# Lucid Dreaming > DV Academy > Current Courses > Dream Yoga >  >  Xanous' Yoga Workbook

## Xanous

Great! I plan to start Version 1: Listening to a Noisy World Level 1 tonight. I plan to move somewhat slowly so I can enjoy myself and really grasp the meditations.

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## Xanous

Question. What is the recommended time frame for these meditations?

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## Xanous

During the listening technique I went outside in my back yard. I heard birds, air unit, traffic, and wind in the trees. At first when I tried to focus two or more my attention would bounce back and forth. I can get 3 but 4 was more difficult. Then a loud motorcycle can through and shattered my concentration. Also, it was a lot like meditation; from time to time my internal thoughts distracted me. It is a very fun exercise but I don't get to practice every day. I will as much as possible.

I wonder why you did not include vision in the mix? Or holding a drumming rhythm while sensing other things?

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## Sivason

> I wonder why you did not include vision in the mix? Or holding a drumming rhythm while sensing other things?



These are basically meditations, and even my basic skills would be considered advanced (wait till you try my intermediate ones!) I am just providing out lines for your own exploration. I greatly encourage students to combine and re-create the lessons in many varitaions.

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## Xanous

Yes I suppose that would be more advanced. The basics are difficult enough. I feel that I am doing well but its hard to know if I am doing it right. I am not sure what to expect. I've only done the listening exercises and there are time when the two or three sounds become one sound but separate at the same time. Is that about right?

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## Sivason

Your experience will be your own. this is mind expansion stuff, so as long as it seems challenging, or you are experiencing interesting things, you are doing it correctly. For, now you just need to prove to your self that you normally ignore and actually erase most sensory input. Then you can work on increasing your brains abilities.

You want each sound to be seperate, your normal brain training will try to blend all the subtle noises to limit the amount of data. You are learning to add more processing power.

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## Xanous

Ah ok. Makes sense. Thanks.

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## Xanous

Ok I am supposed to be posting here. I guess I have been just working on mastering the basic meditations. I have been doing this at least once per day. I can't seem to maintain for even five minutes without something distracting me even momentarily but I am getting progressively better. I also try to incorporate sageous' awareness technique into these meditations. I have to say it is getting easier and I am becoming lucid more often. I just have to work on staying in the dream.

Also I was listening to Benny Bennassi while cycling and I found myself wanting to pick each nuance of sound and hold all of it into my awareness instead just enjoying the beat like I usually do. Then, holding as much of that as I could I held all the physical sensations of cycling into my awareness. So I had the music, the feel of the seat, the burning in my legs, the heat of the day, the wind on my skin, and the feeling of the handlebars in my hands. It was tough but I enjoyed it immensely.

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## Sivason

Sweet! Sounds like all is going well for you as far as your training. Keep it up.

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## Xanous

I'm still working on meditations. Not every day. I find it hard fit this time in without distractions, but I do what I can when I can. Also, I noticed in my last LD how much more vivid the dream was. Especially the sense of touch and sound. These exercises are the cause of that. Love it!

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## Sivason

Thanks! It is goood to see results in acctual LDs. Remember the principle idea of each lesson and try using it here and there during your day, that will give you more oppertunity to practice. Also, as I have often said, there is no hurry, I plan on many students taking about a year to get down much of this stuff, and longer to truely excell at it, but hey, we have long lives.

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## Xanous

Thank you. It's good to remember not to rush things like this. It can become frustrating and discouraging. I think this maybe more of a lifestyle change than anything else.

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## Xanous

I haven't been doing a lot of meditations lately but I have been noticing the sensory improvement in my LDs. Especially the one this morning. I'll have to meditate more and take it to another level. Thanks for this class. I love it!

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## Sivason

> I haven't been doing a lot of meditations lately but I have been noticing the sensory improvement in my LDs. Especially the one this morning. I'll have to meditate more and take it to another level. Thanks for this class. I love it!



Great. It makes  me smile each time a student sees an improvement in their LDs, awesome!

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## Xanous

So it's been awhile. I haven't quit! I have been fitting in some of the yoga stuff here and there. I can't seem to find time to settle down and do this but I try.

I have a question about the visualization practices. I tend to do these when I am sitting in a quite place during the day. When you say to create a color and a shape, I have two ways of seeing it. One feels more internal and I guess third eye-ish and the other is like manipulating the light that I physically see behind my eyelids. Which one should I work on?

Also, I don't know why but I have a terrible time making simple shapes and colors. When I close my eyes at night I almost instantly see vivid and complex images like random faces or textures of objects up close. If I can do that almost without trying then why are the simple things so hard?

Edit: I read http://www.dreamviews.com/f157/sleep...lained-136925/

I think I have had true sleep paralysis but maybe that not always the case. I just always called it that because it was so hard to move. But in truth I can move. When I say move I mean my dream body. My physical body never moves. I had SP at the begining of sleep once and I think it was nREM. I was just in the white void and no dream would form.
http://www.dreamviews.com/blogs/xano...te-void-40240/
 This is all really confusing.

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## Sivason

You are looking to actually see the shapes and colors, the same way you see hypongogic images. That starts with an image in the minds eye, like day dreaming, and then you use that to actually create HI type visual responses.

The reason basic shapes and colors are so hard compared to the random stuff like faces, is discipline. You are discovering a new sense. Internal vision is no different than sight or sound, but few ever stop to understand it. Seeing random images is like hearing music with your ears. It does not require training. However, being able to use your ears to identify specific keys and notes and tones, requires an advanced use of the skill through training. So you have found a new sense and now must train yourself in what it has to offer. Simply, the random stuff is like hearing noise, and takes no skill. Forcing the images to respond to your intent is a learned skill and will take a lot of work. It can be done and anyone who practices will eventually get the hang of it.

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## Xanous

Time to dig deep again.  ::D:

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