DMP #13 - Understanding Qi

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.
#damomitchell #adammizner #taichi
Online training: www.damomitchell.com
Main website: www.lotusneigong.com

[@DiscoverTaiji]

face yourself! lots of character purification before energy work is what I think is best.

[@donaldreid4193]

Absolutely, I wish I would have known this before I began the journey as this would have saved me a bunch of hardships. When you have not purified the character developing more chi just intensifies your negative qualities. Adam is right spot with this one 🙏🏽

[@richierich291266]

With regard to energy work, there's lots of very detailed and specific instruction as to how to progress (for example, the many hours of videos that you and Damo have produced). I've not come across the same detailed and specific instruction about how to progress in moral discipline/character purification. Is this because I've missed it?!! Or is the same level of detail and specificity not required when it comes to instruction in moral discipline/character purification? Is it, for example, simply enough to say "follow these precepts and reflect deeply on your behaviour?"

[@emekaokonkwo869]

Hi, what does character purification consist of? and are you saying i shouldnt start qi gong before doing so?

[@craig0weston20]

I've been studying and practicing Tai Chi on and off for a quarter of a century and I have 4 children who as never been inside a doctor's surgery because of my chi healing. Chi is real.

[@driftlane9497]

Perhaps we mistakenly identify with Qi as a noun rather than a verb and that's what locks it down into a definition. But what IT is is constantly changing, perpetually in a state of flux. And what your talk has made me realise is that our relationship to Qi develops over time as our consciousness evolves. As our inner condition becomes more refined so too our capacity to engage with Qi. As our energetic system becomes more refined, so we apprehend Qi accordingly in finer and finer states. I've been reading a book on Prana - it seems to be the same phenomena. Pra-na - denotes constancy, a force in constant motion. The ability to perceive the fullness of prana is dependant on consciousness. This is why spiritual cultivation, the cultivation of virtue, the eradication of desires and aggression and attachment, overcoming the mind's many entrapments - is paramount to experiencing Qi at greater levels. Plus keeping the spaces in the body open through training, the channels, eating qi-quality foods, stillness meditation etc etc, allows for a richer experience of Qi to develop. So Qi is not "just" a "thing", but more akin to a process of awakening. Or something...

[@tivtag]

Qi for me is not based on believe. Simply practice, be at ease, look within at your own experience without thinking and you will understand. 😊 Thanks for your talk Damo! - Paul

[@mary-anncarleton7578]

" I'm going to talk cuz, I like to talk on these podcasts " " But I'm rambling " You crack me up with always a beautiful base of a rich experience. Happy Spring Damo. ❤❤❤

[@Andyukyt]

Very interesting and enjoyable talk. Belief is fascinating, why and what people believe in and the affect on different people in having beliefs, loosing beliefs, having beliefs attacked and what prompts some people to attack other people's beliefs. Also the difference between beliefs that are traceable to the upbringing and conditions that a person lives in, and the difference between the engagement of the mind and the body when it comes to belief, and the link between them.

[@robfisher2263]

A very useful and interesting talk Damo. Great to hear how Qi has changed and will continue to change for you. Thank you!

[@yanasophia1955]

thanks Damo! really appreciate this one. it’s been so good to witness some of your changes in how you talk about all this.

[@davidgreene805]

Great podcast. Glad to see this side of things being brought into the qi gong world and its discussions :)

[@HillardEarl]

@The art of Push Hands and the philosophy of monism converge in a harmonious union, offering practitioners a transformative journey towards self-discovery and enlightenment. Through the practice of Push Hands, individuals learn to embody the principles of monism, recognizing the interconnectedness of all things and embracing the oneness of existence. This profound wisdom not only enhances physical and mental well-being but also fosters empathy, compassion, and inner peace. As we delve into the art of Push Hands, let us rememberto approach it with an open mind and a willingness to explore the depths of our own being. By embracing the principles of monism and integrating them into our practice, we can unlock the true potential of Push Hands and experience a profound transformation in our lives.

[@pgalaxy]

Thanks a lot, I have been a practitioner for some twenty year, and still learning, Your training videos are very useful thanks for sharing

[@FrumenJ]

Thank you for the rant!

[@donaldreid4193]

If anyone’s opinion stops you in your tracks from continuing internal arts then this path is not for you

[@matfellows6595]

Thanks for sharing 💜🙏

[@nguyenvanuong3618]

Love this episode Damo! Have a nice trip😊!

[@pudpudp]

Thank you❤

[@colmrooney414]

I dig what ya sayin here, morals and ethics bring a sense of purpose in the world and in self knowing. thanks

[@diegobrito7905]

To have a capable teacher near by is something that I miss very much. I've been practicing forms of breathing/meditation exercises almost daily, and have felt just heat in my body and a little bit of magnetism in my hands when I rub them.

[@vinniemorris5986]

Crazy coincidence. Yesterday I was thinking of the word just in sentences. Same thoughts here

[@pierrebridenne8870]

Thanks Sir for sharing your long internal arts experience with us. I would like to have your point of view about the difference between attention and intention. I heard you talk about it and the subject resound straight to my heart.

