Dream Yoga

[BillyBob]

__________________________________________________ ________________ Dream Yoga __________________________________________________ ________________ First things first. Let me make it clear that I in no way claim to be a 'master' of Dream Yoga. I'm just some guy that used to be extremely into the various facets of meditation, consciousness, etc. I've read some books on Dream Yoga, looked it up for long hours on the internet, and have experimented with it extensively in the past. Unfortunately Dream Yoga wasn't my thing. I'm using all the knowledge and experiences I gained in my studies of this interesting induction method to write this tutorial, hopefully you will find it more to your liking than I did. . Overview Traditional Dream Yoga is a constant awareness of your current state of being. The goal of professional Dream Yogis is to attain a state of nonstop reality check - that is, a state of mind wherein the Yogi never loses consciousness of his environment and mental/biological processes. It would take an incredible level of devotion to get anywhere near that. I'm just going to go over the environmental-focus aspects of the practice. If you're serious about getting into Dream Yoga you should probably go out and buy some books, as I've cut out a lot of the complicated stuff. From here on out when I say 'Dream Yoga' I mean this tutorial's version of it. . Basic premise: stay aware of whats around you in real life, and you'll become aware of whats around you in your dreams. . I want you to close your eyes and take a mental walk through the room you're currently sitting in. Without looking around beforehand, try to make the room as close to reality as you possibly can and then notice as many details as possible. Do it, then read on. Now that your eyes are open, look around and see how accurate your mental map was. Did you see that sock laying by your bed? That paperclip on the desk in front of you? More than likely you just saw huge vague outlines of a bed, dresser, and desk (or whatever big items are in the room). Now watch this: You see, we usually trust our subconscious to keep track of whats going on in our environments as we focus on certain tasks. It takes a lot of energy to stay completely aware of what exactly is happening around us, which is why we never do it. If you were fully conscious of what was happening in your vicinity at any given moment, it would be pretty simple to spot the dreamstate. This is the idea behind Dream Yoga, you train yourself to keep track of your surroundings during the day, then this behavior follows through into the night. . The Practice So lets get down to business. It would be futile for most people to just jump right into a full Dream Yoga mindset, so I've tried to make a small program to ease you into it. This is by no means perfect, its just what I did when I first started getting into this -- if you want to skip a step, or stay on one for longer than I have down, go for it. Theres no magical secret contained in here, just common sense. Step One. Length: a few days Just start to pay more attention to the objects that surround you in your day to day life. Notice the location of the watercooler at work, the grotesque looking stains on the wall in your living room, etcetera. Just begin to let yourself examine the details of your day to day life. Let go of feeling like you're wasting time when you stop to smell the proverbial roses. This just helps you to become more naturally observant and critical of your environment. A lot of the following steps actually go against your natural biological tendencies; this step is like a warm up, it can make the rest less intimidating. Step Two. Length: a week or two Every time you walk into a new room, scan it. Start with the ceiling/sky, then work your way down. Your objective is to notice and then be able to remember every little detail of every room you enter. Notice where each thing is in relation to all other things, try to build an accurate three dimensional map. Once you build this map, take a moment to float through the room in your imagination and view it and all of its details from various angles. Relate each room you enter to the room you were just in. Space and time are connected, you don't teleport, and things have a logical progression. At the end of each imaginary viewing of a room, zoom out and take a look at the big picture. This room is in x building (see all the rooms of the building in relation to one another), which is in x county (see landmarks around the building). This step is critical. You begin to see the interconnectedness of locations and objects. All things are related and follow concrete logical rules. You can't be in your room if you were just at work - you never experienced a car ride. Equally as important, you create a habit of being much more critical of your surroundings. Step Three. Length: as long as you want Finally, keep a seamless mental map that is perfectly in alignment with the real world in your mind at all times. As you walk around in your day to day, stay conscious of your location continuously. Keep both the big and little picture: the guy that was sitting in the chair over there just got up and walked to the service desk (don't say that in your mind, see it), at the same time your noticing this, also continuously contemplate your location in this building your in, and in this region your in. Your mental map must be updated continuously. A piece of paper was moved when you left the room? Make a conscious visual note of it to update the map, and continue about your business, always keeping aware of your surroundings. Obviously it would take a very devoted person to summon the kind of willpower it would take to do this step. This was what a perfect Dream Yoga user would do; its what you should shoot for, even if you never attain it. Just stay as aware of your environment as you possibly can. Make sure you scan and cache each room in its entirety every time you walk into it, and be aware as often as you possibly can. . Summary So in conclusion, Dream Yoga is a form of continuous awareness. If we teach ourselves to be aware of where we are all the time, we'll be more aware of where we are in dreams. Also when using Dream Yoga we critically study each new room we enter. These two habits combine to give the practitioner unparalleled opportunities to attain Dream Induced Lucid Dreams on a nightly, and even dream by dream, basis. Tools. Do you have trouble visualizing? How about concentrating? Here are some tools you can use to improve these abilities, which will in turn make it easier for you to break into your Dream Yoga practice. Image Streaming -- Visualization Meditation -- Concentration Thanks for reading.

