Singing Dragon A Comprehensive Guide to Daoist Nei Gong

The false narrative that arts like Taijiquan and Qi Gong, which rightly have a reputation for being very relaxing and good for your health, should be simple and easy to practice and not take much effort, is so far from the truth. As a result these historic arts with their profound depth of knowledge have been consistently ‘dumbed down’ over the years. So how refreshing to have a book that elevates these traditions to the highest level and explains how you can bring about real transformation, all be it with the caveat - are you prepared to put the effort in? Successful change is only possible by firstly developing the foundation, the physical body. Many want to jump to the more ethereal aspects before they can even stand properly! This book explains why we must spend a great deal of time building the foundations and going through the various stages before we move on to more intangible aspects of study. You can not rise above something you cannot do. To often, many modern books on the internal arts seem to just regurgitate what has been written before and taken for ‘gospel’, without really considering the accurate translation of these traditions. Because the author has spent much of his life studying and moving through the Daoist tradition, he has developed not just an incredible knowledge of theory across many disciplines but it’s also backed up with personal experiential understanding. The result is a clear, concise study of an otherwise impenetrable art. Without clear instructions and an understanding of what you are doing and where you are on the path it is so easy to get it wrong, and even cause yourself some harm. What is also impressive is the honesty in which the author recognises that he is still only ‘scratching the surface of these arts’! There are many miss-understood aspects of studying an art like Qi Gong or Nei Gong, one is the lack of understanding on how the Lower Dan Tian is awakened and when you know it is. Following the principles in the book you will experience a definite sign that the Dan Tian is awakened, there’s no mistaking it. Another one is using visualisation to ‘guide the Qi’ around the body. The author explains why this is incorrect, and has been added in modern systems. As long as you are visualising you are using the acquired mind and this can lead to delusion and even the potential for creating stagnation or blockages in the energetic body. To have trust in the teacher and the lineage is everything as far as i’m concerned. You can waste a lot of life searching for an authentic way, Damo Mitchell’s School, Lotus Nei Gong, is such an authentic way, and is concerned with keeping the lineage alive to the highest standard. This book is a modern classic on an ancient tradition, it’s my bible for all things Nei Gong, and indeed any of the internal arts. If you are serious about the study of these arts, then this is a must read!

Essential book to give an overview of the subject with enough details to keep even experienced people occupied. Damo’s style is approachable with an in-depth understanding of Western mind and Eastern approach and enough gentle humour to explain how to get from one to the other by avoiding pitfalls. I believe this book to be essential reading for practitioners of Qi Gong and Nei Gong.

Very good. Only read a fraction, but already learned a LOT that other schools don't teach.

È il libro più completo e chiaro che abbia finora letto sul Nei Gong! Sinceramente posso dire che contiene una panoramica estremamente completa e chiara sul lavoro interno taoista. Spiega molto chiaramente le fondamenta teoriche e spirituali ma senza cadere nella logorrea. Dopo la prima, interessante parte teorica, si affrontano approfonditamente le tecniche pratiche e gli effetti che esse sviluppano. Viene offerto un percorso molto pratico e verificabile, spiegando le pratiche e descrivendo ciò che a seguito di esse si produce in termini di sensazioni ed effetti, al fine di capire se si sta procedendo bene. Si passa poi alle tecniche più raffinate e spirituali. L'autore è molto chiaro nello spiegare, approfondisce molto le tematiche e descrive le proprie esperienze in maniera onesta, specificando se le ha provate in prima persona oppure se ne ha solo sentito riferire. È un testo di primario riferimento, da leggere e rileggere e da cui farsi accompagnare negli anni di pratica.

Damo Mitchell zeigt erneut in einer einfachen und verständlichen Weise die Essenz der inneren Künste auf. Bisher habe ich noch kein Buch gefunden, das so detailliert auf die diese Themen eingeht.