended family” enjoying a full day and evening of tai chi practice.

In the town of Deng Feng near China’s Shaolin Temple, which we’ll be visiting on our China tour in October, there are over 40,000 full-time kung fu students aged five on up living in dormitories and practicing kung fu all day long? Some of them are getting pretty good!

Simply taking a ten minute walk each day has been shown to make people feel happier and less depressed? Imagine what a whole hour or two of tai chi, yoga or kung fu can do for people battling depression!

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Children’s Program News

A Message from Mr. George

It seems like some kids are naturally fast, and some kids are just slow. In martial arts we practice “fast” to show power and precision; we also practice “slow” to show balance and control. Those are naturally slower can still practice to increase their speed, but it will take time and patience. When I first started my kung fu training, I was not fast by all means. Sifu told me to do each movement slow and smooth, before adding power and speed. Of course a new hot headed student liked myself thought, “Yeah, yeah, I can do the slow pretty good. I want to get my speed up, NOW!” Again, Sifu told me to slow down and look for perfection in my movements before power and speed. If I shoot ten arrows down range at the target as fast as I can draw the bow without any of the arrows even hitting the target, am I a good archer? What if I take my time and slowly but accurately put all ten arrows on the bulls-eye, am I a good archer? To reach to your full potential in speed and power, you must practice each movement smoothly. Smooth movement will increase in speed, and speed equals power! Keep up the training!!

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

12th Michael Kadel 18th Carrie Chun-Beaver

12th Dean McDaniel 19th Marlene Cox

12th Don Kodzai 20th Adrien Surin

12th Brad McAlister 20th Wendy Farnham

14th Justine Seibel 21st B. Dale Saufley

14th Gabriel Jugan 24th Alex Rusgo

15th Nancy Lonsbury 28th Frank Farro

15th Logan Davis 29th Hugh Harris

16th Zoe Newell

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Powerful Words

This month’s Powerful Word is Gratitude! Gratitude means having

a grateful attitude by appreciating, recognizing, and being thankful

for what you have. Dr. Robyn’s letter to the parents talks about idea of

creating gratitude traditions in your family.

Welcome New Students

Congratulations to all of our new students!

Kung Fu: Joshua Ballinger Raevyn Steele Azure Steele

Shelby Ballinger

Tai Chi: Stuart Breidbart Mary Rea Frank Farro

Kelly Homan April Homan Susan Smith

Adrien Surin

Young Dragon: Kaleb Anderson John Ballinger Savannah Ballinger

Zeke Steele

Student of the Month Recognition

Adult Student of the Month— Sarah Hinson

1st runner up— JP Dasher

2nd runner up— Alexandra Hoellein

Child Student of the Month— Hugh Harris

1st runner up— Carter Mixon

2nd runner up—Alex Kelly

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Disciple’s Forum

Staying Focused and Motivated Training at The Peaceful Dragon

By: Disciple Don Kodzai

Growing up I was always playing some kind of sport. I loved competition and loved to win.

Soccer was the sport I enjoyed the most. I played for my high school and also in college when I

came to America. In team sports, it’s win at all cost. That’s cool when you are young and in

shape and can run like the wind. When I got older, I needed different challenges. Things I

could do without competing against someone, but things that would improve my physical

fitness and take away some of the stress we all have to deal with in life. The Peaceful Dragon

sounded like a good place to start my new journey.

Five years ago, I embarked on my journey to improve fitness and overall well-being by studying

Kung Fu and Tai Chi. There is no pressure involved with my training and I have noticed a

significant improvement in my fitness and state of mind. This new journey is personal and at

my own pace. We all have embarked on personal journeys by training at The Peaceful Dragon.

Some of us have similar goals, but we will reach them at different times. We are not all the

same in our physical fitness. Some of us have physical limitations and ailments that affect the

way we train. In other words, don’t get distracted by someone else’s journey; focus on your

own and do the best you can. We can draw inspiration from others and get motivation and

encouragement from others, but in the end it is up to each one of us to travel their journey.

Every day we show up, we are getting closer to the goal we have set for ourselves. I can tell a

big difference in my physical condition compared to five years ago. The instructors have helped

me stay focused and have helped me to persevere through some of the tough days of training.

So as we travel on our journeys, make realistic goals that you can reach at your own pace. Your

pace is the right pace, just keep on training. The things that we learn here, we can practice for

the rest of our lives. We can always s train as long as we are focused and motivated.

“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

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Students Ask Master Sbarge

Question: I really have a hard time concentrating and focusing when I try to meditate. Should I join the day-long Meditation Retreat? Answer: If a kid has a hard time reading or doing math, should she spend the day in school? Seems to me it would be a pretty good thing to do…

Holly’s Recipe Corner

Lentils and Greens Noodle Soup

Enjoy this hearty soup packed full of yummy greens!

Ingredients

1 ½ c. brown lentils

½ Tbsp. + 1 pinch sea salt

½ c. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

½ poblano pepper, seeded and diced (optional)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 ¼ tsp. ground cumin

2 ¼ tsp. ground coriander

½ Tbsp. black pepper

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

½ c. fresh cilantro, chopped and packed

1 c. fresh spinach, chopped and packed

1 c. fresh kale, chopped and packed

1 plum tomato, diced (optional)

8 ½ c. water

4 oz fettuchini, broken in half

1 lemon, juiced (2-4 Tbsp)

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Instructions

Combine the lentils and pinch of salt in a pot with enough water to cover by 1

inch. Cover with lid and boil on high for 20 min.

Drain lentils and set aside.

In a separate pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add onions and pepper (if using) and saute for 7-10 minutes until golden.

Stir in the garlic and saute additional 2 minutes.

Add cumin, coriander, and black pepper and saute another 30 seconds.

Add the celery, carrots, and cilantro, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the spinach, kale, tomatoes (if using), water, and remaining salt and bring to

a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Add the lentils, return to a simmer and cook 10 minutes more.

Add the fettuccini and cook until al dente.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Serve hot.

Tips

The greens can easily be substituted with your favorites.

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.

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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.

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. Jennifer “Gigi” Frye ~ LMBT# 13005 ~ 980.224.3619

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