What is Dream Yoga? How does it work?

Dream yoga is not about dreaming of handstands, as fun as they may be. It is a return to the roots of yoga, which are yokes.

Ha (sun) or tha (moon) are the two brains in this case.

Dream Yoga is a form of yoga.

Dream yoga allows us to practice our practices during the third of life that we spend sleeping. It also gives us the opportunity to access the unified field or common subconscious, as Jung described it, which is the dimension on which the waking dream rests.

We can change our world by becoming more aware of our dreams. This will not only affect our moods and our bodies but also help heal and assist others!

Tibetan dream yoga has many schools and aspects, but it is the most well-documented. Texts range from the earliest scriptures up to the writings of the current Dalai Lama. The texts are very specific and instructive, as with many aspects of Buddhism.

Even for those who are not Buddhists, university researchers have been studying dream yoga since the 1970s. They have found that it has many benefits.

Dream Yoga or Lucid Dreaming

As with many other yogic practices, its simplicity belies the practice’s incredible power. Lucid dreaming is simply becoming aware of as you dream.

The dreamer, once aware of the reality that they are experiencing, can engage in it with a freedom not possible in the physical realm. Note that, even in dreams, one does not have control. Rather, one navigates the oceans that are the subconscious without assuming to be the master.

Want to lay on a beach that’s been tanned? Turn into the Scorpion position? Heal that little injury? All of these things are within reach for the lucid dreamer. You can explore reality as mundane as skateboarding and sex or as sublime as communion with great teachers or even enlightenment.

It is up to you what you do in your dream, but spiritual practice in the dream is nine times more powerful. Saying a mantra, performing asanas, and, most importantly, meditation (which can be difficult in the waking world, let alone when dreaming) all have accelerated effects.

Dream Yoga Techniques

Both the Western scientific tradition and the yogic tradition agree on the need to exert as much effort during the daytime as at night.

The “state check” is a key technique that involves constantly interrogating one’s reality in order to determine whether you are sleeping or dreaming at the moment. As you develop this habit, you will find that the boundary between dreaming and sleeping becomes increasingly fluid.

Visit the websites of Buddhist lucid dreams teacher Charlie Morley or Stanford University researcher Stephen LaBerge for more information. Both provide insights that will make your sleep time an exciting part of your yoga practice.