Meet Our Teachers

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 · Ba Duan Jin Teacher

Claudia Chunyun Wang

Certified Ba Duan Jin (八段锦) Teacher; Visiting Faculty at Dharma Alive Incubator

Dr. Claudia Chunyun Wang is a Visiting Faculty teacher at Dharma Alive Incubator. She teaches Ba Duan Jin (八段锦) — the 'Eight Pieces of Brocade,' a 1,000-year-old Qigong sequence used across many Chinese traditions for cultivating health, balance, and inner stillness. A certified Ba Duan Jin teacher, Dr. Wang holds advanced training credentials in classical Qigong instruction and is developing her on-demand Ba Duan Jin course for the DAI online library.

Soto Zen Priest

Andrew Acker

Ms. Chinese Medicine

Andrew Acker leads Thursday-evening Guided Meditation at DAI. His approach is grounded, accessible, and trauma-aware — making meditation approachable for people who have tried (and 'failed at') sitting practice before.