Realities of the Dreaming Mind: The Practice of Dream Yoga

I have total respect for Swami Sivananda Radha. After meeting my own Yogacharya, AG Mohan, I got rid of all my other books on Yoga--except for Radha's. So as I have been developing my own practice of Dream Yoga, I ran across Radha's and read it. I must say, it was quite disappointing. Her experiences meeting spirit teachers in dream and her unravelling & interpretation of her own dreams is interesting and inspiritational. Yet much of it falls in the vein of intense self-scrutiny of everything that happens in dream, questioning one's own motives for arriving at an interpretation, rather than offering tangible advice on how to work with one's dreams. So it is basically weak on dream interpretation techniques. The other thing is that she never discussed anything about lucid dreaming, even though she was an accomplished "dream walker" herself. She doesn't discuss how it differs from normal dreaming, offer no methods or practices to induce lucidity. Strangely enough, there was enough material on Tibetan Dream Yoga at the time of publication (1994) that she could have discussed it but did not. She also had a Tibetan spiritual teacher ("my Tibetan Guru" on page 163) who presumably was either Bon or Buddhist, both of which have Dream Yoga practices, but which she does not even mention. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light" had been published 2 years earlier (1992) but was not cited. Jungian dream work is barely mentioned; of course, back then, nothing was known about his Red and Black Books. So that part I get. These other omissions are hard to figure out. My advice is for those interestsed in Dream Yoga is to skip this book by the incomparable SS Radha, and go straight to "Tibetan Yogas Of Dream And Sleep" by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Namaskar Swami Sivananda Radha

I bought the book because i am interested in dreams but Swami Radha has such a strong personality that despite lots of useful ideas the book provides it is still mainly about her. This led me to read more about Swami Radha and how she got to become a swami. Only when I learned more about her life i understood why this book was the way it was. For example, her writing style bothered me because it is somehow different. When i learned that she was born and raised in Germany the style made sense. Some of her dreams that she describes in the book bothered me but when i learned more about her they made sense. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the book, after all, books on dream interpretation are by definition very personal and reflect the author's personal experiences (which applies to Freud, Jung or Jeremy Taylor). Just don't expect to understand your own dreams through her interpretations of hers.

There's a point in Swami Radha's Dream Yoga that dreams should be thought of as portals... I am deeply grateful for her practices which I have engaged for 45 years. If you are sincerely interested in Higher Consciousness and it's cornucopia of internal spiritual wealth, I whole heartedly and enthusiastically recommend all books and MP3s by Swami Sivananda Radha. Having applied her teachings for many years including dream yoga, I can almost guarantee accomplishments and an immeasurable joy, personal insight and mastery that conquers all challenges and adversities. My dreams for years have been my handrail through problems including health solutions. I am deeply grateful for her direct, clear instructions on how to unravel dream messages for my application. She stresses usage. One must apply practically what one has learned DAILY. One of my wisest both short and long term investments has been in the study of Swami Radha's teachings and then using them! Her's is a no nonsense practical guide to Peace of Mind and a delightful partaking of what is our natural birthright, the Divine's grace and blessing.

Realities of the dreaming mind is an incredible journey guided by the very credible Swami Sivananda Radha. Dream yoga is a beautiful practice into understanding the of the workings of the complex mind, giving a new perspective on everyday life. I quickly found purpose and direction in the life I was living as it became clear what I truely desired and neaded to overcome. I absolutely loved reading this book and have since read it a second time. Highly recommended if you are seeking purpose and personal growth mentally and spiritually.

This book has enough information for anyone to start doing their dreamwork and it's very easy to read.

I found this one of the best books I have read on dreams and their interpretation. It gives a detailed way of interpreting dreams which in turn will help you in your daily life.