Hello fellow Oneironauts, I have been thinking for a while now about starting a thread to discuss the aspects of Mindfulness, self awareness, ADA so here are my thoughts:
It seems the general consensus is that if you are more “aware” during waking reality you will be more aware in your dreaming life. I believe this to be true so let's try to define what we mean by “aware” because there are so many things that we could be “aware” of the list could be endless.
“Being Mindful” or “Having Self awareness” or “All day awareness” are probably understood differently from one person to the next as we all interpret things from our own understanding and subjective point of view.
Because of this I think it would be a good idea to have a discussion on what in particular we should be putting our awareness/focus on with regards to increasing the odds of inducing Lucid dreams. I think we could narrow it down more as to what we mean when we say self awareness and what we put our awareness/ focus on exactly.
I need to also state that one thing that prompted me to look further into this is Eckhart Tolle’s books and increasingly the practice of Buddhism and maybe Hinduism (I Love a bit of Yoga). Eckharts books are nothing short of amazing IMO. I first listened to A new Earth Audiobook and at some point in that book i had a glimpse of this oneness, pure consciousness, present awareness whatever you want to call it. I felt a calm peacefulness and felt like I was seeing/feeling everything in a new light (The Buddhists call this Satori if this is what it was). During that period I had my first ever spontaneous Dild, granted it was a Saturday morning so no work and a longer Rem period than usual but this was right out of the blue and i put it down to being more Present and more “aware” at that time.
Now if the reason for my spontaneous Dild was caused by increased awareness, presence, mindfulness etc and i strongly believe it was then all we need to do is be more present and aware right? Easy one would think and this is the general idea of most spiritual practice. Being more present and more aware firstly means being free from the mind or incessant thinking, not being caught up in our emotions and thought patterns. This can be a very difficult state to maintain but i think with continued practice it gets easier and easier. I'm in no way an expert either by the way and I get caught up in it more than I would like.
We could talk about the subconscious/ unconscious mind being full of traps and when we get “trapped” we are taken away from being consciously aware and present and trapped in the mind of thought patterns and emotions. Eckhart talks about this and so does Buddhism which calls it Karma. Obviously we need to watch semantics and what we name these things so in general I think it's more conducive if we keep the terms as general as possible but then also quote similar translations (spiritual/religious) etc for broader understanding as it could simply make or break our understanding of concepts and ideas etc depending on our back ground or line if teaching.
The word “Self” for example probably conjures up all manner of definitions for different people and i would now define the word “Self” as the Ego or the things you identify with in life. Or you could see yourself as your Emotions and thought patterns.
Any way after that bit of a rant I would like to start a list of things (hopefully practical things) that we can put awareness/focus on during the day to Increase our awareness during our dreams. We could then prioritise these things to further increase our odds. We can also categorize them for further understanding.
The senses
Sight, Sound, Touch (Nervous system), Smell, Taste
Outer environment (The usual stuff people associate with increased awareness).
Sight - Nature, colours, textures, geometry, shades/Shadows, Movement etc.
Space and matter - being aware of space as well as the material world. These seem to be polar opposites.
Sound - Nature, Weather, birds and animals, humming of machines, roaring of motors, Doors & drawers opening & slamming, foot steps and Voices etc
Touch - Nature and weather, Textures, Clothes tightness etc, temperatures, aches, pains & tightness (could be classed as inner environment), gravity & pressure, weights, hardness and softness etc
I think it is important to try not to label everything as we put our attention on them as this increases mind chatter and takes you out of the present moment and also takes away the amazement of the world around us. I mean WOW people we are F*****g alive look at this shit it's amazing.
Inner enviroment
Sound - Ringing in the ears, Heartbeat, Breathing,
Feeling -
(Inner body) - Eckhart talks extensively about keeping at least some awareness on the inner body at all times to remain present and that you can always go deeper. I have found this to be the case, it can give an awesome sense of peace and can almost feel ecstatic. This is a great tool and highly recommended.
Emotions - I am increasingly realising that it seems as though some/most of the emotions are felt at the Chakra points, stomach and throat being two main ones for me (butterflies and a choked up feeling come to mind).
Anger however is all pervasive if you allow it to be and rise up all over the body.
Anxiety can be mainly caught in the stomach I have found and belly breathing works wonders.
Thoughts - (“You are not your thoughts” so try not to get attached to or identify with them)
I can't state enough that being aware of your thoughts and not getting caught up in them is so important to being in the present moment. If you are caught up in them you can't be aware of your inner body, your environment your emotions or any thing it's basically just daydreaming. Your emotions are influenced by your thoughts which will then influence your thoughts in a never ending cycle of hell (if you let them). The practices for remaining present/aware/mindful will prevent you from getting caught up in your thoughts and emotions and will slowly but surely dissolves these mind patterns that rule us.
This is not to say that we can't use our minds for thinking day to day, Creating etc but don't let it take over use it as a tool and don't let it use you.
