A Message from Mr. George Summer break is almost here! By the middle of this month, all the kids will be on summer break. Many of them will go on vacations, visit relatives, attend summer camps and other fun events. While the kids are away, they are still expected to keep up their respect, control, […]

By Master Eric Sbarge The Chinese have a saying, “The height of stupidity is to search for the donkey that you’re riding on.” You’re of course too smart for them to be talking about you. But have you ever found yourself searching for happiness? If happiness had big ears, it just might be the donkey […]

A Message from Mr. George Summer break is officially here. I hope everyone enjoys the warm weather. Part of our martial arts training is to have a regular practice routine. For example, our Brown Sash student Brandon enjoys his Xbox games first thing in the morning before anything else. So Brandon’s mom gave him a […]

A Message from Mr. George This month we’ll be focusing on self-defense and sparring drills for the kids. As the weather warms up, we will also do some training outdoors as well. Of course the kids are getting ready for their summer break coming up! The higher levels of the Leadership students are also getting […]

By Master Eric Sbarge Deadly poison hand techniques… Tantric shortcuts to enlightenment… Herbal formulas that guarantee longevity… Go online and, for a price, you’ll be let in on all kinds of secrets. The truth is, much of this kind of knowledge once really was secret, revealed only to a select few lucky individuals. In traditional […]

By Master Eric Sbarge I was driving recently when the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun came on my radio. That song was written in the late 1970s and popularized by Cindi Lauper a couple of years later. As I listened to the song I reflected back when I was a teenager in the […]

By: 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 […]

By: Lao Shr Sam Ilardo Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, a collection of Zen writing compiled by Paul Reps, is one of my favorite books. I re-read it so often the book’s pages are frayed from my constant use. One of the Zen stories that I continually think of from this book is the following parable […]

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 […]

By Master Eric Sbarge 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 […]