[BillyBob]

---posted here for later use--- (note: this tut is in its beginning stages, I'll update it to make it more readable and intelligent as I think of more ways to do so )

[Gwendolyn]

I've heard of dream yoga before. I actually have an audio book on it. I really like the principles, and it is definately worth a try.

[dragonoverlord]

dam your good at making tutorials Ill give it a try but i ll probably forget about real quick i tried pictruing the rooma nd stuff and i cant concentrate at all or make much of a picture. only times i can do that is when im not focused. So do you yo urself have tons more vividness and lucids 9 out of 10 tiems? and if you can plz post some of yoru results with dream yoga im gonna rite dj on my arm or something to help me get into the habit of this

[BillyBob]

dam your good at making tutorials I'll give it a try but I'll probably forget about it real quick, I tried picturing the room and stuff and I can't concentrate at all or make much of a picture. only times I can do that is when I'm not focused. So do you yourself have tons more vividness and lucids 9 out of 10 times? and if you can please post some of your results with dream yoga I'm gonna write dj on my arm or something to help me get into the habit of this[/b] As I said, I've yet to be able to totally put this technique into action in my life. I still have trouble every now and then remembering to build a model of the places I enter (I find it particularly hard driving my car, its very hard to constantly update your memory on the environment that your passing through.) That said, I have been reaping tons of benefits from practicing this, All my normal dreams are much more vivid, I get loads more DILDs than I used to (I used to get one a week, now I get about 3-4), I have a much more vivid imagination, my LDs are much easier to keep stable, and I just generally feel healthier since I don't have to get up at 3 AM to WILD anymore. I hope to be pretty adept at it by the end of the year. Some day I'll be having LDs like a natural (every single dream ) Hope that answered all your questions

[Virtuozo]

Wow this seems like an amazing technique to use. Especially for people like me, who mostly have DILDs. 'Cause no other method really works for me. Even for people who use other techniques, this method is much better because it kind of makes you more aware of your surroundings as well as making your dreams more vivid and helping you become more conscious in your dreams AND IRL. Definitely going to start this from tomorrow and I'll tell you the results in a short while. PS: I really like the way you write your posts. Informative and easy to understand.

[lupo7]

Very good job with the tutorial. Congratulations. Keep updating very interesting I... like more the way you describing it that the text I read so far. How much experience should one have before trying it? some months, some years, or just a big number of lucids? I guess it's different for anybody but what is your opinion?

