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Sandra Ingerman on Shamanic Healing: Working with Spir...
Shamanic healing isn’t reserved for a select few or for the distant past. It’s a living, breathing practice that continues to offer guidance in how we heal, relate, and show up both for ourselves and for the world around us. More people are turning inward, seeking tools that reconnect them to their inner wisdom and to something greater than themselves. Working with spiritual light, as Sandra Ingerman teaches, offers one of the most direct and compassionate ways to begin that process. It’s not about fixing what’s wrong. It’s about remembering what’s whole.
At Sounds True, we’ve spent decades bringing forward wisdom that honors the whole human experience, mind, body, and spirit. Sandra Ingerman’s teachings have been part of that journey for many years. Her grounded, heart-led approach to shamanism offers not only insight but real transformation, and we’re honored to make her work available to those ready to step into their own spiritual path.
In this piece, we’ll be discussing Sandra Ingerman’s approach to shamanic healing, the role of spiritual light, and how these practices can help us reconnect, remember, and radiate healing in a modern world.
Key Takeaways:
- Spiritual Light Healing: Sandra teaches that we already carry healing light within us, the practice is about remembering and radiating it.
- Modern Shamanism: Her approach blends timeless wisdom with grounded tools suitable for daily life without cultural appropriation.
- Collective Transformation: Personal healing becomes a way to support wider energetic shifts in the world through presence and intention.
Who Is Sandra Ingerman?
Sandra Ingerman is a respected voice in modern shamanism, known for her grounded and accessible teachings that bridge ancient spiritual practices with everyday life. With decades of experience as a licensed therapist and shamanic practitioner, Sandra has helped bring the wisdom of indigenous healing into contemporary consciousness, without appropriation but with deep respect for its roots.
Her work centers on spiritual light, soul retrieval, transfiguration, and the power of intention. Through her teachings, she encourages people to reconnect with their innate ability to heal, not only themselves but also the world around them. Sandra’s path is not about seeking something outside of ourselves; it’s about remembering what already lives within.
What Is Shamanic Healing?
Shamanic healing is a spiritual practice rooted in the understanding that everything is interconnected: people, nature, spirit, and energy. Rather than focusing solely on symptoms, shamanic healing examines deeper spiritual imbalances that may contribute to emotional, physical, or energetic disharmony.
Traditionally, shamans act as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual realms. They journey into unseen worlds to receive guidance, retrieve lost parts of the soul, or bring healing energies back for individuals or communities. Sandra Ingerman teaches that anyone can learn to engage with these practices respectfully and ethically, especially when guided by clear intention and heart-centered presence.
At its core, shamanic healing invites us to remember that we are not separate from the Earth or from spirit. Healing comes through reconnection, not control.
The Role Of Spiritual Light In Healing
Sandra Ingerman speaks often about the healing power of spiritual light, not as a concept, but as a living energy that flows through each of us. Her approach reframes how we relate to pain, illness, and even the world itself. Rather than searching for what’s broken, she teaches us to return to what is already whole within us:
Remembering The Light Within
Sandra reminds us that spiritual light isn’t something we have to search for, it’s something we are. This inner radiance can be dimmed by life experiences, but it is never lost. By turning inward with intention and trust, we begin to reconnect with this light and allow it to guide our healing journey.
Radiating Light Instead Of “Fixing” Ourselves
Much of modern healing is focused on identifying and fixing problems. Sandra encourages a different path: to radiate light from within rather than constantly seeking to correct or cleanse something. This doesn’t deny our pain. It transforms how we hold it.
Healing Through Presence, Not Force
Spiritual light heals by holding space, not by pushing or fixing. It moves in harmony with love, stillness, and presence. Sandra often speaks of how this gentle light knows where to go, what to touch, and when to soften all without needing to control the process.
Shamanic Transformation In A Modern World
Modern life often pulls us away from deeper connection: to ourselves, to nature, and to spirit. Sandra Ingerman offers a perspective that shamanic transformation isn’t about escaping this world, but about meeting it more fully with presence and spiritual responsibility.
Bringing Ancient Wisdom Into Everyday Life
Sandra emphasizes that shamanism is not locked in the past. Its principles, connection, compassion, and intention are deeply relevant today. Whether you live in a city or closer to nature, these teachings can be woven into daily life through simple practices that restore balance and presence.
Inner Change As A Catalyst For Collective Healing
Transformation begins within. Sandra teaches that when we shift our consciousness by engaging with spiritual light or retrieving lost soul parts, the impact extends beyond the personal. Even subtle changes in energy and awareness ripple out into the collective field, influencing relationships, communities, and ecosystems.
Staying Rooted In Spirit Amid Global Challenges
In times of uncertainty, shamanic tools offer grounding rather than escape. Sandra encourages practitioners to return to the breath, to the Earth, and to the wisdom of helping spirits. Not to bypass reality, but to meet it with more resilience and heart.
Working With Spiritual Light: Sandra’s Approach
Sandra Ingerman’s approach to working with spiritual light is both simple and profound. It doesn’t rely on complex rituals or elaborate tools. Instead, it invites us into a direct relationship with the light that lives within and the clarity it can bring to the healing path.
Intention Is Everything
Sandra often says that intention shapes the entire experience. Whether you’re on a journey, engaged in a visualization, or simply sitting in silence, what matters most is the clarity and sincerity of your intent. This anchors the work and invites the support of spiritual allies.
Transfiguration As A Pathway
One of Sandra’s core teachings is transfiguration, a practice in which you become a vessel of divine light. Rather than sending healing outward, you embody light itself and allow it to emanate through you. The practice is not about doing, but about being.
This teaching is the foundation of her course Shamanic Transfiguration, which guides students through this process step-by-step, helping them experience transformation through presence rather than effort.
Healing Without Judgment
In working with spiritual light, Sandra emphasizes non-judgment. The light doesn’t label something as wrong or broken. It simply shines. From this perspective, healing becomes less about fixing and more about allowing, which opens space for genuine change.
Shifting Collective Energy Through Inner Work
Sandra Ingerman often reminds us that our personal healing is never just personal. Every shift we make within ourselves, even quietly in private, contributes to the energetic fabric of the world. Through her teachings, she encourages us to recognize the deep ripple effect of inner work.
The Earth Feels What We Carry
One of Sandra’s long-standing teachings is that the Earth responds to our energy, not just our actions. When we carry unresolved anger, despair, or fear, it’s not only our bodies and minds that feel it. The Earth does, too. Inner transformation is a way of offering something cleaner and more coherent back to the collective field.
Radiating Healing Into The World
Instead of sending out solutions or trying to control outcomes, Sandra teaches that we can sit in stillness and radiate light. From this place, we offer an energetic frequency that supports harmony without attachment or force. Her course, The Power of Shamanism touches on this beautifully, guiding participants into a deeper relationship with the unseen support around and within them.
The Role Of Community Consciousness
Sandra also speaks about the importance of collective intention. When groups gather, even virtually, to hold the vision of spiritual light, the effects can be profound. This is not about imposing beliefs, but about co-creating an energetic field that supports healing on a larger scale.
Experiencing The Teachings Firsthand
Sandra Ingerman’s work is meant to be experienced, not just understood. Her teachings are rooted in practice: direct, embodied, and personal. For those feeling called to walk this path, there are accessible ways to begin.
Starting With The Basics Of Journeying
One of the most foundational tools Sandra offers is shamanic journeying, entering non-ordinary states of consciousness to receive guidance and healing. Her program, The Beginner’s Guide to Shamanic Journeying, offers clear instruction on how to begin this sacred work, even if you’re completely new to the practice.
