The Damo Mitchell Podcast

A more personal podcast by Damo Mitchell reflecting on 20 years of teaching the Lotus Nei Gong School. He discusses the various phases he has been through as a teacher, how Lotus Nei Gong has changed, the conflicts involved in a school and various other topics related to teaching. This episode probably only relevant or of interest to those who are in Lotus Nei Gong itself as it's not an instructional one at all.

A podcast by Damo Mitchell on the common question of 'should you lift weights alongside practicing internal arts such as Taijiquan or Qigong?' Many past and contemporary masters of Taiji have said that you should lift weights at all when practicing Taiji whilst an equal amount of teachers have said the opposite. This can cause confusion and so Damo attempts to answer this question from his own perspective and experience.

Damo chatting with his father, Paul Mitchell, in Somerset, UK. They discuss the nature of classical martial arts training, the modern movements towards sports fighting, the history of Japanese Karate and approaches to both learning and teaching these systems. Paul has practiced and taught Japanese and Chinese systems of practice for many years in the South of England.

Damo Mitchell in the forests of Sweden, chatting about the recent explosion of poor mental health which resulted from the Covid era. He looks at the nature of believing ones own mind as well as how extreme visualisation within the internal arts may contribute to a loss of sense of reality. The main section of the podcast talks about the difference between the paths of 'sensation' and 'cultivation', two roads that are presented to a practitioner when they first start out within an art such as Qigong.

A podcast (as requested) on the topic of Baguazhang and the underlying principles of the system. Damo Mitchell discusses the similarities and differences between Baguazhang and Taijiquan. Further discussion then looks at the following principles of Baguazhang training: - Yi and Qi - The Baguazhang body - Static postures - Circle walking - Common errors The discussion covers the theory of developing the body prior to learning any of the forms of palm-changes which are usually what is demonstrated and what most people know as Baguazhgang.

A very niche podcast here. This one is looking at the quality of touch in Taijiquan pushing hands. Damo discusses the difference between 'grappling' style push hands and 'subtle Qi type' push hands practice. The mechanics behind pushing hands and the internal arts in general are looked at as well as the nature of Qi within these arts, the place of 'somatic empathy' and the problem with 'empty force' style practice.

Damo Mitchell discussing the phenomenon of 'speaking in tongues' which is commonplace within many Christian traditions but also within Qi Gong and Nei Dan schools. He discusses the nature of religion, his own approach to religious practice, the idea of attachment and the necessity for recognising transience when approaching the spiritual path. Another random chat whilst Damo is on the road in the United States.

Damo Mitchell doing a late night podcast on the idea that 'a spiritual awakening is a painful and chaotic process'. Damo explores this idea and explains why he doesn't see this as an accurate statement as the suffering is unrelated to the awakening process itself. He also looks at the nature of suffering when on the internal path, the nature of 'going inside' as well as a common form of Qi deviation which is similar to a psychotic break.

Damo Mitchell responding to many of the questions he is asked on semen retention and sexual Qi Gong. He discusses two different reasons for semen retention - rationale from an alchemical/energetic perspective and then rationale from a meditation perspective. As a rule, he is anti the practice of long-term semen retention for the sake of it. What is important is the correct intention behind it, understanding the pros and cons of it and recognising the importance of discovering normality of sexual activity. He looks at these factors as well as the risks of such practices

Damo Mitchell looking at the development of the group here in Bali over the course of the third semester. This is a talk about the overall plan for student development over the previous 18 months and then onwards into their future. The students development is based on working through external mechanics, then on into Dan Tian and Qi development followed by learning to develop the 'internal body' of arts such as Taijiquan and Xingyiquan.

Adam Mizner & Damo Mitchell chatting about various aspects of Yang Taijiquan...

Damo Mitchell talking on one of the most requested podcasts which is an episode on the subject of Xingyiquan. It's quite a niche subject, so maybe not of interest to many, but this talk looks at the core principles of Dan Tian development and the Liu He or 'Six Harmonies' in Xingyiquan and the San Ti standing posture. The episode concludes with a discussion of the true meaning of the style's name: 'Form Intention Boxing'

In a slightly more serious (sometimes) podcast episode, Adam Mizner and Damo Mitchell discuss some of the hate that comes their way. Damo reads out an online article which paints himself and Adam as s3xually deviant, criminal cult leaders and the two of them respond. Being in the public brings a lot of hatred these days and the two shine a light on the kind of attacks which are an almost daily part of their teaching lives. Trigger warning: If sensitive, you should know that some dark topics are discussed.

Chatting about the process of changing the body in Qigong. Damo is explaining how he views the moving exercises of any traditional Qigong system as being tools which are used to take the body through a series of transformational stages. The use of the Dan Tian and the palms is discussed along with the meaning of Yi Dao Qi Dao.

Shkar Sharif is a martial artist from London. He teaches Tiger Crane style Gong Fu and Shuang Yang Taiji to his students from his full-time school in Islington. He sits down with Damo to discuss his training background, the San Zhan form/system, Sufism, Shuang Yang, the Dan Tian and Hermetics.

A short talk on the nature of teaching the mechanics of the inner arts (such as Qigong, Yoga and Meditation) versus claiming to be a spiritual teacher. The term 'spiritual teacher' is a term Damo does not apply to himself at all and increasingly is a term that he deems less relevant in the wider picture of spiritual cultivation.

A follow-up to yesterdays podcast on a comment Damo made concerning the way that Qigong is turning into contemporary Yoga and starting to offer short term teacher training courses of a month, two months or even, horribly, 10 days or shorter! These teacher training certificated courses are being offered online even with no interaction between teacher and student. This is likely to lead to a number of problems, the same problems that have plagued the Yoga world for some time now.

Just a debrief and sharing of thoughts after teaching a three day long foundations event in Perth, Australia. This talk may not be of interest to 'casual listeners' and more for those who are interested in the school, Damo's thoughts and our system of Qigong in particular. Damo primarily discusses the differences between his method of teaching and the more widely practiced forms of Qigong that he encounters when he teaches groups around the world.

Damo chats with his good friend, Dr Cindy Engel about her book: Another Self - How Your Body Helps You Understand Others. They look at Cindy's experience as a therapist and especially her use of 'somatic empathy' as a tool and how it functions as a part of human awareness. The nature of understanding others through felt-knowing, visual phenomena during therapeutics and the complexities of utilising this in both life and practice are explored. Cindy is a practitioner of the internal arts and a researcher of modern scientific understanding and her work, as well as her latest book seek to bridge these two worlds.

A short chat from a bland hotel on the principle of 'Shen Up, Qi Down'. This was a teaching Damo was given early on in his Qigong journey that summed up the division of the mind and the Qi, two of the poles of Yin and Yang. Note that this is a fundamental principle that establishes the groundwork for more advanced mental qualities utilised within the world of the internal arts but an error that is common in beginners within these practices.