The Damo Mitchell Podcast

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.ringoffireseries.com. It is downloadable from Apple TV and other similar sources. 

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 ways. 

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 easily offended by such things, alcohol features in this podcast!

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 in a position of power should be above scrutiny. 

Damo talks about his experiences of finishing the first week of a five year long martial arts retreat in Bali. Over five years, a group will be going deep into both external and internal martial arts, meditation and medicine. After the first week, Damo sits down and discusses his first impression of teaching the retreat and the mindset behind the people in attendance. 

In this episode, Damo is testing out new sound equipment and talking about power issues in Qigong, Taijiquan and associated arts. He looks at the nature and difficulty of teaching, why teachers are so controlling and why they spend so much time badmouthing all of their rivals or perceived competition. Damo also discusses his experience of the politics of training in China and spending time with Chinese masters.

In this episode, Damo Mitchell is discussing both the benefits of a conceptual model such as that laid out within the Daoist tradition as well as its limitations. He then goes on to describe the Wu Shen (5 Spirits) in Chinese medicine and why they are a model of fragmented psychology rather than a model of spiritual divinity.

In this episode, Damo is chatting to his good friend, Joey Nishad. Joey is a Yang Taiji practitioner who gives his view on training, teaching, the internal arts scene and the arts in general. The discussion then goes on to Joeys experience at the recent ‘Martial Man Camp’ held in Chiangmai before it gets personal with a look at mental health in the internal arts. 

In this episode, Damo is talking to his father, Paul Mitchell in his personal training space in the South of the UK. They chat about Paul's training history, his views on the arts and how martial arts and inner training has served him over the course of his life. 

In this episode, Damo is on his own and chatting about the importance and weaknesses of lineage, systems and traditions. He looks at the nature of spiritual practice, awakening and how this takes place according to the various methods contained within traditional training.

In this lengthy episode, Damo is discussing what it means to be a male in the martial and cultivation arts. He talks about his own insecurities and what he had to overcome to become strong and confident in himself. Many young males are feeling lost these days and this is looked at in this podcast. 

Please note that this episode is really aimed at younger males and may not be relevant to other groups of people. 

The third episode of the Damo Mitchell Podcast features Asa Hershoff discussing his experience of many years in Vajrayanan Buddhism. Asa has spent over 40 years in the meditative traditions, completing his training as a full Tibetan Lama in 1989 including the full 3-year long personal retreat. 

For more information on Asa Hershoff please visit his site at: http://www.drasahershoff.com

Or at: http://www.5elementenergyhealing.com

Damo sits down with Adam Mizner of Heaven Man Earth Taiji to smoke cigars, drink whisky and chat about various aspects of the internal arts after they completed a month of practice in Bali, Indonesia. 

This was an informal chat where various topics were covered BUT we had a couple of issues: 

Firstly, there was an issue with Adam's mic which meant that it cut in and out. We had to edit the footage because of this and so some of Adam's parts were silent and so removed from the video. We managed to keep most of it though, but this is why you will see some edits in the footage when Adam is speaking. 

Secondly, as they became more drunk, so did the camera! This is why you will notice that it slips down in an inebriated slump towards the end of the discussion....

Apologies for all this but still, we think it is a good and somewhat blunt chat between two friends at Christmas.

This is the short introductory episode to the new Damo Mitchell Podcast. Here, Damo introduces the new studio and talks about his recent move to Bali, Indonesia, the future of his school and his movement away from lineages and tradition.