[@aliakhtar6079]

Good checkpoint of your journey, from your Sufi spirit friend 🙏

[@mariareanotorres]

Direct Knowledge ❤🎯💯✌🏼❤️🙏🏼

[@Thefunksoulbro]

Our mind's are so powerful that's why.

[@mariareanotorres]

Have a wonderful time in America ! Come visit New Mexico😁❤️🙏🏼

[@jeffreyring9]

Almost as interesting to read the comments to see what people get from this talk. What resonates most with me is the idea of self reflection and contemplating my own motives for my actions and inactions.

[@9EtherSupremeFist]

First 😎 Great talk Damo!

[@arinthel]

"Just" is interesting in context. For the glass, it absolutely is a choice to limit myself in regards to the glass. I have limited time and for me, the glass is defined by mundane functionality. Any further assessment would have very limited benefit to myself or others and that energy is best spent on either productive endeavors or a relaxation to prepare me for productive work.😊

[@nevisstkitts8264]

30:56 encountering the first skilled Qi practioner and experiencing their use of Qi on you within a martial arts context goes a long way to shaping perspective. However, nothing one can say afterwards will convince some other experienced martial artist who views Qi as a myth or explains it as "vector forces in physics." Yet what does further develop one's own perspective is observing the martial arts interaction between Dr. Applied Physics and a martial arts master that uses Qi. That look on the face must have gotten a name in Qi Gong ...

[@Paul-TBMAG]

Are you teaching in the US? If so would like to know more..

[@ShinobiNunjitsu]

when I doing breathing exercise I feel the back of my head and feel a deep relaxation & energy in my body and limbs and heat from my palms even when I shake hands with someone they asks me why your hand palms generate heat is this normal or something else?

[@peterh.6010]

@damo How can I see you in USA?

[@kaka19871]

What do you mean it connects you with the divinde and what is a spiritual cultivation for you? I ask those questions to see your point of view on whats spirit and how it feels to be in contact with it. Ive felt it in different ways but maybe it was just a fantasy. Im always open to be mistaken and played by my senses and mind. If you have talked previously about this ill search in your other videos. You seem very centered and mature and id love to hear it from you. Thanks for all you share. Hope i can make it soon to one of your programs!

[@nevisstkitts8264]

When dealing with spirit ask for physical verification, something beyond feeling, thought or dream.

[@SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

🙏

[@lobsterpapa2672]

Damo do you think theology could be structured around Masters of Qi?

[@hannaolsson3445]

New to this channel. Like these talks, but not marmite 😂❤/ Swedish beginner

[@LotusNeiGong]

🇸🇪 👋

[@MonacoBlast66]

Listen to Carl Jung on belief and faith. He was talking about the same thing 60 years ago.

[@micheledolgovskij5318]

Welcome to the USA...and it's as polarized as ever.

[@Andyukyt]

Seems milder than last time I went, though part of that seemed to be the main person stirring up division is out of office and one of his main supporters/funders is focussed on invading somewhere else. But like most things, you'll find what you put your focus on:). Hope you ENJOYED what the talk was about.

[@SarazHandpans]

💛☀️💛

[@madogblue]

1st time feeling Qi 30:00

[@CladineiOficinal]

Why its wrong to cultivate for personal benefit?

[@murrik]

46:30

[@LaoZi2023]

Ethics is a set of morals.

[@auskadi]

Rambling ones are good. Vegemite is from a higher place than that marmite stuff

[@richardallan2767]

Halfway in, and i've got Chi = internet bad.

[@badvsbads391]

I wouldn't trust me in a position of power either, ha.

[@xHiiTMalRk3rzx]

What do you mean when you say “cities”?? Are you literally talking about like London, Chicago, etc?

[@nevisstkitts8264]

Siddhi Two forms: mundane siddhis and ultimate siddhis

[@xHiiTMalRk3rzx]

@@nevisstkitts8264 doesn’t really answer my question 😂

[@nevisstkitts8264]

@@xHiiTMalRk3rzx no, it's merely a response.

[@xHiiTMalRk3rzx]

@@nevisstkitts8264 wild

[@xHiiTMalRk3rzx]

@@nevisstkitts8264 your response may as well have been “I just farted” that would have been just as useful

[@icarus166]

We could do away with the whole intro talk by saying all beliefs are false, a statement coming from direct observation of the 3 characteristics of perception, impermanence, no self and dhukka. Any belief necessarily posits something as permanent and having self-nature. It is thus ultimately false. It can be a useful guide to navigate patterns of observation and behavior, that’s all. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form and emptiness itself is empty. Empty of abiding and self nature. When we are working with qi in qi gong, all we’re doing is putting the dough in the oven and watching it become bread. We don’t have to believe anything about the dough nor the oven. We just learn to mix it, kneed it and put it in the oven. We see the resulting bread come out. There is nothing we need to add to this, nothing behind it. No belief necessary.

[@iv6801]

Please don't take this the wrong way but - you have a belief system about belief systems being "unhealthy". Truth is not in flux according to time, or people's opinions of it (Him). Therefore there is nothing more rigid, simultaneously nothing more all-encompassing.

[@josupi6454]

You might be an expert in qi but you know nothing about politics, nothing!

[@LotusNeiGong]

Very probably true :)