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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 21 2014 : 4:24:06 PM
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I was wondering if anyone might be willing to share their experience of witnessing during sleep. This is something I've experienced only in fleeting glimpses...the sensation of being awake even though my body is sleeping. I've had plenty of lucid dreams, but those have come and gone.
Can anyone share what it's like? Is it ever out-of-body (like hovering over your body), or is it more of an omnipresent blankness? What is the sense of locality and perspective? How does it intertwine with dreams?
Any details are much appreciated. Thank you.  |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2014 : 01:27:24 AM
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| Hi bodhi, my experience is omnipresent blankness with a sort of a sweet taste.. but recently there has been a mild change in spirituality concerning locality... it's not there anymore... don't know how to explain this. Sadly these spiritual experiences come and go.. my humble experience |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2014 : 1:39:56 PM
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Thank you, Ananda. There are many flavors of experience that come and go, certainly, but Yogani seems to imply that when the witness is present 24/7, there is no coming and going of such presence. He seems to imply that it remains permanently, so I'm trying to get a feel as to how such a permanent, unchanging presence merges with the co-existing temporal projection of body-mind. What does it look like to perceive through the "The Eye of the I" during sleep? As you mentioned, it is probably difficult to explain, but I figured it's worth a shot.  |
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pkj
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2014 : 4:15:54 PM
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Bodhi
I have experience of witnessing during sleep. i can feel by body is sleeping but i am witnessing it. It happens automatically but i try to avoid it as it overloads me next day. It is just blank at that moment and no thoughts either.
PKJ |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2014 : 4:54:13 PM
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| Thank you PKJ. Does it feel like you are the space itself, rather than an object in the space? |
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SwamiX
USA
35 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2014 : 6:58:22 PM
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This woman gives a nice description. I have had the experience a few times, and, like her, I did not recall having any thoughts, just a vague sense that I was "awake" during the night. It is not like insomnia, since I did not have restlessness or anxiety. I hope this helps
http://patriciabralley.blogspot.com...g-sleep.html |
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yogani
USA
5242 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 12:00:40 AM
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Hi Bodhi:
You will know you are witnessing sleep if you feel like you are awake, and then you hear yourself snoring. Really! 
Feeling awake while sleeping is what it is like. This is awareness awake, not thinking awake. Witnessing is beyond thinking. Some people feel like they are losing sleep when witnessing, but they feel fine when the mind and body wake up again in the morning. We don't go and do anything special while witnessing sleep. It is an innocent and natural state that comes up as abiding inner silence becomes a normal aspect of our experience. We just sleep and know we are awake inside at the same time without any intention about it, and without doing anything different. The same thing happens with witnessing in waking state, at first most noticeable during sudden fast-moving events because the contrast reveals that there is something in us that is eternal and not moving at all. In time, this something becomes our sense of self beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep. That's all. This brings freedom in everything we do. It is not something we can use in a personal way. It is something we are that is beyond our person and the ups and downs of life. And beyond deep sleep too...
It is just part of the scenery as we move along on our path. Not to get too hung up on the idea of it. Just keep practicing and living fully.
The guru is in you.
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 12:49:05 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by yogani
This is awareness awake, not thinking awake.
Thank you for the laugh Yoganiji
This sentence above hits the spot. It's not something personal.. transcendental yet here and very natural. |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 04:02:06 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by yogani
Hi Bodhi:
You will know you are witnessing sleep if you feel like you are awake, and then you hear yourself snoring. Really!
That's it! You can even witness yourself dreaming. I once even gave myself 'a poke in the ribs' - saying hey, you're dreaming. Dreaming kind of feels like watching a movie (flicker of images) being played on the screen of your third-eye. This was a phase that came and went some years back. I rarely witness myself sleeping anymore.
Sey |
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pkj
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 10:08:53 AM
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Bodhi
As yogini mentioned just that I am aware of that I am sleeping. Interstingly I am observing my breath during sleep. Another instance is when you totally surrender and just let it go in sleep then feels like in space and expanded awareness. That is my experience.
PKJ |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 5:00:16 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by yogani
Hi Bodhi:
You will know you are witnessing sleep if you feel like you are awake, and then you hear yourself snoring. Really!
