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Found this excellent. Also learned some stuff about Damo I didn't know.

Hi everyone Happy 2023 and it's nice to meet everyone. I began my gigong journey in mid 2022 through stumbling upon spring forest qigong (SFQ) on youtube. Since then I have discovered books and youtube materials by Damo Mitchell and have been practising fairly diligently (i.e. about an hour a day). My search for qigong has been driven mainly by health reasons. I have developed symptoms of yang deficiency such as cold hands and feet and tiredness last year, and I thought medical qigong might be a good place to start. Re my experience, I found the SFQ stuffs quite able to generate some noticeable effects soon after I started. specifically, I have been able to feel a lot of tingly sensation throughout my body and some relief after a short while. However it wasnt until I read Damo Mitchell's A comprehensive guide to Daoist Neigong did i realise how much fundamental practice I must go on with if I were to develop systematically. At present, I am working primarily on 'stilling and consolidating the Jing' in the Wuji posture. After about practising for 2 weeks - for about an hour a day, I started to feel my lower abdomen heating up, just as Damo described in Chapter 7 of the said book. At the beginning the heat only came on while I exhaled and was concentrated in one spot. This slowly spread through to the back and now occasionally occurred even at inhalation and would become consistent for 2-3 mins, before they disperse again. I have started to also complement this with some sitting practice (also to still the Jing and stablise the mind). I also do 10-15 mins of jing ben qigong (like the 5 elements qigong taught in SFQ when the lower ab is heating up, it brings a nice, warm sensation up and down my torso). To support the practice, I have cut out most unskillful sexual behaviours, including cutting down porn consumption to minimal /necessary level. Just wanted to ask anyone who know this here, 1) if this sounds about right? 2) Does anyone have any similar experience? 3) If so, have they experienced any health benefit? 4) How did your experience progress from here? I am 39/M based in London, UK. I dont really have many friends I can talk to about this (maybe 1), so if you are in the UK, specifically London. I am very keen to link up! Jason

New interview up:

This thread is for discussing Damo Mitchell's microcosmic orbit (MCO) course. It's free, 14 youtube video lessons, approx 7hrs total, shown below. Here's the link to his website MCO page: https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/ edit: Here's his introduction video to the course: The 14 youtube videos that comprise the course: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14

Enjoy

Hello, I am new to qigong. I can't find a good teacher in my area so I am exploring online video courses. I started Damo Mitchell's online course on vimeo, for beginners. I am really confused about the basic standing position, more exactly - the knees. Should they be perpendicular to the ground? Like, from the ground to the knees, there is a straight line up? I am looking to learn just from video resources, but I want to have a 100% correct posture.

Damo mitchell has written two books on the subject of internal alchemy, namely, White Moon on the Mountain Peak and A Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Nei Gong. So my question is for someone interested in chi gong/nei dan practical and theoretical aspects which one of these books is necessary? or maybe both of them are complimentary and should be read together?

To be published in a few days time and is a follow on to his previous works on the subject. Whilst I am something of a critic of Mitchell, feeling that his system is somewhat eclectic and a mish mash of diverse schools and systems his writing is still of interest and value. Well worth a look. "This book provides a unprecedented insight into the entire Nei Gong process, expanding upon the foundations laid in the author's previous widely read book, Daoist Nei Gong, to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the practice. Going into unparalleled detail whilst remaining accessible, it explains the philosophy at the heart of Nei Gong , and the steps whereby transformation is achieved. A foundational knowledge of Chinese medicine will help the reader appreciate the explanation more deeply, but is not required for understanding. Essential reading for anyone seriously interested Qi Gong, Chinese martial arts, and the Daoist tradition, the book will also be an invaluable resource for practitioners of Chinese medicine, or advanced meditation."

Damo Mitchell has arrived on the Daoist meditation scene in the last few years and has had a bit of controversy in the past with claiming a lineage he was instructed in but not initiated. How wonderfully dull and dramatic considering the quality of what is on the discs. In the past I read his Daoist Neigong book and while it wasn't anything new to me I found his presentation of it to be easy to read and without much pretense. I have only watched the first disc's contents so far and it's a clear introduction to some good exercises. This isn't the alpha and omega of sets but a great body conditioning routine when taken in entirety. The mechanics are applicable to both energetic and martial movement. The first disc starts with Damo demonstrating all four sets of exercises and they are named Awakening Dragon, Swimming Dragon, Soaring Dragon, and Drunken Dragon respectively. Then a very cute blonde instructor goes over each set individual set. Each set is also clarified further in a respective breakdown of exercises within the sets. I have yet to watch the second and third discs but plan on it soon. I spent some of my afternoon ripping the first DVD into mp4 format to watch on my phone whilst riding public transportation this week to analyze it a little more. The movements are very reminiscent of Wudang bagua especially with the cosplay aspect of Damo's getup. So far I think the Dragon Daoyin sets would be a great base to learn before doing palm changes around a circle and for those of us with previous martial training it should be simple enough to "translate" into applications.

Hi everyone, I'm starting to get into Daoism to preserve my health and extend my life. I first started with Mantak Chia's Healing Light of Tao but after reading the horror stories about people destroying their bodies with his techniques, I've started again with Lam Kam Chuen's Way of Energy which teaches Zhan Zhuang and the Eight Pieces of Brocade, using Damo Mitchell's Daoist Nei Gong to correct my posture. Are these good (safe) books? Any other recommendations? Thank you and I look forward to learning!

Has anyone had any experience with the following book by Damo Mitchell? Heavenly Streams: Meridian Theory in Nei Gong The blurb reads as follows: