(originally printed in Australian Yoga Journal)
Explored in depth for centuries, lucid dreams, a kind of dream yoga, are a metaphysical phenomenon in which there is a present state awareness of dreaming. Not surprisingly, mindfulness practitioners experience more lucidity in sleep than non-practitioners; as they become more consciously attuned to their bodies state in their waking life, they cultivate the capacity of this same awareness in dream and sleep states.
Within the lucid state, the mind fully governs reality— this can be exhilarating or disturbing. Taking this state deeper, Dream Yoga uses sleep time to “wake up” from the sleep walk we call real life, so that reality becomes independent, lasting, self-focussed and solid. With Dream Yoga, the practitioner can turn at least one-third of sleeping life into an enlightening night-time meditation, allowing the benefits of the practice to extend into their waking reality.
Developed by the Tibetan Buddhists centuries ago, the Dream Yoga state trains the mind to continue where lucidity ceases. By utilising insights of the night, the potential to wake up in everyday life is opened. The Tibetans see Dream Yoga as a pathway towards apprehending dreams and dissolving the dreamstate. It is seen as one of the most effective ways to get a strong foothold on meditative life; as a pathway to a non-duality of consciousness which will open greater awakening and ultimately cultivate freedom from suffering.
Explored in depth for centuries, lucid dreams, a kind of dream yoga, are a metaphysical phenomenon in which there is a present state awareness of dreaming. Not surprisingly, mindfulness practitioners experience more lucidity in sleep than non-practitioners; as they become more consciously attuned to their bodies state in their waking life, they cultivate the capacity of this same awareness in dream and sleep states.
Within the lucid state, the mind fully governs reality— this can be exhilarating or disturbing. Taking this state deeper, Dream Yoga uses sleep time to “wake up” from the sleep walk we call real life, so that reality becomes independent, lasting, self-focussed and solid. With Dream Yoga, the practitioner can turn at least one-third of sleeping life into an enlightening night-time meditation, allowing the benefits of the practice to extend into their waking reality.
Developed by the Tibetan Buddhists centuries ago, the Dream Yoga state trains the mind to continue where lucidity ceases. By utilising insights of the night, the potential to wake up in everyday life is opened. The Tibetans see Dream Yoga as a pathway towards apprehending dreams and dissolving the dreamstate. It is seen as one of the most effective ways to get a strong foothold on meditative life; as a pathway to a non-duality of consciousness which will open greater awakening and ultimately cultivate freedom from suffering.
References
Yoga Journal article by Celia Roberts: https://www.yogajournal.com.au/2018/03/08/dream-yoga/
Science of Lucid Dreaming https://celiaroberts.com.au/lucid-dreaming-the-why-the-how/