Taiji Foundational Program
Master Taijiquan Through Its Postures, Principles, and Forms
(Includes the Before Heaven 16-Posture and the After Heaven 64-Posture Forms)
Please read the Before Heaven Course page to see more information on the benefits and reasons for learning Taijiquan. That course is required for learning the After Heaven Form.
Registering here includes the Before Heaven Course, but you can also sign up for it separately and then join the After Heaven Program.
Watch the full class video on Posture 2: Warding-Off Left and Right from the Before Heaven Taijiquan Course
“I learned 24 posture Yang-style Tai Ji at a studio close to home. Nonetheless, I know that Stuart Olson learned Tai Ji from the legendary T.T. Liang and was thrilled to hear that he would offer a 64-posture Tai Ji course that I can attend even though it is not close to home. The 16-posture Before Heaven program used the computer-based medium at its highest potential. Having learned a kung fu form via the computer during the pandemic, I know how difficult it can be to absorb movement-based content via Zoom. The Sanctuary of Tao left nothing to chance. Everything you need in order to learn is provided. Their combined use of text, graphics, live and recorded explanations, and live and recorded step-by-step instruction from multiple angles precisely conveys the footwork, movements, and practical applications. Their 2, 4, and 6-count breakdown of movements allows you to work in proper breathing. I can replay a troubling segment as many times as necessary without worrying about distracting other students. If I have any doubts, I can sign up for a private lesson, which I have. Through the computer screen, Patrick was able to point out where I embellished and offered constructive feedback. I feel like this course takes my Tai Ji to a higher level and as an instructional designer by training, I have nothing but praise for how the class is assembled to promote synchronous and asynchronous three-dimensional remote learning.”
Robin Downing
IT Specialist, National Institutes of Health
“After completing the 16 posture Tai ji program, I find it incredibly relaxing and dynamic at the same time. The program format is easy to understand and the instruction is very clear. Stuart and Patrick are excellent teachers with tremendous experience and patience.”
Blaine Brown
Introducing....
The Postures of Taijiquan
Taiji Foundational Courses on the Before and After Heaven Forms
An online program that combines recorded video lessons and practices, live classes, and monthly talks for learning the 16 “Before Heaven” and the 64 “After Heaven” postures of Taijiquan.

Meet Stuart
An award-winning author and translator of over 30 books about Taijiquan, Taoism, and related topics.
Over the last four decades, Stuart has been teaching thousands of people Taijiquan all over the world.
If you'd like to learn more about Stuart, click here

Stuart learned Taijiquan from many notable teachers, but primarily from the late Taiji Master T.T. Liang.
Master Liang studied with 15 great masters in the Golden Age of Taiji in Taiwan, the 1950s. After that he moved to the United States and became a central figure in the spread of Taiji to the West.
If you'd like to learn more about Master Liang, click here
Stuart’s mission is to create programs that will help others master Taijiquan more quickly and easily than he did.
What’s included in the After Heaven Course:
-
One Year of Monthly talks by Stuart Alve Olson
—OUTLINE OF THE TWELVE TALKS (see also the Before Heaven Course for the talks included there)
-
150+ pre-recorded video lessons, including:
—AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO FOR EACH POSTURE with all the correct details for each posture, so your Taijiquan can function properly.
—MASTER LIANG’S HALF-BEAT INSTRUCTIONS FOR EACH POSTURE to help you refine your movements and let go of tension
—A GUIDED PRACTICE VIDEO FOR EACH POSTURE to ingrain the nuances of each posture until they become second nature to you
—A QIGONG PRACTICE FOR EACH POSTURE, to help you master the postures and principles and develop your Qi quickly
—THE SELF-DEFENSE APPLICATIONS FOR EACH POSTURE so you can tap into the physics of Taijiquan to handle real world situations
—A GUIDED PRACTICE OF THE BEFORE HEAVEN FORM so you can integrate the postures through a relaxing form practice
—A QIGONG PRACTICE OF THE BEFORE HEAVEN FORM to help you quickly and powerfully build and mobilize Qi
-
Live group lessons with Q&A
—BIWEEKLY ONLINE CLASSES over one year
-
Lifetime access to all the recordings
—ONGOING ACCESS so you can continue to deepen your understanding and practice of Taijiquan for years to come
-
A path to teaching Taijiquan as a part of a lineage
—COMPLETE A PRE-REQUISITE for entering into this historic lineage and moving further on your path as a teacher of Taijiquan
-
Schedule of Talks and Classes
• Saturdays are the Monthly Talks, and Wednesdays are the Instructional Classes
In the following interview clips, Stuart speaks about what having this level of mastery of Taijiquan can allow you to experience:
With this solid foundation, your practice of Taijiquan can revitalize your health and your spirit and give you a feeling of confidence in your self-defense.
In this video, Master Liang said to Stuart that he wished everyone in the world would learn Taijiquan—and he said humorously that even though it will be very hard to do, it's up to Stuart to make that wish come true.
He wanted everyone to experience the benefits of Taiji that helped him lived to age 102. This course is a way of working towards fulfilling Master Liang's wish.
Stuart feels so grateful for having had the opportunity to learn from Master Liang.
It’s been his and Patrick’s life’s work to cultivate these valuable teachings and pass them onto the next generation.
We at the Sanctuary of Tao want to support that mission. We see the stress and health challenges people are experiencing in today’s world. We believe there is wisdom from the past that holds solutions for our future.
We believe embodying the principles of Taiji through your practice of Taijiquan can help you experience greater harmony within yourself, with life, and with others.
We want to make this level of high-quality, in-depth Taijiquan education and training more affordable and accessible than it otherwise would have been, so it can help as many people as possible.