Returning Lost Parts of the Self
Another core area of Sandra’s work is soul retrieval, the gentle process of inviting back parts of ourselves that may have become disconnected through stress, trauma, or loss. The Soul Retrieval Journey offers a guided path through this process, helping us return to wholeness with care and respect.
Letting The Work Change You
These practices aren’t quick fixes. They unfold over time and often in quiet ways. Sandra teaches that consistent, heart-led engagement with the spiritual realms will change how you relate to life, not through force, but through deep, subtle shifts in perception and presence.
Sandra Ingerman’s teachings offer more than techniques; they offer a way of being. Rooted in ancient wisdom and brought to life with modern clarity, her work reminds us that healing doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes, it’s as simple and powerful as sitting in stillness, remembering who we are, and letting our inner light shine.
Whether through journeying, transfiguration, or soul retrieval, Sandra invites us into a relationship with the unseen. Not to escape the world, but to show up in it with more heart, more presence, and more integrity.
Final Thoughts
Sandra Ingerman’s teachings offer more than techniques; they offer a way of being. Rooted in ancient wisdom and brought to life with modern clarity, her work reminds us that healing doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes, it’s as simple and powerful as sitting in stillness, remembering who we are, and letting our inner light shine.
Whether through journeying, transfiguration, or soul retrieval, Sandra invites us into a relationship with the unseen. Not to escape the world, but to show up in it with more heart, more presence, and more integrity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sandra Ingerman
What sets Sandra Ingerman’s work apart from other modern shamanic teachers?
Sandra brings a unique blend of psychological training and deep spiritual practice, allowing her to teach shamanism in a way that’s accessible, trauma-aware, and rooted in ethical responsibility.
Is Sandra Ingerman affiliated with a specific indigenous tradition?
No, Sandra was trained by Western teachers of core shamanism and does not claim lineage from any one indigenous culture. She emphasizes honoring cultural roots while offering cross-cultural practices respectfully.
Can someone practice spiritual light healing without formal shamanic training?
Yes. Sandra encourages people to connect with spiritual light through simple practices such as visualization, meditation, and holding intention, even without formal journeying.
How does Sandra Ingerman define spiritual illness?
She views spiritual illness as disconnection from spirit, nature, or one’s own inner light. Reconnection, rather than intervention, becomes the central healing path.
Is Sandra Ingerman’s work religious?
No, her teachings are spiritual but not tied to any religion. Her work invites direct experience with spiritual energies, without dogma or doctrine.
Does Sandra Ingerman offer live teachings or only digital courses?
While she has led many live workshops globally, Sandra now primarily offers her teachings through online programs, especially via Sounds True.
What is the role of nature in Sandra Ingerman’s shamanic practice?
Nature is central. Sandra teaches that forming a deep, reciprocal relationship with the Earth and its elements strengthens our connection to spiritual allies and guides.
Can shamanic healing support emotional wellness?
Yes. Sandra often integrates emotional healing into her work by addressing soul loss, energetic fragmentation, and disconnection from inner truth.
Are Sandra Ingerman’s teachings suitable for skeptics or beginners?
Absolutely. Her approach is clear, grounded, and non-dogmatic, making it a safe entry point for those new to spiritual practices.
Does Sandra Ingerman work with plant medicines or psychedelics?
No, Sandra’s work focuses on non-psychoactive practices like journeying, meditation, and transfiguration. She does not incorporate plant medicine into her teachings.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She is the author of six books, including Skill in Action and Finding Refuge. Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the coauthor of The Facilitator’s Guide for White Affinity Groups. For more, visit https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive.
Brené Brown on Vulnerability: Why It’s Your Gre...
Vulnerability is often misunderstood. Many of us were taught to associate it with weakness, as if showing emotion or uncertainty somehow discredits our strength. But the truth is, some of our most meaningful human experiences, love, trust, connection, and creativity can’t exist without it. Vulnerability isn’t a flaw to fix. It’s the starting place for everything that gives life depth.
At Sounds True, we’ve spent decades creating teachings that support emotional wellness, spiritual depth, and authentic living. Our programs are rooted in the belief that transformation happens when we meet life as it is, with honesty and heart. We’re proud to collaborate with voices like Brené Brown, whose work opens the door to wholehearted conversations about what it means to be human.
In this piece, we’ll discuss Brené Brown’s insights into vulnerability, why it’s not only necessary but also one of the greatest strengths we can bring to our lives and relationships.
Key Takeaways:
- Vulnerability Is Courage: Choosing vulnerability means facing emotional risk, not weakness. It is the foundation of authentic strength.
- Connection Needs Openness: True connection requires emotional honesty, not perfection or control. Vulnerability builds trust and belonging.
- Daily Practice Matters: Small, intentional acts of honesty and self-compassion help make vulnerability a sustainable part of everyday life.
What Brené Brown Teaches Us About Vulnerability
For many of us, vulnerability feels like exposure to something to avoid, something unsafe. But Brené Brown offers a different lens. Through her research and teaching, she reveals that vulnerability is the birthplace of courage, creativity, belonging, and love. It’s not a flaw to be hidden. It’s the very fabric of human connection.
Rather than defining vulnerability as weakness, Brené invites us to see it as uncertainty, risk, and emotional openness. These aren’t liabilities. They are the core of what it means to show up fully in our lives. Whether it’s sharing a hard truth, asking for help, or allowing ourselves to be truly seen, she reminds us that vulnerability is the measure of real courage.
In her programs with Sounds True, including The Power of Vulnerability, Brené breaks down years of research into stories and insights that are as relatable as they are transformative. What emerges is a message that stays with you: vulnerability isn’t something we need to fix. It’s something we can honor.
Why Vulnerability Is A Sign of Strength, Not Weakness
Vulnerability often carries a false reputation. We’re taught to hide it, control it, or overcome it, but Brené Brown reminds us that the willingness to be vulnerable is not a weakness to correct, but a strength to live by. Here’s why it holds such power:
It Takes Strength To Show Up Without Certainty
There’s nothing easy about stepping into the unknown. Whether we’re starting something new, speaking our truth, or navigating conflict, we rarely have a guaranteed outcome. Choosing to show up anyway, that’s strength.
Authenticity Is Braver Than Perfectionism
Pretending to have it all together is a defense. Authenticity is a decision. It’s vulnerable to say “this is who I really am,” and that act of truth-telling builds resilience, not fragility.
Emotional Openness Builds Inner Resilience
Brené teaches that emotional exposure isn’t the opposite of strength. It’s the training ground for it. Each time we allow ourselves to feel, to share, or to ask for support, we build a deeper kind of courage.
Letting Go Of The Armor Creates Deeper Connection
When we drop the need to appear invulnerable, we invite others to do the same. This is where true connection begins. Vulnerability becomes the bridge, not just to others, but to ourselves.
The Courage To Be Vulnerable In Everyday Life
Vulnerability isn’t reserved for big life events or dramatic turning points. It lives in the everyday, in the small, honest moments where we choose to be real instead of safe. Brené Brown reminds us that courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes, it simply sounds like telling the truth, setting a boundary, or asking for help. Here’s how it shows up in daily life:
Speaking Honestly, Even When It’s Uncomfortable
Whether it’s a difficult conversation with a partner or sharing feedback at work, honesty often comes with risk. Vulnerability means saying what’s true, even when it might not land perfectly. Trust that honesty creates space for growth.
Letting Others See The Real You
We all carry parts of ourselves we’d rather keep hidden. Choosing to share your true feelings, stories, or struggles takes courage. It opens the door to deeper connection and trust.
