Meet Our Teachers

We bring together certified and lineage-transmitted master teachers from diverse wisdom traditions under one generous umbrella in a collaborative spirit. This cross-pollination model serves members as whole persons, allowing them to flow naturally between practices as their needs evolve while receiving grounded teaching that addresses their timely needs.

Founder & Seon master

Rebecca D. Nie

MS Applied Physics (Stanford); MA Spiritual Care (Naropa, in progress); Zen Master, Korean Jogye Order; Author with Shambhala Publications (Lamp to Lamp, April 2027)

Rebecca D. Nie is a Zen master in the Korean Jogye Order and founder of Dharma Alive Incubator. Trained in the Tongdosa lineage at Diamond Mountain Sanctuary, she brings together a Stanford-trained physicist's clarity with the contemplative depth of a transmitted Zen teacher. She teaches Mindful Yoga, Zen Mindfulness, and Sunday Community Meditation at DAI. Her book Lamp to Lamp is forthcoming from Shambhala Publications in April 2027.

Senior Yoga Teacher & Ayurvedic Practitioner

Joy Ravelli

C-IAYT (Certified Yoga Therapist, IAYT); E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance); 1500+ teaching hours

Joy Ravelli is a C-IAYT certified yoga therapist and E-RYT 500 with over 1500 teaching hours. At DAI she leads Ayurvedic Flow (launching June 1, 2026) and Sleep Yoga on Demand, and serves as a lead teacher for the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training launching January 2027. Her work integrates classical hatha yoga with Ayurvedic principles for nervous-system regulation and restorative practice.

Master Instructor, American Chen Taiji Society · Social Psychologist · Embodiment Coach

Yan Li, PhD

Master Instructor American Chen Taiji Society (2019); Mid-Level Chen Family Taijiquan Instructor (Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou 2011); PhD Social Psychology; Stanford alum; Somatic / Embodiment Coach (Strozzi Institute); Regional Wushu Gold Medalist

Yan Li, Ph.D., is a Tai Chi teacher, social psychologist, and leadership embodiment coach whose warmth and grounded presence make the ancient art of Taijiquan genuinely accessible to everyone — from complete beginners to experienced practitioners. A Stanford graduate, she has taught Tai Chi and Qigong at Stanford University's Health Improvement Program and Chinese Medicine programs in the Bay Area. Yan is a certified Master Instructor of Chen Family Taijiquan by the American Chen Taiji Society in the lineage of Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou. She is a certified somatic coach through the Strozzi Institute.

Visiting Faculty / 客座教师 · Professor, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine · Ba Duan Jin & Health Qigong

Claudia Chunyun Wang

PhD Health Behavior (Indiana University Bloomington); Professor, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine; Former Health Qigong Management Center (国家体育总局健身气功管理中心); Compiler / choreographer / instructional-film contributor for Ba Duan Jin, Wu Qin Xi, Yi Jin Jing, and Liu Zi Jue Health Qigong forms

Claudia Chunyun Wang, PhD, is a professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and holds a PhD in Health Behavior from Indiana University Bloomington. In her earlier career at China's Health Qigong Management Center (国家体育总局健身气功管理中心), she was deeply involved in the compilation, choreography, review, and international dissemination of the modern Ba Duan Jin (八段锦), Wu Qin Xi (五禽戏), Yi Jin Jing (易筋经), and Liu Zi Jue (六字诀) forms — including instructional film production and official curriculum authorship. At DAI she leads Ba Duan Jin (八段锦) — the "Eight Pieces of Brocade," a thousand-year-old classical Chinese Daoyin health-cultivation practice (导引养生功法) and one of the most widely practiced forms of Health Qigong (健身气功) today. Her teaching follows the traditional principle of three regulations in one — regulating the body (调身/形), the breath (调息/气), and the mind (调心/神) — guiding students through the coordinated interplay of movement, breath, and intention toward an upright form, a smooth flow of qi, and a settled mind. Ba Duan Jin is practiced standing, requires no mat or equipment, and most adults can practice it safely and progress at their own pace. Her Ba Duan Jin course is forthcoming in DAI's bilingual on-demand library.

Classes

Sleep Yoga | 梦瑜伽 with Joy Ravelli

This on-line & on-demand class series helps you (1) find more rest at night, and (2) develop tools to work with sleeplessness. Stay tuned!

Tai Chi Relaxation | 太极解压 with Yan Li

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art rooted in the principle of harmony between softness and power. Relaxed movement is one of the most essential aspects of Tai Chi: a series of gentle, continuous movements that teach the body to stay relaxed without losing structure. It is stillness and motion, woven together. What to Expect？ The weekly sessions are sixty minutes each. During the class, Master Instructor Yan Li guides you through Tai Chi’s unique exercises. You'll cultivate integrated relaxation in both stillness and movement, strengthen balance, and develop quicker, more reliable access to calm. Each session also explores how these principles translate directly into everyday life. Who Is It For? This course is for all levels. No prior Tai Chi experience is needed—only a willingness to slow down, pay attention, and move with intention。

Mindful Yoga | 正念瑜伽 with Rebecca Nie

Yoga means union — the bringing together of mind and body for profound well-being. In DAI's Mindful Yoga class, students are introduced to mindful breathing and body awareness, and offered cues and safe, actionable guidance to carry that presence throughout their practice. Moving with intention, each class activates the body in a systemic and skillful way — promoting circulation, emotional balance, fitness, muscle tone, and physical equilibrium. This is authentic yoga: not just movement, but integration. What to Expect In these 60-minute classes, you will enjoy mindful breathing and yoga postures designed to foster deep somatic awareness. Our instructor meets each student exactly where they are — in their flexibility, their strength, their season of life — and gently guides them to grow. Who Is This For Both beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome. If you are new to yoga, this class offers a beautiful gateway into the art of meditative movement. If you are an experienced yogi, the mindfulness dimension will supercharge your asanas and open you to the higher koshas — the subtler layers of self that the postures are always pointing toward. Whether you are arriving for the first time or returning with years of practice under your belt, Mindful Yoga is a wonderful gateway into both yoga and mindfulness meditation.