What if you could reboot your health, tap into your creative self, reclaim your wild nature, lead from your heart—and still feel well rested?
As modern women, we’re taught that we can do it all, have it all, and be it all. While this freedom is beautiful, it’s also exhausting. Being a “worn-out woman” is now so common that we think feeling tired all the time is normal. According to Karen Brody, feeling this exhausted is not normal—and it’s holding us back. In Daring to Rest, Brody comes to the rescue with a 40-day program to help you reclaim rest and access your most powerful, authentic self through yoga nidra, a meditative practice that guides you into one of the deepest states of relaxation imaginable.
It’s time to lie down and begin the journey to waking up.
The Sacred Rhythm of the Sabbath and How to Restore It in Your Own Life
Toward the end of his life, Thomas Merton warned of a “pervasive form of contemporary violence” that is unique to our times: overwork and overactivity. In his work as a minister and caregiver, Wayne Muller has observed the effects of this violence on our communities, our families, and our people. On Sabbath, he responds to this escalating “war on our spirits,” and guides us to a sanctuary open to everyone.
Muller immerses us in the sacred tradition of the shabbat (the day of rest) a tradition, Muller says, that is all but forgotten in an age where consumption, speed, and productivity have become the most valued human commodities. Inviting us to drink from this “fountain of rest and delight,” he offers practices and exercises that reflect the sabbath as recognized in Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. Through this way of nourishment and repose, Muller teaches, we welcome insights and blessings that arise only with stillness and time.
Rich with meditations, poems, and inspiring true stories, Sabbath asks us to remember this most simple and gracious of all spiritual practices.
A Proven Meditation Program for Profound Relaxation and Healing
Deep rest and relaxation are critical elements in healing—yet we rarely experience truly profound rest. Even with proper exercise and sleep, we continue to hold stress, tension, and trauma in the body. Over the past 45 years, Dr. Richard Miller has developed a program for deep relaxation, healing, and rejuvenation called iRest (Integrative Restoration). In iRest Meditation, he offers a complete training in this proven method, which is being used by the military to treat PTSD and has been shown through research to reduce depression, anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain—as well as improve sleep, resiliency and well-being.
Based on a modern evolution of the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra, the easy-to-learn iRest program provides a flexible toolbox of meditation practices that you can incorporate into your lifestyle to carry you through adversity. In these six audio sessions, Dr. Miller takes you step-by-step through a progressive series of guided exercises for managing stress utilizing the breath and body, decoding and balancing your emotional state, connecting you with deep inner resources that replenish your vital energy and sustain you regardless of your circumstances.
Addiction recovery requires a serious commitment, yet that doesn’t mean it has to be a bleak, never-ending struggle. “Recovering takes us through many difficult steps of discipline, humility, and self-realization,” says Kevin Griffin. “In doing so, many of us forget that we are capable and deserving of basic happiness.” With Recovering Joy, Kevin Griffin fills in what is often the missing piece in addiction recovery programs: how to regain our ability to live happier lives. Whether you’re in recovery or know someone who is, this book is a resource of valuable guidance and self-reflection practices for:
Rediscovering a sense of purpose and our own value through our work, relationships, and contribution to the world
Developing personal integrity by living up to our own moral and ethical beliefs
Using our intelligence and creativity to their fullest extent—at work and at home
Cultivating a rich inner life that includes a sense of connection—whether expressed in our spirituality, our interactions with others, or our relationship to the natural world
Bringing an element of fun into our lives—learning to embrace our own sense of humor as a resource for healing
Distill the great spiritual teachings from around the world down to their most basic principles, and one thread emerges to unite them all: kindness. In The Force of Kindness, Sharon Salzberg, one of the nation’s most respected Buddhist authors and meditation teachers, offers practical instruction on how we can cultivate this essential trait within ourselves.
Through her stories, teachings, and guided meditations, Sharon Salzberg takes readers on an exploration of what kindness truly means and the simple steps to realize its effects immediately. She reveals that kindness is not the sweet, naive sentiment that many of us assume it is, but rather an immensely powerful force that can transform individual lives and ripple out, changing and improving relationships, the environment, our communities, and ultimately the world. Readers will learn specific techniques for cultivating forgiveness; turning compassion into action; practicing speech that is truthful, helpful, and loving; and much more.
Because your internal meaning-making machine, colors your perception of your life and your very self, and can dictate your actions, non-action, and choices, you probably live with some constant companions. I call them Integrity Snatchers. Integrity Snatchers diminish your sense of self, and erodes your self-trust. They are not “bad” or “wrong.” They are not something to be gotten rid of since they are part of our humanity, and if you are human you won’t be able to get rid of them. But the important thing is to become aware of them. To understand that when left unattended, Integrity Snatchers will keep you from making the highest choices for yourself and going for the life of your dreams.
When you become aware of your Integrity Snatchers, you can remove them from their seat of power.
Integrity Snatcher #1: Shame
As humans, we are desperately afraid that the negative labels we have given ourselves are true. And thus, shame arises. We are paralyzed by the shame of believing that we are not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, or pretty enough. Our shame, which is generally birthed from some childhood event, teaches us to hide who we truly are because we fear that who we are is fundamentally flawed. Our shame leads us to believe that people won’t like us if they know who we truly are at our core. Our shame is what creates our external persona and robs us of authenticity.
