Am I Awake or Am I Dreaming?

Have you ever experienced a dream that seemed to occur at a time when you felt aware that you were sleeping or dreaming?  Did it feel as though you had some ability to control the outcome of your dream?

Lucid dreaming or dream yoga is a powerful tool, one that has been used for centuries by Taoists and 
Tibetan Buddhists.

Now that the practice is gaining popularity in western society, researchers are studying it more, and finding that dream yoga or lucid dreaming can potentially help spur creativity, fight phobias and improve your performance at work.  The belief is that lucid dreaming has a lot in common with the practice of creative visualization, and can be even more powerful, because dreams sometimes feel so real.

You can learn more about lucid dreaming by checking out lucidity.com, a website devoted to the practice.

It is a complex process, but as you learn more about it, here are some practical tips to help you get started:

-Write down your dreams

-Practice visualization.  If you want to learn how to do something specific, visualize yourself performing this act during your waking hours

-Have you ever experienced something during the day that seems to be like a dream? Ask yourself if you are dreaming.  If you do this while you are awake and fully conscious, it can help train you to do it when you are sleeping

-Take a nap during the day, especially not long after you’ve woken up.  This helps because you naturally will be sleeping less deeply during these hours of the day

It is a fascinating practice.  I have often had dreams that seemed almost real, but with a twist that lets me know I have been dreaming.  And they have sometimes addressed situations that I am either stressing over or searching for an answer to in my waking life. 

I love what yoga already does for me.  But I am really looking forward to learning what could be possible by tapping into the power of my dreams. 

Peace.

image: Newscom