Student and Teacher

Together on the Path

We all have experienced difficulties sleeping. Some nights can even be troubling and restless. What is it that makes for a good sleep? How can we begin to think of doing dream or sleep yoga if we are finding it hard to rest and sleep well? In this excerpt from Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's book, The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, Rinpoche points to the importance of preparing for sleep and how healing sleep can be.

The average person, not knowing the principles of meditation, carries the stress, emotions, thoughts and confusions of the day into the night. For such a person there is no particular practice or time set aside for processing the day or calming down before entering sleep. Instead, sleep comes in the midst of distraction, and negativities are held in the mind throughout the night. When dream arises from those negativities, there is no stability in presence and the individual is carried away by the images and confusions of the dream world. The body remains tense with anxiety, or heavy with sadness, and the prana in the body is rough and uneven as the mind darts here and there. Sleep is disturbed, dreams are stressful or merely a pleasant escape, and the sleeper wakes tired and unrested in the morning, often continuing through the day in a negative state.

Even for one who does not practice dream or sleep yogas, it is beneficial to prepare for sleep, to take it seriously. Purifying the mind as much as possible before sleep, just as before meditating, generates more presence and positive qualities. Rather than carrying negative emotions into the night, use whatever skills you have to free yourself from such emotions. If you know how to allow the emotion to self-liberate, to dissolve into emptiness, do so. If you know how to transform it or provide the antidote, then use that knowledge. Try to connect with the lama, yidam, and dakini; pray to the Buddhas and deities; generate compassion. Do what you can to rid yourself of tension in the body and negative attitudes in the mind. Free of disturbance, with a light and easy mind, you will experience a sleep that is more restful and healing. Even if there is an inability to do the rest of the practices, this practice is something positive that everyone can incorporate into daily life.

The upcoming annual Fall Retreat and Serenity Ridge Dialogues will focus on Dream Yoga and Lucid Dreaming with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Andrew Holocek, Gabriella Torres-Platas and Yangdron Kalsang on October 17-22 to be held in person and on Zoom. Learn more/register