What Is Tibetan Dream Yoga?

A: Through the study of Dream Yoga, Tibetan Lamas develop conscious awareness while dreaming. The four stages of Dream Yoga practice form the spiritual foundation of Tibetan Shamanic Qigong. This unique style of Qigong, traditionally known as Qi Dao, incorporates lucid dreaming into the practice of energy work thus facilitating the ability to work with energy in dreams as well as in daily life. This capacity is demonstrated during the ceremonies of empowerment and healing practices of Tibetan Lamas and Shamans.

Tibetan Dream Yoga teaches us to realize that we are dreaming while having a dream in order to become lucid and to identify with Dream-being, the true creator of our experiences. The process of awakening to the reality of dreaming can be facilitated by the means of practicing remembrance (remembering and reminding ourselves that we are dreaming during the daytime). Such a practice, coincidentally called Dream-being as well, implies surrendering to the flow of energy and setting ourselves free, totally natural and spontaneous, which is referred to as “being in the flow.”

Being aware of the flow of the energy of dreaming brings about a profound sense of freedom, whilst going against the flow usually tends to turn the dream into a nightmare. In order to experience such a degree of freedom, it may be easier to first imagine being in the flow while daydreaming. The practice of Dream-being requires becoming totally attentive to the flow of daydreaming first. All the other methods and steps in our practice depend on the degree of attention we can focus on the present moment while we engage in dreaming.