Thread: How To Fly

Originally Posted by sugarglider11

how do you fly, I try jumping but nothing happens and somtimes theres even more gravity?
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Hey Dude,

When I first started having Lucid Dreams (four odd years ago) flying was my main focus. Being able to fly seemed to me the most obvious and delightful distinction between waking and dreaming life and as such, I remembered to do or try little else. I am sure it is very different for everyone, but maybe a few of the things I experienced might help you.

At first I would just try and will myself up into the air. When I did this I would either only hover briefly, get stuck in one part of "air" or experience the "extra gravity" effect you described. Looking back I would say that was a confidence issue. Like, if I had to will myself up then there must be something bringing me down against said will (personified gravity). Really there is no such barrier, unless of course, there is...

Your subconscious (or whatever you want to call it) may be providing the barrier for a specific reason e.g. You may be trying to "ground" yourself, stressing the importance of creating a solid foundation that you feel safe to deviate or fly from (and ultimately return to). Or, the barrier may simply exist do draw your attention to how things feel in this inner world, slowing your "progress" down so you can better appreciate the various mechanisms involved with such objectives.

While the above is possible and probably true to an extent, I am 99% sure that you can overcome them with a different attitude. Really look at yourself (awake and asleep) and question whther you really believe you can fly. I mean, gravity is a pretty entrenched belief system most of us have subscribed to our whole lives. I think that in 500 years people will be able to fly as the belief system is gradually changed... so it is with your dreams, but hopefully you won't have to wait 500 years. Infact, time does not even exist in the "dream world" which is why things maifest instantaneously according to your beliefs and thoughts. So, you must BELIEVE it is possible. And I'm not lying to you when I say it most certainly is... so just believe, right now... tell yourself how it is, not how it isn't.

Another factor is the degree of lucidity you have achieved before trying to fly. Even though flying is definitely possible in low-level lucidity, it is much easier and more vivid with higher levels. So, you need to up your awareness. You can do this in waking life by making "mindfulness" a daily practise for you. Really being in the Moment, not before or after, right Now. Be present as often as you can and you will find that this presence will carry over into your dream life. You have probably heard of Reality Checks, which is basically asking yourself if you are dreaming during the day, and these are a facet of Awareness.

You can boost dream awareness in a number of ways. When you find yourself dreaming try sitting down exactly where you are and assume a meditative pose. Still your mind by bringing in your learned presence. Although you don't need to breathe in dreams, doing so has a very calming and regulating effect. Once you have achieved stillness your awareness will have rissen at least 5 fold. For many people this is very difficult and they give up, having short, low-level lucidity dreams until they are ready to try again. From here you can seek to increase your vibratory level, which is great for leaving the last of the dense physical reality of your sleeping body behind and immersing yourself in the dream world with higher levels of awareness. Just your intention to increase your vibrations will set the process in motion. To aid the process you can envisage (manifest) a white light surrounding and permeating your body, which will in turn increase your energy levels.

Now, stay cross legged at this point and simply (for it really is) feel yourself getting lighter. You will feel a distinct impression that "gravity" has no hold on you here, and indeed does not exist. Once you truly make this realisation you will be able to fly. Then, let your intentions guide you; if you want to fly into the air, make your intentions known. You can do this verbally (as I used to) but eventually you will know what it feels like to "intend" something to happen. Once in the air, a variety of options are available and these you will come to yourself so it is of no use describing them. But...

Flying cross legged seems to be very effective for some reason but of course you are not limited to doing so, and stretching out and flying at speed feels amazing. For me, flying in dreams feels quite similar to falling. I often invoke the falling feeling in a dream to actually "take off". Maybe it will work for you. I suppose it brings something you would have experienced in waking life into the picture which may help.

Then there's jumping off things. I know you said you tried it, but with increased awareness this method rarely fails. Sure, you might almost hit the ground before actually managing to skim over it's surface before rising up, but that's great. And what if you hit the ground? That's great too, isn't it? It doesn't hurt, and is often quite a comedic feeling, which helps lift your energy too.

Then there's simply stretching your arms up in the direction you want to go (like superman) and allowing yourself to let go and follow that direction. This was very helpful for a while for me, but I found I couldn't really work it consistantly. Once I got better at it I would let my arms arc down back towards my sides (while flying in the air) and almost let my chest direct me where I wanted to go. Eventually though, neither my arms or chest were necissary and it was just my intention left, which is all that counts.

If you try these things and still you can't fly then I have one more suggestion; running. I think it first occured to me that I could fly (or rather defy gravity) when I was running in a dream. Perhaps I was running away from something or just running for running's sake but I would get this flighty feeling about me and my movements became far more gracefull than I thought possible. This feeling often alerts me to the fact that I am dreaming and it is not much of an extension at that point to fly or do some awesome jumping maneuvours. So yeah, try running and jumping around maybe first. It's all about getting a feel for the dream world and realising that intention is everything.

Well, hope this mammoth helped. I am very excited for you because flying in dreams is better than every drug I have ever tried (and I've tried them all- just about). If you are still having trouble, drop me a line and we can chat about it but I know you'll get it... it's just practise and experience.

Peace out,

Rob.

Just for kicks, this is how I first flew in a LD.

I dove down into some water, and then felt myself start to float up to the surface. I just continued to feel that floating upwards rising motion after I got out of the water and into the air. I think maybe feeling something that I had felt before (water pushing me up), was easier than my mind creating an entirely new feeling of flying.

Just something to try.

Think happy thoughts Seriously, I think JM Barrie was definately on to something

Theres a flying tutorial in the tutorials section which you might find helpful and interesting.

I've only flown in Non-Lucid dreams, but I was a dragon both times

I imagine that my feet are like rockets, and they propel me through the air. Or try "swimming" through the air freestyle. Both work, but the first one is a lot faster.

