what are dreams? (+ a bonus yoga nidra meditation) 🌜🌌😴

“Do not sleep like an animal. Do the practice that mixes dreams and reality.” - Tibetan Dream Yoga.

We all must wonder sometimes: what exactly are dreams?

Are they just weird little brain farts from of our daily interactions and experiences?

Or something greater and stranger than that?

One thing for sure, is theories abound about what dreams are… (I am also no stranger to the subject). Scientists only have a very basic grasp: they know that when humans dream, certain perceptual areas of the brain light up with electrical activity. This knowledge doesn't really solve any actual mystical, spiritual or divine mysteries for us.

I want to offer that what we experience as dreams are actually worlds/realms similar to our waking world (in some regards).  

“How can that be true?”…you might be wondering.  

Our waking world is so firm and solid - there's the ground beneath our feet, the hours that drag on, our stable identities, friends, experience, etc. Meanwhile, in dreams things shift and alter constantly.

Dreams Are Energy

Both our waking world and our dreaming world are streams of energy that's being interpreted by our consciousness in a specific way that it appears stable.

Although the waking world appears quite stable compared to that of our dream worlds, it's not rock solid. Not even close! Everything we see is matter made up of tiny particles moving extremely rapidly through time and space. There's many facets of our reality that are subject to shift. Memory tends to be vulnerable, and even present-moment happenings can be experienced very differently by various ways.

The Dream Body

Just like we have a physical body with physical senses, we also have a dream body with dream senses. These senses of the dreaming body align and correspond with the chakras.

One of the main reasons why the dream world we experience don't seem as stable as our waking world, is that our dreaming senses are not as highly developed as our physical senses. In some cultures and in older times, the the cultivation of the dream senses and navigation of the dream world was considered just as important (if not more so) than cultivating the physical senses and navigating the waking world.

You might be wondering, how could the navigation of dream worlds possibly be more important than the navigation of waking worlds? Sure, we need to know how to get around in the waking world in order to survive and is a fundamental importance. But society presently wrongly values the waking world more highly than the dreaming world, so much so that many people end up having an off-balance less happy existence.

We humans are more-than-physical creatures who need more-than-physical nurturance. It's not enough for us to “just survive”. We need to attain glory and flourish at even level of the soul. And the dreaming experience is so crucial because that experience is actually where our soul can find its true nourishment.

If the human body is nourished by food, water and oxygen, the human soul is nourished by the symbolism given to us in our dreams. And just like we must gather food, water, and oxygen in order to survive and live, we have to gather and assimilate our dream symbols in order to thrive and flourish.  

This is something that generally goes entirely neglected in our society because no one likes recognizing the fact that there's a vast source of power beyond any worldly or material one. We have been taught to deny, ignore, minimize and neglect the vast power of insight, truth and creation that comes to us (each night through our dreams).

Divine Soulful Dreaming

By choosing to *actually* meditate, keep a dream journal, and practice dream interpretation and contemplation, you begin to cultivate your dream body and its dream senses. You grow closer in integrating the energy streams of dreams with the energy stream of our waking world.  

As you achieve that integration, life within your waking world becomes more intuitive and more in harmony with your deep being. This happens because most of us mistake who we are: we think we are our waking egos, the little separate “me” complete with a personal history of grievances, desires, longings and fears. Well, technically, we are our egos, but we are also so much more. We're souls, and our waking ego is just a small part of the whole soul that we are.

The work of being alive and thriving, is to come to know ourselves as complete, integrated souls. As you do this inner work, you shed our connection with the ego, any pettiness and selfishness, and newly become aware of your connection to the larger forces at work in the universe.

As you become fully integrated souls, you're more and more capable of working for the good of everyone in the world, rather than just for the good of your own individual ego. You're of greater service to others; you generate less drama in your life; you experience greater joy.  

You no longer need to look to the external world for any form of validation (either through status, power, physical gratification and material wealth). You become free of the snares of the physical world that keep us chained to old outdated stories and systems. And instead you become the sovereign of your own self, capable of answering directly to the source of everything that exists.

Okay. So for those who don't know…one practice I make it a point to teach all of my long term mentorship clients, is this…a nighttime meditation you do in bed before you fall asleep.

This is great for many reasons, but to start it's relaxing, cleansing, healing and helps you shift energies in your life - which you'll see evidence of within days!…

Without further ado, this is a practice worth doing…

Deep Yoga Nighttime Relaxation Meditation:

**Yoga Nidra is a profound form of meditation from ancient India, and it's also the easiest form of meditation! Where floating on the cusp of sleep (state akin to sleep) is an excellent way to help you stabilize your dreams, become lucid in dreams, to manifest desires and shift your reality.

Lie down, close your eyes, and relax with some regular, deep breaths. Do a body scan, consciously relaxing every part of your body.

Notice your mind beginning to drift slightly. You may become aware of strange, vivid imagery. Stay aware. Observe any imagery as if it's a surrealist movie, without attachment.

The moment when you are so relaxed that you can't feel where your body begins and ends signals a golden threshold: You are floating on the very cusp of sleep! Stay alert: Stay lucidly aware.

Use a simple intentional statement: “I am practicing Yoga Nidra. I welcome healing on all levels.” Here you can repeat your own desire. If you have a positive affirmation, a hearts prayer, or intention, allow for the words of your affirmation to be repeated over three times, in the present tense as if it's already happened. (Stop here and choose either 5 or 6 to complete this meditation.)

