Patrick Mellen was born in Toledo, Ohio and raised in Cincinnati. After graduation from Northwestern University with a degree in theater he followed his dreams of being an actor and moved into an upper east side apartment on September 18, 1998. He auditioned for Les Mis the next day and did not get the part. Somewhat daunted, he thought this would be easier, Patrick continued auditioning, living, and growing into himself amidst different groups of friends, collaborators, temp jobs and, thankfully, performances. In 2006, after living, working and performing in Chicago for a year, Patrick made his Broadway debut in Lestat by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It was a flop - but the dream he had as a 4th grader, high schooler, and college theater major had been achieved. Now what? In 2007, Patrick continued auditioning, living and growing into himself - through a variety of influences he was introduced to Chloe Wing, a teacher of the Alexander Technique. Over time, Patrick would be certified by Alexander Technique International as a Teacher of the Alexander Technique. Continuing his work with Chloe introduced Patrick to formal meditation practice, and as time has progressed Patrick sees AT and “mindfulness” as complimentary practices - the first fundament of mindfulness being body awareness and AT being, in Patrick’s opinion, the most accessible way of present moment body awareness. After Chloe’s death in 2013, Patrick found MBSR. Attending the 8-week course in NYC, and then continuing to study, practice, and attend retreats. He is currently a qualified MBSR teacher and looks forward to teaching his first 8 week course in the fall of 2019 - meanwhile he is developing a 6-week Alexander Technique/Mindfulness hybrid course available this summer at balancelab.com
