Dream yoga is one of those buzzwords you might hear a lot, but you’re not sure what it is exactly. How is it different from traditional yoga? Can you practice it at home or do you need skills or equipment? More importantly, is it something you can start on your own without existing experience?
Dream yoga isn’t just a passing trend. It’s an ancient practice with roots in traditions from around the world. In this guide, we’ll uncover the deep history of dream yoga as well as share how you can get started today with this life-changing practice.
History of Dream Yoga
While dream yoga is a practice used in many traditions around the world, the most well known practice is from Ancient Tibet. This practice is also called Milam, and it’s the tantric processes and techniques within the trance of dream and sleep. In this ancient tradition, the lessons of dream yoga are passed on to students through a mentor.
This practice is said to date back to the days of Buddha. The legend of Buddha follows a man named Siddhartha, born around 567 B.C., who was asked if he was a prophet, a god, or a saint. He answered each question by saying he was simply “awake.” The word “Buddha” comes from the Sanskrit root meaning “to awaken.” By its definition, it’s meant to refer to someone who has woken up from a deep sleep of ignorance.
Dream yoga isn’t only linked to Buddhism. It’s also linked to to Native American beliefs. In some Native American traditions, there’s an encouragement to raise your hands in your sleep as a form of prayer. Through these extensive traditions, we can see that dreams have a lot to teach us about the world around us and ourselves.
Dream Yoga and Lucid Dreaming
Even if you’ve never heard of dream yoga, you’ve probably heard of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is the act of gaining awareness and control of your own dreams while dreaming. For instance, you might control the narrative, choose to fly around your bedroom, or do any number of unusual dream-like activities all because you’re in control of your dream through your conscious mind.
Lucid dreaming is the same concept as dream yoga in Buddhism. In this practice, you take any number of actions during your lucid dreaming state which are believed to affect your waking life. You can pray, receive advice, or even just relax. For anyone who says they don’t have time to meditate during the day, this is excellent news since now you can do it while you sleep.
However, lucid dreaming is no easy task. Try the ideas below to stimulate your lucid dream state:
- Keep a dream diary and write down your dreams as soon as you wake up.
- Use pre-sleep affirmations like “Tonight, I will remember my dreams.”
- Stay calm and avoid stimulations before bedtime.
- Perform meditation and yoga exercises during the day.
Dream yoga isn’t as complex as it sounds. It just takes dedication, persistence, and the willingness to explore your dreams more deeply. For more assistance starting your dream yoga practice, visit Taileaters, a resource dedicated to lucid dreaming.
The more you’re able to relax your body and mind, the better you’ll be at dream yoga. Remember, this is a practice that can take months or even years to master. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be connected to a deep tradition that goes back centuries.
