www.ThePeacefulDragon.com October 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

If this month’s China and Taiwan tour is anything like the last two that The Peaceful

Dragon has organized, many of us who are on the tour will likely feel like we need a

vacation when we return.

While a little bit of down time and rest time is built into the schedule, the purpose

of the trip is to learn all we can about the arts that we train in, and the Asian

cultures and belief systems that gave rise to those arts. So we’ll be busy.

A few highlights:

-We’ll be visiting Dharma Drum Mountain in Taiwan, the monastery and college established by

our late Zen Meditation grandmaster, Venerable Sheng Yen. Master Sheng Yen was widely

regarded as the highest ranking Chan (Chinese Zen) master in China or Taiwan, and was

recognized at his death by the Taiwan government as “one of the 50 most influential people in

Taiwan of the past 400 years.”

-We’ll be visiting China’s historic Shaolin Temple, birthplace of Shaolin kung fu and Zen. On our

previous trip to Shaolin our students actually performed for the abbot and senior monks of the

temple, and in turn our students got a private demonstration performed by the monks. On this

trip, like the last one, our students will have an opportunity to train with the monks at this

venerated mountain temple.

-We’ll also be meeting with Grandmaster Roger C. Soo, senior Shuai Chiao (Chinese grappling)

disciple of the late Chang Tung Sheng. Chang is of course our great grandmaster, who is revered

as the top Shuai Chiao champion in China of the 20th century, and whose style of tai chi we

practice at The Peaceful Dragon.

-We’ll be meeting with other masters, visiting other temples and historic sites, and

interspersing this with excursions to some fun places and natural wonders as well. I’m sure

we’ll have a great time and gain lots of new insights into the arts, the cultures, and the peoples

of Asia. But I’m equally sure we’ll be glad to return home to resume our normal routines, and to

share our new-found knowledge and experiences with everyone back home.

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Master Eric Sbarge and Debra Sbarge with Wudang Master Wang Xing Qing during our 2011 Peaceful Dragon China tour that included training in the mystical Wudang Mountains.

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.

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Upcoming Events

Quarterly Cleanup and Maintenance Day Saturday, October 3

rd, 9am-2pm

Classes will be held as usual, so consider pitching in for a bit before or after taking a class. If you haven’t volunteered recently – or ever – maybe this is the time you might consider it so that YOUR school stays in the best shape possible? We have lots of indoor and outdoor chores to take care of.

Universal Yoga Mandala Cross-Mat Yoga Class

with Lama Andrey Lappa Thursday, October 8

th, 6:30-9:30pm

Next Thursday, October 8th, Lama Andrey Lappa will be back once again to lead a special Universal Yoga class from 6:30-9:30pm. It has only been chance luck that he had business to take care of in Charlotte which is why he has returned several times for a “one night” class over the past month. This might be the last this year – don’t miss it! Fee payable at front counter is $45. NOTE: There will be no regular yoga class that evening.

Children’s Promotion Ceremony Saturday, October 10

th, 11am

Make-up Ceremony Thursday, October 29th

, 5:30pm

Congratulations to all of our promoting Young Dragons! Please fill out an application to promote at our front counter at least one week before your scheduled promotion ceremony.

2015 China and Taiwan Tour October 15 – October 27th

Master Sbarge and several of our instructors and students will be away on the China and Taiwan trip. However, most of our instructors will still be here so all classes will be held as usual EXCEPT for the Sunday morning 8:15am yoga class on October 19th and 26th.

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Halloween Costume Party October 30

th, 6:30-9pm

Our annual Halloween Party “Parents Night Out” Event will be on Friday, October 30th from 6:30-9pm. No child will want to miss it, so make your plans now! As always, guests are welcome for free. We will have a Stranger Danger lesson and a great Costume Party with fun games.

Check out our complete 2015 Special Events Calendar at

http://www.thepeacefuldragon.com/specialevents/ and mark your own planning calendar now!

