I feel if I can meditate myself to sleep then even if I don't have a lucid dream it would still be beneficial. As well as that, I think pretty much all my lucid dreams so far have been after I have fallen asleep fairly mindfully, which I'm guessing causes more awareness to naturally be carried into the dream. Would you recommend I stick with SSILD for now? I've not yet had 2 weeks of using just the 'basic dreamviews technique' (falling asleep whilst setting intention/reciting mantra). But to be honest, my way of doing that so far has not been too dissimilar to SSILD; I would set my intention then follow my breath, taking an occasional moment to recite my mantra. Last night I was still setting my intention and reciting mantra, but then didn't interrupt the SSILD cycles once I'd started them.
Good point! At any rate they (yogis) say it is best if one enters the sleep state from a meditative state with a clear mind and so on. So, since you are on that path as well, you are doing some form of dream yoga. And yes, being more aware before falling asleep, especially with a wbtb enhances ld chances. Don't hesitate to go for SSILD, it's a great technique and as you said, it fits you and your lifestyle. As far as the mantra and setting intention is concerned, you can practice a mantra reciting before SSILD or at your normal bedtime. Setting intention - I think this is a part of all techniques, so you always do it in a way. You can also make your own technique or mix of techs. Experiment to see what works best and once you have found your fav tech, stick to it.