Episodes

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 r...

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.

Damo Mitchell chatting with famed explorer and film-maker, Dr Lawrence Blair at his home in Bali. The discussion looks at Indonesian culture, mythology, religion and even UFO's! Dynamo Jack is discussed along with the connection between subtle energy and spiritual experience. For more information on Dr Lawrence Blair, please visit his website at: https://www.drlawrenceblair.com We highly recommend watching the groundbreaking series, the Ring of Fire which can be found here: https://www.ringoff...

Damo Mitchell discussing the mechanics behind teachers visiting students in their dreams, the nature of why we dream of teachers, ascended masters and deities. Some of the misconceptions are looked at as well as canvassing for new students via dream visitations!

A talk by Damo on the subject of Bai Shi and the accepting of disciples. He looks at the difference between Bai Shi in the martial arts and the spiritual arts, the nature of having multiple lineages and the expectations of Bai Shi. Also explored are the implications of translating Chinese customs over into western culture and how these things may become misunderstood. Obviously, this is all based on Damo's personal experience and so different schools may interpret the Bai Shi ritual in their own...

A short discussion of the nature of Zi Fa Gong or 'Spontaneous Qi Flow'. This is to help with some of the confusions around the topic. Spontaneous Qi flow is when the body moves free from conscious control and this is often something that manifests within practices such as Qigong, Yoga and Meditation. It should always be approached with a degree of mental detachment and freedom from overlaid conscious or subconscious models such as ideas of Kundalini or Deity involvement.

Adam Mizner & Damo Mitchell chatting about Taijiquan, Japanese culture, Karate, Qi development and a bunch of other stuff whilst they are in Tokyo. Of particular interest is the distinction between three forms of 'internal force' within these arts - body level practice, mind level skills and Qi development. One is the key method and the others become close methods that are not quite the true thing.

A discussion by Damo Mitchell on the subject of learning Qigong and the internal arts. He chats about transmission, the nature of learning subtle skills, the auric field of the Guru and how to master Qigong and associated arts. He also look at the nature of teaching online; its limitations and the nature of what can be learnt through solo study.

An informal and yet frank discussion of the dynamics that may exist between teachers and students within the martial and internal arts world. These are thoughts in response to the recent year of full time teaching by Lotus Nei Gong and the ugly truths of keeping people happy in schools and the difficulties of teaching are looked at.

An informal and unplanned talk by Damo Mitchell on what he learnt after a year of teaching full-time. He shares his thoughts on transitioning from a 'workshop teacher' to a 'full time retreat teacher' and how these two are different. Damo also discusses the importance of continual learning for teachers of the arts, the danger of 'psychic' teachers and the complexity of providing a full education in these arts.

A shorter talk by Damo on the idea of 'changing wounds to scars as wounds are debilitating and scars are character building'. This is just some general advice around how to sensibly approach managing ones own injuries and how to move beyond them so that the body may heal; an idea based in not over-identifying with the issue at hand.

Joey Nishad chats about his Taiji training, weight-lifting as a part of Taiji, sinew changing principles and more. This conversation takes place over Zoom and so the sound quality reflects this. Joey Nishad has an eccentric take on life and a profound take on internal arts training. This is combined with a great sense of humour and so this talk should be both enlightening and entertaining.

Damo in a lengthy talk on the subject of Jing (Yuan Qi) in Chinese medicine and inner cultivation. Over the course of nearly two hours, he discusses the difference between medicine and cultivation as well as the difference between gross and subtle bodily mechanisms. The final section of the talk concerns the things a practitioner should do to assist in cultivating the body Jing.

Damo is joined once again by Adam Mizner in the studio in Bali. After a month's practice retreat, the two of them sit down with a cigar and whisky to discuss evolution versus religious views, Taiji, the concept of Qi, Zhan Zhuang training, integrity, politics and various other topics associated with the internal arts.

Damo (in a hotel in London) chatting about the effects of porn addiction on young men in the martial arts and Qigong world. He also looks at the effects of a lack of physical exercise in developmental years, the nature of video-gaming, online interactions and male competitiveness.

In this episode, Damo is giving a more personal account of his views on and contact with the subject of violence. He looks at why violence should never be glorified and why it is a complex aspect of martial arts. In his own classes, violence is a part of the training but not the mental focus and in this episode, he explains why.

Damo chatting about his recent trip to the United States (Maryland, Washington DC and Louisiana) as well as his views on American/Western media. He also looks at one of the prime principles for developing within the arts - this is the principle of organising 'practice intent' according to the idea of Cause, Effect and Conditions. Not filmed in the usual Podcast spot due to being on the road in the USA still.

A rambling podcast by Damo Mitchell on the various ways in which he understood Qi, the difference between belief and knowing, the impact of the internet and the danger of restricting yourself to fixed definitions. This is a talk that wanders around and looks at various topics, so dont expect a structured and systematic exploration of Qi so much as a loose chat on Qigong.

In this episode, Damo and Adam Mizner are in Bali, chatting about the nature of cultivation and what place the various arts such as Taiji, Qigong and Meditation play on this path. They discuss their personal entry into Taiji, the nature of pushing hands, Zhong Ding, meditation and more. This episode was filmed on a day off after they had been practicing together for the month of April in order to further develop their skills and help each other out in their practice. TRIGGER WARNING: To those...

In this episode, Damo is giving his personal opinion on the recent 'tongue sucking' scandal involving the Dalai Lama. The nature of cultural differences are looked at, along with public shaming, honest mistakes, red flags for abusive behaviour and the dangers of attributing divine qualities to humans, no matter how kind they may seem. It is important that people don't jump to sensationalised opinions whenever something unexpected happens, but we should also not ignore potential risks as nobody i...