Tracing the Wall: The Complete Internal Cultivation Method

Qigong, Meditation, and Intrinsic Energy Development Through the Simple, Foundational Stances of Taijiquan

A complete lifelong cultivation method hidden within one seemingly simple practice.

Tracing the Wall is one of the most important practices taught within the Sanctuary of Tao tradition. Although simple in appearance, Stuart Alve Olson regarded it as one of the most complete methods of internal cultivation he ever learned.

During a trip to Taiwan in the 1980s, while living with Master T.T. Liang, Stuart was asked to deliver several gifts to old friends and fellow practitioners in Taiwan. One of them was an elderly teacher named Mr. Gao, whose primary cultivation practice was Tracing the Wall. Before Stuart left, Master Liang handed him a small scroll to deliver. When Mr. Gao unrolled it, he chuckled, turned it toward Stuart, and showed him what Master Liang had written:

“Would you please teach this idiot something.”

Stuart always laughed when telling that story.

For decades, Mr. Gao devoted himself almost exclusively to this single exercise, practicing forty-five minutes each morning and evening. His extraordinary rooting, vitality, health, balance, and internal power left a lasting impression on Stuart. Stuart later recalled that he couldn't push Mr. Gao over or even budge him. His remarkable rooting had been developed almost entirely through this single practice.

Stuart often returned to this story as an example of the value of deeply cultivating one practice rather than constantly searching for new ones. He frequently encouraged students to look beyond Tracing the Wall’s simplicity, often remarking that standing and post-stance training were among the fastest methods for developing Qi, cultivating intrinsic energy, and building a strong root.

Tracing the Wall combines those same benefits with continuous movement, creating a practice that develops relaxation, concentration, circulation, meditative awareness, balance, internal power, and Qi cultivation within a single exercise.

Unlike traditional standing meditation, the gentle movement of Tracing the Wall helps keep the mind naturally engaged, making it easier for many practitioners to cultivate relaxation, concentration, and meditative awareness for longer periods of time.

As Stuart said in our original Tracing the Wall workshop: “I cannot express how much this exercise has meant to me over the years.”

This workshop continues the journey begun in that free introductory Tracing the Wall workshop.

Rather than treating Tracing the Wall as a warm-up or supplementary exercise, you’ll learn how it can become a complete system of Qigong, meditation, and internal cultivation while simultaneously developing the rooting, body mechanics, and balance traditionally associated with Taijiquan.

Using twelve simple, foundational stances and thirty-two variations drawn from Taijiquan, Taiji Ruler, post-stance training, and the Cai Dui (Pulling Leg) exercises, you’ll discover how a single practice can cultivate Qi, strengthen concentration, improve structural alignment, develop intrinsic energy, and deepen meditative awareness.

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is designed for anyone interested in Qigong, meditation, Taijiquan, or internal cultivation. No previous experience with Taijiquan is required.

Although the practice draws upon the simple, foundational stances of Taijiquan, its principles apply equally to students whose primary interest is meditation, Qi cultivation, balance, relaxation, health, or lifelong internal development.

Whether you are completely new to the practice or have studied with the Sanctuary of Tao for many years, this workshop provides practical methods that can immediately become part of your daily cultivation.

What You’ll Learn

• Fixed stances for rooting, structure, and equal-weight training

• Empty stances for understanding full and empty weighting in Taijiquan

• Taiji Ruler Swaying stances for dynamic weight transfer, balance, and central equilibrium

• The development of intrinsic energy (effortless internal power) and Sung (deep relaxation while remaining alert and responsive—like a cat)

• Cai Dui (Pulling Leg) training methods and supplementary leg exercises

• Embryonic breathing and breath regulation

• Internal cultivation methods for relaxation, awareness, and energetic development

• Standing meditation in motion: stillness within movement and movement within stillness
  
  

Why This Practice Matters

One of the challenges of traditional standing meditation is that many practitioners struggle to remain fully engaged while standing in a fixed posture. Tracing the Wall offers a unique solution.

The continuous, relaxed movement of the arms keeps the mind naturally attentive while preserving the benefits of standing meditation. The result is a practice that cultivates Qi, develops intrinsic energy, improves balance and rooting, strengthens meditative awareness, and refines body mechanics—all while remaining enjoyable enough to become part of a lifelong cultivation routine.

Whether your primary interest is Qigong, meditation, Taijiquan, or internal cultivation, Tracing the Wall provides a practical method that can be practiced almost anywhere, requires very little space, and can continue to deepen for a lifetime.

Why We Recommend This Workshop

If someone were to ask where to begin studying the Sanctuary of Tao teachings, this is the workshop we would recommend.

Tracing the Wall contains many of the fundamental principles that run throughout our Qigong, meditation, Taijiquan, and internal cultivation curriculum. While these principles are explored more deeply throughout our membership and advanced courses, this workshop stands on its own as a complete and practical cultivation method.

For that reason, we believe it is both the best introduction to our teachings and one of the most valuable practices a student can learn.

About Your Instructor

Patrick Gross studied directly with Stuart Alve Olson for more than thirty years and worked closely with him in preserving, organizing, and expanding the Sanctuary of Tao teachings.

The very first private lesson Stuart ever gave Patrick was on Tracing the Wall—a practice that remained central to both of their cultivation throughout the years.

Even as a rank beginner, Patrick immediately sensed there was something different about the practice. Over the decades that followed, he continued returning to it and gradually came to understand why Stuart valued it so highly.

Since then, Patrick has continued exploring the depth of this deceptively simple exercise, integrating insights from Taijiquan, Taiji Ruler, post-stance training, embryonic breathing, standing meditation, and internal cultivation methods.

This workshop represents the most complete presentation of Tracing the Wall ever offered by the Sanctuary of Tao, expanding significantly beyond the original introductory workshop and bringing together teachings that have never before been presented in a single course.

How the Live Workshop Works

This is a live Zoom workshop taking place on Saturday, August 22, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Central Time (with the possibility of extending to 1:00 PM if needed).

After registering, you'll receive reminder emails containing your Zoom access information:

• One week before the workshop

• The evening before the workshop

• Approximately one hour before the workshop begins

These emails will include everything you need to join the live session.

If you’re unable to attend live, don't worry. The entire workshop will be recorded.

The recordings will be processed and added to your Sanctuary of Tao course library by the end of August. Once available, you’ll receive lifetime access and can review the workshop whenever you wish.

Whether you attend live or watch the recordings afterward, you’ll receive the complete workshop experience as part of your registration.

Your Registration Includes

• Live participation in the Zoom workshop

• Approximately 2–3 hours of in-depth instruction

• Complete workshop videos

• Lifetime access to all recordings after they are added to your course library

• The ability to review and practice at your own pace

• Any future updates, should additional material be added

Whether you’re new to the Sanctuary of Tao or have been practicing with us for years, this workshop offers one of the clearest and most direct paths into the principles of internal cultivation that Stuart Alve Olson spent a lifetime teaching.

More importantly, it demonstrates something Stuart returned to again and again throughout his own life:

Profound internal development does not require countless techniques, but a willingness to cultivate one good practice deeply and consistently.