January Did You Know?

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1 Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Yoga and More The Peaceful Dragon For the Contemporary Mind, Body and Spirit January Inside Upcoming Events Peaceful Dragon School News Did You Know? Family Program News Student Promotions Students of the Month Disciple s Forum Getting to Know Your Disciple Students Ask Master Sbarge Classifieds The Peaceful Dragon has been selected Best Martial Arts School by: Charlotte Parent Magazine The Charlotte Observer Creative Loafing Charlotte s Best Magazine Like us on Facebook here! Did You Know? With over 20 years in business, we maintain an A+ rating by the Charlotte Better Business Bureau, and we consistently average between 4.5 and 5-star reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp.

2 Message from Master Eric Sbarge A question I often hear from new students is, How long will it take me before I become good at kung fu (or tai chi, or yoga, or meditation)? I usually share this Zen parable that you ve likely heard before: The new monk at the monastery asks the abbot how long before he can master the practice. The master responds that you can t put a time frame on it. But the monk is persistent and asks for a general idea of how long, so just to shut him up the master tells him ten years. The young monk thinks about this then says, What if I m the hardestworking, most talented, intelligent and gifted student you ve ever had then how long will it take? To which the master replies, Twenty years. A question I rarely hear from new students, however, is What does it mean to be good at kung fu? So I ask you, to be good at your kung fu or tai chi, or even to master it, what does that mean? Does it mean you can beat everyone in a fight? Does it mean you can do a double-sword form that includes flawless backflips and full splits? Does it mean you can rattle off witty and wise Eastern aphorisms and parables like the one above? If you can become strong in your martial arts and defeat most anyone, or you can perform beautiful forms with agility and flexibility, or you do develop a deep understanding of Zen and Taoist philosophies and can live by them and share them with others, I think those are all commendable accomplishments. But what if you can simply be less stressed and therefore become a more agreeable and enjoyable person for your family to be around? What if you develop the self-discipline to be more focused and dedicated to your work, so you advance more readily in your career? What if you become more fit and trim, and so avoid illnesses or maybe reduce or get off your medications that might be causing lasting and harmful side-effects? I ll leave it to you decide what it means to be good at your practice. As for how long it will take, my final question to you is, Why does that matter? From day one of your training, you will incrementally see improvements that you won t see without training. If you think your cumulative improvements will take ten years before you are satisfied, may I suggest it will probably take twenty years? The two most powerful warriors are patience and time. Leo Tolstoy 2

3 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 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. Upcoming Events Meditation Course Level One Wednesday, January 9 th, 8-9:15pm This 10-week Level One meditation course will be led by Master Sbarge every Wednesday night from 8-9:15pm beginning on January 9th. Discover 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 students or family members not in our Mastery program, free for students in our Mastery program. Please register for the course ahead of time at our front counter or by calling us at (704) Bring your meditation cushion or bench of choice, or we have some available for purchase or limited numbers that you can borrow. Parents Night Out Friday, January 11 th, 6:30-9pm This Parents Night Out is Sword Fight Night! This event is open to all children 4 and above. This Parents Night Out will teach your child the self-discipline and responsibility necessary to be a master of the sword. Every child needs to bring a sparring helmet and padded action-bat if you have one. We will have a few to share if you do not have them. Parents Night Outs will now include a Life-skills Lesson! This month s theme is Bully Prevention. Your child will learn what to say to bullies, how to recognize bullies, and how to never become a bully themselves. There is no charge for this event; however, you must sign up by no later than Thursday, January 10 th so we can properly staff the event. Any guests of Peaceful Dragon students must have a permission slip filled out by their parents. 3

4 Mobile Blood Drive Saturday, January 12 th, 9am-1pm Give the gift of life. When you donate whole blood with the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas, your blood stays here, helping local patients. Your blood is split into three products red cells, plasma and platelets. This means your blood can be used to help three different patients in the local hospitals! The whole process takes an hour or less and in the end, you walk away saving up to three lives. Quarterly Promotion Ceremony Saturday, January 19 th, 11am-12:30pm Congratulations to all of our promoting students. This Promotion Ceremony is for all Adults and Children. Please wear your full demo uniform to the ceremony, and feel free to bring any baked goods or other foods and refreshments to celebrate together after the promotion ceremony. Please fill out your promotion application and turn it in to the front counter no later than January 12 th. Quarterly Cleanup Day Saturday, January 26 th, 9am-1pm Please help us as we work to make our school sparkle for all of our incoming guests. We appreciate all volunteers whether you can help us all day or just for 5 minutes before or after your class. Chinese New Year Festival Saturday, February 2 nd, 11am-2pm The Peaceful Dragon is hosting its 22nd annual Chinese New Year s Festival on Saturday, February 2nd, from 11am to 2pm. Admission is just $5 per family, or FREE with a donation of a non-perishable food item for Loaves and Fishes charity. Fun for the entire family; come celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Pig! The festival will begin with the colorful ceremonial Lion Dance and Dragon Dance, said to bring good luck to everyone for the coming year. Then throughout the festival you can enjoy exciting demonstrations of Chinese martial arts and health arts including Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Yoga, and performing arts such as traditional Chinese dance and music. 4

