# Lucid Dreaming > DV Academy > Current Courses > Dream Yoga >  >  LucidJordan's Yream Doga Journal

## LucidJordan

I came across this Dream Yoga course after searching the forums for Dream Yoga, and after reading through the first few lessons I like the ideas suggested by _sivason_, so I am going to give this course a good go. Since I have naturally over the years tried to hear and feel things I might consciously be filtering out on a level equal to level 1 of these lessons, I am eager to skip to level 3 of all the first lessons, but I will go through each level to ensure I can do them all.

*Tonight's agenda:*





> *Version 1: Listening to a Noisy World.*
> *Level 1)* Sit in a some what quiet setting, but not a place free of sound. At first just get comfortable and quickly with no special effort determine if any sounds are already being consciously perceived. Sit and just notice which noises you where aware of before paying attention. Now, with your eyes closed, casually explore each noise starting with the most obvious ones. You may first have been aware of the sounds of children playing, and traffic from a near by street. Listen to any of the obvious ones for a moment. Try to visualize in a casual and light manner, what each sound is. *Now, your only goal in level 1 is to move around your environment not physically, but with your sense of hearing.* You should acknowledge the sounds that were already obvious, then move your awareness of sound around. Try to pick up on the sounds you had not been fully aware of. They will be sounds that are not extremely quiet, and will be easy enough to find. You are simply trying to become aware of the fact that while the sounds were there the whole time, you did not consciously perceive them until you focused. 
> In an average attempt at this meditation I can often identify about 8 sounds my brain was choosing to ignore. Make a list in your head that tells you which noises you had clearly been aware of and any new sounds that you begin to perceive while meditating. You will find that at most times the world is full of sound we are choosing not to hear.
> *Level 2)* Repeat the level 1 meditation, but this time you will attempt to maintain aware focus on as many sounds as you can. Take the most obvious noises and pay attention to them. Think to yourself about what you are hearing, then while continuing to listen add the next most obvious noise. You may experience something strange here. This level is actually much harder! At about the time you are aware and focusing on 4 or 5 noises, and when you are scanning for more noises, your brain will attempt to ignore the first most obvious noises. Do not get frustrated; just watch the process with interest. Do not stress or become intense. This level may be practiced for years. You are learning to force your brain to acknowledge multiple sensory inputs. Try to get to where you can stay relaxed and keep a full awareness of 8 sounds at one time.
> *Level 3)* To complete this version get to a point where you can perform daily actions while maintaining the same level of awareness as level 2. Here is an easy example. While a person is walking, they will almost always blank out the sound of their own feet hitting the ground. In level 3 do something like go for a walk. While your eyes are open and your feet are moving start to go through the process involved in #2 above. You will be surprised on how foreign trying to hear your own foot steps is if you do not allow your focus to be taken off other things. It is not enough to be able to walk and hear your foot falls. You need to be able to walk casually, hear all the standard noises, and maintain awareness of the sounds of your own feet. If you get good at that add in one more item. Listen to all the normal noises, while being aware of the sound of your feet and the sound of the air moving past your ears, or some other subtle noise your body would normally ignore.



I will report back tomorrow. I might have attempted to go to level 3 depending on how it goes tonight.  :smiley:

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## LucidJordan

*Listening to a noisy world*

*Level 1*
From my bedroom late at night I could easily hear:
-My sister laughing
-My brother talking
-A video on my sisters laptop
-The river outside

After further concentration:
_-A train in the far distance
-Docks machinery operating
-The low bass of a distant airplane
-Liquid swishing in my belly
-A white noise ringing in my head
-My teeth rub past each other once or twice
-The bell on my cats collar ringing
-The scratch from an itch I relieved whilst hearing for all these things_

*Level 2*
A lot of noises that happened so far had only occurred once, or had stopped by now, but out of all the sounds that were still left at this time I was able to hear the following simultaneously:
_-The river outside
-The docks machinery
-A white noise ringing in my head
-My sisters laptop
-A deliberate scratching noise I made to increase the numbers
-A deliberate grinding noise I made with my teeth to increase the numbers_

_As I was briefly noting this down on paper I heard also a wire tapping against my glass, and a wind chime in the back garden._

*Level 3*
I was walking down the pier and I was able to concentrate on several sounds whilst also paying attention to my foot steps.
-The river
-Docks machinery
-My brother talking
-My sister talking
-My foot steps
-A grinding of my teeth

I tried to imagine them all playing together in a band, it helped.  :smiley: 

I am going to regularly perform sound awareness checks throughout the day after reading Puffin's DILD guide.

