In order to be able to translate this kind of lucidity into your daily life, you can develop your awareness through the practice of lucid dreaming, which is the third stage on this Shamanic practice, also referred to as Dream Yoga. Being lucid in your night-dreams will empower you to discover the most extraordinary abilities: essentially, you will be able to experience anything you want, since you will be dreaming everything up. Do you feel like flying tonight? How about being able to visit other planets or galaxies? Would you like to be able to communicate with animals, plants or some otherworldly energy beings? And, of course, things like walking on water or shape-shifting would easily become common place frolics in your dreams.
Most psychologists know what you, as a spiritual explorer, will learn experientially: most of your dreams symbolically reflect your daily life. If you never question reality during the day as to whether you are dreaming, though, how often will you question reality of your dreams at night? That is right; most likely never! So, if you want to be lucid in your dreams, you ought to start asking yourself a question whether you are dreaming during the day, which constitutes the second stage of Qi Dao path of self-realization. During this step, you will be able to learn relating to everyone and everything as dream characters made of energy fields. You will also develop an attitude of being in the flow of the energy by finding harmony with it, without judging or manipulating it.
Obviously, not every beginner is immediately ready to surrender to the flow right away, that is why there is the first, preliminary step that you are about to take now, which will prepare you for the rest of your spiritual journey. As it were, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
The practice of Qi Dao meditation begins with certain preliminary practices that are specifically designed to prepare you for deeper, even more profound Dream Yoga practices presented in my advanced teachings. The sequence of these practices follows a natural progression of training although it may be altered if deemed necessary.
I always suggest enjoying these meditations in the appropriate set and setting. This means that a quiet and focused mindset is crucial for the success of your practice. No doubt, meditation will harmonize your mind, so the more you practice, the more meditative your mindset will become. A setting may be considered appropriate where you would not be distracted by external noises, smells, commotion, and other disturbances. With practice, you will find it possible to meditate in more challenging environments; believe it or not, I have to confess to having meditated in all kinds of places, including hospitals, airports, casinos, and even nightclubs. I also invite you to experiment with meditating at various times of the day to find out when you have the easiest time entering the Qigong state. Eventually, you will learn to seize every opportunity to enjoy being in the flow, thus bringing life into your meditation by bringing meditation into your daily life.
As with everything else in Qi Dao, meditation does not have to be done by the book. For instance, although I suggest certain sitting, standing, reclining, or dynamic meditation practices, you have the freedom of choice regarding your physical position and other aspects of practice. In order to stay free from poor postural habits, make sure that you try various poses and choose the ones that you resonate with. Many yogis are trained to sit in Padmasana (Lotus Pose) with the legs crossed in front of the body. Those who cannot twist their legs into this pose usually resort to a Half-lotus, or Quarter-lotus, which is much easier on the knee and hip joints. I personally prefer to sit in Zen Seiza – a kneeling position with both feet tucked under the buttocks with or without a sitting pillow called Zabuton. Let me bring your attention to some crucial details of sitting in any pose.
First, check your alignment of the spine, including the cervical spine – your neck. If you have a practice partner or anyone who could assist you with testing your sitting position, ask him or her to apply some consistent pressure on the top of your head to find out whether you rely on your bones or muscles to keep yourself upright. If just a slight pressure makes you fold or collapse, you may need to either improve your alignment by gently pulling upwards by the tips of your ears or switch to a different position altogether. If you pay a close attention to your body, you may notice the position of your head and even upper torso changing slightly when you pull upwards by your ears. Your sternum may lift upwards opening up your chest and letting you breath become deeper and easier. You may even have a sigh or release or start yawning, which simply means that your diaphragm has let go of tension offering your body an opportunity to breathe fully and feel more alive.
You can also ask your partner to push you slowly from the front, back or either side in order to test your overall stability when sitting. You may be quite surprised by the degree of influence that the position of your hands can have on your stability. Simply compare the results of the pushing tests with your palms facing up versus the palms down. I invite you to experiment with all of these and other ways to sit in order to discover the way that allows you to be especially relaxed and present – the way you resonate with. Because your body and mind are just different aspects of one and the same organism, you can experience mental relaxation much easier when you are physically relaxed and vice versa.
About the Author
Lama Somananda Tantrapa is the holder of the lineage of Qi Dao that has been fostered in his clan for 27 generations since 1224 AD. He has over 30 years of experience in Qi Dao and other internal martial arts. He was primarily trained by his Grandfather who was the last Grandmaster of this style of Tibetan Shamanic Qigong. In addition to being recognized as an incarnate Bön lama, ordained as a Buddhist monk and initiated into Subud spiritual brotherhood, Rinpoche holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology and certifications in Qigong, Hypnosis and NLP.
Affectionately addressed by his students as Rinpoche, Lama Tantrapa’s initiatives dedicated to peace work and spiritual freedom were subjected to persecution in his homeland thus he received religious asylum in the United States in 1997. His unique background is complex enough to include serving in the Soviet Army’s Special Forces, being kidnapped in the Ukraine and going through several near-death experiences.
Rinpoche’s coaching has inspired many professional athletes, speakers, dancers, singers, writers and actors to open up to the infinite source of intuition that exists within everyone. After pioneering Qi Dao coaching in 2000, he has provided wellness, peak performance and life coaching to hundreds of clients of all ages from all walks of life. For years, he operated Portland Qigong Clinic – one of just a handful of Qigong clinics in the United States at that time. He also founded Academy of Qi Dao – the first and only Qigong School in Guam.
Rinpoche is an author of numerous articles as well as multimedia training materials. Being an avid speaker and presenter, he appeared on many radio and TV programs in the US, Guam and abroad. He is the executive producer and host of his own Internet Radio show “The Secret of Qigong Masters.” He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the USA National Qigong (Chi Kung) Association.
For more information about Qi Dao coaching, workshops, retreats, and long-distance learning opportunities, visit us online at www.qidao.org.
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