Asking For Support Without Shame
One of the most human things we can do is need each other. Still, many of us hesitate to ask for help, fearing judgment or rejection. Brené’s work encourages us to see asking not as weakness, but as brave, wholehearted living.
Saying No To What Doesn’t Feel Right
Boundaries are an act of vulnerability, too. They require clarity, honesty, and a willingness to disappoint others in order to stay aligned with ourselves. It’s not always easy. But it is courageous.
How Embracing Vulnerability Deepens Connection
At the heart of every meaningful relationship is one simple truth: connection requires openness. When we allow ourselves to be seen, truly seen, we create the conditions for intimacy, trust, and belonging. Brené Brown’s research points to vulnerability as the key ingredient in relationships that feel real, grounded, and lasting. Here’s why:
- We Build Trust by Letting Others In: Trust isn’t built through perfection. It’s built in moments of mutual openness. When we’re honest about our fears, hopes, or boundaries, we give others permission to meet us with the same level of care and honesty.
- Vulnerability Makes Empathy Possible: When someone shares a raw, human moment with us, we don’t respond with solutions. We respond with presence. That space for empathy can only exist when we stop hiding behind a polished version of ourselves.
- Belonging Grows Where Masks Come Off:True belonging isn’t about fitting in. It’s about being accepted as you are. And that can only happen when we’re willing to show who we really are. Vulnerability invites that kind of acceptance.
- Relationships Thrive on Emotional Honesty: Whether it’s with a partner, friend, colleague, or family member, emotional honesty strengthens the fabric of connection. It helps us repair misunderstandings, express needs clearly, and stay grounded in compassion.
The Role Of Self-Compassion In Vulnerability
Being vulnerable with others begins with how we relate to ourselves. Without self-compassion, vulnerability can feel unbearable. Like opening a door without any sense of safety on the other side. Brené Brown often highlights that we cannot offer ourselves to the world authentically if we’re busy beating ourselves up inside. Here’s how self-compassion supports the courage to be vulnerable:
Self-Kindness Softens The Fear Of Judgment
When we’re harsh with ourselves, we naturally fear that others will be, too. Practicing self-kindness allows us to face vulnerability without bracing for shame or criticism. It builds the internal safety to take emotional risks.
Awareness Without Harshness Builds Resilience
Self-compassion isn’t about ignoring our flaws. It’s about seeing ourselves clearly, but with warmth. This kind of mindful awareness strengthens us from the inside and helps us stay open even when things feel shaky.
Letting Go Of Perfectionism Starts With Self-Acceptance
We often armor up with perfectionism to avoid being seen as “not enough.” But the more we accept ourselves as we are, the less we need that armor. Self-compassion clears the way for more honest, human moments.
Our Inner Dialogue Shapes Our Outer Courage
What we say to ourselves matters. When our internal voice is critical, we shrink. When it’s gentle, we grow. Brené speaks to this often in The Power of Self-Compassion, inviting us to cultivate a relationship with ourselves that supports our vulnerability.
Bringing Vulnerability Into Your Own Practice
Vulnerability isn’t a one-time act. It’s a daily choice to live with openness, even when it’s uncomfortable. It shows up differently for everyone, but the practice begins the same way: with intention. Brené Brown encourages us to turn toward our lives with more presence, honesty, and willingness to be seen. Here are a few ways that might look:
- Start by Noticing Where You Hold Back: Awareness is the first step. Pay attention to the places where you avoid speaking up, asking for help, or showing emotion. Those quiet pullbacks often signal moments when vulnerability seeks a voice.
- Practice Small Acts of Emotional Honesty: You don’t have to make sweeping changes. Try sharing how you’re feeling with someone you trust, or saying no to something that doesn’t align with you. These small, everyday choices build your capacity for wholehearted living.
- Let Vulnerability Be Part of Your Spiritual Life: In Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice, Brené explores how spiritual growth and emotional honesty go hand in hand. Your inner work deepens when you stop trying to appear invulnerable and start showing up as you are.
- Remember That Vulnerability Is a Process: This is a practice, not a performance. Some days you’ll feel brave. Other days, you might want to retreat. That’s okay. Keep coming back to the intention to live more openly, gently, and honestly.
Learn More Through Brené’s Courses
Brené Brown’s teachings offer more than insights. They offer tools for living. If you’re ready to explore vulnerability not just as an idea but as a lived experience, her digital courses with Sounds True are a meaningful place to begin. Each program is rooted in research and delivered with the honesty and heart that make her work so resonant.
In The Power of Vulnerability, you’ll hear six sessions of Brené’s most essential teachings, filled with stories and guidance that bring the research to life.
Courage and Vulnerability invites you to walk the path of openness with greater clarity and compassion, an experiential course that supports real change.
If you’re working on how you treat yourself while you open up to others, The Power of Self-Compassion can be a gentle but transformative companion.
And for those who want to go deeper spiritually, Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice offers a grounded way to explore healing, courage, and emotional honesty from within.
Each course is an invitation. Not to be perfect, but to be present.
Final Thoughts
Vulnerability isn’t about spilling everything or being unguarded with everyone. It’s about choosing to show up honestly, on purpose, and with heart. As Brené Brown reminds us, vulnerability is where our courage lives. It’s not the easy way. But it’s the real one.
Living this way doesn’t mean we won’t get hurt. It means we’re willing to be alive, to love, to try, and to keep going. And in that willingness, there is strength. Not loud or flashy, but steady, grounded, and deeply human.
At Sounds True, we hold space for that kind of living. Not perfect. But present. Not polished. But wholehearted.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brené Brown Vulnerability
What does Brené Brown say is the biggest myth about vulnerability?
She identifies the biggest myth as the idea that vulnerability equals weakness. Instead, she emphasizes that vulnerability is the most accurate measure of courage.
Is vulnerability always appropriate in every situation?
Brené notes that vulnerability involves boundaries. It’s not about oversharing or being emotionally unfiltered with everyone, but about being open with people who’ve earned your trust.
How does Brené Brown define vulnerability?
She defines it as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure, the willingness to show up and be seen even when there are no guarantees.
Does Brené Brown connect vulnerability with leadership?
Yes. She teaches that courageous leadership requires vulnerability. Leaders who embrace emotional honesty create environments where innovation and trust thrive.
What role does shame play in preventing vulnerability?
According to Brené, shame is a major barrier. It tells us we’re not worthy of connection, which keeps us silent and hidden. Naming and understanding shame helps us move through it.
Can vulnerability be practiced without talking about emotions?
Not really. Vulnerability often involves acknowledging emotions, even if they’re not discussed in detail. Emotional awareness is a part of wholehearted living.
How does vulnerability relate to creativity and innovation?
Brené explains that without vulnerability, there is no creativity. Trying something new always carries risk, and vulnerability is what allows us to take those creative leaps.
What practices help build vulnerability over time?
She recommends daily self-reflection, self-compassion, and building trust in small ways. These help develop the muscle to stay open over time.
Is vulnerability the same as transparency?
Not exactly. Transparency is sharing information. Vulnerability is about emotional risk. You can be transparent without being vulnerable, and vice versa.
Why does Brené Brown say vulnerability is essential to connection?
Because connection requires authenticity. Without vulnerability, relationships stay on the surface. Real connection happens when we let people see who we truly are.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She is the author of six books, including Skill in Action and Finding Refuge. Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the coauthor of The Facilitator’s Guide for White Affinity Groups. For more, visit https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive.
Dream Yoga: The Tibetan Path to Awakening Through Drea...
Dreams are more than just fleeting images from the unconscious. For centuries, Tibetan traditions have understood that what happens during sleep holds real potential for inner transformation. When we bring awareness into the dream state, we begin to see that the mind doesn’t rest just because the body does. This space normally lost to unconsciousness can become a place of deep clarity, emotional insight, and even awakening. Dream yoga shows us how.
