Thread: All Day Awareness, A DILD Tutorial by KingYoshi

I've been practising ADA for about 5 days but I haven't seen any results, but I'm feeling positive about it.

However, I'd just like to know if I'm going about it the right way. When I'm practising it I just focus on everything in my field of vision.

When I try hear everything should I just recognise that there is a sound or try to figure out what it is. Also, I don't quite get how I'm meant to feel things, is it noticing how, let's say, my legs feel against the matress when I'm lying down?

That's something I've been doing without even reading about it before. Now I will do it even more focused.

Can someone tell me what they do in their ADA sessions?

Originally Posted by TehLadoo

Can someone tell me what they do in their ADA sessions?

Pay attention to the heaviness of my body and the effort required to move it. Try to notice small things in my field of vision I usually wouldn't, like reflections or shadows.
Hasn't quite worked yet, though.

Just had another LD, which I think was because of ADA (I had switched shoes with a woman, and when looking closely at her wearing my shoes I noticed they had grown stiletto heels and figured I must be dreaming).
It only lasted about 10 seconds because I prioritized looking for differences for ADA over everything else, including stabilization. I'll share the things I noticed, in case they help anybody.

In a dream:
- Your body may still have weight to it, but you won't feel the muscles involved in it, such as calves when standing or walking.
- Unless you pay much attention to it, your body is generally numb. This means that...
- You do not feel your clothing on your skin, but you do not feel naked.
- If you have any wounds/pain conditions in the waking world, you will not feel them in the dream world unless you are going out of your way to do so.

Of course any of these things may change if they are the subject of the dream, because that would mean you're paying a ton of attention to them, like being naked or burned alive in a dream.
So my advice to anybody else would be to pay attention to these things, and look for the finer details in whatever is occupying your attention the most at any time. Hopefully this is the start of a glorious pay-off.

I think I'll stick to SAT for now. I really like to daydream and focusing on everything and still daydreaming seems next to impossible.

Originally Posted by TehLadoo

I've been practising ADA for about 5 days but I haven't seen any results, but I'm feeling positive about it.

However, I'd just like to know if I'm going about it the right way. When I'm practising it I just focus on everything in my field of vision.

When I try hear everything should I just recognise that there is a sound or try to figure out what it is. Also, I don't quite get how I'm meant to feel things, is it noticing how, let's say, my legs feel against the matress when I'm lying down?

There is no need to figure out what the sounds are, just notice the sounds. Noticing how you leg feels against the matress is an excellent example of how you should be trying to feel things. Another one is feeling the clothes on your body.
Trying to focus on literally everything in your field of vision is impossible and would probably drive you mad. What you should probably be doing is focussing on details in the center of your field of vision. As for the rest of your vision: make sure you notice and stay aware of what you are seeing, but there is no need to look at every object individually.

For everyone: Sivason has a good class on dream yoga. This contains (among other things) excellent tutorials about sensory awareness. I think that following those will help you understand what you should be doing.

Hi to all, Newbie here. Had 14 LD under my belt for 11 months. After an 8 month dry spell, i decided to give it a break. While searching for an LDS, i came to this thread. Started practicing yesterday, did WBTB for less than 30 mins, and also the Lucid dream timer technique, i had the most stable and long lucid dream ever (30 mins!!!). My previous LD were less than 5 minutes duration. This thing works for me. Thanks spyguy. I agree that reality checks are not for inducing LD but to CONFIRM that one is dreaming. i personally would want to focus awareness externally so that you would not feel your physical body and increase tension to it, preventing relaxation. Instead, focus on your eyes, hearing, and your hands, with as much detail as pussible.

Maintaining ADA helps to redirect your attention in about 20% to the breath.

I will start doing this right now!!!

I don't get it. I just don't feel like I'm controlling my dreams. Whenever I dream and look back on it the next morning, I felt as if I wasn't really doing anything independently. It felt like a movie with an extremely deterministic outcome; almost trapped in someone else's body and only seeing what their eyes are seeing. How can I separate myself from this? How can I feel like myself in a dream? Thank you in advance.

I've been doing reality checks about once every fifteen minutes to thirty minutes, sometimes even more checks in that time-span. I'm assuming I should take thirty seconds to a minute of each of those checks and just take in everything around me and think to myself: "Am I dreaming? Are there any abnormal objects? *think of all the things I hear/see* What makes that object "real"? Describe it." And then the rest of the time just kind of do it at random times when I can?

Also, please answer this: What do you recommend I actually question about what I take in? I'm not too sure what I have to say to myself to confirm it's a real object, and not part of a dream. I'm assuming something along the lines of: where did it come from, how did it get here, and what is it made of?

Does this method work even if you do not do it all day? For example if I start just doing it for 5 or 10 minutes at 60 or 90 minute intervals, will it have any effect on dreams?

Originally Posted by Matt1

Does this method work even if you do not do it all day? For example if I start just doing it for 5 or 10 minutes at 60 or 90 minute intervals, will it have any effect on dreams?

Yes. Even though you are not aware all of the time, those sessions of awareness will act like extended reality checks, and can therefore induce lucidity. They can also increase the vividness of your dreams

I've been practicing this technique for 3 days, no success yet but I'm not giving up! I just have a few questions. Of the 5 senses, I'm assuming sight, hearing and touch are the most important. Touch and hearing are quite easy, but sight is tricky because in any environment there's so much to look at! Is it ok to be aware of certain things, but possibly not a whole lot of other things?

Also, with regards to the senses, what is a lucid dream like? Do you feel weightlessness? The way I understand ADA is that it's practicing to realize the difference between dreams and waking life. So what is the difference? How does one's body physically feel in a dream?

I just have these questions on my mind, thanks to anyone who'll answer! I've been through many posts in this thread, but haven't seen answers to this specifically.