Ive never "taken off" but ive flown down from a building by doing the breastroke

y0.
I've had three good LD's and a few crap ones but I can already fly really easily and here's my theory on why:
In my first LD I had really crap lucidity, nothing was very realistic and my thoughts were very wavy and dreamlike and was only just aware that i was dreaming. I wanted to get somewhere else so I flew. Didn't even think about it, my theory is it was so easy because my conscious mind was only barely there and wasn't active enough to contradict my will to fly, I just did it.
Then, in my second LD I was at about medium lucidity and I already was confident I could fly from the low lucidity one so my mind didn't contradict me.
Then last night I had my first full on hardcore 'more real than real life' LD (triple w00t) and I flew easily, no crap from my internal physics engine.
Most important thing to remember is anything's possible in your mind. ANYTHING. Whenever anyone says otherwise, they're lying. I've heard tons of crap like you can't see colour in your dreams, can't say your name in a dream, can't start flying once you're already falling, can't adjust light levels. It's all crap. You can do and experience whatever you want, providing you believe it's possible.

I found that i could fly in my first LD ever just a couple of days ago by running, jumping and believing that gravity will just turn off. It worked for me and its really cool.

I'm relatively new to this, but for me flying is pretty much like being in a pool. Usually, in a large indoor room like a gymnasium, I simply push off, from the floor, a wall, ceiling, anything. The main difference is that there isn't any water and so breathing is not inhibited. I know I've had flying dreams in the past that took place outside and heights were much higher; so far though, that is somewhat uncommon for me.

It'd be nice if I could learn to swoop and fly like Superman (having the rest of his powers wouldn't be too shabby either).

I flew once. I think it helps to junp off a cliff or other high structure. That way you have some pretty powerful incentive to fly; your life. It worked for me, and I've heard of others doing the same, so as long as you stay asleep, it should work.

Flying for me was an evolved process. I first learned I could levitate and defy gravity as far back as I can recall (age 4 or 5). My first signs of dream control would be floating just above the ground or using my mind concentration to levitate an object.

I first started flying as a tool to escape the nightmare that was happening around me. If a monster or bad person was chasing me I would use the arm flapping method to rise off the ground and leave my perpetrators behind. This method was sluggish and always seemed to require a great deal of energy to achieve.

I never refined my flying techniques until I came to dream views 3 years ago. After trying some suggested flying techniqes I found in these forums I came up with what works best for me.

My preferred method of flying is the stretched out superman position with my arms to my side. I can fly fast, slow, high ,low or just hover on the spot with little effort. I first read about the cross legged technique from one of Leo,s old posts. I tried this position a few times but never seem to achieve good results.

In my very first LD, I really focused on flying while in the dream.

Maybe this is completely wrong, but you can't think about it to much. Just go about your dream and at one point just randomly jump off a cliff or something not even thinking about the ground or anything. My first LD in which I flied happened because I wasn't even thinking about it. I actually was trying to jump through a wall and ending up on the other side flying through the sky.

Focusing on flying in a dream for the whole dream is the worst thing you can do!!!! Forget about flying and enjoy our dreams first. The best way to fly is to jump of somewhere high up, never try to fly from the ground unless of course your experienced or you have a good method.

I also end up flying after jumping through walls and windows! On that note the easiest thing to do in an LD (well for me at least) is walking through solid stuff like walls.

I always use my hands.I put them to my side and an energy I create pushes my .I have also used imaginary platforms that I jumpon,I dont often do that anymore,but it helped in the begging.

this may sound crazy but in my dreams I often fly by blowing into a water hose lol. Don't ask me why but the water hose keeps me from flying off too far and I can still see everyone below me. Strange huh? I just keep sounding more and more like a wacko by the minute and it's only my first day here roflmbo. :yumdumdoodledum:

Flying comes natural to me in a lucid dream. All I do is think of flying and willfully lift up into the air and....just fly! Using your imagination within a lucid dream to find different ways to fly will help as well. Imagine yourself as a bird, superman; imagine yourself as 'swimming' through the air; imagine yourself flying through the air on a magic carpet; imagine yourself as a spirit flying across the sky... etc etc.

Oh, I also use the 'magnetic flying ability' - this is where I point to an object high up (like the top of a flag pole) and I zoom up to it as if my finger is a magnet being attract to what I'm pointing towards...

Use your imagination!

I just had a non-lucid flying dream where I had a jetpack! Finally, a new method of flight!

I fly a few ways.. sometimes I just swim(breast stroke)up into the sky slowly. Other times I would lay on the ground face down with my hands near my knees and hover.. then I would look forward and think to move and slowly gain speed like a plane. I figured if I thought I was a plane I might take off better and it kinda works but you need alot of room. lol.. Which is why I like to swim it more now. But yeah the most control I've ever had when flying I fluked.. I found myself sitting cross legged inside a rainbow bubble.. it was really weird because I went lucid after I was already in that position and I never sit cross legged really so it was just out of the blue.. Anyway I was floating around the outside of my house with perfect control for ages and what I noticed was that I was getting happier as I was experiencing it, and the happier I got the more the bubble kinda glowed and the higher I was floating. It was like I was lifted by the joy of it all and it was really cool. I felt like some kind of tibetan monk or something who went floating off in the sky giggling. It was trippy.

But yeah generally, I kinda swim it then try catch the wind.

Originally Posted by melindak

I just keep sounding more and more like a wacko by the minute and it's only my first day here roflmbo. :yumdumdoodledum:
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Please excuse my lack of abbreviation prowess but does "roflmbo" stand for, "Roll on the Floor Laughing My Beautiful Arse off"? Ahh, I just answered my own question. I'll still post this anyway... as a compliment.