Visualization - With regards to day dreaming though it is close if not the same thing almost as visualisation so maybe there's some crossover. Maybe visualization is daydreaming but with awareness but can turn into daydreaming or a dream or a lucid dream depending on maintaining that awareness. Any visualisers care to comment as i don't know if I'm good or bad at it.
The manifested and unmanifested. This i felt was quite profound but hard to explain if you can bear with me. The manifested could be all matter as well as thought/thinking and emotions. The unmanifested Could be Space, no thought and is the source of where everything comes from. This may also be what people call Pure consciousness, God, Divinity etc. Again my understanding of this comes from Eckhart tolle but I am only scratching the surface however. This could give us a glimpse of what true reality is behind the veil as they say and without obscurity of the mind.
I need to rap this up as I could go on and on but lastly I have also purchased a Xiaomi Mi Band 3 cheap as chips and use this with Blip Blip app to give me a subtle vibrating reminder on my wrist every half hour to remind me of what ever practice I'm doing. I'm hoping this works as training wheels and eventually engrains some of these things as habit maybe. For an example as soon as i get the reminder at the moment my band notification reads:-
(IB Br Feel Whe Wha Rec NRC IB Br)
and i put my awareness onto the following -
IB - Inner body, put awareness on the inner body.
BR - breath through the diaphragm /Belly breathing create coherence.
Feel - how am i feeling physically and emotionally, put awareness on any strong emotions like anxiety at the stomach area mainly.
Whe - Where am I.
Wha - What am I doing/Where am i going.
Rec - Recall the last half an hour to an hour or more depending on time.
NRC - Nose plug RC
Then back to finish on Inner body and Breath.
This sounds like a lot to do especially if busy but it doesn't actually take that long once you get the hang of it. My mind flows like the following:-
Buzz on my wrist - vibrations send me into inner body awareness - Belly breath - feel emotions at stomach - Where I'm at such n such a place doing this or that going nowhere in particular- I've been doing this and that spoke to that person did this and that, that all do bout half n hour - Nose plug - back to inner body deep breath to finish. But try to keep some inner body and breath awareness going.
This is a short version but i spend as much time as i have/want on the details of each part. And obviously some things are more important than others and this is the whole point of the thread.
Well there's probably a ton more I could say but I'm hoping some of you guys with probably more experience with regards to this stuff can point us all in the right direction (especially if I'm not on point or just plain wrong about something).
Let's try to prioritise our Focal points/ awareness on the most powerful lucid dream inducers so that we use our time wisely.
What are the most Important aspects of all this awareness stuff?
It seems the general consensus is that if you are more “aware” during waking reality you will be more aware in your dreaming life. I believe this to be true so let's try to define what we mean by “aware” because there are so many things that we could be “aware” of the list could be endless.
“Being Mindful” or “Having Self awareness” or “All day awareness” are probably understood differently from one person to the next as we all interpret things from our own understanding and subjective point of view.
Because of this I think it would be a good idea to have a discussion on what in particular we should be putting our awareness/focus on with regards to increasing the odds of inducing Lucid dreams. I think we could narrow it down more as to what we mean when we say self awareness and what we put our awareness/ focus on exactly.
I need to also state that one thing that prompted me to look further into this is Eckhart Tolle’s books and increasingly the practice of Buddhism and maybe Hinduism (I Love a bit of Yoga). Eckharts books are nothing short of amazing IMO. I first listened to A new Earth Audiobook and at some point in that book i had a glimpse of this oneness, pure consciousness, present awareness whatever you want to call it. I felt a calm peacefulness and felt like I was seeing/feeling everything in a new light (The Buddhists call this Satori if this is what it was). During that period I had my first ever spontaneous Dild, granted it was a Saturday morning so no work and a longer Rem period than usual but this was right out of the blue and i put it down to being more Present and more “aware” at that time.
Now if the reason for my spontaneous Dild was caused by increased awareness, presence, mindfulness etc and i strongly believe it was then all we need to do is be more present and aware right? Easy one would think and this is the general idea of most spiritual practice. Being more present and more aware firstly means being free from the mind or incessant thinking, not being caught up in our emotions and thought patterns. This can be a very difficult state to maintain but i think with continued practice it gets easier and easier. I'm in no way an expert either by the way and I get caught up in it more than I would like.
We could talk about the subconscious/ unconscious mind being full of traps and when we get “trapped” we are taken away from being consciously aware and present and trapped in the mind of thought patterns and emotions. Eckhart talks about this and so does Buddhism which calls it Karma. Obviously we need to watch semantics and what we name these things so in general I think it's more conducive if we keep the terms as general as possible but then also quote similar translations (spiritual/religious) etc for broader understanding as it could simply make or break our understanding of concepts and ideas etc depending on our back ground or line if teaching.
The word “Self” for example probably conjures up all manner of definitions for different people and i would now define the word “Self” as the Ego or the things you identify with in life. Or you could see yourself as your Emotions and thought patterns.
