Discover an Ancient Taoist Practice to Invigorate Your Health and Awaken Your Spirit

There's no clear evidence of who created Eight Brocades. Some say Chongli Quan, one of the legendary "Eight Immortals" was the source, around 8-900 CE, Tang Dynasty. 

The instructions for doing Eight Brocades were found on eight pieces of silk which were unearthed sometime around the Tang Dynasty. 

That's why they called it Eight Brocades. But that's not what Taoists originally called it.

The title found on the piece of silk was "The Cure," meaning it was considered the cure for any health issue. 

Eight Brocades is a sequence of movements that would nowadays be referred to as Seated Qigong. In the past it was referred to as a form of Dao Yin, practices like simple stretches, movement, and self-massage to develop and guide the Qi. This was the precursor to Qigong.

Eight Brocades is designed to not only prepare the body for deep meditation but also aid in overall health and well-being.

The practice can enhance blood flow, strengthen internal organs, and slow down the aging process. You can use Eight Brocades to restore your health, calm the mind, and center the body.

It also lays the groundwork for internal alchemy (the Taoist path to spiritual awakening). It's suitable for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.

There was a later version of Eight Brocades that was done standing, with drawing the bow, etc. 

Eight Brocades as a seated practice goes way back in Chinese culture.

There’s no evidence of standing brocades going back into even the Tang Dynasty. The standing version came much later. There was actually a whole system using the idea of Eight Brocades to develop a martial art kind of system. That was about 400 years ago, which is relatively new in Chinese culture.

At the Sanctuary of Tao, we follow Li Qingyun's instructions for doing Eight Brocades, and he practiced and taught Eight Brocades in a seated position.

We can reverse the process of aging by recreating the conditions of our youth. We need to recall psychologically and physiologically the sensations we experienced when we were young.

Eight Brocades helps us recall these past states because the exercises imitate the movements of an infant in the mother’s womb.

Doing these activities allows us to recreate the sensations of the time when our bodies had their fullest powers to regenerate themselves. By imitating those movements, we help the body remember and begin to recreate those youthful ways of operating internally once again.

Absolutely! Eight Brocades is a simple yet nuanced and layered practice, so it’s perfect for all skill levels.

The course provides detailed instructions and guided practices, allowing you to begin at a beginner level and advance at your own pace.

Consult with a healthcare provider if you have specific medical concerns, but these gentle exercises are suitable for various abilities.

Eight Brocades is designed to take you into a deep meditative state, and bring the Qi down into your lower Dan Tian, so that the Qi can flow from the Dan Tian throughout the body during your meditation. 

The last four brocades reawaken the body extremities, stretching vital areas like the shoulders, back, arms, and hips, and invigorating the blood and Qi flow after your meditation.

Eight Brocades is designed to help you:

• Ground and center yourself, calm the body and mind, develop inner stability
• Build your life-force energy (Qi) and help it flow through the body because good Qi flow is good health
• Increase blood circulation 
• Nourish your spirit with your calm attention to cultivate clarity of mind and tranquility of body
• Gently stretch and tone the torso, arms, and shoulders, as well as gently stretch and revitalize the hips and legs to preserve youthful movement
• Strengthen your spine, stretch the neck, and stimulate blood flow to the brain to combat age-related diseases like Alzheimer's
• Promote saliva production, reversing the drying of bodily fluids that causes aging. This additional saliva production also boosts digestion
• Warm and stimulate the kidneys and Dan Tian, supporting their health and function
• Give a gentle internal massage to your organs
• Strengthen the eyes 

While the Six Healing Sounds are designed to strengthen or heal the six key organs of the body, including body positions to enhance their effects. 

Li Qingyun’s methods of lying down, walking, and sitting are designed to preserve the energies of the body, fill the legs with youthful energy, and nurture calmness.

Massaging the Qi Centers and Eight Extraordinary Vessels is designed to invigorate the energy centers and channels of the body for good Qi flow and to stimulate the pathways for Internal Alchemy, the Taoist path to awaken the Spirit.  

And the practice of Wind and Dew, Opening the Three Passes, is designed to release energy blockages to open and prime the pathways for internal alchemy.