[person-person]

WOW!! That was great! Dream yoga sounds like the true way to go, I'm about to start school holidays (about 24 days) so I'm going to really try and get into this. Perfect timing. A few questions: How long do you meditate for, and when is the best time to do this? Do you construct a mental room for EVERY room you enter and leave? How detailed? as in; would you account for every shelf and the books on it? or just look and see a 'bookshelf'. Thanks a heap BB, P P

[ShYne123]

Billybob, great totorial, im deffinatily going to give this a try. I normally read your topics because they are generally very enlightening lol. I never really knew what dream yoga was before, sounds great. Im just starting to do Rcs ALOT, like when anything weird happens...(driving in my car, its not raining, and somone flickes their windshield wippers on) I have had 4 LD's in two weeks. That alot compaired to my 6 from ALL of last year. Im going to try and incorperate this. Thanks alot for the time you put into this post, it makes alot of sense

[pawstalker]

[*]Now I cache the object in my mind, remembering exactly the space that it filled in my room.[*]I hold onto the object in the back of my mind until I leave the room, I'll do this whole process over again when I come back into the room (thats much easier to do when its a whole room your doing instead of one object)[/b] great tut. Some questions though. what you mean with the cache the object/room in your mind. You keep thinking of this all the time. adjusting it when stuff moves and all. i don't get it... Holding thoughts in the back of your mind ? What ? How do you do that ? Maybe i just baka.. Xtra Q: Why is this not for beginners ??? Sounds great for better recall. and good luck with your feet

[yoast]

Great, an understandable tutorial about dream yoga. I'll check it every now and then. Probably need some more experience and time to start doing it. Where did you learn this stuff? I've got a book about it 'The Tibetan yogas of dream and sleep' by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, but I guess you have to know a lot about Buddhism to understand it. Lots of talk about chakra's, energy body's, samsaric dreams, zhine, etc etc, I lost interest during reading it. You have a better source?

[skuruza]

ok, so basically, you try to notice everything in the room? also, nothing weird happens around me-so how do you do RCs when "something weird happens"?

[DrTechnical]

I understand how there are aspects of traditional Dream Yoga techniques embedded in your tutorial. But I'm curious to know who you studied with or what books you read? My understanding of Dream Yoga is significantly different - being closely tied to Tibetan/Buddhist philosophy and religion really. I think there's a lot of value in the technique you're proposing, but I would hate to give people the wrong impression on what traditional dream yoga is. Just my 2 cents. Here's a capture of a book I would suggest for a traditional perspective on the topic. This book is to Dream Yoga what "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" is to the western point of view on lucidity in dreams: Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep By Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche $16.95 Order Detailed instructions for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day, and the more advanced practice of sleep yoga. Paperback, 219 pages. For foreign editions, please click on category “books” and subcategory “Books in Foreign Languages by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche”.

[sea bee]

Billy Bob 001: Thanks for the tutural on dream yoga. I have been meditating for years but never thought of this 3-D process. I'll check it out! :yumdumdoodledum: sea bee :yumdumdoodledum:

[juroara]

I think I like this tutorial because I am actually getting tired of all the garaunteed instant lucid dream techniques! This takes some time and patience also, even if said instant techniques gave me a lucid dream, the reality in my lucid wasn't necessary what I wanted. And even when I consciously tried to bring back the level of reality in my dreams, sometimes 'I' forgot what reality was. One time for example, I was trying to transform into wolf - only realizing I forgot what a wolfs face looks like. All those details, you just dont remember them! I think this is good for a hyper reality life

[Adanac]

Ah yes this sounds great. I'm starting now. P.S. I also did pretty good with the remember you room thing lol.

[skuruza]

ok, so i walk into a room, look around and RC whenever i see something weird? i do not see anything weird.

[Never]

Ah, nice tutorial. I have been doing dream yoga and mindfulness for a good while and the results are amazing as I have said before. I barely ever do reality checks in my dreams because I simply do not need to; when something weird happens, I know it. One thing I'd like to add is that one of the greatest benefits of all from mindfulness is that negative thoughts turn to dust. Anger disappears; you will never have a misunderstanding with someone again. You will be able to view any situation objectively and respond appropriately. Relationships improve because your ability to listen is insane. Things that used to bother you no longer will. In fact, they might make you laugh. Don't just take in your surroundings, but also sounds; pay attention to all your senses as you get better at this. The more you do this, the more life does seem like a dream.

