I have been fascinated with sleep study, especially dreams, for many years. So when this 6 CD set arrived in my mailbox, I was eager to get started, yet I was cautious, because most dream yoga material I had purchased over the years was less than stellar. This was not the case with Dream Yoga, which were everything I had hoped for in a learning series on dreams, lucid dreaming, clear light dreaming, dream induction, and seeking the path of enlightenment through our natural dream states.
The first two CDs are an introduction to the concept of Tibetan dream yoga. Holocek explains what it is in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, how it works, and how the practitioner can begin the path quickly and easily. Clearly articulated, Holocek explains topics such as lucid dreaming, clear light, illusionary body, dream induction and how controlling one’s dreams as a preparatory practice for death, in a precise very easy to understand manner. He then explains how, through the exercises he outlines in the other CD’s, how to accomplish this.
One of the most interesting exercises Holocek mentions in the preliminary practices is stopping during the day and asking yourself if what you are experiencing is real or a dream. The reason for this is to prepare the subconscious mind to ask that question during the dream phase of sleep. Once a practitioner can do this, the easier it is to realize dream lucidity, and thereby be able to control one’s dreaming mind.
Another thing I like a great deal about Holocek’s work is that he does not leave the subject of dreams strictly in the sphere of the spiritual, but backs up a lot of his information with science. He covers such topics as REM sleep and sleep paralysis, for example.
The other discs are reserved for exercises designed to help the practitioner become more aware of their sleep patterns, their dream cycles, enhance lucidity and be able to see the clear light mind. He also covers topics like Beginning Buddhism, the difference between dream yoga and lucid dreaming and illusionary body practices.
These CD’s are packed with information and the seeker will want to grab a notepad and pen and take notes during the sessions. Further, in order to get the most out of this course, I highly recommend listening to these teachings many times in order to fully understand the instructions and gain in proficiency.
The only thing that could possibly make this set of audios even better is if the set came with a workbook so the student could fully engage in the learning process.
Highly Recommended.
~review by Patricia Snodgrass
Artist: Andrew Holocek
Audio Learning Course, 6 CD set
Sounds True Publishing, 2013
$46.87
http://www.soundstrue.com/shop/Dream-Yoga/4444.pd
