By Master Eric Sbarge Years ago I heard a psychology report that said that the average person has roughly 60,000 thoughts per day, and all but a few of those thoughts are the same thoughts as the day before. So if that report was right, it seems we think a lot but we aren’t particularly […]
By Master Eric Sbarge The martial arts didn’t originate in antiquity as competitive sports but rather as practical means of defense, both for individuals and communities. Over the last two to three thousand years they’ve evolved to include spiritual practices for self-cultivation, and competitive sport for personal development and community pride. Today there is ample […]
By Master Eric Sbarge The cultivation of compassion is a process that is fundamental to the philosophies of the three primary arts we teach at The Peaceful Dragon: The Buddhist philosophy underlying our Shaolin kung fu practices, the Taoist philosophy at the core of our tai chi practices, and to classical yoga philosophy. The Buddha […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
Mark Twain famously declared that “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes.” He wasn’t original with this quote – apparently it goes back to Benjamin Franklin and possibly much earlier. So for a long time people have lamented, feared and railed against death and taxes. But those of us who are dedicated […]
By Master Eric Sbarge If I ask, “Who wants good health, a clear and focused mind, a positive attitude, and a productive and peaceful lifestyle?” everyone’s hand goes up. But if I then ask who is willing to significantly change their eating habits, organize time in their day to meditate and exercise, cut ties with […]
By Master Eric Sbarge The great coach Vince Lombardi famously said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” And less famously I’ve said, “In life there are wieners and losers, and my dogs are wieners.” So what about winning – is it everything it’s cracked up to be? And if you’re not a winner, does […]