I recently discovered Athena Laz’s books The Alchemy of Your Dreams and The Deliberate Dreamers Journal. What she shares in them, and perhaps even more the way she shares, really caught my attention. Speaking with Athena it became even more clear that her orientation and spiritual history were a perfect fit for our discussion on the awakening power of sleep and dreams.
An Introduction to Yoga Nidra
I first met Dharma Mittra in the early 1980s in New York City. I had no interest in spirituality at the time but would regularly walk past the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue, where, if I looked up above the sidewalk level, I’d see a glowing neon sign that flashed “Yoga” above the busy noisy corner. One day, out of curiosity, I walked up the two flights of stairs to take a peek and to see what this center was, and was met at the door by a sweet humble man with a funny sense of humor–Dharma–who invited me into the studio.
Yoga Nidra and Astral Travel
Rosalie e’Silva teaches yoga nidra with a unique emphasis on how it can act as a gateway to astral travel. I wanted to speak with her about the awakening potential of sleep and dreams because of all the yoga nidra recordings I’ve found, hers are the ones I’ve responded to most strongly.
Yoga Nidra as a Path to Liberation
Cheryl Van Sciver has been practicing yoga for several years and in many styles. Like many people, she first came to yoga for its physical benefits. After committing to a regular practice, she began to incorporate yoga philosophy and teachings and has seen firsthand the benefits that a regular yoga practice can bring to a person’s life.
Resting in the Divine Mother’s Arms
Marcee Ballantyne is the owner of Fountain of Health Yoga Studio. She earned her first certification at the Shambhava School of Yoga in 1996 and began her Anusara certification process three years later. In 2006 Marcee began her certification courses in Hatha Tantra through Para Yoga with ParaYoga founder, Rod Stryker. She leads trainings based on the book by Rod Styrker, The Four Desires. She is a ParaYoga Nidra certified teacher as well.
Davina Giretto
What Davina is open to is expressing the invisible, or that which is unnoticed, or as yet undiscovered. Words often come to her, they serve as a foundation for, or are embedded within the creative expressions. More recently, this unfolds in relationship with something mysterious and inspired. The artworks have a life force of their own, and she has the privilege of being a channel or conduit of sorts, to what wants to be born.
Infinity Cabin
The walls of the log cabin suddenly felt closer as I laid down in bed. My eyes began surveying the ceiling, a gaze that traced the lines of wood grains, once called limb and trunk, now severed and laid to rest, side by side, as though forming their own funeral pyre. Words came, silently: “Now we’re entombed together.” The voiceless words would be thoughts in most other moments, but these were merely a mask, molded by a momentary impression of my face.
Awakening Through Dreaming – The Paradox of BE-ing
A dream that I shall never forget, and which provided me a profound spiritual breakthrough experience was rather erotic. And whilst I shall not go into the specifics of the dream here, due to sensitivities, I would like to share my perceptions.
Deerly Beloved
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Prayers that Filled the Creek Like a Million Tadpoles
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What’s it like to die?
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An Eye That Sees Itself
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Trusting into a New Paradigm
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Guardians and Guides
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The Seamlessness of Love
As I was wondering how I might be of better use to the world, my heart revealed a sense of loss. My connection to the unseen field of being, its constancy and nurture, was memory only.
A friend reminds me that the connection is always here.
My wound, then, is self-imposed, caught in an unprocessed dance of doubt.