Damo Mitchell Free MCO Course

[forestofclarity]

I'm still working through his Foundations of Qigong, but if anyone is interested, he is offering a free MCO course:

 

https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/

[Toni]

thanks for sharing, maybe i will do the course in the near future if it is still available. Right now i am training with something else

[Vajra Fist]

Anyone signed up this academy? It looks pretty decent. Looks like he's teaching the same tai chi form as Adam Mizner with a similar business model.

[Wilhelm]

24 minutes ago, Vajra Fist said:

Anyone signed up this academy? It looks pretty decent. Looks like he's teaching the same tai chi form as Adam Mizner with a similar business model.

Similar styles and principles but totally different methodologies.  I think Damo said he's drawing influence from many Yang styles, where Adam's program is initially specific to Huang Sheng Shyan.  The form isn't identical but seems to be similar

[Piyadasi]

1 hour ago, Vajra Fist said:

Anyone signed up this academy? It looks pretty decent. Looks like he's teaching the same tai chi form as Adam Mizner with a similar business model.

The Academy is rather incredible. As far as I know, there is nothing quite like it in the Daoist world... Constantly getting updated as well. 140ish hours of footage, on a wide variety of topics. Plus a structured training for Neigong and Taiji, +Bagua upcoming.

[Vajra Fist]

1 hour ago, Wilhelm said:

Similar styles and principles but totally different methodologies.  I think Damo said he's drawing influence from many Yang styles, where Adam's program is initially specific to Huang Sheng Shyan.  The form isn't identical but seems to be similar

 

Interesting. Tried Mizner's school but tbh it felt like he was drip feeding information in order to maximise the amount of time it took you to learn the form (and thereby the amount of money you spent on membership). 

[anshino23]

3 hours ago, Vajra Fist said:

Anyone signed up this academy? It looks pretty decent. Looks like he's teaching the same tai chi form as Adam Mizner with a similar business model.

 

Yes, it's great  

[anshino23]

I'm honestly amazed at this generous offering by Damo - truly remarkable. 

[Wilhelm]

On 6/11/2020 at 10:37 AM, forestofemptiness said:

I'm still working through his Foundations of Qigong, but if anyone is interested, he is offering a free MCO course:

 

https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/

You might like to check out the first couple videos anyways.  I just did today and it's some pretty straightforward seated work that would harmonize well with the foundations. 

[Wilhelm]

3 hours ago, Vajra Fist said:

 

Interesting. Tried Mizner's school but tbh it felt like he was drip feeding information in order to maximise the amount of time it took you to learn the form (and thereby the amount of money you spent on membership). 

My impression with DiscoverTaiji was that the pacing was deliberate (slow is fast, fast is slow).  Any less and progress wouldn't be steady, any more and things would be missed.

 

But who knows!  DiscoverTaiji came out 5 years ago with little to no competition, and now there's a handful of offerings available.

[JohnC]

Impressed with Damo's offerings.

[Toni]

If someone does the course it would be nice to hear about the results of the practice

[Vajra Fist]

6 hours ago, JohnC said:

Impressed with Damo's offerings.

 

Me too. I really like how down to earth his system is and also how he is as a person. There's no grand claims about mystical techniques or powers, it's all very ordinary. I was put off by that at first, but I think the more your body is in tune its ordinary nature, the more the door seems to open on more interesting stuff. I'll go through his MCO course and depending on how it works out ill sign up. I'm impressed so far though. 

[anshino23]

1 hour ago, Toni said:

If someone does the course it would be nice to hear about the results of the practice

 

I think you have to take into account his disclaimer or "READ FIRST" document introducing the course:

 

Quote

After you have been through the program once, then start to work systematically through each of the practical lessons. Start with practical lesson one and keep working at it daily until you have successfully anchored the breath down to the base of the body. Once this milestone has been achieved then you are more likely to manage the next lesson. 

Continue in this way, identifying the key qualities you seek from within each exercise and then regularly practice until you are ready to move on to the next. Foundations are the key. To be perfectly honest, if you  wish to awaken the Microcosmic Orbit and you are not used to this kind of work, then I would think it will take around 1 year to 18 months of daily training.  

Work systematically and steadily, don’t force any thing and remember that subtlety is generally the way with arts like this.

 

In other words, don't expect anyone here to be able to tell you the results of the practice straight off the bat  It's a long process and requires a lot of foundation work to be done. 

[thelerner]

Its not hard to get a feeling.. turning an MCO practice into a kind of 'nerve' mantra.. but the real thing.. the kundalini-esque power of the real MCO.. thats not so easy and takes long practice and dedication. 

 

not that I'm there.