Any way after that bit of a rant I would like to start a list of things (hopefully practical things) that we can put awareness/focus on during the day to Increase our awareness during our dreams. We could then prioritise these things to further increase our odds. We can also categorize them for further understanding.
The senses
Sight, Sound, Touch (Nervous system), Smell, Taste
Outer environment (The usual stuff people associate with increased awareness).
Sight - Nature, colours, textures, geometry, shades/Shadows, Movement etc.
Space and matter - being aware of space as well as the material world. These seem to be polar opposites.
Sound - Nature, Weather, birds and animals, humming of machines, roaring of motors, Doors & drawers opening & slamming, foot steps and Voices etc
Touch - Nature and weather, Textures, Clothes tightness etc, temperatures, aches, pains & tightness (could be classed as inner environment), gravity & pressure, weights, hardness and softness etc
I think it is important to try not to label everything as we put our attention on them as this increases mind chatter and takes you out of the present moment and also takes away the amazement of the world around us. I mean WOW people we are F*****g alive look at this shit it's amazing.
Inner enviroment
Sound - Ringing in the ears, Heartbeat, Breathing,
Feeling -
(Inner body) - Eckhart talks extensively about keeping at least some awareness on the inner body at all times to remain present and that you can always go deeper. I have found this to be the case, it can give an awesome sense of peace and can almost feel ecstatic. This is a great tool and highly recommended.
Emotions - I am increasingly realising that it seems as though some/most of the emotions are felt at the Chakra points, stomach and throat being two main ones for me (butterflies and a choked up feeling come to mind).
Anger however is all pervasive if you allow it to be and rise up all over the body.
Anxiety can be mainly caught in the stomach I have found and belly breathing works wonders.
Thoughts - (“You are not your thoughts” so try not to get attached to or identify with them)
I can't state enough that being aware of your thoughts and not getting caught up in them is so important to being in the present moment. If you are caught up in them you can't be aware of your inner body, your environment your emotions or any thing it's basically just daydreaming. Your emotions are influenced by your thoughts which will then influence your thoughts in a never ending cycle of hell (if you let them). The practices for remaining present/aware/mindful will prevent you from getting caught up in your thoughts and emotions and will slowly but surely dissolves these mind patterns that rule us.
This is not to say that we can't use our minds for thinking day to day, Creating etc but don't let it take over use it as a tool and don't let it use you.
Visualization - With regards to day dreaming though it is close if not the same thing almost as visualisation so maybe there's some crossover. Maybe visualization is daydreaming but with awareness but can turn into daydreaming or a dream or a lucid dream depending on maintaining that awareness. Any visualisers care to comment as i don't know if I'm good or bad at it.
The manifested and unmanifested. This i felt was quite profound but hard to explain if you can bear with me. The manifested could be all matter as well as thought/thinking and emotions. The unmanifested Could be Space, no thought and is the source of where everything comes from. This may also be what people call Pure consciousness, God, Divinity etc. Again my understanding of this comes from Eckhart tolle but I am only scratching the surface however. This could give us a glimpse of what true reality is behind the veil as they say and without obscurity of the mind.
I need to rap this up as I could go on and on but lastly I have also purchased a Xiaomi Mi Band 3 cheap as chips and use this with Blip Blip app to give me a subtle vibrating reminder on my wrist every half hour to remind me of what ever practice I'm doing. I'm hoping this works as training wheels and eventually engrains some of these things as habit maybe. For an example as soon as i get the reminder at the moment my band notification reads:-
(IB Br Feel Whe Wha Rec NRC IB Br)
and i put my awareness onto the following -
IB - Inner body, put awareness on the inner body.
BR - breath through the diaphragm /Belly breathing create coherence.
Feel - how am i feeling physically and emotionally, put awareness on any strong emotions like anxiety at the stomach area mainly.
Whe - Where am I.
Wha - What am I doing/Where am i going.
Rec - Recall the last half an hour to an hour or more depending on time.
NRC - Nose plug RC
Then back to finish on Inner body and Breath.
This sounds like a lot to do especially if busy but it doesn't actually take that long once you get the hang of it. My mind flows like the following:-
Buzz on my wrist - vibrations send me into inner body awareness - Belly breath - feel emotions at stomach - Where I'm at such n such a place doing this or that going nowhere in particular- I've been doing this and that spoke to that person did this and that, that all do bout half n hour - Nose plug - back to inner body deep breath to finish. But try to keep some inner body and breath awareness going.
This is a short version but i spend as much time as i have/want on the details of each part. And obviously some things are more important than others and this is the whole point of the thread.
Well there's probably a ton more I could say but I'm hoping some of you guys with probably more experience with regards to this stuff can point us all in the right direction (especially if I'm not on point or just plain wrong about something).
Let's try to prioritise our Focal points/ awareness on the most powerful lucid dream inducers so that we use our time wisely.
What are the most Important aspects of all this awareness stuff?
via Lucid Dreaming - Dream Views - Attaining Lucidity http://bit.ly/2CNisqf
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