Integrity Snatcher #2: Shadow
Our shame gives birth to our shadow. Our shadow is comprised of the parts of ourselves that we have so much shame around, that we disown. We judge ourselves so relentlessly, that we cannot fathom the possibility that our shadow aspects or unwanted characteristics live inside of us. How could I be weak, a doormat like my mother? A cheater or liar like my ex? Or mean and abusive like my father? Because our shadows are so distasteful or symbolize someone who hurt us deeply, we disown and detach from them. We vow to ourselves that we are not and never will be that! Our need to bury these parts of ourselves, and deny their existence, automatically wreaks havoc on our integrity. We cannot be whole and complete if we have lost access to the full spectrum of our traits and emotions. We cannot live in our truth if we are hiding the existence of all these parts of ourselves from ourselves and others.
Integrity Snatcher #3: Fear
Our shame, our belief that, “I am that…” gives birth to our shadow, our belief that “I don’t want to be that….” which gives birth to Integrity Snatcher #3— living in a constant state of fear. We are afraid at every moment of our lives that someone might discover our faults and unworthiness! This coupled with that negative meaning loop that keeps playing in our minds paralyzes us. We view life through a lens of fear. Our fear permeates every area of our being. We have fears about ourselves: I’m not good enough, pretty enough, competent enough. We have fears about life: Life is unfair. Life is about struggle. We have fears about others: People will disappoint me. I can’t trust anyone. Everyone leaves. We have fears even about the “good stuff:” Love hurts. There is no such thing as happiness. Nothing lasts forever.
Integrity Snatcher #4: Your Story
Each of us has a story. We actually have many stories. They consist of all the thoughts, beliefs, internal dialogues, or fears that we have around any subject. For example, our story-lines can range from anything like I will never get what I want to what your fate will be based on your gender, color of your skin, level of education, or even your weight. Our stories stem from all the meaning-making that we set into motion as a child. We can also adopt the stories of the communities we grew up in or the people closest to us. Many of us take on the stories of our parents. They can become the narrative of the family that gets passed down from generation to generation, anchoring the family in a legacy of lack. Although these stories are not necessarily bad or good, they can be limiting.
Integrity Snatcher #5: Playing the Role of the Victim
Like Susan, when we are stuck in our stories we are generally cast in the role of the victim. But when we vow to live a life of integrity we commit to live a life of radical responsibility. We acknowledge that our life is in our hands. It is a demarcation point—a gift we give to ourselves. It means we take our power back. It means being responsible for our thoughts, beliefs, choices, behaviors, and for our deepest dreams and grandest desires. There is no sustained room for, “Oh, woe is me! Poor me! Forget about me! or You did this to me!”
Integrity Snatcher #6: Wanting
Wanting is the Integrity Snatcher I’m most vigilant about because any time I am in a place of wanting, I can slip and slide right out of my integrity. Especially when I think about the men in my life…wanting for him to be the one, wanting to make the relationship work, wanting to hold on and not let go, not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings…I can’t tell you how many times I stepped over my truth and out of my integrity in order to fuel the fantasy and turn the wanting into my reality.
Wanting comes from fear or lack. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we think we are missing something, so we yearn for the outside world to fill us up. It is our fear and our wounded and diminished sense of self, telling us that we don’t have something, and we need to get it. That need turns to desperation and the cliché is true—desperate people do desperate things. They ignore their truth, as well as all the warning signs. They buy into their own BS, and put themselves into scenarios that they often know won’t end well, but they can’t help themselves…they wanted it so badly.
Integrity Snatcher #7: People Who Empower Your Helplessness
Although integrity is an inside job, and not something others can give to or take away from us, we all are human. At some point we might want someone to take care of us, to assist us, to save us, or to handle a part of our life that we don’t feel confident in or enjoy. So, Integrity Snatcher #7 is like a warning sign—watch out for the people who empower your helplessness.
Kelley Kosow is a Master Integrative Coach, program and workshop leader, and CEO of The Ford Institute, a personal development organization that has helped tens of thousands worldwide. For more, visit kelleykosow.com.
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.
Anakha Coman uses her expertise in organizational leadership and mindfulness techniques to speak, teach, and consult with leaders and businesses worldwide—including Intel, Nike, and Save the Children. The founder of the Awakened Leadership Institute, Anakha has recently partnered with Sounds True to offer the online learning program Awake at Work. In this episode, Tami Simon speaks with Anakha about workplace mindfulness programs and the benefits thereof. They also talk about the qualities of mindful leadership and the three core principles underlying the Awake at Work curriculum. Finally, Tami and Anakha discuss the false (and often destructive) motivation of shame, as well as how one might begin a grassroots mindfulness program in one’s own organization. (57 minutes)
David Darling, a Grammy®-winning cellist and maverick musician who redefines the way the cello is played and the way music is taught, speaks with Tami Simon about his unique perspective on music. With Sounds True, David has released a new record called In Love and Longing with vocalist Sylvia Nakkach, as well as Just Being Here, a collaboration with Coleman Barks featuring David’s music and the poetry of Rumi. In this episode, David and Tami discuss the cello as an instrument of melancholy, what it takes to be a good collaborator, and the art of good listening. (72 minutes)
See David Darling live in August 2014. Visit WakeUpFestival.com for more information.
Tami Simon speaks with Dr. Mark Hyman, a leading authority on the integration of conventional and alternative medicine. Dr. Hyman is the medical editor at The Huffington Post, serves on the advisory board of The Dr. Oz Show, and is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including The UltraMind Solution. With Sounds True, he has created The Detox Box and the audio program UltraCalm. In this episode, Tami speaks with Mark about why so many people are discovering that they are allergic to gluten and dairy, how we can make healthy choices so our home and workplace can be “safe zones,” and why we must seek collective solutions and social support for the changes we need to make in our lives. (55 minutes)