5 Local experts will be on hand to exhibit various Asian arts and cultural practices such as feng shui, calligraphy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine. There will be a fun game room for kids, a bounce house, plus face painting, arts & crafts and more. Free introductory mini-classes in tai chi, yoga and kung fu will be offered for both children and adults, and there will be special festival-day discounts to enroll in The Peaceful Dragon s ongoing classes. Catered Chinese noodles will be available to purchase for lunch. Additional festival highlights include ongoing raffle drawings and door prizes, and FREE shuttle parking. The festivities are all held indoors so the festival takes place rain or shine. We will need volunteers to run the event as well as perform in the demos. We will have sign-up sheets for both on the bulletin board soon. Demo practices will be on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30pm the two weeks before the Festival. Chinese New Year Banquet Saturday, February 9 th, 6:30-9pm Open to Peaceful Dragon students and their families, this is the most important event of the year at our school. In accord with wu-de and the customs of a traditional Chinese martial arts and health arts school, this banquet affords our entire martial arts and yoga family the chance to welcome the new year together to show support and bring good luck to each other. This always-exciting annual banquet includes Student, Disciple and Teacher-level promotions; special awards ceremonies; raffle prizes and more. Family and friends are welcome! The banquet dinner will be catered and held this year right here at The Peaceful Dragon, and will include appetizers, multiple entrees, dessert, and soft drinks. For spirits it s BYOB. Tickets are on sale now at our front counter on a first come, first served basis. Seating is limited and tickets may sell out so don t wait. Last day for purchase is Wednesday, February 6th sorry, no exceptions for latecomers. Adults tickets $49, children 12 and under half price. 5

6 Workshop with Grandmaster Jeff Smith Saturday, March 23 rd, TBD Sifu Sbarge highly recommends this workshop for all our students, children and adults, beginners and advanced. Grandmaster Smith is a true master of the arts. He will be leading a workshop on sparring and push-hands. Stay tuned for more information on this great opportunity! Less Than a Year Away! October 2019 China and Japan Tour! October 16 th -29 th 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 life-changing trip that will include practice in meditation and tai chi/kung fu with locals, plus sightseeing, cultural excursions and shows, and much more. Our tentative itinerary includes Japan for the first time Tokyo and Kyoto (with its ancient Zen temples) and the beautiful Chinese city of Suzhou (called China s Venice with the picturesque canals), the spiritual and majestic 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, excellent meals, admissions to cultural events, and the service of highly-professional English-speaking guides is between $ $4000. We should have exact itinerary and cost information by January or February. We hope you can go you will surely love it and come home with a lifetime of great memories! Our updated 2019 Special Events Calendar is available at Mark your planning calendar now! Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else. Shunryu Suzuki 6

7 Monthly Classes, Seminars and Discussion Groups Yoga Seminar Thursday, January 3, 6:30-8:30pm Topic: Introduction to Cross Mat Class Led by Yogini Diane La Croix Corah 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, January 5, 12-1pm Topic: Wu De: Martial Virtue Open only to Junior Mastery Program students. Mastery Roundtable Discussion Tuesday, January 8, 8pm Topic: Leadership Principles to Guide Others and Yourself Toward Success Open only to Mastery Program students. Lecture and Discussion Thursday, January 17, 8pm Topic: Wu De: Virtue as the Core of the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Presented by Master Eric Sbarge. Open to all adult and teen students. Equipment Needed for Classes Adults Shaolin All Blocks: Full Sparring Equipment Tai Chi none Kids 4-12 year olds: White Sash and Above: Full Sparring Equipment 7