[ShYne123]

Somone asked you how do you meditate billybob, im also wondering this? I am going to start daily meditation.

[Bushido]

Somone asked you how do you meditate billybob, im also wondering this? I am going to start daily meditation.[/b] I found this was the most helpful guide for me, and he knows what hes talking about which always helps!! http://www.bswa.org/modules/icontent/index.php?page=93 I would just focus on the first two parts to start with and then move on when your ready. Bushido

[skuruza]

another question in additioin to my previous one- would it work if you just did a simple daily meditation- using so hum as a mantra, coz i went to a class, and the teacher told me to use that.

[BillyBob]

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone I guess I should just systematically go through all the questions (excuse any crazy ass mistakes, its pretty late ): How much experience should one have before trying it? some months, some years, or just a big number of lucids? I guess it&#39;s different for anybody but what is your opinion?[/b] Really the point I was trying to make in saying: "you should be very experienced in lucid dreaming" was that this technique is for people who want to go beyond the average one or two lucids a month, and venture into the one or two a night. If your new to lucid dreaming then you should probably go with easier, quicker methods of gaining lucidity. Theres no reason a newbie couldn&#39;t do dream yoga, I just doubt they would put this much effort into getting something they hadn&#39;t had the time to savor yet. A few questions: 1) How long do you meditate for, and when is the best time to do this? 2) do you construct a mental room for EVERY room you enter and leave? 3) How detailed? as in; would you account for every shelf and the books on it? or just look and see a &#39;bookshelf&#39;.[/b] Wow, excellent questions I meditate for 30 minutes a day; usually just before bed I try my damnedest to For something that has a ton of repetitive objects on/in it I usually just see the object as a whole (I just see "a bookshelf", but of course, the mental image of it has "books" in it, just in no particular order). Thats only if theres like 30 books though, if there were only say... 5, then I would probably notice each one. what you mean with the cache the object/room in your mind. You keep thinking of this all the time. adjusting it when stuff moves and all. i don&#39;t get it... Holding thoughts in the back of your mind ? What ? How do you do that ? Xtra Q: Why is this not for beginners ??? Sounds great for better recall.[/b] When I say "cache it in your mind" I mean that you shouldn&#39;t just look at everything in the room and five seconds later not be able to remember where stuffs at. An example of caching something in your mind: Your boss walks up to you and says: "Ted, I&#39;m gonna need you to go ask Sally when she&#39;s gonna get that emblem in from the art department". You don&#39;t have a pen or anything nearby so you just cache it within your head for later remembrance. Five minutes later your at the water cooler when Sally walks by, Instantly, you call up that cached memory from earlier and repeat your bosses words. So caching basically means putting something into your short term memory for possible later use. Xtra Q answer: I didn&#39;t want any noobs to start off with this technique and get discouraged by how difficult it can seem at times Where did you learn this stuff? I&#39;ve got a book about it &#39;The Tibetan yogas of dream and sleep&#39; by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, but I guess you have to know a lot about Buddhism to understand it. Lots of talk about chakra&#39;s, energy body&#39;s, samsaric dreams, zhine, etc etc, I lost interest during reading it. You have a better source?[/b] From various internet sources and also that book you mentioned Really all this tutorial is, is a compilation of all my knowledge into one document. I&#39;ve tried to take out all the religious and needless BS that most people attribute to dream yoga and just leave the core exercises and techniques. If I left anything out thats needed for this to be called dream yoga then don&#39;t hesitate to tell me <--to anyone who read this tut ok, so basically, you try to notice everything in the room? also, nothing weird happens around me-so how do you do RCs when "something weird happens"?[/b] I guess if you wanted to strip it down to one sentence then yes, thats exactly what it is If you really look around every room you enter then there&#39;s no doubt you&#39;ll see something that strikes you as a bit "odd" (it doesnt have to be something insane like a car sitting on your bed or something, just something thats seems a little "out of place") I understand how there are aspects of traditional Dream Yoga techniques embedded in your tutorial. But I&#39;m curious to know who you studied with or what books you read? My understanding of Dream Yoga is significantly different - being closely tied to Tibetan/Buddhist philosophy and religion really. I think there&#39;s a lot of value in the technique you&#39;re proposing, but I would hate to give people the wrong impression on what traditional dream yoga is. Just my 2 cents. Here&#39;s a capture of a book I would suggest for a traditional perspective on the topic. This book is to Dream Yoga what "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" is to the western point of view on lucidity in dreams: Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep By Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche &#036;16.95 Order Detailed instructions for dream yoga, including foundational practices done during the day, and the more advanced practice of sleep yoga. Paperback, 219 pages.[/b] As stated earlier in this post, I&#39;ve tried to take out all the "religious" parts of dream yoga that I&#39;ve heard about and just strip it down to the foundational procedures that are necessary for it to work. I decided to call it "Dream Yoga" because thats where I got all everything that I wrote from... (although I admit that I did leave a considerable amount of stuff like praying to Buddhist deities and the like out) Thats the book I got about 80% of the content for the tutorial from (content meaning techniques for doing dream yoga and everything) It was a very excellent read (although a bit tormenting at times due to all the Budaic words) One thing I&#39;d like to add is that one of the greatest benefits of all from mindfulness is that negative thoughts turn to dust. Anger disappears; you will never have a misunderstanding with someone again. You will be able to view any situation objectively and respond appropriately. Relationships improve because your ability to listen is insane. Things that used to bother you no longer will. In fact, they might make you laugh. Don&#39;t just take in your surroundings, but also sounds; pay attention to all your senses as you get better at this. The more you do this, the more life does seem like a dream.[/b] Yes, mindfulness meditation has definitely made me a better person, I no longer hold grudges or get angry at anyone. Life is pretty much all around easier. (I&#39;ve been doing it for about 3 years) Good idea, I think I&#39;ll add this to the tutorial __________________________________________________ __________________________ Thanks for all the replies/ questions, hope that cleared some things up for you Feel free to ask more questions or just comment, the more feedback I get the easier it&#39;ll be to update the tutorial with useful information

