Thread: Kaizen's Workbook ॐ

Did a WBTB last night with MILD,without any lucid luck.
The WBTB I've been doing consists of a RC (checking hands), going to the toilet and journalling the dreams I just had.
This lasts about 30 - 40 minutes, then I do a MILD mantra before going BTB.

I've come to the realization that i'm not taking full advantage of my dreamsigns, which have been appearing more and more often.
Just last night I had 3 separate dreams that I was surfing,one of which I was surfing in a competition against the devil and another where all the water in the sea dried up.
This drying up has happened numerous times in previous surfing dreams.
Another on of my common dream signs are trains, which again appeared as a gun heist on a train station with on of my very good friends(whom I never see anymore).
Lastly one that I find myself clean shaven when looking in the mirror.(I've had a goatee/moustache for over a year now,with no inclination if shaving it any time soon.)
This one also comes up fairly often.

The train DS is fairly easy for me to pair with an RC, as I live next to a train line so whenever i hear one going by I complete a RC.
I'm now doing a "look in the mirror" as often as i can to RC, as this fits in with the shaving DS.

The surfing DS is, however, a bit more difficult as i do not surf that often anymore.

Just to clarify how to incorporate this into my routine:

I would imagine myself surfing or being on a beach whenever I complete any RC's?

Yes, you can visualize yourself surfing and mentally add something along the lines "I'm surfing, (I realize) this is a dream" or any other mantra that feels right to you. You can also do a list of your DS and recite them in your mind or quietly if alone/at home. My general mantra is "I see DS, (I realize that) I'm dreaming", but you can also use "I do a RC" or something similar.

Thanks NyxCC, i'll add that to my practice.
I've come to a realization that I need to tailor my routine to my individual needs to see what works for me, as using standard techniques has so far proven sporadically successful.
I've expanded upon on ADA by moving through all my senses with awareness (visual, auditory,kinesthetic,olfactory and gustatory)before performing RC's.

This is what my routine looks like:

Gong goes off on my cellphone(periodically every hour)

I ask myself,"Am I dreaming?"

I move through my VAKOG(visual,auditory, kinesthetic etc)with awareness

I perform at least 3 reality checks-
(checking hands,asking myself where I just came from,digital clock on my computer,read text twice,look at myself in the mirror,try to put my hand through a wall, plug my nose and breath)

I remember and recite my DS's in my mind along with a mantra "I see my DS and I realise that I am dreaming"

I end off with "When i am dreaming, I will realize that i am dreaming"

*Whenever i see anything to do with trains (one of my DS's) I perform reality checks.
I've also decided to find out my personal sleep cycle times for WBTB as I feel that setting my alarm for 6 hours is sometimes a shot in the dark.
Tonight I will note what times i naturally wake up, that way i can my WBTB perfectly.

I had a string of interesting non-lucid and lucid dreams last night. (3 or 4)

After a week dry spell I'm pretty stoked, even though the lucids where short lived and stabilization seemed to be a problem. I wasn't able to control my arms and it was as if they where dead, so hand rubbing didn't seem to be an option.

Upon this realization I opted for a different technique whereby I concentrated on an object intensely, looking at it closely. This worked only for as long as I remained staring at the object(i was in my own room, looking at the pattern on my duvet), and when I stopped the vividness faded to black. I managed to concentrate while in the void and ended up in another lucid dream, where the same "arm" phenomenon occurred.(Maybe that expecto the last time did work haha)

In a latter non-lucid dream my baby finger was broken and a numb sensation ran through it. My girlfriend helped bandage it and recommended we head to the hospital.
When I awoke from the dream I noticed that i had been sleeping on my hand and my finger was completely dead.

I figure that the same thing may have happened in the night, with me sleeping on my arms and paralyzing them. My dream body must have still been associated and connected to my WL body, and this was reflected in dreams by having dead uncontrollable arms.
My hypothesis at least.

I've also been using a natural WBTB technique instead of an alarm,which proved a success last night.
Went to sleep around 12:00 and woke up at 5am, wrote down the dream and performed MILD.

I'm gonna try to keep up the habit so eventually I will awaken spontaneously after longer REM cycles and journal the dreams.

Congrats on the lds. This sort of bug with the hands and even feet has happened to me as well. After some analysis, I concluded that I haven't fully entered and possibly was feeling the actual rem atonia/paralysis of my physical body. Luckily, this doesn't happen too often and sometimes goes away by itself depending on the circumstances of the dream and the possibility to proceed.

Yeah I figured it could have a number of contributing factors.
I guess this is why you should always have a backup up your sleeve.
Spinning once on your heel and surveying the dreamscape...ever tried that one?

Spinning isn't quite my thing but surveying the landscape definitely! Also, my last resort tech (apart from total wake) if nothing else works, is to add some music to it. Sing or try to play music from the environment, it will make for an awesome ld whether one is moving or not.

Alright awesome man,thanks for the info
Just to let you know,I've also started a Dream Yoga Workbook.
Thought I may as well start making progress early as mastering the yogic arts is my end goal...after I get good with frequency and stabilization of lucidity.
I'll still be posting basic LD related material here though.

You can check it out here:

http://www.dreamviews.com/dream-yoga...-workbook.html

Awesome! Have a great time with the yoga class!

If you have any cool experiences to share (meditation or ld-wise), I'll be happy to read them.

It's been a couple of days since I last posted, i've been busy with WL priorities so I've slacked slightly,although my journalling has been continuous.
I did have a short lucid 2 nights ago, that was initiated by me realising one of my main dream signs, being at school.

I think this is the first time that one of my dream signs provided a portal to lucidity, as most of my previous ones have been completely spontaneous and random.
I've also found 2 new dream signs, being in a mall and going to burning man festival.
These have been popping up more and more often lately, and i didn't notice them as at first.

Starting fresh this week, with a peaceful and tranquil house (both housmates are away for a couple of days) and ample time to sleep in late with WBTB's.

Intensive week starts now

Aloha friends!I'm backTook a little break but now I'm ready to go at it full power again !

Awesome! Welcome back!

Hey I did a couple of asanas in my last ld. It was quite fun.