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*Feeling an intense world*





> *Version 2: Feel an Intense World.* I should be able to go over this one quickly as the concepts are the same as above. However this version will deal with the sense of touch.
> *Level 1)* Sit in a quiet setting as above. Now notice the physical sensations that come to you as obvious and that you already were aware of before starting. The normal touch related sensations we are aware of are itching, pain, hunger, cold and those impulses that warn us that we should change our environment. List in your mind all of the most obvious sensations, such as back pain, dry mouth, itchy nose. Now close your eyes, and start noticing the subtle sensations you had not been fully aware of. Notice obvious things at first, like the pressure of your bottom sitting on a surface, then move to subtle things such as being aware that your left sock has slipped down, or that one shoe is tighter than the other. List in your head at least 12 things you were feeling and had not been fully aware of.
> *Level 2)* Repeat level 1, but try to maintain full awareness of as many of these touch related sensations as you can at one time.
> *Level 3)* Repeat level 2, but this time with your eyes open and other distractions to make it more challenging.
> *Level 4)* Lay in bed before sleep and start this meditation. If you fall asleep before you are done that is fine.  Start by trying to feel your left foot, then your right foot, and in order, your knees, you hips, your shoulders, elbows hands. Do not move them about in order to feel them. You should be able to feel the bedding or gravity or dry skin at each place. You never really focus on being aware of what each small part of the body is feeling. 
> *Level 5)* Repeat level 4 however, you should now work on being able to move through every portion of your body, and perceive the sensations from every small joint and part all the way down to you little toes. Work your way through your entire body starting with the toes. Get to where you can become fully aware of any physical sensory impulse from even the most minor contact with part of your body.




*Level 1*
Sitting on my couch I am able to easily feel:
-An itch on my neck
-My back against the couch
-An itch on my head
-My feel against the floor
-The heat of this room (I'm more uncomfortable than I was consciously aware!)
-A light pressure in my throat that I need to cough up to clear
-My belt tightening when I breathe in
-My hands resting on my laptop as I type
-My fingers typing on the keys of my laptop
-The laptop against my thighs
-My eyelids opening and closing
-Air passing through my windpipes
-My teeth resting on each other

*Level 2*
Attempting to feel as much as I could simultaneously with my eyes closed:
-An itch on my arm
-My eyelids being closed
-An itch on my foot
-The heat of this room
-My laptop on my thighs

*Level 3*
Same as level 2.

Will go to bed for level 4 and 5 and report back tomorrow on that front.

*EDIT*

*Level 4 & 5*

Last night I attempted level 4 and 5. I went through all of my body parts, from my first toe on my left foot, to my last finger on my right hand, to the ears on the sides of my head as well as my larger body parts as wholes. I also grouped different parts and tried to feel them together in these groups. This is something I have done once before in a Shaman meditation group a friend took me to, we went through our body parts to ensure the tension was completely released all over. This physical awareness practice last night led me to have a strange experience which I noted in my Dream Journal entry for today...





> After trying to sleep for a while with relaxed breath, something strange happened. My breathing in and out felt like it became one motion, this feeling was very strange. The best way I can describe it is quite limiting: If you have ever been in hospital and put to sleep on the operating table whilst counting to 10 with your eyes closed, well that vague taste/smell/numbness that overcomes you and your breathing is what I felt. My heart started racing as this happened to me, I didn't expect it to happen so as soon as it did I was excited. Immediately though, and I fear this might be detrimental to my lucid dreams when I get good at getting into them with ease, is that I instantly thought about my physical body in my bedroom, and then I thought about seeing nightmarish things, and I knew I shouldn't but I couldn't stop myself. The feeling died down after about 20 seconds of trying to maintain it, and then it stopped completely and I felt like I was just trying to sleep again. I think the full physical body awareness process is important for letting go of all tension in the body and was responsible for this experience, I will continue to do this before sleep each night I'm practicing.



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*Mixing it up*





> *Version 3: Mixing it up.*
> *Level 1)* Place a hard candy in your mouth. It should have a strong taste like peppermint or lemon drops. Your goal in this meditation is to maintain awareness of the candy and its flavor. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. You may now day dream or listen, but maintain focus on the flavor of the candy being in your mouth. You are allowed to play with the candy or worry it using your tongue. What you are not allowed to do, is space off paying attention to the candy being in your mouth. Do this long enough to realize why this is difficult. After your taste buds are covered with the flavor for long enough, your brain will try to erase the taste. It always happens during normal life. You basically lose track of the fact that your mouth is covered with a strong flavor.
> *Level 2)* Repeat level 1, but this time you should take the finger nail of your right thumb and gently rub it across the tip of your right middle finger. You will now attempt to maintain full awareness of both sensations. Your body will attempt to erase the subtle feeling caused by your thumb. Stay fully aware of both sensations.
> *Level 3)* Repeat level 2, but this time you will have to be walking while attempting this. Keep fully aware of the candy in your mouth, and the sensation caused by your thumb nail. Here is the big challenge! Do not bite the candy! At levels 1 and 2 you can chew the candy, but to finish level 3 you must maintain full awareness of the candy, the feeling from the thumb nail, while walking, and you must be so aware, that you do not accidentally allow yourself to bite down on the candy. You have succeeded when you can stay aware of both things, while walking, until the candy has completely dissolved.[/B]



*Level 1*
I have a boiled sweet. I was writing this up and have just done some reading but the whole time I have tried to keep my attention on the taste of the sweet (It's blackcurrent, before you ask). This wasn't too hard, but definitely required a conscious effort towards the end once my tastebuds got used to the taste.

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