8 JANUARY BIRTHDAYS 1 st Hank Kadel 21 st Sevi Kocagoz 1 st Jason Baker 25 th Nikki Anderson 4 th Sahana Sanjay 25 th Stephanie Rosa 5 th Brandon Sheets 27 th Lisa Lynch 7 th Kimberly Padgett 29 th Annabelle Burke 7 th James Dessi 31 st Derek Pe Benito Peaceful Dragon School News (All Real!) Holiday School Closings The Peaceful Dragon will be closed for several days for the holidays. We will be closed December th for Christmas as well as December 31 st -January 1 st for Chinese New Year Events Calendar is Posted In addition to our usual annual highlights Chinese New Year Festival and Banquet, Student Appreciation Barbecue, Meditation Retreat and so on we have a couple of unique exciting events already on the schedule, and more will be added. First we re excited to welcome seven-time world champion Grandmaster Jeff Smith in March to lead a workshop for all levels in sparring fundamentals, which is not only recommended for kung fu students from children through adults, but also for any tai chi students who want to improve their strategies and techniques for push hands skills. Then in October we ve got our every-four-years Trip to Asia, including China and for the first time, Japan with its beautiful and historic Kyoto temples! Additionally, we ve integrated our monthly seminars and discussion groups into our Events Page so it s easier for you to keep track and schedule your attendance. Check out the Events Page at 8

9 Mara Healy Teaching Monthly Classes Mara Healy is going to be teaching two hour long practices integrating Asanas, Vinyasas, Pranayamas, Mantras, and Visualizations. These will be Single Mat Unity Yoga Practice for Dedicated Students and Teachers. Currents dates planned so far are January 27 th, February 24 th, and March 31 st with times to be determined. Keep your eyes open for more updates. Fees will be $29 per class for visitors and $14 per class for Peaceful Dragon members and teachers. Send Us Your Event Photos or Short Video Clips If you get some nice shots of Peaceful Dragon events please send them to for display in our newsletter, social media pages and our new upcoming lobby-area TV! The menu is not the meal. ~ Alan Watts Did You Know Tai chi and yoga have been taught to disabled veterans as a way of helping them cope with PTSD, and to control pain without addictive opioids and all the side effects of pharmaceuticals? When The Peaceful Dragon was built in 2002, barely a car a minute drove by on Steele Creek Road? Who knew then that our zip code would be coming one of the ten fastest growing zip codes not just in the state, but in the entire country? 9

10 Children and Family Program News A Message from Mr. George Happy New Year! Wish everyone a great start on This year we will add on more Leadership lessons for the Jr. Mastery Program and role-play for the young students. I personally have gained a lot of knowledge from working with the young students on these Leadership lessons. I was in R.O.T.C. for four years in high school and I can still remember the instructors drilling the phrases of Excellence, Lead By Example, First To Go And Last To Know in my mind. These life lessons or leadership lessons will be with the young students for the rest of their lives. Keep up the Kung Fu training, Zen lessons and the Leadership training! New Students and Student Promotions Welcome our newest students! Tai Chi Mick Mohr Colleen Ladny Matthew Davis Young Dragon Anabella Potts Congratulations to our promoting students! Mastery Parag Patil Junior Mastery Greyson Evans 10

11 Student of the Month Recognition Adult Student of the Month Marc Gibson Runner up Jenny Cox Runner up Travis Holley Marc is hard working in class, always respectful, and encouraging to others. He is a great example to his kids and other students. Good job, Marc! Child Student of the Month Michelle Tan Runner up Jocelyn Woodcock Runner up Ever Mekik Michelle had a busy summer and fall schedule. She was out of the country for a month during summer, and once school started, she was overseas for an additional two weeks. With many classes missing from her regular training, Michelle still practice her Kung Fu regularly. Once her busy trips were done, she is catching up her Kung Fu Fan form, and she is making great progress. Keep up the great work Michelle! Students Ask Master Sbarge Question: Are children welcomed at your China and Japan trip this fall? Answer: This question has come up before, and the answer is yes this can be a great experience for kids and adults of all ages, and is worth letting them miss a couple of weeks of school for. The same rules apply to everyone however no whiners are allowed! 11

12 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

13 Classifieds George runs two social clubs in Charlotte through Meetup.com: Carolina-Mountain-Biking/ 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. Pool-Shootin-Fun-Meetup/ Mountain biking, shooting pool, hiking, trying out new restaurants or cruising to the Bahamas! Did you know Holly sews? Our student services coordinator, Holly is willing to help out with sewing on your new patches and chevrons for only $3 each! You can contact her right here at The Peaceful Dragon or through her at holly@thepeacefuldragon.com. 13