Gisele Bundchen is Li's most famous student so far. She had always wanted to study kung fu, she says, and a friend recommended Li's dojo. She takes private lessons with him every day when she's in Boston.

"It's like a moving meditation," she said in an e-mail. "It is very important to have the right teacher, and Yao is a great teacher. He is very aware so he can feel what each of his students needs are. And then he teaches accordingly."