Thank you again to everyone who came to the workshop the other night. I was in a yoga class the last week and in tree pose and a thought popped into my head. Usually ideas come in and out and just like a dream they disappear before I have a chance to write them down. That’s my signal that it probably wasn’t a good idea to begin with. However this one stuck around till after I got out of class. The idea was to create this piece above for people who come to my workshop.
The symbol is the Tibetan letter A. It is used for visualization exercises in the Tibetan dream yoga practice. In dream yoga, the symbol represents the natural non dual state of the mind. During meditation the practitioner is to look at the symbol while meditating without shifting his or her gaze. It is also recommended not to think about the A, but to simply allow it to be within one’s awareness. Once the image is clear in one’s mind, they are to close the eyes and visualize it. The next progression is to visualize being the symbol itself. After this is achieved, one should try to release all images and simply become the essence on the A itself. It is good to give yourself enough time at each step.
It is also recommended to use the A as a point of focus as you are falling asleep. It is said to rest at the throat chakra and is to be visualized as a red four pedaled flower that faces up to the sky with the A in the middle. There is a mantra that corresponds to the four pedals. RA, for the pedal facing front, LA to the left, SHA to the back, and SA to the right. This practice will bring about peaceful dreams and more restful sleep.
It has been noted that my design has a certain Looney Toons feel to it. I was actually thinking about that while I was making it. I’ve always been a fan so I thought why not add a hint of that Merry Melodies flavor. I hope this brings your practice many fruitful experiences. That’s all for now folks!
Here’s the latest animation from my Dream Signs series. More on the way. The nice one about this technique is that once you do it you’re already thinking about flying. Just a quick recap of a dream I had the other night. I was lucid and was just standing there looking at my hands. They wobbled and morphed before my eyes. I looked at the guy next to me and asked him if it was happening to him as well. It seemed like I was the only one that had it going on at the time. I hopped into the dog washing van from Dummer and Dummer as it drove by. I was in the van still perfectly lucid and I was wondering if there was anyone else in the van that was dreaming as well so I told them all that it was a dream. They didn’t seem impressed at all. So I decided to ask a question. “What is a dream?” A man appeared next to me and said quite simply, “Grammar.” It seemed so bizarre that I had to ask him to repeat himself. “Grammar,” he replied again. “It is the grammar of the soul.” I didn’t understand it intellectually after he said it. Sometimes things are so deep and yet so simple in dreams that I have a hard time understanding the meaning behind it as its happening. I simply made a point to remember the man’s answer and went on with my dream.
I’m still mulling the whole thing over. Maybe I’ll see him again and ask him to elaborate a little. Maybe you have an idea. Sweet dreams.
I’ve been thinking about the apparent speed of dreams. When we are in the dream it seems to be moving just as quickly as our waking life. However, most of our dreams only last about 5 minutes when they can appear to last hours. So you can say that creativity is moving at a higher speed or frequency than the ordinary state of the conscious mind. Maybe remembering our dreams could be compared to getting off the highway. If you want to make a smooth exit with you car intact you need to decelerate gradually to make a safe and complete stop. If we want to retain our dream experience we need to foster an environment that allows our mind to retain our experience by realizing that we are going through a large shift in consciousness.
Maybe another way to look at it is thinking about our dream experience like an egg. When we wake up we decide the future of the egg. Does it splat against the alarm clock as we become startled and realize that we’re late for work? Does it land safely into a pile of feathers as we wake up with the awareness that we are awake and safe in our bed with plenty of time to get ready for the day? Does it land at all? Perhaps it remains suspended in air as we see it from all angles. Once I have fully processed, I would like to cook that egg and eat it for breakfast! Yum! We all need to learn how we can better guide this delicate transition along. Then we can begin to develop our dream recall in a very powerful way. The choice is ours.
Here is the third video from my Dream Signs series. The next time you’re in a lucid dream definitely try this one out. It’s one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself in order to really understand. I suppose that it’s much like lucid dreaming itself. You have no real clear idea of what it’s like until it happens to you. So often we have the intellectual understanding of something that we’ve never actually experienced. I find that I run into this situation a lot with my study of dreams. There is so much that I’ve learned about but have still not experienced. The interesting part is that as my practice has developed, the more I have begun to bridge the separation between concepts and the things that I’ve seen with my own astral eyes. I have continued to redefine what I think to be possible because of my lucid dreams. I believe that the same will happen to anyone who investigates this study for an extended period of time with a strong intention to develop their practice.
