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.”

Building on the Original Tracing the Wall Teachings

This program expands upon the original Tracing the Wall Qigong introductory program, taking the practice much further and presenting it as a complete method of Qigong, meditation, and internal cultivation.

When you join this program, you will also receive the original Tracing the Wall Qigong program at no additional cost. It will be added to your Sanctuary of Tao course library along with this program, so there is no need to register for it separately.

Together, these teachings allow you to begin with Stuart's original introduction to the practice and then explore Tracing the Wall in much greater depth.

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-six 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 Program For?

This program 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 program provides practical methods that can immediately become part of your daily cultivation.

Because the complete program is available for self-paced study, you can work through the teachings at your own pace, return to individual sections as needed, and gradually deepen the practice over time.

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

• 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 Program

If someone were to ask where to begin studying the Sanctuary of Tao teachings, this is the program 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 programs, Tracing the Wall stands on its own as a complete and practical cultivation method.

For that reason, we believe it is both one of the best introductions 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 program 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.

A Complete Self-Study Program

Tracing the Wall: The Complete Internal Cultivation Method is now available as a self-paced video program.

When you enroll, you receive access to the complete recorded instruction from the Tracing the Wall workshop, organized so that you can study the material, practice along with the teachings, and return to individual sections whenever you wish.

There is no schedule to follow and no need to attend at a particular time. You can move through the program at your own pace and spend as much time as you need developing each aspect of the practice.

Most importantly, Tracing the Wall is not intended to be something you simply watch once and move on from. The program gives you a method you can continue working with and refining for years to come.

Your Enrollment Includes

• The complete Tracing the Wall: The Complete Internal Cultivation Method video program

• Approximately 3 hours of in-depth instruction

• Twelve foundational stances and thirty-six variations

• The original Tracing the Wall Qigong introductory program at no additional cost

• Lifetime access to the program through your Sanctuary of Tao course library

• The ability to study, review, and practice at your own pace

• Any future updates or additional material added to the program

Whether you’re new to the Sanctuary of Tao or have been practicing with us for years, this program 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.