And Embryonic Breathing Crouching Qigong Practice is designed to strengthen the legs while building and mobilizing Qi.

In the course, there's a guided audio practice that's 48-minutes-long that includes a five-minute meditation in the middle. You can hit pause and sit for longer if you like, or skip the meditation. It's up to you.

Once you learn the practice fully, you can do the exercises without the guided audio, at the speed you prefer, and do more or less repetitions of each exercises. So you can tailor it to the length of time you have.

You can also use some of the practices throughout your day, for as little as a couple minutes at a time. This is something Stuart frequently mentions that he does. Li Qingyun also recommends doing these types of small habits throughout the day. 

Each brocade offers a myriad of benefits, which we’ll be discussing in detail in the course. Here are some highlights:

• Beat the Heavenly Drum: Engage your Spirit, coming back into your body and calming down through sound.
• Shake the Heavenly Pillar: Strengthen your spine, stretch the neck, and stimulate blood flow to the brain to combat age-related diseases like Alzheimer's.
• Red Dragon Stirs the Sea: Promote saliva production, reversing the drying of bodily fluids that causes aging.
• Rub the Court of the Kidneys: Warm and stimulate the kidneys and Dan Tian, supporting their health and function.
• Windlass: Circulate blood and Qi, massage internal organs, and enliven the kidneys.
• Supporting Heaven: Exercise your arms and eyes while increasing blood flow to shoulders, upper back, and arms.
• Grasping with Hooks: Stretch your legs and hips to keep them nimble and spry to preserve youthful movement and long life.
• Concluding Exercises: Focus again on saliva stimulation, to nourish the body with its nutrients, and support digestion with its enzymes.

This multifaceted approach ensures a comprehensive improvement to your overall well-being.

The course is divided into five modules, which you will receive access to every 7 days after joining the course. Each module features a talk focusing on different aspects of health and spiritual awakening:

• In the first module, you’ll get an overview of Li Qingyun’s roadmap to rejuvenation and awakening, and you’ll learn the first two brocades.
• The second module teaches you to cultivate your Jing, the essence of your body. And you’ll learn the second two brocades.
• The third talk is on cultivating your Qi, life-force energy, and you’ll learn the fifth and sixth brocades.
• The fourth talk discusses methods for cultivating the Spirit, and you’ll learn the seventh and eight brocades.
• The final module features a talk on how to protect your Three Treasures once you've build them up, and you’ll review and practice all Eight Brocades as a complete practice.
• There are also five supplemental regimes that you’ll gain access to immediately upon enrollment, which you can explore and integrate into your practice at your pace. 
• After you complete the 5-week journey, you can continue to deepen your practice with recordings from past practice periods, which we’ll send you once per week for the following month. 

The course offers a step-by-step journey to holistic well-being. With additional resources such as PDF guides, video instructions, and supplemental regimes, you'll have everything you need to embrace this enlivening way of life.

When you enroll in this course you will get:

• Detailed instruction for each brocade
• Guided video practices
• PDFs and audio files
• 4 Talks on Cultivating the Qi, Jing and Shen for health and awakening
• The Six Healing Sounds
• How to Lie, Walk, and Sit for Longevity 
• Massaging the Qi Centers and Eight Extraordinary Vessels 
• Wind and Dew and Opening the Three Passes Practice
• Embryonic Breathing Crouching Qigong Practice
• Past Practice Period Recordings
• Free Access to All Future Practice Periods

Yes! When you enroll, you receive on-demand, lifetime access to the course materials, including all future updates and improvements. Plus, you’ll enjoy free enrollment in yearly Fall Practice Periods, with community gatherings, talks, and Q&A sessions to deepen your practice.

Generally speaking, the first three supplemental regimes offer supplementary methods for nurturing your health:

• The Six Healing Sounds
• Stimulating the Qi centers and Eight Extraordinary Vessels
• And Li Qingyun’s daily longevity methods

The last two practices help enhance the effects of your Eight Brocades practice to prepare the body and mind for Internal Alchemy:

• Embryonic Breathing Qigong Practice 
• And Opening the Three Passes and Wind and Dew 

However, all five practices really do both—they nurture your health AND expand your Eight Brocades practice to lay the foundation for spiritual transformation. 