[centertime]

If one has one Chi kung before... then I guess the time can be shorter because many blockage may be solved by now.

[Toni]

And what does he mean by "anchored the breath down to the base of the body"?

[anshino23]

1 hour ago, Toni said:

And what does he mean by "anchored the breath down to the base of the body"?

 

Have you considered watching the video?  Especially now that it's freely available and doesn't require registration or anything? He explains exactly what he means by that in the video. 

Edited June 14, 2020 by anshino23

[Guest ezza]

I checked out DiscoverTaiji's one month trial recently and it's pretty good, very solid instructions and a lively community + support from senior students and Adam too. Only one video per week so it isn't overwhelming and allows one to go deeper per technique/form.

 

Damo seems to teach a somewhat similar curriculum but there are other things mixed into his Taiji teachings. It isn't strictly Huang Sheng Shyan style, it includes a broader and more encompassing Yang style from other teachers

 

The difference I see is that Discover Taiji atm is primarily just Taiji  (for online learnings anyhow), apparently Adam has been working on a "Discover Mind" course for quite sometime that is to be released, which incorporates more internal aspects and development with meditation etc, as opposed to just only teaching the "external" Taiji forms and push hands.

 

Damo's online offerings are much wider and broader (Daoist teachings and perspective), with large focus on internal development. There is a lot of varying courses and teachings in the library. From what I've seen Damo seems to be a lot more "open-book" than say Mizner. During the trial I noticed due to covid there were workshops hosted by Mizner and it cost $50 per workshop to attend and view the recordings

 

Damo is just pumping out material right now and releasing it all to the different tiers of subscription without additional cost. All in they're both great systems, just depends on what you want out of your practice, and what qualities you prefer in a teacher (or wish to develop in yourself). Damo's course is definitely great big bang for buck if Daoist teachings and all that is your cup of tea, I'd highly recommend his course, along with his books as they are seemingly the go-to for beginners in the West atm

 

If Taiji, then perhaps Mizner is your man as he has several high-level students that teach around the world and potentially a wider "network/school" that can be found around the world. I don't really fancy being able to push people around in Push hands though as I'm more interested in internal development but whatever floats your boat!

 

 

[Toni]

54 minutes ago, anshino23 said:

 

Have you considered watching the video?  Especially now that it's freely available and doesn't require registration or anything? He explains exactly what he means by that in the video. 

I willdo it but now i am working with something else

[Creation]

On 6/12/2020 at 12:51 PM, Wilhelm said:

My impression with DiscoverTaiji was that the pacing was deliberate (slow is fast, fast is slow).  Any less and progress wouldn't be steady, any more and things would be missed.

My impression is that the Taiji module of Damo's academy goes at about the same pace as Mizner's in terms of how quickly new postures are taught.  The difference is in the level of detail: Damo's teaching style is to share a lot of detail, much more than Mizner, which I personally appreciate for self-study.  It can be a lot to process though.  I agree about Mizner's global network being more accessible though, as far as I can tell I could more easily study with Mizner's school in person than Damo's, but this will vary person to person. 

 

Damo is being exceptionally generous to give access to multiple modules and a library of miscellaneous lectures with a single subscription.  Be advised that you only get access to some of the miscellaneous lectures with a monthly subscription, for everything you need to be a yearly subscriber.  For instance his wife's Nei Gong For Women course that was previously on Vimeo and his Yi Jing lectures are only available to yearly subscribers.

[salaam123]

I would like to start from the beginning. He says that this MCO course is for those with already some experience. He said in the dan tien video that the chi will leak unless youre at a certain stage in training and I am quite sure that it will happen to me. 

 

Is this "Foundations of Qigong" something for beginners and where could I get hold of it? Is it a book?  

[Toni]

yes, i don't want to do it right now for the same reason, i have too many blockages, first i need to address them

[anshino23]

10 minutes ago, salaam123 said:

I would like to start from the beginning. He says that this MCO course is for those with already some experience. He said in the dan tien video that the chi will leak unless youre at a certain stage in training and I am quite sure that it will happen to me. 

 

Is this "Foundations of Qigong" something for beginners and where could I get hold of it? Is it a book?  

 

If you want to train his system, join the monthly subscription at damomitchell.com. It's a bargain of a price for what you get.  

[forestofclarity]

I rented it on Vimeo. I've gotten a lot of live teachings on standing, so I cannot comment on it as a standalone. 

 

 

9 minutes ago, salaam123 said:

I would like to start from the beginning. He says that this MCO course is for those with already some experience. He said in the dan tien video that the chi will leak unless youre at a certain stage in training and I am quite sure that it will happen to me. 

 

Is this "Foundations of Qigong" something for beginners and where could I get hold of it? Is it a book?