Is Foundational Level - Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program worth it if you’re shopping in Fitness & Health?
The most complete Ba Gua curriculum you can stream from home, if you’re ready to commit to the full stack
Most Ba Gua content online is either a single YouTube clip, a weekend workshop recording, or a PDF that assumes you already have a teacher in the room. If you’ve been trying to learn the foundational forms, the standing postures, and the circle walking on your own, you’ve probably hit a wall where the next step just isn’t explained clearly enough. Tom Bisio’s Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program is built specifically for that gap. It packages the entire foundational level—80+ streaming videos, five complete books, a student handbook, and a structured welcome letter with a suggested training path—into one $395 purchase. You get a curriculum that walks you from the very first Yin Yang Patting exercise all the way through 28 fixed-posture circle walking videos, without needing to piece together fragments from three different sources.
Quick answer
| Best for | Serious students who want a complete, teacher-led Ba Gua curriculum they can follow at home, from absolute basics through foundational circle walking. |
| Skip if | You only want a single technique video, prefer in-person instruction exclusively, or are looking for a general fitness program rather than a traditional internal arts curriculum. |
| Price | $395 |
| Format | 80+ streaming videos, 5 PDF books (800+ pages), student handbook, 5 supplemental PDFs, welcome letter with training guidelines |
| One-line take | A full foundational Ba Gua curriculum that replaces the need to hunt for individual lessons, structured by a teacher who prioritizes clarity over mystique. |
What you’re actually buying
At $395, you are not buying a single video or a thin PDF. You are buying a complete foundational curriculum organized into progressive modules that mirror how a traditional school would sequence your training. The Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program opens with a welcome letter that lays out a suggested training program and video list, so you are not staring at 80+ videos wondering where to start. From there, the material moves through Ba Gua Yin Yang Patting and Dao Yin Exercises, Zhan Zhuang standing meditation, Qi Cultivation exercises, the 12 Posture Standing system, the 28 Foundational Exercises (Ji Ben Gong), basic stepping, fixed-posture circle walking, and foundational partner training and footwork.
The depth is where this separates itself from a typical online course. You get five complete PDF books totaling more than 800 pages, including dedicated volumes on Yin Yang Patting, Qi Cultivation, Twelve Posture Standing, and Foundational Body Training. There is also a Student Handbook running over 100 pages that outlines the curriculum, covers the history of the art, and offers training tips. Five additional PDFs fill in specifics like the 12 Standing Postures and their relationship to the meridians, plus a bonus document on the implications of Ding Shi Ba Gua Zhang. The video library alone—80+ streaming clips—gives you repeated visual reference for every single exercise, which matters enormously when you are learning body mechanics that are easy to get subtly wrong without a teacher watching. (Foundational Level - Standard)
The structure is the real value here. Each module pairs its videos with the corresponding PDF so you can read the theory, watch the demonstration, and then practice. The circle walking section alone includes 28 videos for fixed-posture walking, which is the core skill most students struggle to develop on their own. You are getting a teacher’s full pedagogical sequence, not a random collection of clips.
Why it’s on our radar
This is one of the few distance-learning offerings in traditional internal arts that commits to the full foundational level rather than selling a single form or a “taster” module. The unusual deliverable mix—streaming video, multi-hundred-page books, a structured handbook, and a welcome letter with a suggested training path—means you are getting a curriculum, not just content. For someone who has tried learning Ba Gua from scattered YouTube videos or a single workshop and hit the ceiling, the complete foundational stack from Tom Bisio addresses the exact problem: you need the whole sequence, explained clearly, in the right order.
A student from Ithaca, NY, put it this way after working through the program: “I’ve been studying bagua for over a decade from various teachers and I wanted to let you know that your Distance Learning Program is the most comprehensive, i
What actually matters (Foundational Level - Standard)
Before you commit $395, a few checks that will tell you whether this fits your situation: (Foundational Level - Standard)
- Do you need streaming access or do you want downloadable files? The 80+ videos are online streaming (web access required), not a one-time download. If you travel without reliable internet or want an offline library, that is a limitation. The PDFs, however, are yours to keep. (Foundational Level - Standard)
- Are you ready for the full sequence or do you only want one module? The program is sold as the complete foundational level. You cannot buy just the 12 Posture Standing videos or just the circle walking section. If you only want a single technique, this is overkill.
- Do you have the time for 800+ pages of reading alongside video practice? The books are substantial. This is not a “watch 10 videos and you’re done” product. The student handbook and five PDF books are designed for ongoing study, not a weekend binge.
- Is your goal traditional Ba Gua Zhang or general movement practice? The curriculum is explicitly structured around the authentic Ba Gua Zhang lineage, including meridian theory, Qi cultivation, and the specific pedagogical sequence of the art. If you want a general standing-meditation or tai chi-adjacent program, this is more specific than you need. (Foundational Level - Standard)
Mid-check
If the full foundational sequence is what you’ve been missing, the Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program is the most complete single-purchase option in this space.
FAQ
Is the Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program suitable for absolute beginners? Yes. The curriculum starts with Yin Yang Patting and Dao Yin exercises, the most basic body-preparation work in the Ba Gua system. The welcome letter includes a suggested training program that sequences the videos from foundational to advanced within the “foundational level.” You do not need prior Ba Gua experience, though general movement comfort helps. The training guidelines in the welcome letter are designed to orient a first-time student.
How long do I have access to the videos? The 80+ videos are available via online streaming as long as the program is maintained by Tom Bisio. This is not a one-time download; you log in and stream. The PDFs (books, handbook, supplemental documents) are yours permanently. If you need offline access, the PDFs cover the written material, but the video demonstrations require a web connection. (Foundational Level - Standard)
Can I buy just the circle walking or 12 Posture Standing section? No. The program is sold as the complete foundational level. All modules—Yin Yang Patting, Zhan Zhuang, Qi Cultivation, 12 Posture Standing, Ji Ben Gong, stepping, circle walking, and partner work—are included in the single $395 purchase. There is no à la carte option for individual sections.
What is the difference between this and a weekend workshop? A weekend workshop gives you a few hours of in-person instruction and maybe a recording. This program gives you the entire foundational curriculum with 80+ videos you can rewatch, 800+ pages of written material to study repeatedly, and a structured sequence that a workshop cannot cover in two days. The full curriculum structure is designed for weeks or months of progressive practice, not a single event.
Bottom line
If you have been trying to learn Ba Gua on your own and keep hitting the wall where the next step is unclear, the Standard Authentic Ba Gua Distance Learning Program is the most complete answer in the distance-learning space. At $395 you get the entire foundational sequence—80+ videos, five books, a handbook, and a structured training path—organized by a teacher who explicitly prioritizes making the material understandable. It is not a quick fix or a single-technique download. It is a curriculum you work through over time, and for someone committed to the art, that depth is exactly the point. (Foundational Level - Standard)