Earl Grey

You need the phone number, not a smart phone. It's just to receive a text message to confirm it's you, then you can create a username and then access it on the laptop. Also, this: https://web.telegram.org/z/ You have the option of logging in with the phone number rather than scanning it.

Telegram works on your desktop too.

Ask your instructor or specify that it's for someone who specifically practices from Damo. In our own system, no, this is not good, and while it's usually a sign of opening channels in the beginning, you should eventually strive for complete stillness.

I think people can claim it’s universal energy all they want, but when developing the neigong body, it most definitely is not universal energy. The awareness of how Reiki is working after development of this makes one realize Reiki isn’t universal divine energy working through you due to how the body is still transmitting. Most people who disagree have not developed this internal body. It might not taste like what you think poison should taste like because it’s sweet, but people die slowly from poisoned honey.

Not to mention those who try to take a Unitarian Church kind of approach where someone can say "All is Dao and nobody has authority on Dao" which actually can be detrimental to understanding Dao due to the fact that it uses the same terminology, but its framework and philosophy is not Daoism but very distinctly capitalistic New Age rather than just New Age...

And now we see where the discovery and exploration phase can affect good practice when confusion and mixed messages confront the new aspirants.

I learned ZZ first and foremost for martial purposes, then later I learned a variation for cultivation. Exterior appearances look similar, but the internal process and intention are totally different. The OP seems to want an alchemical tutorial, though for most people, I really recommend the martial approach for safety beforehand, especially if they don't have someone actively guiding them regularly.

I can't really speak for the others, but for myself at the very least, I will say this: the instruction I had yielded the most positive results compared to what I saw with what others tried to explain to me or correct me when seeing me doing it "improperly" in public then showing me what was "the right way" without even asking me my name. Trying it their way to humor them created knee and back pain for me and my purpose of martial and health meditative benefits, which then led to them saying that I was "doing it wrong for years so this is just the correct way healing my body." When I showed them and explained how it worked, none of this pain came up for them, and they managed to stand longer, then could only say that it's easier because it's incorrect. I can't see how most "experts" arrive at their conclusion beyond a tidbit of wisdom that came from one teacher of mine: "Someone else's opinion is more important to them than your experience." This is a man whose YouTube comments are flooded with people telling him that Tai Chi doesn't work in a fight, except he's been using it for over 40 years as a law enforcement official, so if it doesn't work, he's still trying to find out why it doesn't considering how many criminals he's taken down using it. So, opinions are sacred, even if neither facts nor reality agree.

Is someone counting how many are here? We can finally know the answer to the age old question about how many are needed to screw in the damned lightbulb.

While I encourage exploration, it may be better for someone interested in following Damo to ask him or his students in Damo’s forums if there are any rather than widely to people with differing opinions and qualifications though. There’s already enough dissenting opinion about how to do it right here and for beginners, this will cause more confusion. Better to establish a foundation before comparing among systems at the outset, which will only confuse and create a poor foundation.

100%. I offered what I had to simplify things, but he should really stick with what he wants to follow, and it should be Damo rather than everyone else commenting and correcting by text, which is worse than reading one book itself since it is inconsistent. He should really just talk to one of Damo's instructors or advanced students if not Damo himself for help, but if not, well, everyone will either find something that works for them or they'll approximate it as best they can and be happy with it hopefully.

A good rule of thumb for any teacher: "By the fruits, ye shall be known." Observe his students versus what he claims he imparts. Do this for any teacher you encounter and their students. More importantly, see if they're having fun, are healthy, joyful, and supportive. This should help you before narrowing down the inevitable discussion for and against Damo specifically.

Just FYI: my friend is teaching neigong, which can lead to faqi. I am not; I teach the foundation for Fajin, which begins with Zhan Zhuang. Decide for yourself if you want one call with me or explore--you've got a lot of resources in several forums (here, TDB, AG) to separate the wheat from the chaff, but you also have very loud voices certain of themselves who don't actually have the skill that they believe they have.

A vote no on Damo from me. For your interest it is more fluff than clarity with Damo.

I do teach as well from Xin Yi (derived from both Yi Quan and Liuhebafa), but I don’t usually isolate standing from the overall structure of the first year because it’s more than just proper alignment. I also do charge, though this isn’t so much of an offer but caution to be wary of even Damo since an analysis of his own standing practice is that he’s added some of his own ingredients to it that are really just going to charge students more rather than getting to the basics. While you theoretically can learn the basics fast, as every body type is different, I’m not sure how much time an instructor from his school can dedicate to you individually. At the very least I don’t mind showing you one basic stance on a call (complementary, no money involved—I’m in a good mood), but be careful with your money and your body because you will find that some teachers will tell you the right thing, show you the wrong thing, and you’ll likely end up paying them or a “friend” they know for treatment.

It's best to have someone qualified just show you how to do it properly rather than learn from a book due to the many health and injury risks. Some can do it, but the average for doing it wrong and getting injured or developing bad habits is much higher. Find someone in person if you aren't too restricted by the pandemic, or find some qualified instructor online.

Sad truth: many rich people think they're poor because they aren't as rich as those in a bracket above them. It never ends.

My friend who has worked with him says exactly the opposite of this claim.

Just to report that I'm in the 40% range of recovery, could be 50% on good days, but I'm going slowly and conservatively until my program macro ends at the start of October. Special thanks to the following people: @freeform for his advice regarding how Spontaneous Five Animals while sick with covid19 probably isn't a good idea and led me to conclude that it is probably best for preventing it or doing so when the virus is completely purged and recovery is finished, @Cleansox for his information on physiological effects for those with trauma affected by covid19 and the most proper scientific order for basic recovery that is thankfully system-agnostic and good news for people who know how to stretch their bodies or move slowly--otherwise known as Baduanjin and basic stretches plus Tai Chi, @Taomeow for her greatly detailed information on recovery and the effects of the virus on individuals beyond what is currently on official record and helping me remember that the information changes almost daily, @小梦想 for his stillness meditation that has helped bring together everything I'm doing and greatly reduce my stress, thereby increasing my recovery, @Zhongyongdaoist for his constant support always and for being a great font of wisdom, @zen-bear for his Flying Phoenix system and constant checking in to make sure I'm recovering well, and everyone else here on this thread who has commented or sent private messages for their support. Many thanks and blessings to you all.

@小梦想 I find the more one insists on proving himself, the more one doesn't actually have anything to show. Your acceptance of whether people believe you or not as seen in your communication and trust in yourself is enough to give anyone paying attention the signs they need to see you're not a great pretender. There is a kind of communication style and play with words the tricksters use, and there is a language used by those who don't have the formal training to understand what they're doing but are experiencing phenomena...which are ultimately just sensations rather than markers of development. What you have are three key ingredients that allow me at the very least to trust you even without being a friend of mine are 1) technical knowledge and understanding, 2) the ability to be concise and precise with your answers when conveying that knowledge, and 3) the acceptance of other people's preference to stick to what they know (or think they know) without needing to compete or distinguish yourself. Some tricks I've seen people use includes one notorious tactic of saying that those who reject them are not karmically connected to them, and those who follow their sales pitch are karmically bonded to them from past lives. My favorite one that was used on me? "You do not have the training or skill to be able to see how superior my skill and teachings are. When you practice what I teach you, then you will see...by the way, please send money before we begin."

Wrong. +1

Probably worth considering if the Bible is dangerous for it too rather than jumping on the Judeo-Christian excluding hate train.

Not him.