Thread: Breathing during a WILD

You should be able to control your own breathing during a WILD. My own guess is that as soon as you can feel your dream body and breathe that way, your physical body has started automating its breathing, but before that, nope! It's all you. This is why it's important to keep a steady breathing pattern and not start hyperventilating or breathing much slower once you enter SP; it can signal to your brain that you're still awake (which is definitely not what you want!). Just relax and keep breathing. Sometimes during SP you can get hallucinations that make it feel like you're being suffocated, or that you're not getting enough oxygen. If you maintain the same breathing pattern as before you enter SP, though, you'll know that the oxygen-deprivation sensation isn't real.

As for before the SP kicks in, the feeling that I'm not getting oxygen sometimes happens to me too; it feels like I just have to get in that one big gulp of air! I just ignore it, because I'm often already ignoring my physical body for the most part, and almost at the SP stage. I may be thinking wierd, dream-like thoughts at this time. Also, if you relax fast enough, you may not even get that feeling.

As for your swallowing, that's a common problem for many people. If you don't like swallowing, I can suggest to tilt your head to the side, either so the saliva will slide down your throat in a more comfortable way, or so that it'll drip onto the pillow. Cloth optional. But swallowing isn't such a big deal unless you make it one - getting stressed out and trying not to swallow will kill the WILD attempt, but if you just swallow naturally without thinking too much about it, there isn't really a problem with that. It just comes down to which method you want to use - don't swallow and just tilt your head to the side, or swallow and don't think much about it.

Sometimes during a WILD attempt, you'll get an urge to move; if this happens, ignore it! But if you're experiencing pain, it may be because you've lied down in an awkward position, so try a different one. You shouldn't move if you're attempting a WILD, and even more so, you should forget about your body and just focus on your breaths, staying aware, etc.

Thank you so much, I've been thinking that i HAD to lie on my back with my head facing the ceiling, i wasn't sure if i could tilt my head to the side and I'm pretty sure the stress of not swallowing was keeping me from WILDing successfully.

No problem. ^^

And no, you don't have to lie on your back - any position that's comfortable for you will work!

Personally, I like to WILD on my side (and sometimes my stomach), which helps me get to SP much faster than being on my back.

I've also read that crossing your arms/legs will prohibit/slow down SP, this may be true but if it isnt, is it okay to bend my arms?

It's okay to bend your arms; as for actually crossing them, I find that I end up losing circulation in them after a while, or end up pinching a nerve which makes them feel really uncomfortable. That's from my own experience though, maybe crossing your own arms or legs won't hinder your attempts. WILD techniques can differ between people.