At Sounds True, we’ve spent decades sharing wisdom teachings that help people connect more deeply with themselves and the world. Our digital learning programs feature trusted voices in meditation, mindfulness, spiritual practice, and embodiment. We partner with teachers who live what they teach, offering guidance that is both grounded and transformative.
In this piece, we’ll discuss dream yoga, its roots in Tibetan Buddhism, and how the dream state can become a powerful path for spiritual practice, one night at a time.
Key Takeaways:
- Practice Approach: Dream yoga uses nighttime awareness to support personal insight, not entertainment or dream control.
- Tradition: Rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, dream yoga is a serious spiritual practice that integrates dreaming and waking life.
- Accessible Tools: Anyone can start with simple techniques such as intention-setting, mindfulness, and guided instruction.
What Is Dream Yoga?
Dream Yoga is a Tibetan Buddhist practice that uses the dream state as a platform for spiritual awakening. It’s not about controlling your dreams or chasing fantasy. Instead, it invites you to bring conscious awareness into your dreaming experience, to recognize the dream as a dream while it’s happening.
Rooted in the ancient teachings of the Bön and Nyingma traditions, dream yoga is part of a larger system of “night practices” that also includes sleep yoga. Where many forms of meditation are anchored in stillness during the day, dream yoga extends that mindfulness into the night. In essence, your sleep hours are just as valuable for practice as your waking hours.
At its heart, dream yoga is about recognizing that all experiences, even waking ones, are like dreams: fleeting, insubstantial, and dependent on the mind. By working directly with the dream state, practitioners develop deep insight into the nature of reality and the habits of the self.
How Tibetan Dream Practice Guides Awareness At Night
Tibetan dream practices are not about escaping the world but deepening how we relate to it, even in sleep. These techniques offer a way to cultivate presence in the dream state, creating a bridge between meditation, sleep, and spiritual insight. Here’s how this ancient path guides awareness at night:
Building Awareness During The Day
Lucid dreaming doesn’t start at night; it begins with mindfulness in waking life. Tibetan teachings emphasize that the more aware we are during the day, the more likely we are to recognize when we’re dreaming. Practicing presence moment to moment becomes a form of preparation for nighttime awareness.
Intention-Setting Before Sleep
Before falling asleep, practitioners often set a clear, heartfelt intention to recognize the dream state. This isn’t a rigid command but a gentle commitment. Over time, this mental imprint conditions the mind to notice the subtle shift into dreaming.
Using Visualization And Subtle Body Practices
Some lineages incorporate visualizations of light or deities before sleep, along with subtle breathwork. These methods calm the nervous system and align the subtle body, making it easier to carry awareness into the dream. They also prime the practitioner to stay present as the physical body rests.
Lucidity As A Tool For Insight
In dream yoga, becoming lucid is just the beginning. Once you’re aware within a dream, the practice shifts to observing how thoughts, fears, and attachments arise. The dream becomes a mirror, revealing inner patterns that often remain hidden during the day.
Lucid Dreaming In Buddhism: Beyond Entertainment
Lucid dreaming is often portrayed as a playground for the mind: flying, shape-shifting, rewriting the story. In Tibetan Buddhism, however, lucidity is treated with more depth. It’s a method for cultivating wisdom and compassion, not just personal adventure.
Waking Up Within The Dream
In Buddhist dream yoga, lucidity is defined not simply by knowing you’re dreaming, but by using that awareness to wake up more fully, to recognize the impermanence and dreamlike quality of all experience. This shift reveals that what feels solid is actually fluid, shaped by perception.
Observing The Mind Without Distraction
When lucid, you’re placed in a unique position: the senses are quiet, the body is asleep, and the mind is fully active. It’s a rare window to observe mental habits, fear, craving, and grasping without external distraction. Practicing mindfulness here helps loosen the grip of those habits in waking life.
Practicing Compassion Within The Dream
Some advanced practitioners use lucid dreams as a space to cultivate compassion. By intentionally helping dream characters or practicing loving-kindness, they reinforce these qualities in daily life. The dream becomes a rehearsal for how we want to show up in the world.
Dreams As A Path To Enlightenment
In Tibetan Buddhism, dreams aren’t just mental byproducts of sleep; they’re considered a legitimate path to awakening. When approached with awareness, the dream state becomes a direct mirror for emptiness, interdependence, and the illusory nature of the self.
Seeing The Dreamlike Nature Of Reality
One of the core teachings in Buddhism is that all phenomena are empty of fixed identity. Dreams give us a firsthand experience of this truth. When we realize we’re dreaming, we also realize how easily the mind constructs entire worlds, just like it does during the day.
Dissolving The Sense Of A Solid Self
In lucid dreams, the usual boundaries of identity soften. You might shift forms, speak with aspects of yourself, or interact with people who represent parts of your inner life. These encounters help break down the fixed idea of “me,” pointing instead to a more fluid, interconnected experience of being.
Practicing Non-Attachment In The Dream State
Because dreams are so vivid yet intangible, they offer a natural training ground for non-attachment. You can enjoy the beauty of the dream without clinging to it. You can face fear without being trapped by it. This balance, of presence without grasping, is at the heart of the Buddhist path.
Night Yoga: Transforming Sleep Into Spiritual Practice
Night yoga invites us to turn something we do every day, sleep, into a space for deep inner work. In Tibetan traditions, the boundary between day and night dissolves. Sleep becomes not a pause in practice, but a continuation of it.
What Is Night Yoga?
Night yoga refers to integrating practices like dream yoga and sleep yoga into the hours of rest. Instead of drifting into unconsciousness, the practitioner maintains a thread of awareness. This may happen during dreaming, or in deeper states of sleep where even the dream dissolves.
The Continuity Of Consciousness
In daily life, we tend to think of sleep as the “off” switch for awareness. But night yoga challenges that view. With training, practitioners begin to experience a continuity of consciousness, one that gently carries through all states: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
Bringing Gentleness Into The Dark
Night yoga isn’t about force or control. It’s a subtle, heart-centered practice rooted in curiosity and compassion. Even the effort to become more aware at night begins with kindness toward yourself, your patterns, and whatever the night reveals.
Learning Dream Yoga With Sounds True
For those feeling called to explore dream yoga more deeply, Sounds True offers trusted digital programs taught by seasoned practitioners who walk this path with sincerity and depth. These offerings make the wisdom of Tibetan dream practice accessible, even if you’re just beginning.
One of the most comprehensive introductions is Dream Yoga by Andrew Holecek, which lays out the foundational principles and guided techniques for bringing awareness into the dream state. His follow-up course, Dreams of Light, goes deeper into the more advanced stages of the practice, including sleep yoga and the luminosity of awareness itself.
If you’re starting from the basics, Buddhist Meditation for Beginners offers grounding practices that support mindfulness, an essential preparation for any night practice. And for cultivating lucidity itself, The Lucid Dreaming Training Program provides step-by-step instruction in becoming aware within dreams.
These programs aren’t just about learning techniques. They are invitations into deeper presence, clearer seeing, and a more compassionate relationship with all states of being.
Final Thoughts
Dream yoga isn’t reserved for advanced meditators or monastics. It’s a living tradition available to anyone willing to meet their inner world with curiosity and care. By turning inward at night, we begin to see how the mind creates not only our dreams but also our waking reality.
Tibetan dream practice reminds us: awareness doesn’t need to sleep when we do. With patience, intention, and a gentle approach, the dream state can become a space of insight, healing, and spiritual growth. Whether you’re just beginning or already exploring lucid dreaming, each night offers an opportunity to wake up a little more, both in your dreams and in your life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dream Yoga
What’s the difference between dream yoga and lucid dreaming?
