Ajanime22

This perspective, to some degree, has been shared in various forms on the forum, but I felt like sharing it here anyway, if nothing else to bring it to the forefront of our minds.

The best time to practice for lucidity is while we are awake, to practice lucidity throughout our day, which is why, for instance, we do RCs. RCs are not as much reminders to the subconscious as they are a generalized training for our minds to be lucid. In other words, you RC to remind yourself to be mindful of the moment.

But I'm not sure if the underlying reason for stressing mindfulness/self-awareness is often directly stated. To put it simply, everything is consciousness, everything is mind. If the mind learns to do something during waking perception, like having heightened awareness of self and surroundings, then it will only naturally take what it has learned into the dream state. We just need to do it without stress and strain and making it a chore.

That said, you must remember that to be mindful/self-aware isn't about forcing the mind into said awareness. It's simply about being a conscious observer of the moment. Based on posts, people seem to get caught up in the idea that they have to ride themselves with a whip to accomplish this goal of LDing, or they are not giving enough effort. You don't have to beat yourself up, stress yourself out. Our goal is just to become consciously aware during our body's downtime. The entire idea behind WILD, for instance, isn't about forcing your conscious mind into a specific state as you fall asleep; it's simply about observing sleep happen consciously rather than unconsciously. Just be the observer, be mindful, be aware, and you will fall into the dream lucidly.

As a last thought, stop stressing the techniques and become aware of the Now as it happens around you. Thanks for indulging my need to share.