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The Peaceful Dragon School
1945 Pauline Blvd., Suite B, Ann Arbor
Background, Purpose and Philosophy
From the Director: Wasentha Young
I was born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, but what most influenced the name of the school, "Peaceful" Dragon School of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung, was a children's book I read - Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like, by Jay Williams. It is a delightful book about the threat of bandits on a small Chinese village resulting in the Emperor, Head of the Workers, Head of the Military, and the most Wise Man, coming together to pray for the Great Dragon Spirit to come and save them. To their surprise, a short - chubby - bald - old man shows up at the temple claiming to be the Great Dragon Spirit. They scoffed him with their disbelief that he could be the Great Dragon Spirit. When confronted by the man as to what a Dragon looks like, each describes a Dragon in their own image, and they rudely dismissed him. The one kind and innocent being, a young grounds keeper who welcomes people at the gateway of the village, not caring whether this man was a Dragon or not, brings the old man to his humble home and gives him food and drink. For the young groundskeeper's kindness the man leaps into the sky, becomes everything that empirical magistrates collectively described, and saved the village.
Realizing that a Chinese Dragon can take on the characteristic of the person who perceives it, I decided to call my school the Peaceful Dragon, in that I see myself as a peaceful human being. The notion of peace and harmony is laced into the fabric of the school's curriculum. Relaxation or peace is the first and most important principle of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, and bringing the body into some kind of balance and harmony is one of the most important aspects of Chi Kung.
At the Peaceful Dragon School, both arts are taught in a style to motivate the students to learn how to cultivate the integration of body, mind, and spirit and achieve a tangible understanding of how this integration is vital to their health. T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung are vehicles to not only understanding techniques of integrative and preventive health practices, but have a rippling effect into the lives of the practitioners. I also encourage students to be mindful of their interactive quality, to understand they are connected to something larger than the self; there is the community, both human and non-human, that will be effected by the healthy and vital relationship they develop individually through their practice.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung are not alone in understanding how to cultivate energy through movement, meditation, breath-work, and self-care; or how to promote a peaceful, harmonious, and healthy relationship with oneself and others. There are many other healing art practices. But for those who wish to learn, develop, and promote a hope for not only individual longevity but the longevity of the world, I have found both T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi King a wonderful vehicle.
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Wasentha Young
Founder |
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Wasentha Young is a Master and scholar in the art of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung, has received formal instruction in Taoist and Buddhist meditation, achieved certification in Acupressure (Institute of Acupressure in Berkeley, CA), received a certificate as a Wellness Counselor in Mind/Body Consciousness (Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, CA), and holds a Masters degree in Transpersonal Studies.
She has developed stress reduction programs for corporations, health institutions, religious organizations, and has designed and participated in research projects that focus on applications of her Chi-Do™ design.
With over 40 years of experience in her field, she has been requested to lecture and educate on the benefits of TCC, Chi Kung, and Meditation as it relates to the human emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being at such institutions as:
- Omega Institute
- Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, CA
- National Qigong Association
- National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine
- University of Michigan
- McAuley Cancer Care Center, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, MI
- Michigan Heart and Vascular Institute, University of Michigan
- UAW
- Washtenaw Community College, MI
- Kaiser Wellness Foundation, CA.
- National Association of Women Martial Artists
Some of the most prominent instructors under Professor Cheng Man-ching have been her mentors.
Originally a student of Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, Master Young is nationally published and is known for her teaching abilities and integrative communication skills.
In Master Young's private teaching, she has taught an array of individuals; from CEOs and people involved in professional sports, individuals with fibro-myalgia, MS, Muscular Dystrophy, visual impairment, degenerative arthritic disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, and degenerative knee conditions, and cancer survivors.
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