Meet Your Instructors
With several decades of combined internal and physical training, your taiji instructors are focused on making each class effective and sincere.
Weekly Lead Instructor
Nathan Paulus
Nathan has been a bodyworker since 2008, a yoga instructor since 2004, and is a member-owner of Five Point Holistic Health. He's also a musician. Nathan has studied with Patrick Kelly and his senior teachers since 2013.
Assistant
Sharon Hoyer
Sharon is a lifelong dancer, dance instructor, and longtime practitioner of mind/body awareness systems including yoga, Feldenkrais Technique and Makko Ho. She is also a freelance writer and editor. Sharon has studied with Patrick Kelly and his senior teachers since 2015.
Assistant
Chris Zalek
Chris maintains an ongoing taiji practice and enjoys keeping busy as a tinkersmith and chaotic do-gooder. He is a digital artisan and designer.
Guest Teacher
Christine Schneider
Christine lives in Vienna, Austria and has been a student of Patrick Kelly for 30+ years. She is part of his network of senior instructors and has been leading the school Taiji Schule since 2011. In addition to Austria, she regularly teaches in Germany, Hungary, and other countries.
Weekly Instructor
Mia Park, 500E-RYT, CYT, YACEP, CNA
Mia was raised practicing martial arts and has taught Tantra hatha yoga since 2006. She is a Hospice Nurse, actress, and cultural producer. Mia has studied with Patrick Kelly and his senior teachers since 2016. Learn more about Mia here.
Assistant
Aurora Tabar
Aurora is a performance artist and occupational therapist. She studied method acting and physical theater at NYU and holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is deeply dedicated to somatic exploration for creative expression and personal growth. Aurora works as a school occupational therapist, helping young people learn and build functional skills. She has studied with Patrick Kelly and his senior teachers since 2015.
Guest Teacher
Heribert Greiner
Heribert Greiner has over 30 years of Taiji experience and has been a student of Patrick Kelly since 1995. As one of Patrick's senior instructors, he regularly gives seminars at various locations in Europe. Heribert is a qualified biologist and naturopath who lives in Freiburg, Black Forest, Germany, where he runs a Taiji school.
Guest Teacher
Crista Fuentes
Crista was introduced to Taiji in the United States. She trained with Patrick Kelly at his 9 Clouds studio in Shanghai, China, from 2014-22 and also taught there.. Crista currently teaches in Chiangmai, Thailand, and travels internationally to train.
Meet other teachers in the WorldWideWay system of Doaist Taiji in the United States