About SOHMA Tai Chi

School of Healing Martial Arts

SOHMA stands for the School of Healing Martial Arts, a name that captures the essence of what we teach and why we teach it. Tai Chi is not simply a form of exercise. It is a complete system of movement, energy cultivation, and martial wisdom that has been refined over centuries and proven through practice.

Founded in 2010 by Dr. Daniel Hoover, DC, LAc, MH, CCSP, SOHMA was built on a simple conviction: that the depth and breadth of authentic Tai Chi deserves to be taught with the same rigor and integrity as any clinical discipline. Dr. Hoover brings over 30 years of martial arts experience, a 5th Degree Black Belt, national and international competition titles, and a multidisciplinary clinical background in chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and sports performance to every lesson he teaches.

From Clinical Practice to a Global School

Before focusing exclusively on SOHMA Tai Chi, Dr. Hoover spent a decade building and operating two thriving integrative health clinics in Long Beach and Lakewood, California, seeing over 500 patient visits per week at their peak. The clinics were voted Best of Long Beach three years in a row and served as private practice rotation sites for chiropractic, acupuncture, and physician assistant students. Medical Tai Chi was integrated into clinical care from the beginning, long before it became a mainstream conversation in healthcare.

In 2025, after a decade of clinical leadership and mentoring the next generation of practitioners, Dr. Hoover made the deliberate decision to close the clinics and devote himself fully to his passion: bringing authentic healing martial arts to the world. He continues to consult with clinical practices, passing on the business and clinical knowledge accumulated over years of building high-performing integrative care teams, but his primary mission is now global.

What Makes SOHMA Different

What makes SOHMA different is not just what we teach but how we teach it. Our curriculum goes far beyond learning a form. Students develop a working understanding of anatomy, physiology, energetic anatomy, the Eight Energies, push hands, martial applications, and the clinical and therapeutic dimensions of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. This is the depth that cannot be found on YouTube or from instructors who learned forms without grounding in the art itself.

Today SOHMA is a globally recognized, ATCQA-accredited school with students in more than 10 countries and growing. We have been voted one of the Top 3 Tai Chi schools in the world and are an approved CE provider for the California Acupuncture Board, with FCLB PACE Chiropractic approval in progress.

Whether you are a complete beginner, a dedicated practitioner, a licensed healthcare professional seeking CE hours, or someone who simply wants to take their Tai Chi to a serious level, SOHMA was built for you.

The Path to Mastery Is Here.

Join students in more than 10 countries training with SOHMA, from your first form to full instructor certification.

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