While lucid dreaming focuses on becoming aware within a dream, dream yoga goes further by using that awareness for spiritual development, insight, and inner transformation.
Can anyone practice dream yoga, or is it only for advanced meditators?
Anyone can begin dream yoga. While having some meditation experience helps, the practice starts with simple awareness and intention that anyone can build over time.
Does dream yoga require belief in Buddhism?
Not at all. Dream yoga originates in Tibetan Buddhism, but its core practices, such as mindfulness in dream,s can benefit people of any belief system.
How long does it take to experience lucidity in dream yoga?
It varies. Some may gain lucidity within days, while for others it may take weeks or longer. Regular practice, consistency, and patience are key.
Can dream yoga help with nightmares or recurring dreams?
Yes. By becoming aware during the dream, practitioners can respond more skillfully to difficult dream content and begin to shift recurring patterns.
Is dream yoga practiced during deep sleep or just in dreams?
Dream yoga focuses on the REM dream state, while a related practice, sleep yoga, engages with deep sleep awareness. Both are part of the Tibetan night teachings.
Do I need special rituals or objects to begin dream yoga?
No special tools are required. While some traditions include visualizations or symbols, the practice begins simply with your own awareness and intention.
Can dream yoga improve sleep quality?
It can, especially as it brings more calm and clarity to the mind before sleep. However, it’s not a replacement for addressing underlying sleep issues if they exist.
Is dream yoga the same as astral projection or out-of-body experiences?
They are different. Dream yoga focuses on conscious dreaming and inner awareness, not leaving the body or entering separate realms.
Can children or teens practice dream yoga?
Yes, in age-appropriate ways. Teaching young people how to gently observe and reflect on their dreams can support emotional and spiritual growth.
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She is the author of six books, including Skill in Action and Finding Refuge. Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the coauthor of The Facilitator’s Guide for White Affinity Groups. For more, visit https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive.
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Life After Awakening, with Adyashanti
Friends, I wanted to share with you a free chapter from Adyashanti‘s inspiring (and very provocative) book The End of Your World: Uncensored Straight Talk on the Nature of Enlightenment.
More and more people are waking up spiritually. And for many of them, the question becomes: Now what? “Information about life after awakening is usually not made public,” explains Adya. “It’s most often shared only between teachers and their students.” The End of Your World is his response to a growing need for direction on the spiritual path. Consider this Adya’s personal welcome to “a new world.”
Here is the excerpt, entitled “Exploring Life After Awakening.”
There’s a phenomenon happening in the world today. More and more people are waking up—having real, authentic glimpses of reality. By this I mean that people seem to be having moments where they awaken out of their familiar senses of self, and out of their familiar senses of what the world is, into a much greater reality—into some- thing far beyond anything they knew existed.
These experiences of awakening differ from person to person. For some, the awakening is sustained over time, while for others the glimpse is momentary—it may last just a split second. But in that instant, the whole sense of “self ” disap- pears. The way they perceive the world suddenly changes, and they find themselves without any sense of separation between themselves and the rest of the world. It can be likened to the experience of waking up from a dream—a dream you didn’t even know you were in until you were jolted out of it.
In the beginning of my teaching work, most of the people who came to me were seeking these deeper realizations of spirituality. They were seeking to wake up from the limiting and isolated senses of self they had imagined themselves to be. It’s this yearning that underpins all spiritual seeking: to discover for ourselves what we already intuit to be true— that there is more to life than we are currently perceiving.
But as time has passed, more and more people are coming to me who have already had glimpses of this greater reality. It is because of them that I am giving the teachings in this book.
The Dawning of Awakening
This discovery I’m talking about is traditionally referred to as spiritual awakening, because one awakens from the dream of separation created by the egoic mind. We realize—often quite suddenly—that our sense of self, which has been formed and constructed out of our ideas, beliefs, and images, is not really who we are. It doesn’t define us; it has no center. The ego may exist as a series of passing thoughts, beliefs, actions, and reactions, but in and of itself it has no identity. Ultimately all of the images we have about ourselves and the world turn out to be nothing but a resistance to things as they are. What we call ego is simply the mechanism our mind uses to resist life as it is. In that way, ego isn’t a thing as much as it is a verb. It is the resistance to what is. It is the pushing away or pulling toward. This momentum, this grasping and rejecting, is what forms a sense of a self that is distinct, or separate, from the world around us.
But with the dawn of awakening, this outside world begins to collapse. Once we lose our sense of self, it’s as if we have lost the whole world as we knew it. At that moment— whether that moment is just a glimpse or something more sustained—we suddenly realize with incredible clarity that what we truly are is in no way limited to the small sense of self that we thought we were.
Awakening to truth or reality is something that is very hard to talk about because it is transcendent of speech. It is helpful, nevertheless, to work with some sort of a guidepost. The simplest thing one can say about the experiential knowledge of awakening is that it is a shift in one’s perception. This is the heart of awakening. There is a shift in perception from seeing oneself as an isolated individual to seeing oneself, if we have a sense of self at all after this shift, as something much more universal—everything and everyone and every- where at the same time.
This shift is not revolutionary; it’s the same as looking in the mirror in the morning and having an intuitive sense that the face you are looking at is yours. It is not a mystical experience; it is a simple experience. When you look in the mirror, you experience the simple recognition, “Oh, that’s me.” When the shift of perception that’s called awakening happens, whatever our senses come into contact with is experienced as ourselves. It’s as if we think with everything we encounter, “Oh, that’s me.” We don’t experience ourselves in terms of our ego, in terms of a separate someone or separate entity. It’s more a feeling of the One recognizing itself, or Spirit recognizing itself.
Spiritual awakening is a remembering. It is not becoming something that we are not. It is not about transforming ourselves. It is not about changing ourselves. It is a remembering of what we are, as if we’d known it long ago and had simply forgotten. At the moment of this remembering, if the remembering is authentic, it’s not viewed as a personal thing. There is really no such thing as a “personal” awakening, because “personal” would imply separation. “Personal” would imply that it is the “me” or the ego that awakens or becomes enlightened.
But in a true awakening, it is realized very clearly that even the awakening itself is not personal. It is universal Spirit or universal consciousness that wakes up to itself. Rather than the “me” waking up, what we are wakes up from the “me.” What we are wakes up from the seeker. What we are wakes up from the seeking.
The problem with defining awakening is that upon hear- ing each of these descriptions, the mind creates another image, another idea of what this ultimate truth or ultimate reality is all about. As soon as these images are created, our perception is distorted once again. In this way, it’s really impossible to describe the nature of reality, except to say that it’s not what we think it is, and it’s not what we’ve been taught it is. In truth, we are not capable of imagining what it is that we are. Our nature is literally beyond all imagination. What we are is that which is watching—that consciousness which is watching us pretending to be a separate person. Our true nature is continually partaking of all experience, awake to every instant, to each and every moment.
In awakening, what’s revealed to us is that we are not a thing, nor a person, nor even an entity. What we are is that which manifests as all things, as all experiences, as all personalities. We are that which dreams the whole world into existence. Spiritual awakening reveals that that which is unspeakable and unexplainable is actually what we are.
Abiding and Nonabiding Awakening
As I’ve mentioned, this experience of awakening can be just a glimpse, or it can be sustained over time. Now, some would say that if an awakening is momentary, it is not a real awakening. There are those who believe that, with authentic awakening, your perception opens up to the true nature of things and never closes back down again. I can understand this perspective, since ultimately the whole spiritual journey does lead us to a full awakening. Full awakening simply means that we perceive from the perspective of Spirit—from the view of oneness—all the time.