Imagine a portal of golden light – a portal into a lucid dream. Go through the portal into a beautiful nature scene with a healing pool of light. Imagine yourself realizing that this is a healing dream and that you are lucid! Feel the joy and excitement. Then bathe in the healing pool of light, or do anything else you like to activate healing.

You may fall asleep during this yoga nidra practice, and sleep is a wonderful thing! If you can remain aware throughout the process of falling asleep (it may take several attempts to master this), you may find yourself fully lucid in a dream.

Here is a bonus Yoga Nidra (Starry Night) meditation you can do before you do step 5 in the above meditation): 

Allow for the light of your minds attention to take the form of bright little stars. As your consciousness travels to each part of your body that is named, place a star on that part of the body, leaving it to twinkle there. It is as if the whole body begins as a dark nights sky, and as the mind travels around it, bringing bright starlight to each part, your body is illuminated like a glorious constellation of stars in the sky.

Bring your awareness to the tip of your tongue and shine a bright star at that spot. Then place twinkling stars on the floor of the roof of the mouth, the upper teeth and gums, the lower teeth and gums, the inside of the right cheek, the inside of the left cheek. Move your awareness to the inner part of the right ear, right through to the outer part of the right ear, the lobe of the ear, the shell of the ear, the whole of the right ear. Move your awareness to the to the inner part of the left ear, right through to the outer part of the left ear, the lobe of the ear, the shell of the ear, the whole of the left ear. Feel both ears, twinkling with the starlight of conscious awareness.

Then shine a bright star on the back of your head, in the place between your two ears. Shine a bright star on the back of the top of your head. Then place a twinkling star at the right temple, left temple, and forehead. A star on the right eyebrow, left eyebrow, eyebrow centre, the right cheek, the left cheek, the nose. Shine a bright star on the right nostril, left nostril. Let there be a star at the bridge of your nose and a star at the top of your nose. Move your awareness down to shine a star on your upper lip, lower lip, chin, and all along your jaw line.

Be aware of your whole head, feel your whole head: twinkling with tiny stars, the light of conscious awareness. Move your awareness to your neck and throat. Shine a star on your right collarbone, on your left collarbone, and one twinkling in the place between the two collarbones.

Then move your awareness to shine stars on your right shoulder and armpit; the right upper arm, elbow and forearm; right wrist, back of the right hand and palm of the right hand. Take your awareness to the right hand thumb and shine a little star there, and one each twinkling on the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and the little finger. Be aware of the whole of the right hand, twinkling with the starlight of conscious awareness.

Shine stars on your left shoulder and armpit; the left upper arm, elbow and forearm; left wrist, back of the left hand and palm of the left hand. Take your awareness to the left hand thumb and shine a little star there, and one each twinkling on the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and the little finger. Be aware of the whole of the left hand, twinkling with the starlight of your conscious awareness.

Now carry your awareness to the centre of your chest. Place little stars twinkling now along the length of your breastbone, into your right side and ribs. Shine a star in the middle of your right shoulder blade and left shoulder blade, and a star twinkling in the space between the two shoulder blades. Stars in the back of your waist, and the right side of your waist, left side of your waist. Stars twinkling in your lower back, and on your right side of your pelvis and the left side of your pelvis. A star shining in the right butt cheek, and the left butt cheek. A bright star at your bellybutton and a star at your pubic bones.

Now take your attention to your right groin, and shine stars there, and on the top of your right thigh and back of the right thigh. A star twinkles at the kneecap, and in the back of your knee, calf, shin, ankle, heel. Shine stars along the sole of your right foot, the top of your right foot. Five little stars are twinkling, one each on your right big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe. The whole of your right foot and leg are twinkling with the starlight of your conscious awareness.

Now take your attention to your left groin, and shine stars there, and on the top of your left thigh and back of the left thigh. A star twinkles at the kneecap, and in the back of your knee, calf, shin, ankle, heel. Shine stars along the sole of your left foot, the top of your left foot. Five little stars are twinkling, one each on your left big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe. The whole of your left foot and leg are twinkling with the starlight of your conscious awareness.

Be aware now of your whole body, be aware of your whole body. Be aware of the stars twinkling now along the whole right side, foot and leg, arm, and hand, the whole of your right side, twinkling with the light of conscious awareness. Be aware of the stars twinkling now along your whole left side, foot and leg, arm and hand, the whole of your left side. Both sides together.

Bring the light of your mind's attention to shine now inside the body, up into the womb or womb space. Let the light here shine in the form of a little moon, a little moon inside you.

See the light of the inner moon shining. See all the little stars twinkling now in the constellation of your whole body. Bring the light of the mental awareness to the whole of your right hand and arm and hand. And now take your awareness to the whole of your left arm and hand. Now be aware of both arms and hands together. And now take your awareness to the whole of your right leg and foot. And now take your awareness to the whole of your left leg and foot. And now be aware of both leg and feet together. Be aware now of both arms and both legs together. See the starlight twinkling through the whole of your right side, the whole of your left side, both sides together. Be aware of starlight twinkling in the whole of your head, and the moonlight shining in your pelvis.

And now be aware of your whole body, like a constellation of tiny stars shining. Be aware of your whole body, like the night sky, twinkling with the lights of your conscious awareness.

I hope you enjoy doing this and may it improve all areas of your life, both in the dream world and the physical world. 

xoxo, Tara