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

4th Taylor Riley 20th James Smead

4th Evan Kane 21st Susan Cathcart

7th Chip Payet 22nd Leslie Scott

7th Dominic Impens 24th Eric Dennison

8th Kris Ramirez 24th Jonas Newell

9th Myra Hoellein 24th Addison Harmon

10th Adrianna Demoura 25th Savannah Ballinger

10th Jacob Wittwer 27th Phyllis Hassani

15th Jessica Henry 27th Colin Barber

16th Joseph Cathcart 28th Mary McDaniel

16th Michael Hogan 29th Aidan Hanger

17th Sarah Cross 31st Carolyn Newell

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Equipment Needed for Classes

Adults

Shaolin Full Sparring Equipment

Tai Chi Block B/C/D: ¾ Staff

Kids

4-7 year olds: White Sash and above: Single Stick

8-12 year olds: White Sash and above: Double Stick

Monthly Classes, Seminars

and Discussion Groups

Yoga Seminar – Thursday, October 1, 6:30-8:30pm Topic: Simple Square Mandala Explanation & Practice (two mats needed for this practice) - Great for Beginners!

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, October 3, 12-1pm Topic: Learn to Give More Than You Take – And You’ll Get More in Return!

Open only to Junior Mastery Program students.

Mastery Roundtable Discussion – Tuesday, October 6, 8-9pm Topic: Anatomy as Viewed in Traditional Chinese Medicine Open only to Mastery Program students.

Lecture and Discussion – cancelled for October. Topic: This Month’s Discussion is Postponed (Master Sbarge in China) Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students.

Future Instructors – cancelled for October. Open only to Junior Mastery Program students.

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Peaceful Dragon School News

Shuai Chiao Course Cycle Begins in October

The alternating course cycles of Shuai Chiao and Meditation will be beginning in

October. To prepare for this, the weekly Wednesday night Meditation Class and monthly Tuesday night Shuai Chiao Class have been cancelled. Fall Quarter’s Shuai Chiao Course will include Levels One and Two and will begin on Wednesday, October

7th, 8-9:15pm. This class will be open to all levels of students. 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.

Classes Will Be Held as Usual While Some of our Instructors

and Students Travel to China – (Except Sunday Morning Yoga)

Every time our instructors travel to Asia they return with deeper insights into the culture and arts that we teach here at The Peaceful Dragon, and this in turn helps all of our students as they learn from our instructors. A few months ago our yoga director, Mara Healy, traveled to Nepal to train at her teacher’s monastery, and now this month Master Sbarge and his family will be joining several of our other instructors, Gao Shou levels, and students on the trip to China and Taiwan, where one of the highlights will be training at the Shaolin Temple. Please note that all classes will be held as usual in their absence with the exception of the 8:15am Sunday yoga classes CANCELLED on October 18th and 25th.

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 literally built from the ground up by our students (framing, sheathing, drywall, tile, painting, etc.) and was completed in just five months?

Master Sbarge was on The Today Show on NBC with Barbara Walters and Hugh Downs – back in 1966? He was flown in from Chicago to New York for a special segment on reading.

The 1500+ year-old Shaolin Temple is not just the home to kung fu as we know it today, but is also where Zen originated?

Children’s Program News

A Message from Mr. George

This month we will be focusing on form practice for all the kids. Form is combined with stances, punches, kicks, and the interpretation on the self-defense technique. Yes the form should be performed with power, speed and ferocious; on the other hand, the form should also show the control, balance and grace. Hence the balance of Yin and the Yang. In the first year or so of the kung fu training, one's natural talent goes a long way. For example, some kids are in great shape and/or remember moves with ease. Those kids usually learn the moves very fast and are able to keep up with the Orange Sashes within in couple of months. After another year or two of kung fu training, one's perseverance carries him or her all the way to Junior Black Sash Level. Over the years I've observed the top notch kids are often NOT the most talented, flexible or strongest kids in the room. It's the hardworking students who keep showing up and making steady progress. 1% Inspiration, 99% Perspiration and Perseverance. - The Secret to Thomas Edison's Success

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Powerful Words

This month’s Powerful Word is Discipline! Discipline means doing what needs to get done,

when it needs to get done. Dr. Robyn’s letter to the parents discusses tips for encouraging your

children to have the discipline to complete their goals and get their jobs done.

Welcome New Students

Congratulations to all of our new students!