From this awakened perspective, there isn’t any separation anywhere—not in the world, not in the universe, not in all the universes everywhere. The truth is anywhere and everywhere, at all times, in all dimensions, for all beings. It is a truth that is the source of everything that will ever be experienced—in life, after life, in this dimension or any other dimension.
From the perspective of the ultimate, literally every- thing—be it at a higher or lower dimension, here or there, yesterday, today, or tomorrow, everything—is but a manifestation of Spirit. It is Spirit itself that wakes up. So, ultimately, the trajectory every being is on, whether they know it or not, is a trajectory toward full awakening—toward a full knowing, toward a full experiential knowledge of what they are, toward unity, toward oneness.
But the moment of awakening may or may not result in a permanent seeing. As I said, some people will tell you that unless it’s permanent, the awakening is not real. What I’ve seen as a teacher is that the person who has a momentary glimpse beyond the veil of duality and the person who has a permanent, “abiding” realization are seeing and experiencing the same thing. One person experiences it momentarily; another experiences it continually. But what is experienced, if it is true awakening, is the same: all is one; we are not a particular thing or a particular someone that can be located in a particular space; what we are is both nothing and every- thing, simultaneously.
So, as I see it, it doesn’t really matter whether an awakening is instantaneous or continuous. It matters in the sense that there is a trajectory—nobody’s heart will be totally fulfilled until that perceiving from the point of view of truth is continuous—but what is seen is an awakening, whether it is sustained or not.
This glimpse of awakening, which I call nonabiding awakening, is becoming more and more common. It happens for a moment, an afternoon, a day, a week—maybe as long as a month or two. Awareness opens up, the sense of the separate self falls away—and then, like the aperture on a camera lens, awareness closes back down. All of a sudden that person who had previously perceived true nonduality, true oneness, is quite surprisingly now perceiving back in the dualistic “dream state.” In the dream state, we’re back in our conditioned sense of self—in a limited, isolated sense of being.
The good news is that once a moment of this clear seeing has actually taken place, the aperture of our awareness can never completely close down again. It may seem like it has closed down completely, but it never quite does. In the deep- est part of yourself, you don’t ever forget. Even if you’ve only glimpsed reality for a moment, something within you is changed forever.
Reality is nuclear; it’s incredibly powerful. It’s unimaginably potent. People can experience a f lash of reality in the time it takes to snap your fingers, and the energy and the force that enters into them as a result is life altering.
Just one moment of awakening begins the dissolution of one’s false sense of self and, subsequently, the dissolution of one’s whole perception of the world.
Awakening Is Not What You Imagine It to Be
In a very real sense, it is much more accurate to talk about what we lose upon awakening rather than what we gain. We not only lose ourselves—who we thought we were—but we also lose our entire perception of the world. Separation is only a perception; in fact, when it comes to our world, there is nothing but perception. “Your world ” is not your world; it is only your perception. So while it may seem negative at first, I think it’s much more useful to talk about spiritual awakening in terms of what we lose—what we awaken from. This means we’re talking about the dissolution of the image we have of ourselves, and it’s this dismantling of who we thought we were that is so startling when one wakes up.
And it is indeed startling: it’s not what we think it’s going to be like at all. I’ve never had a single student come back and say, “You k now, Adya, I peered through the veil of separation, and it’s pretty much what I thought it would be. It measures up pretty closely to what I’ve been told.” Usually they come back and say, “This is nothing like what I imagined.”
This is especially interesting since many of the people I teach have been studying spirituality for many years, and they often have very intricate ideas about what awakening is going to be like. But when it happens, it is always different from their expectations. In many ways, it is grander, but also in many ways, it is simpler. In truth, if it is to be true and real, awakening must be different from what we imagine it to be. This is because all of our imaginings about awakening are happening within the paradigm of the dream state. It is not possible to imagine something outside of the dream state when our consciousness is still within it.
How Does Your Life Change after Awakening ?
With awakening there also comes a total reorganization of the way we perceive life—or at least the beginning of a reorganization. This is because awakening itself, while beautiful and amazing, often brings with it a sense of disorientation. Even though you as the One have awakened, there is still your whole human structure—your body, your mind, and your personality. Awakening can often be experienced as very disorienting to this human structure.
So it is the process that happens after awakening that I want to explore. As I’ve said, for a very few people, the moment of awakening will be complete. It will be final in a certain sense, and there will be no need for a continuing process. We might say that such people had an extraordinarily light karmic load; even though they may have experienced extreme suffering before awakening, one can see that their karmic inheritance, the conditioning that they were dealing with, wasn’t too deep. This is very rare. Only a few people in a given generation may wake up in such a way that there’s no further process to undergo.
What I always tell people is this: don’t count on that person being you. Better to count on being like everyone else, which means that you will undergo a process after an initial awakening. It won’t be the end of your journey. What I will attempt to do here is to point you in a direction that may be useful and orienting as you embark on that journey. As my teacher used to say, it’s like getting your foot in the front door. Just because you’ve gotten your foot in the front door doesn’t mean you have turned the lights on; it doesn’t mean you have learned to navigate in that different world that you’ve awakened to.
I’m very happy that this book, which is based on a series of talks I’ve given, offers me the opportunity to address this subject—the question of what happens after awaken- ing. The information that exists on life after awakening is not usually made public. It’s most often shared only between spiritual teachers and their students. The problem with that approach is that, as I’ve said, a lot of people are now having these moments of awakening, and there is very little coher- ent teaching available for them. In that sense, this book is meant to be a welcoming to that new world, that new state of oneness.
Golden Tara to Who Helps Manifest and Fulfill Purpose
Meditating on Golden Tara shifts your sense of identity away from the smaller self that experiences itself as a separate being. When you identify with Tara in meditation and throughout the day, you realize that you are always in relationship with a fantastic, complex universe. Your energy increases because you no longer feel alone. You have Tara’s help, the help of friends, and countless other beings as well.
On the one hand, you are an infinitesimally tiny part of the grand whole. On the other hand, you have a role to play in the continuing creation of this complex universe. As you deepen and stabilize your inner Tara consciousness, your actions are imbued with love and compassion, arising from your understanding that you are an integral part of whatever you seek to change.
Remembering Tara also helps preserve your energies when you encounter unexpected obstacles; her golden light reveals the treasures hidden in the unwelcome stumbling blocks of life. Difficult challenges hold keys to awakening. Tara helps you approach problems as an inherent part of the journey, supporting you as you move toward them to uncover wisdom they might offer. They often provide a wake-up call to send you in a new direction, offering greater clarity about your life purpose.
This inclusive attitude creates more health in your personal ecosystem as well as the universal ecosystem. Ask Golden Tara to transform your challenging emotions into love and to increase your energy for discovering meaning and purpose in your life.
Tara’s Appearance
Golden Tara appears as the life-giving female buddha in a body of radiant golden light. She embodies the light of life itself. The vase in Golden Tara’s hand contains the power to increase our life energy, power, and material and spiritual resources. These resources support us in times of ease and times of difficulty, enabling us to discover and fulfill the purposes of our life on a moment-to-moment basis and over the arc of our lives.
For centuries, artists have created statues and thangka paintings of Tara, always adorned with jewelry. These sacred paintings, usually done on fabric and surrounded by brocade, portray the qualities of their subjects and convey teachings as well. Thus we take special note of Tara’s adornments. A crown rests atop her head. Necklaces of varying lengths cascade from her neck to her waist. Bracelets encircle her wrists. All have been crafted from gold with deep red and blue jewels woven into the designs.
