LaBerge's Dream Yoga Experience

[LaBerge]

Greetings Master! I became interested in LDing two months ago. After a short time I also found this holy grail called DV. Browsing around the forum I took in a lot of info and became more and more interested in the mind. I recently tried meditating, but all I did was sit there with a blank mind and focusing on breathing. Afterwards I'd feel super-relaxed, but this is not my goal. I'm a very relaxed person and I have no trouble emptying my mind. As they say in Inception: "We need to go deeper.." Dream Yoga Basic Skills: Lesson #1 Version 1: For this I turn my PC off, because it makes a lot of noise. The most obvious sounds in my room have become my breathing and the birds chirping merrily outside in the yard. I can hear the TV upstairs also very clearly. There's a slight ringing in my ear from the relative silence. This ringing goes away and becomes a silent tone at mid frequency. The sounds I'm least aware of when I'm not meditating are at this point: planes passing over, a motorcycle accelerating in the distance, and an occasional (heard it once) low frequency noise caused probably by a tram crossing the bridge. Version 2 I also did a little version 2, because it became too noisy upstairs when my younger brother returned from walking the dog. I could feel my position was not really comfortable. And if I focused a bit, I could also feel my heart and arteries pumping blood through my arms and legs. At one point the dog barged into my room and left the door open (how rude). This was cool because after a few mins I could feel cold air licking my knees first and then my feet. My room is a lot warmer than the hallway apparently. This is my first meditation and I will update this regulary.

[Sivason]

Thanks for going. We will be going much deeper!

[LaBerge]

I did some v1 level 2 today. I'm still having fun with this, but I can't wait untill I get to the more advanced stuff. You have to learn to walk before you can run, right? Dream Yoga Basic Skills: Lesson #1 Version 1: Level 2 I tried this first outside, focusing on the birds chirping, because the other sounds were just too dynamic/random. I identified at least 4 species of birds, of which I know one was a blackbird and one a pidgeon. In my room I focused on four sounds at the same time: my computer's fan, the birds outside, my breathing, and the TV/people upstairs. Occassionally my dog would jump around in his basket upstairs. It was easy for me to focus on 3 sounds at a time, the fourth one would make me lose one every now and then. I solved this problem by connecting the directions of the sounds to one point by visualizing straight lines from sound sources. I imagined a line between my breathing and my computer's fan (I sat right across my pc, so it was a straight line), the birds on my left and the TV/people above me connected to the center of this line.

[Ichorid]

I solved this problem by connecting the directions of the sounds to one point by visualizing straight lines from sound sources. Brilliant! That's what I did as well and it kind of formed a triangle. Though I guess that shape could be more complex for more than 4 sounds...

[LaBerge]

Brilliant! That's what I did as well and it kind of formed a triangle. Though I guess that shape could be more complex for more than 4 sounds... Yeah, otherwise it's too hard to keep track of all the sounds. I'm still playing around with this 'tool'. It seems easiest to create a 2d geometric patern when it's possible, depending very much on your position in relation to the sound sources. Otherwise you'll have to use a 3d pattern that isn't going to be very geometric at all. I imagine a central point/dot and then draw lines from the sound sources to the central point. I start with the sounds to my right, then infront or above me, and finally to the left of me. Now I have a shape. I then count the lines, so I'll know how many sounds I'll be focusing on, and then I meditate with just that pattern in mind. I'm now able to hold awareness of 5 sounds.

[Sivason]

I like it. The way you are doing it will help you with visual meditations. Now just play with the lesson or make your own challenges.

[Sivason]

Hi everyone! It has been almost two weeks. I hope everyone got a chance to practice. The thread Dream Yoga Basic Skills: Lesson 1, has been updated. I have shared a few ways these skills will be useful in LDs, and the thread is now open to Q & A.

[LaBerge]

Hey, I was trying out some lesson 2; level 2 (because it sounded really cool), and 'discovered' that we are able to see with each eye individually. I held a coin in my right hand at half an arms length. Directly behind my hand was an object on my desk, and when I focused on that object my hand became see-through and the images overlapped. When I began focusing on the object behind my hand, I noticed I could see more object and less 'hand'. I could also focus on my hand and then the object would be blocked from view. When I closed my left eye, the object would be blocked from view by my hand. When I closed my right eye, the object would be 100% visible and my hand would be more to the right. I thought: "Cool, now let's go back to the coin". I realized there were two images of my hand holding a coin, and I could see them. So I see two right hands holding a coin, the left image is dominant, it's what I see with both eyes and with just my right eye. I can focus on the left image, so the right image disappears, and vice versa. I can also move the images closer together or move them farther apart by focusing on the coin. I didn't know I could have this much control over my vision and thought I'd share. I'll be doing lesson 2 lvl 1 and 2 the way it's intended in my next update

[Sivason]

Hey, I was trying out some lesson 2; level 2 (because it sounded really cool), and 'discovered' that we are able to see with each eye individually. I held a coin in my right hand at half an arms length. Directly behind my hand was an object on my desk, and when I focused on that object my hand became see-through and the images overlapped. When I began focusing on the object behind my hand, I noticed I could see more object and less 'hand'. I could also focus on my hand and then the object would be blocked from view. When I closed my left eye, the object would be blocked from view by my hand. When I closed my right eye, the object would be 100% visible and my hand would be more to the right. I thought: "Cool, now let's go back to the coin". I realized there were two images of my hand holding a coin, and I could see them. So I see two right hands holding a coin, the left image is dominant, it's what I see with both eyes and with just my right eye. I can focus on the left image, so the right image disappears, and vice versa. I can also move the images closer together or move them farther apart by focusing on the coin. I didn't know I could have this much control over my vision and thought I'd share. I'll be doing lesson 2 lvl 1 and 2 the way it's intended in my next update These are all interesting observations. I will include them on the thread when I open it in about 2 weeks. You will then get a 'Gold Star' which is worth 30 hall points. Good luck with the lesson. It is not easy.