Originally Posted by yorkey

I've been practicing this technique for 3 days, no success yet but I'm not giving up! I just have a few questions. Of the 5 senses, I'm assuming sight, hearing and touch are the most important. Touch and hearing are quite easy, but sight is tricky because in any environment there's so much to look at! Is it ok to be aware of certain things, but possibly not a whole lot of other things?

Also, with regards to the senses, what is a lucid dream like? Do you feel weightlessness? The way I understand ADA is that it's practicing to realize the difference between dreams and waking life. So what is the difference? How does one's body physically feel in a dream?

I just have these questions on my mind, thanks to anyone who'll answer! I've been through many posts in this thread, but haven't seen answers to this specifically.

In my experience I feel exactly the same as I do in waking life while in a dream. The difference tends to be something I see like a pig monster or having a chip in my had before I open the bag. I can't say what to focus on for sight because I haven't had enough practice with it. Maybe if you see something that looks odd or out of place do an RC?

Originally Posted by yorkey

I've been practicing this technique for 3 days, no success yet but I'm not giving up! I just have a few questions. Of the 5 senses, I'm assuming sight, hearing and touch are the most important. Touch and hearing are quite easy, but sight is tricky because in any environment there's so much to look at! Is it ok to be aware of certain things, but possibly not a whole lot of other things?

Also, with regards to the senses, what is a lucid dream like? Do you feel weightlessness? The way I understand ADA is that it's practicing to realize the difference between dreams and waking life. So what is the difference? How does one's body physically feel in a dream?

I just have these questions on my mind, thanks to anyone who'll answer! I've been through many posts in this thread, but haven't seen answers to this specifically.

Originally Posted by Jkniager

In my experience I feel exactly the same as I do in waking life while in a dream. The difference tends to be something I see like a pig monster or having a chip in my had before I open the bag. I can't say what to focus on for sight because I haven't had enough practice with it. Maybe if you see something that looks odd or out of place do an RC?

The difference between your body in your dreams and your body in waking life is very subtle, and probably different for everybody. For me, the biggest difference is that my dream body feels much lighter.
As for what to focus on: I think the best way is to focus on the big picture. It is important to notice that all the details are constantly there, but it is not to important to see every detail individually. Even more so, I think it is impossible to see every detail individually. Our brain is extremely good at processing information, but there are limits to what one can conciously register in a period of time.

Thank you very much :-) Still no success. I had a dream last night where I was trying to escape a prison of sorts, and Johnny Depp and Stephen Colbert, who were my friends (in the dream) were captured. When I saw Colbert I went "Ah! But this be a dream!" but it never occured to me to do a reality check. I just went along with the dream. How frustrating.

Had my first lucid in over 4 years thanks to this method! I practiced for only ONE day only when I remembered to and I had a LD that night!! Thank you Kingyoshi for making this tutorial!

Wow, really helpful! Trying this out throughout the week, thanks fr the guide

I'm back!! A HUGE thanks to all of the members that helped out when I was away. I really can't thank you all enough. I'm glad this tutorial has continued to help my fellow lucid dreamers, even in my absence.

For anyone practicing this technique, please feel free to ask questions at any time. I will be keeping up with this thread (religiously ) and should be quick to respond.

Thanks again, everyone!

I guess I'll be the oneto welcome you back to the thread lol. Welcome back!

I had a question about actually remembering to perform both ADA and Sageous's self-awareness. I am doing an English lit degree at the moment, so I spend a whole bunch of my time reading, and even when not reading, in my down time I watch quite a bit of tv etc.

my question is how do people remember to focus on their surroundings, while concentrating on something else, like reading a book, or revising for exams or in thier job. I haven't been actively doing ADA for a couple of months I don't think, but I do self awareness and the ADA that goes along with that(though even that has taken a back seat for exam time ) I have always considered myself to be a pretty aware person, I'll always behalf listening to everything that going on, several things at a time even, I'll see more an most others around me, and notice things that they don't. Bt I think it's a step from doing it naturally like that to doing it actively as needed to actually be aware of it.
I guess the firs step for me wouldbeto get back into ADA properly... Wich actually gives me another question to ask. What sort of things should I be looking for indoors. I spend most of my time indoors just sitting down, it's fairly quiet, just a cars going past outside and a fish tank. There are no smells or strong breezes to notice... What should I be looking for here?

I'm just not sure how I would take my concentration away from something that actually needs a good chunk of brainpower...

Thanks

Well, once you became very experienced in ADA and are naturally able to practice it, you could keep awareness up while performing any sort of tasks (studying for exams included). However, I'd recommend that during super important things like studying for exams/finals you should focus more on the school work than ADA. I'd suggest practicing your ADA in your free time or in-between important activities. The idea is just to get as much forced practice in as possible, so your mind begins to practice ADA naturally.

For your indoors practice, it sounds like you are doing well with the sounds. Be sure to feel your clothes on your body, your breath as it travels from your lungs, to your throat, to your mouth, and exits your mouth and vice versa. Listen to the sound your breathing makes as this process happens. Be aware of your actual body as well. Every part of your body feels a sensation at all times, but most people take this for granted. You can pick out a single spot, on your leg for instance, and that spot senses the temperature of the room, a and feels the air in the room as well, even if there isn't a breeze. Try to feel your entire body from head to toe. It may help to wiggle a toe, finger, or move certain parts of your body initially, to get your mind focused on them. Once you feel that part of your body, you can stop moving it and just relax. Make sure that you aren't trying to hard or over-thinking the technique. You just want to carry out your normal activities, but with heightened awareness. The best teacher is experience. Just keep practicing and gradually try to become aware of more and more things simultaneously. If you have trouble, cut back on some things and take on a lighter awareness load. Good luck and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks for the welcome as well ! Its good to be back!