Together with Eight Brocades, you’ll have a complete regime for health, longevity, and awakening to help you live vitally as your true self.

$300 is the regular price

During Fall Practice Periods we offer a discount of $100 off. 

The cost is non-refundable. Due to the rarity of the teachings that Stuart is offering, we need to ensure that anyone who has access to them, even for a limited period of time, supports Stuart as a teacher.

We’re certain you’ll find this course far more valuable than the price. And with lifetime access and free access to future practice periods, it will only get more valuable to you over time.

If you're not sure if this program is right for you, you can consider joining the Sanctuary of Tao membership, if you aren't already a member. 

There's a simplified version of this Eight Brocades course within the membership. So that would be an ideal place to start.

The suggested donation for a membership is $18 a month. From there you can decide if this program might be the right next step. You can check out the Sanctuary of Tao membership here.

The Membership version is an introduction to Eight Brocades. You’ll learn the Eight Brocades practice, but in less detail than is offered in this course. There are no talks, audio files, PDFs, or supplemental practices.

Membership:

• Simple instruction for each brocade
• Guided video practices

Full Course:

• Detailed instruction for each brocade
• Guided video practices
• PDFs and audio files
• Talks on Cultivating the Qi, Jing and Shen for health and awakening 
• Six Healing Sounds
• How to Lie, Walk, and Sit for Longevity
• Massaging the Qi Centers and Eight Extraordinary Vessels
• Wind and Dew and Opening the Three Passes
• Embryonic Breathing Qigong Practice
• Past Practice Period Recordings
• Free Access to All Future Practice Periods

Aside from the live practice periods we hold each autumn, the course itself is delivered via pre-recorded modules.

After you sign up for the course, you’ll receive a welcome email with a link to your portal where you’ll receive immediate access to Module One and the five bonuses. 

In the portal, you’ll also see how to download the Kajabi app so you can access the course through your device.

Over the next five weeks, you’ll receive weekly emails with a link to the next module that is open. 

After that, we’ll send you lessons from the  astpractice periods once a week for the following month so you can continue to deepen your practice. 

Each autumn, we’ll send you emails reminding you to join us for the practice periods where we’ll review the practice together as a community, and encourage everyone to renew their commitment to the practice for that month. 

If you have any questions about the course, you can post them in the course under the lesson and Stuart and Patrick will answer your questions there so current and future participants can see the answers. You can also email us at [email protected] with any technical support you may need. 

After you register we’ll send you the login information for you to sign in to the portal. 

You can access the portal via your computer or also through the Kajabi app, which you can download to your device. 

The course is delivered via pre-recorded modules

Stuart Alve Olson, the translator of the book, The Immortal, True Accounts of the 250-Year Old Man, will be teaching this course.  

Stuart learned about Li Qingyun from his teacher, Master T.T. Liang (1900-2002), who had learned from 15 of the greatest Taoist Masters in China. After moving to the US in 1962, he wrote two books on Taijiquan, becoming one of the first teachers to spread Taijiquan in the West.

Master Liang was friends with a man named Yang Sen, who met Li Qingyun and wrote down his teachings in the book, Er Bai Liu Shi Sui Ren Rui Shi Ji: An Authentic and True Record of the 250-Year-Old Man, which Stuart’s book is a translation of and commentary on.

Master Liang believed Li Qingyun’s teachings held essential keys for longevity and spiritual transformation. So he urged Stuart to study and translate Li Qingyun’s teachings and to learn and practice his teachings. 

Stuart lived with Master T.T. Liang, studying and teaching with him over many years, and became a lineage holder under Master Liang. During that time, he learned Eight Brocades from Master Liang and has practiced it ever since. 

Stuart believes that Eight Brocades and Li Qingyun’s wisdom have helped him preserve his excellent health into his 70s. He now wants to pass on these teachings so that other people can discover this portal to greater vitality, clarity, and tranquility.

This course will also be taught by Patrick Gross. Patrick started learning from Stuart over thirty years ago and has been teaching and working with him ever since to preserve and present these teachings. In the year 2000, Patrick became a lineage holder under Stuart.