Tai Chi: Richard Long John Brosnan Rachel Brosnan

Phyllis Hassani Ki Mary Wagar Douglas Brown

Kung Fu: Joshua Gates Paul Campanelli Jeff King

Chris Durant

Young Dragon: Addison Harmon Jolina Brosnan Tyler Brosnan

Brenna Barrier Dalton Pledger-Levine

Student of the Month Recognition

Adult Student of the Month— Andy Barber

1st runner up— Demico Guy

2nd runner up— Katherine Snider

Child Student of the Month— Lee Brownbill

1st runner up— Caide Fullerton

2nd runner up—Sahana Sanjay

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Disciple’s Forum

Your Focus Needs More Focus

By: Disciple Carolyn Newell

“Your focus needs more focus,” says Jackie Chan’s character to a young Jaden Smith in the 2010

version of the movie The Karate Kid. Many of the Peaceful Dragon’s students may remember

doing a demo at Ayrsley Grand Studio just before that movie’s premier --- but I digress. In this

scene Jackie and Jaden are practicing a drill out on a pier but it ends with Jaden suddenly

suspended over the water and his teacher giving this rhetorical instruction. Throughout the

movie we understand that there is no lack of determination by Jaden’s character as he is

willingly working with his teacher so he can finally stand up to that gang of bullies. So, what is

Jackie Chan really trying to say?

In yoga a word used to describe focus is drishti. In one of Mara Healey’s recent workshops she

guided the class through balancing asanas. To physically accomplish many of the asanas good

drishti (a steady focal point) was important both to balance the body and get into the pose.

Using drishti also helps you remain in the pose through unwavering concentration on that

visual cue together with focus on your breath. In class I find myself staring at the most

uninspiring items – a corner of the ceiling tile, a recessed light, a chip in the baseboard. This

helps me not fall over and externally everyone can see that there is no lack of determination in

my practice but still my focus needs more focus!

During the Karate Kid scene on the pier Jaden is excited and asking his teacher to show him the

cobra technique because what twelve year-old boy wouldn’t want to charm a snake? But wait,

we started out this movie following Jaden and his conflict with the neighborhood bully.

Nothing has really changed; Jaden is still learning Kung-Fu, he is still training every day, he is

still motivated and energized. Shouldn’t it be great that he wants to achieve something that

would take many years of dedication?

Once you win that sparring match, once you move up a block level, once you are able to get

into that pose --- then what? And yes! Some of you may have just noticed that I intentionally

‘broke’ focus but stay with me…we are headed somewhere.

Through many years of Kung-Fu and now yoga training at the Peaceful Dragon I have come to

understand that focus evolves. The definition of focus is not exactly the same for a beginning

student as it is for students with many years of training. Focus is not even the same for our

young students compared to our old! Bodies change, even brains change, life changes, and so

too develops our ability to use focus as a tool in our training.

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But I never answered that original question, what was Jackie Chan really trying to say? In our

household we love this quote mostly because of the verbal irony but it is also a great tension

buster when your teenager is stammering through a drawn out version of how the dog ate their

homework. When we say this and laugh with each other we are really trying to express, “What

do you want in this moment right here and right now?”

Students Ask Master Sbarge

Question: I couldn’t make this year’s China trip. Will there be another one soon? Answer: If history repeats itself, there will be another one in four years.

Holly’s Recipe Corner

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

This delicious burrito is full of fiber and protein. The final cook on the outside of the tortilla

adds delicious crispy texture.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

• 1 large sweet potato, sliced into strips

• 1 medium red onion, sliced and divided

• ¾ tsp salt, divided

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1 can black beans, drained

• 1 Tbsp. chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

• 1 small bunch spinach, washed and drained

• 6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

• 4 large flour tortillas

• 2 Tbsp. sour cream

• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

• ½ head romaine lettuce, torn

• lime wedges, if desired

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Instructions

• Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

• Add the sliced sweet potato, ¾ of the sliced onion, and ½ tsp. salt. Cook, covered ,

stirring occasionally, until tender, approximately 10-12 minutes.

• Add the beans and chipotles and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes.

• Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until it begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes.

• Divide the potato-bean mixture among the tortillas, about 1 cup each.

• Sprinkle with the cheese and roll up to form burritos.

• Wipe out the skillet and heat over medium heat.

• Cook the burritos seam side down until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side,

approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lime juice, remaining 1 Tbsp. olive

oil, remaining ¼ tsp. salt, and pepper.

• Add the romaine and remaining ¼ of the sliced onion and toss to coat.

• Serve the salad with the burritos and lime wedges, if desired.

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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