I started doing induction techniques ( Mild, reality checks ), began a dream journal, and upped my shamatha game during the day. Some interesting things are happening even though I am not having what I would call Lucid dreams yet. There appears to me a co-mingling occuring between meditation and my remembered dreams. I.E. After a few minutes of relaxed breath work, some fragments from the previous nights dream or other nights dreams begin to reappear I feel that it is possible to enter back into that world. This is a very interesting to say the least. My childhood memories have become more rich, poignant, and vibrant. If I am talking to someone about a memory, it is as if I am becoming a narrator of a snippet of film. The detail is really amazing. Maybe you could speak to how this unfoldment process will occur as I continue these practices and what milestones I might look for? I am treating the co-mingling during shamatha like I would any other sense object/distraction and simply returning to the breath.
thank you for any help you might offer.
Paul
My take (Not an expert):
Paul.
Not sure if this addresses your question. Sounds like you are on the right path and have the patience to see it through.The daytime and nighttime “dreams” are inextricably linked, or so I’m told.
Are you following any particular Dharma Path? If so, are there changes in your life that you are trying to bring about as result of your lucid dreaming (or Dream Yoga practice)? For example, as I have been tying to become a more compassionate person, and working on that in the daytime, I find that quality coming out in my dreams, sometimes leading to lucidity and even Dream Yoga activities that involve compassion. I believe that in turn informs my daytime “dreams.” Perhaps the unfoldment process for you might similarly include daytime practices influencing nighttime dreams and the reverse.
Or, if your focus is more on manifesting lucid dreaming awareness without any particular goal, for now, there is nothing wrong with that either.