Continuing with dream signs, here’s another video that I made. I have to say that this of my favorite tests because it’s really easy and super reliable. Sometimes my hands don’t change shape enough by just using my will. Another quick option is to take hold of a finger and pull with the intention to stretch it. There have been times when I have to pull with considerable effort. Eventually you’ll stretch your finger to the point where you’ve convinced yourself that you’re in a dream. I haven’t tried to stretch other parts of the body but I imagine that it would work just as well. The other nice thing about this test is that you can do it through out the day with out looking too much like a weirdo. I tend to get some looks when I’m jumping in place on the subway platform to see if I’ll float in the air. Whatever seems to work for you.
Also try to think of a trigger that helps you to do reality checks. Maybe its every time you go through a door, or look at a clock, or maybe its bracelet on your wrist, or when you see your reflection, or when you see someone you know. There are so many but pick something that will naturally fit into your daily routine. Then when you have one stick with it! The longer you practice it, the more likely you’ll remember to use it in your dreams. Sweet dreamin!
I’m excited to put this up so people can check out a little of the video that’s going to be part of the workshop tonight. Right now I’m working on a series that is devoted to helping people get a better idea of what dream signs are. Once we’re in the dream state and have asked ourselves whether we are in a dream or not, we need a way to see if we are dreaming. There are many clues in the dream scape that help us to answer this question. These clues are known as dream signs. One of the most effective techniques is looking at your hands. If you’ve never done it before you might be surprised what you see. The first few times I did this I found my hands morphing into all different shapes which made it hard to count my fingers. Recently I’ve found that my hands don’t shift as wildly as they use to. In order to really convince myself that I’m dreaming I have to pull one of my fingers to see if it will stretch. Unlike the physical body, the astral body is elastic and can change shape quite easily.
There are many other dream signs that I will be discussing tomorrow night. Talking about dreaming is one a my favorite things to do and it brings me great joy to share this information with others. In addition to the animation we’ll be working together to find out what we are looking to experience through our dreams and then making it happen. For more information about the workshop please check out the menu tab on the side or RSVP on facebook. Sweet dreams y’all.
I’m excited to announce the date of the new workshop coming up next week! The first one had a great turn out. I couldn’t have asked for a better response. This time around I’ve thought of some more ways to make things even more interactive. There will be more opportunities to imagine what it might be like in a lucid dream. My hope is that it will not only be a more engaging experience but also one where people can connect with lucid dreaming in a more personal way. There will still be plenty of tips and information to take home so you can get to practicing right away. I’ve also had some experiences recently that continue to reshape my idea of what our dreams our made of that I look forward to sharing. I am working on some new animations that will illustrate certain concepts better than I might be able to describe them with words. I would love to see you there. Below is the poster version without the text. If you have any questions always feel free to email me. matthew.canale@gmail.com Also feel free to check out the updated Dream Yoga page for more information. Sweet dreams!
It has certainly been a long one. Tonight I learned how to use paypal. What’s that? The sound of clapping? Too kind! Really. I even made a new button just for info on the workshop. That’s how awesome this is going to be. It’s already earned its own button on the site. Yup that big green one that says dream yoga. Please note this as a mark of importance.
I’ve stayed up all night sending facebook invites and other such activities promoting a workshop on dreaming. Yes. I see the irony in this. Life is funny like that. Oh look! The sun!
Yes. More advertising. Hopefully it’s pleasing to the eye as well. It was a fun project for me. My friend, Liz, was kind enough to pose for the piece. It was my first photo shoot with a model. I enjoyed interacting with her in order to find the right pose. At first I had her in an awkward pose that neither of us were crazy about. She tried some other poses but they didn’t seem to be right. Eventually I asked her to just lay on her back and then put the sheet over her as you might when you first go to sleep. Then she turned and tossed and then the sheet and her body moved accordingly. I think I ended up with a much more natural product. It’s good to imagine what something might be like but when you have an organic process at your disposal you might as well use it.
I’m also attaching the design without the text bellow. Have a good one!
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