Gold has been the preferred precious metal of jewelry makers for thousands of years. Gold is malleable; gold doesn’t tarnish. Golden light is associated with increasing life-force, healing, and holiness. Holy people of many faiths are often painted in an aura of golden radiance.
Many years ago, I heard a teaching that Tara’s jewels represent her experiences over lifetimes on her way to enlightenment and buddhahood. Profound understanding of the Buddhist teachings and her experiences as a woman led Wisdom Moon to vow to attain enlightenment as a woman and to persevere toward her goal. Tara’s life events were surely difficult and awe-inspiring, ordinary and phenomenal. All of them were precious contributions to her journey, which has benefited countless beings over hundreds of years.
The Mantra
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Sarva Ayur Punye Pushtam Kuru Soha!
“Ohm Tahray Tootahray Tooray Sarwah Ahyoor Poonyay Pushtahm Kooroo Soha!”
When you recite the mantra of Golden Tara, you are urging (kuru) Tara to increase (pushtam) your life energies (ayur) and merit (punye), your contributions to adding positive energy to beings around the world, near and far. Mantra recitations need not be limited to formal practice. Use them throughout the day to slow down and focus on whatever task is at hand.
The Practice
First, visualize the entire mandala of Green Tara emerging into the space in front of you. You are surrounded by your friends, loved ones, and supporters, and she is surrounded by your teachers and all the twenty-one emanations. After the opening prayers, imagine Golden Tara coming into the foreground of the mandala. Recall her praise while visualizing golden rays of light streaming from her heart as well as the golden vase in her right hand, which rests on her right knee, palm open in the gesture of supreme giving.
As you recite her mantra, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Sarva Ayur Punye Pushtam Kuru Soha, imagine that you are absorbing this light and that other beings and other places are receiving the light of Tara as well.
Kuru, which appears in seven of the Tara mantras, carries a particularly bold tone. You’re not meekly asking Tara to help—you’re putting your whole heart and body into this request. “Tara, please do this for me. Remove blockages so more energy flows into my life and work! I’m counting on you!” The same tasks that feel overwhelming in one moment seem entirely possible in the next.
Tara can help you discern the wisdom inherent in the obstacles you encounter in your life and practice. Meditate on the continuity in your life—the joyful moments, the extremely painful moments, and everything in between. Your experiences are not meaningless fragments. Imagine a mosaic forming as you piece the fragments together into a beautiful coherent pattern. Invoke Tara’s wisdom to give you greater clarity about your life purpose and the means to fulfill it.
Recite the mantra at least 21 times or 108 times whenever possible. Then rest in the vibrational field created by your chanting. Allow frustration and doubt to dissolve, releasing energy for healing. You become richer in inner resources, which leads to enriched outer resources as well, both material and spiritual. Affirm your connection to all life forms in the universe. Know that the benefits of your heartfelt wishes and efforts will flow from you into the world.
As you bring the session to a close, visualize Golden Tara receding into her place among the twenty-one emanations. See the whole mandala dissolve into radiant light, which flows into you and merges with your inner light. Dedicate the merit or positive potential generated by the practice to the healing of all beings—with no exceptions.
This is an adapted excerpt from Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha by Dr. Rachael Wooten.
Rachael Wooten, PhD, is a Zürich—trained Jungian analyst and psychologist who has been in private practice as a therapist for more than 40 years. An enthusiastic interfaith activist, she has studied and practiced in Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and indigenous traditions throughout her adult life.
Rachael has been mentored by spiritual teachers such as her Tibetan root guru Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She has taught Tara practices under the authorization of Lodrö Rinpoche for more than 20 years. Rachael has offered Tara workshops through the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and C. G. Jung Society of the Triangle. She currently teaches a monthly Tara meditation group at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. To learn more, visit rachaelwootenauthor.com.
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Black Tara Who Destroys All Negativities
In the fall of 2010, our monthly Tara practice began at sundown at the end of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish new year, 5771. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe. During these ten days, observant practitioners reflect on the past year to repair harm they may have inflicted on friends, family, or members of the greater family of the planet. They apologize to others and seek to do t’shuvah to make amends if possible. People work consciously to repair and let go of past negativity and set intentions for the coming year to prevent further mischief.
Black Tara Who Destroys All Negativities was on the calendar for that night. We appreciated the synchronistic timing of the two events. I noted that Tara protects us from negativity, internal and external, and helps us release the effects of negative energies we’ve encountered or generated. This protection occurs in part from remembering our connection to the Whole—that we are nurtured and contained by a multilayered universe. When we help another, we are helped. If we harm another, we harm ourselves. Perhaps harder to grasp—if we harm ourselves, we harm the whole universe.
The teaching centered around the meaning of the mantra, which refers explicitly to ingrained behaviors operating outside of consciousness that wreak havoc in interpersonal relationships. Negative energies transferred from one individual to another are potent and destructive, and often have lasting effects.
Tara’s Appearance
Black Tara appears with her mouth wide open in a fierce expression. Like all the wrathful emanations, she sits on a fiery sun disc, which rests in the center of her lotus throne. The sun disc replaces the usual soothing moon disc. She holds a black vase, which contains the power to overcome even the most destructive and negative powers. In this aspect, Tara is known as the Destroyer of All Negativities.
The Mantra
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Sarva Vidya Avarana Ye Bhye Phat Soha!
“Ohm Tahray Tootahray Tooray Sarwah Veedyah Ahvahrahnah Yay Bay Peyt Soha!”
This mantra sheds more light on the meaning of the practice, when you might need to use it, and how to align your own intentions with those of Tara. It insists that Tara remove mental obstacles that block insight into your complexes or the emotional forces that obscure your understanding. Avarana refers to the causes underlying negative tendencies in yourself or others. These instincts, imprints, or potencies are ingrained, influencing behavior outside of awareness. They are unconscious, unquestioned, and unprocessed. They have been denied, repressed, or avoided. You or others around you might struggle to bring them to consciousness or have no wish to do that whatsoever.
As with many words in Sanskrit, vidya has multiple meanings depending on the context. Vidya often means “wisdom”; in this instance, it means “intentions,” particularly negative intentions. Bhye phat urges Tara to destroy these obstacles or difficulties!
The mantra asks Tara to overcome the negative intentions of the enemy. Use it when you want her complete protection in order to fully grasp the difficulties in your situation. Watch for signs that you are being infected or possessed by internal negativity, which would be a natural response to the energy coming at you. Don’t be naive about actual outer dangers you might be facing; you have to remove yourself from harmful situations.
The Practice
Visualize the entire mandala of the twenty-one Taras arising out of vast space in front of you. Green Tara appears in the center in her radiant body of green light. Imagine your teachers surrounding her and all her other emanations in the background behind them. Finally, invite your friends and supporters and all beings you wish to receive the blessings of your practice. Recite the preliminary prayers. Then imagine that Black Tara Who Destroys All Negativities moves into the foreground, seated on her lotus throne with a sun disc in the center. She holds a black vase, which contains the power to destroy even the most virulent forces in the universe. See light streaming out of her heart and from her seed syllable Tam (“Tahm”) standing on a moon disc inside the vase. Just as a seed contains the entire essence of the plant it will become, the seed syllable Tam contains the entire essence of Tara’s infinite powers.
If visualizing a Tibetan syllable proves difficult initially, simply visualize light streaming out instead. The light destroys all malice and negativity.
Invite Black Tara to protect you from the negative intentions and actions of others. Set your own intentions to release the shock of the impact of such energies on your body, psyche, and spirit. Ofer Tara all of your dark emotions; ask her to protect you inside and out as you engage with our imperfect world in which aggression and hatred are too easily encountered.