Feeling awake while sleeping is what it is like. This is awareness awake, not thinking awake. Witnessing is beyond thinking. Some people feel like they are losing sleep when witnessing, but they feel fine when the mind and body wake up again in the morning. We don't go and do anything special while witnessing sleep. It is an innocent and natural state that comes up as abiding inner silence becomes a normal aspect of our experience. We just sleep and know we are awake inside at the same time without any intention about it, and without doing anything different. The same thing happens with witnessing in waking state, at first most noticeable during sudden fast-moving events because the contrast reveals that there is something in us that is eternal and not moving at all. In time, this something becomes our sense of self beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep. That's all. This brings freedom in everything we do. It is not something we can use in a personal way. It is something we are that is beyond our person and the ups and downs of life. And beyond deep sleep too...
It is just part of the scenery as we move along on our path. Not to get too hung up on the idea of it. Just keep practicing and living fully.
The guru is in you.
Excellent. That's what I was looking for. I've experienced this a little. It's the epitome of effortlessness. Thank you for the clarification, Yogani!  |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2014 : 5:35:24 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by SwamiX
This woman gives a nice description. I have had the experience a few times, and, like her, I did not recall having any thoughts, just a vague sense that I was "awake" during the night. It is not like insomnia, since I did not have restlessness or anxiety. I hope this helps
http://patriciabralley.blogspot.com...g-sleep.html
Very interesting. Thank you, SwamiX. |
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Holy
796 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2014 : 6:13:26 PM
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quote:
.. and then you hear yourself snoring. Really!
This is the time you get really shocked how much noise your body creates at night :D
I can only tell you from a phase where witnessing happened 24/7 for some months. The body got into bed, either started to dream, snorr or be breathless and dream or not dream at all but think or a mixture of thinking and dreaming (while the body is sleeping!). When the dream and the thought got silent then it was the most refreshing, peaceful and blissfull depending on the length of these phases. This whole combination of dreaming/thinking while sleeping and sometimes nothing, just freshness in bliss was happening several times of the night, fluctuating from one into another. Until finally sometime in the morning the body also got filled with life to move and it started to move.
If you want to have the perspective, if you lay down on the back and close your eyes, this is the perspective. You remain in that place in that perspective. Nothing special and very natural, but it can get special when all perception fades away. Good nights they were (=
Now similiar as Sey I rarely have this kind of intense witnessing happening at night, but also since then the spiritual technique has changed, so it depends very much upon that aswell.
Peace and enjoy (= |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 24 2014 : 9:59:30 PM
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Thank you, Holy. Very illuminating. It's interesting how the sleep-witnessing has faded for both you and Sey. I guess that correlates with the whole pattern of spiritual development coming in waves...two steps forward, one step back--type thing (not that I'm saying you've taken a step backwards). I remember when I was a teenager, I went through a stretch where I could be fully conscious during dreams and do whatever I wanted--to some extent. That was fun. Maybe there was some witnessing during non-dream time too. Anyway, it's all very fascinating. Thank you for reporting and helping clarify.   |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2014 : 11:03:47 AM
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For me, this happens sometimes. Never know when it's going to.
It's as Yogani says "awareness is awake" and the body and mind are asleep.
There's often no sense of locality. Often during the day there's a subtle sense of the body's locality, and of somehow being associated with that locality. But then this sense of locality, all sense of being the body or being associated with it, is completely gone.
Sometimes dreams will come and go during this state of awareness being awake and the body being asleep. These dreams tend to be spiritual in nature, and often relate of the 'knowing of my true nature awareness'. For example, one came once where Rupert Spira was giving me spiritual instruction in my dream. Another time there was a dream of initiation by Kali devotees into the Om mantra.
There's also the deepest sense of rest, peace and bliss during this state of awareness being awake but everything else being asleep.
Happens pretty sporadically here. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2014 : 6:09:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mr_anderson
Sometimes dreams will come and go during this state of awareness being awake and the body being asleep. These dreams tend to be spiritual in nature, and often relate of the 'knowing of my true nature awareness'. For example, one came once where Rupert Spira was giving me spiritual instruction in my dream. Another time there was a dream of initiation by Kali devotees into the Om mantra.
There's also the deepest sense of rest, peace and bliss during this state of awareness being awake but everything else being asleep.
Happens pretty sporadically here.
Niiiicce. Love dreams like that. I had a dream where Yogani appeared as a little old man driving an RV camper and he was telling me something, but I don't remember what. I just remember thinking in the dream: Well, that's definitely not how I pictured you.  |
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Witnessing during Sleep
