“I realized that George Lucas made the ideal archetype from all the best disciplines we have,” he said. “I was beat up a lot as a kid, and the lightsaber brings out that strong hero inside of you, so you can stand up for yourself.”

Mr. Michael, 41, says he teaches his charges how to use the Force to navigate living in New York City, whether in a pressurized workplace, a crowded subway or a rowdy bar.

He said he had fashioned a spiritual discipline for the modern urban Jedi, drawing upon his experience with dance, martial arts, sword-fighting and Tibetan Buddhism.