[skuruza]

ok, so about the odd thing- if i see (for example) atoy dog on a table- would that be odd or is it whatever i think of as odd? also, about the meditation- my yoga teacher- also the teacher of the meditation class i went to- said for beginners to meditate like 5 mins a day, because she said (I do not remember exactly) something about the mind being able to go to higher stages of meditation when it is more experienced. she also said that if u meditate as a beginner like a half hr, its just hallucinating about the higher stages.

[Never]

Not sure about all that, but meditating a full half hour at first can be a problem for some people. The biggest barrier is that you often fall asleep, or you spend the whole time wondering if you can stop meditating, or wondering how long it has been since you started. The saltcube LD and OBE timer can help such people: Click here Posture is another problem if such a thing concerns you, especially if you sit on the floor. Beginners often cannot get into the full Lotus which helps with posture and comfort. Keeping a straight back is nearly impossible for most without being in agony. If you start at 5 minutes day and use a wall to lean on when you get sore, your back will get stronger gradually. If you go too far you will just injure yourself. Everything depends on the type of meditation as well; for insight or concentration meditation, the longer you do it, the faster you will get better at it, no matter the level of experience. Still, 5 minutes is a good place to start if you are worried about your own willpower or abilities. If you jump into it with too much force for your will, you may lose interest entirely. I am not sure what meditation your teacher was talking about...

[person-person]

Update: So far I have been doing DYoga for about 3 days. Im getting better at 'recalling' visuals (certain objects in rooms) and sometimes even whole rooms. Last night I became lucid (did the nose reality check, after I considered I might be dreaming) - wasn't very good, but it's a start! Overall quality of vividness of dreams has increased slightly. I'll keep working on it.