Recite the mantra, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Sarva Vidya Avarana Ye Bhye Phat Soha, at least 21 times or 108 times whenever possible. Then rest in the subtle vibration created by the mantra recitation. Notice the qualities of the energy around you. Remember and be grateful for the inherent goodness in the universe that is continuously giving birth to positive impulses inside of you and other beings in the world.
Black Tara brings you back to the radiant spaciousness at the core of your being. As she dissolves obstacles created by negativity, try to identify the signs of true knowing versus the cynical and damaging commentary of the complex. Learn to distinguish what’s coming from inside, what’s coming at you from outside, and how the two are related. Reach out to the cosmic Mother Protector in the form of Tara. Reach inward to her indwelling presence and open yourself to access wisdom and compassion, which offers the greatest protection no matter the circumstances.
As you bring the meditation to a close, visualize Black Tara receding into the background among all the other emanations. See the light streaming out of the entire mandala and then allow the mandala with all its beings to dissolve into space. The light flows into your body and heart, vivifying and stabilizing the essence of Tara within you, and then disperses into the universe. Dedicate the positive potential of the practice to the healing and awakening of all beings everywhere, with no exceptions.
This is an adapted excerpt from Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha by Dr. Rachael Wooten.
Rachael Wooten, PhD, is a Zürich—trained Jungian analyst and psychologist who has been in private practice as a therapist for more than 40 years. An enthusiastic interfaith activist, she has studied and practiced in Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and indigenous traditions throughout her adult life.
Rachael has been mentored by spiritual teachers such as her Tibetan root guru Lodrö Tulku Rinpoche and Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. She has taught Tara practices under the authorization of Lodrö Rinpoche for more than 20 years. Rachael has offered Tara workshops through the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and C. G. Jung Society of the Triangle. She currently teaches a monthly Tara meditation group at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. To learn more, visit rachaelwootenauthor.com.
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Timeless Classics
5 Neurosculpting Practices for Lasting Brain Change
Incorporating these five best neuroplasticity practices can open the doors to a more graceful, resilient, and lasting experience of change.
The Way of the Feminine to Save the World
You feel special. Sometimes this feels like a curse. Like no one will understand you. Ever. Like you will always be an alien walking among regular humans, pretending to blend in. You have learned to live with this gulf, but what you really crave is community. You long to belong to the human family. To Mother Earth.
Participating in the human condition can be bewildering. It is just not always cozy and easy—rather, it’s humbling at best, downright humiliating when it is not flowing. It can seem so much simpler to ride solo, slaying your own dragons and singing the ballads you wrote about yourself. Collaboration can be tedious, and the prevailing masculine value system may have conditioned you to feel like you are giving away your power when you share it with others.
So what? Give it away. The time of the singular sage bestowing his unique wisdom is over. That was a method devised by the men in charge who sought to regulate wisdom. They taught us to suffer alone in the desert for forty years, collecting our insights in a secret box called “Esoteric Knowledge.” Then, we were supposed to dispense those insights stingily to those who proved themselves worthy by also suffering alone for the requisite forty years in the desert.
It turns out that the world is filled with special beings, grappling our way through the anxiety of solitary conundrums and tasting the occasional reprieve of connection. When you realize this, your body lets out its breath and relaxes. The curse lifts. You come in from the cold. You hold out your cup, and some other special being fills it with sweet, milky tea spiced with fragrant herbs. You drink.
Our way, the way of the feminine, is to find out what everyone is good at and praise them for it and get them to teach it to one another. Maybe you know something about the hidden meaning of the Hebrew letters, or how to build a sustainable home from recycled tires and rammed soil, or loving-kindness meditation. You, the one who knows the Islamic call to prayer, climb this minaret and call us all to prayer. You, the one who knows how to sit quietly at the bedside of the dying, show us the way to bear witness. You, the one who knows how to get us to wake up to the shadow of privilege, please wake us the #*#@ up. It will be chaotic, all this community building, but your cooperation will save the world.
Besides, it will be fun.
I Did a 40-Day Rest Cleanse and Here’s What Happened
For 40 days, I had the most soulful rest. And I did it in the comfort of my own home, with a full-time job, a family, and a social life.
Every day I awoke around 5:30 am and tiptoed to my Rest Cave (set up in a corner of our spare room). I laid on my back on an exercise mat (under my favorite blanket with a sleep mask) and plugged earbuds into my phone. Then I hit play on Karen Brody’s Daring to Rest yoga nidra meditation and let her soothing guidance lull me into a state of deep rest—or as Karen puts it, a return to myself. If you’re not familiar with yoga nidra, it’s a meditative practice for entering one of the deepest states of relaxation imaginable. And you do it lying down.
I’m not a morning person, but getting up to lie down (ironic, right?) was lovely. The stillness of the early morning quickly became my friend.
For the first 15 days, I listened to the Rest Meditation (20 minutes) to shed physical exhaustion, followed by 15 days of the Release Meditation (30 minutes) to let go of limiting beliefs. The last 10 days consist of the Rise Meditation (40 minutes), allowing life purpose exhaustion to lift, so that you can hone in on your true-hearted desires. Every five days I read a chapter in the book itself, Daring to Rest, for insight into what I was experiencing and supportive practices.
Gradually these aspects of my life began to shift—providing a depth of experience new to me, and oh so, beautiful.
- An underlying sense of sweetness in my day. I discovered a natural flow to my day, felt light and at ease in my skin, and second-guessed myself less.
- Deep intuition. Karen guided me to breathe in through my heart, then follow my breath, see where it landed, and listen for what she calls a “soul whisper”—a word or image that offers a clue to how you’re really feeling. Some days all I could think about was my to-do list or obsess over a worry. But when my soul whispers did arrive, they were often crystal clear and I journaled about them.
- Patience and connection. Mornings were less frantic. When my seven-year old son had stressful moments getting ready for school, I felt calmer and more present for him. When we walked to the bus stop, my awareness of the outdoor world was more acute—the blue sky, cloud formations, the crescent of a morning moon.
- Craving control. On days when I felt overwhelmed or anxious, my inclination to relieve those feelings with a glass of wine or binging on television lessened. Sometimes I would simply sit, gaze outdoors, and do nothing more. In those moments, I loved not feeling the need to do anything—not clean, not sort the mail, not check Facebook. I began to understand rest outside of my Rest Cave.
- A connection to beyond. This was a big one. Karen calls it your “council of women” and teaches you to summon it for love and support. It can be women in your circle, women who have passed, even women you don’t know personally. I saw my grandmother (who died before I was born) looking at me lovingly and felt my sister-in-law, who I’ve known since I was a baby, standing beside me. At times the feeling of these and other women was so strong that tears ran down my cheeks.
While my life became deeper and rosier, it was not until I went cold turkey for a few weeks that I realized just how powerful this rest cleanse was. I’ve always been someone who can go the distance, then neglect the sustaining part, like training for a half-marathon but not running for months after the race. And it’s so easy to fall back into old habits.
So now I’m learning how to translate this cleanse into an ongoing practice, for which Daring to Rest offers sound insights. My Rest Cave is an essential element. It’s not only a dedicated space for yoga nidra, but one for self-care in general—to journal, to listen to music, to just be.
Karen ends every yoga nidra meditation with the words, “Be good to yourself.” And in that spirit, I invite you to download her free Rest Cave Guide to create your own. And once you do, I dare you to rest and see what happens!
Christine Day has been a member of Sounds True’s sales and marketing team for more than five years and loves diving into our books on a personal level to learn both theory and practice. She also works on Sounds True’s children’s books and enjoys doing storytimes at her son’s elementary school.
