Any good lucid dreaming techniques?

About two months ago I had my first lucid dream,it was the best experience I ever had.I have tried to induce it again but the techniques I find on the web does not seem that helpful.I want to do it to control my dream and to help me astral project.I know it takes time to master it but I would really like to hear from the people here.Can you please share your technique with me?

[Rawnrr]

My techniques are a little outside the norm of what people generally do. I posted a couple of them here:

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...ad.php?t=60846

Rawn

[Black Sheep]

I like to approach it from the cycle of night and day.

So by that I mean practice mindfulness during the day, not get lost in my thoughts/internal dialogue, keeping centered, and aware in each moment, as well as in my own stories as an illusion. With practicing this during waking times, I'm more apt to realize that I'm dreaming as I'm dreaming.

For night, I have a few techniques I like....there's that state between sleeping and awake where you can walk into a dream, I think it's commonly labeled as a WILD. Work with my subconscious to induce a lucid dream, but that's more for learning than playing.

I'm prone to sleep paralysis so, rather than resist it, use it as a jumping point to propel myself into a LD, I've found it occurs naturally if lying in the yoga corpse pose/flat on back. Also found meditation to be helpful, I focus on the inner sound, until it feels like my entire body is vibrating, all external sensations are gone, and the tinnitus sound is more like a jet engine or a thousand roaring waterfalls, stepping into a dream is easier.

Similar to focusing in on the inner sound, chasing thoughts, or alternating between focusing in and listening in, until the imagery/thoughts have a distinct feeling, like mini dreams, when I focus on that, I can expand it into a dream, and hop in.

Eventually, you'll find the technique that works for you.

[jenriggs]

My best advice, is to go to the library and get a book on it. Read the book at night before going to sleep. Tell yourself you will have a lucid dream a few times after closing your eyes.

The technique i have developed for lucid dreaming is that i would look at my hand very often in the day.When i would look at it i would be fully aware of myself and be fully conscious.At night,while in the dream,if i see my hand even by mistake i would become fully aware.
Another technique i use is that i make a specific hand sign. When I make this hand sign i try to be fully conscious and aware. In the same way, I would make that hand sign in my dream unconsciously but after i have made it, I would become fully conscious.

[OnAPath]

As I'm falling asleep, I think of something very specific, that's not in my day to day life. Like a red ball. I repeat red ball, red ball. When I dream and see the red ball, I am aware.

[Egadanadage]

I agree that meditation, the act of calming your mind, can be a big help...particularly in the beginning when sometimes the act of going lucid or even realizing that your lucid mid-dream can be startling and your likely to wake. I have a meditative process that can put me into an astral or lucid state, and I would be happy to explain it but what I've found from person to person is that something that works for me may not work for another person and vice versa. I've tried other techniques out of curiosity and find that I'm so used to using my own technique that I don't have much luck with others. Sometimes I achieve either a lucid or astral state using a different technique, but the clarity isn't as good for me as when I travel the path that's familiar to me, if that makes sense. When I astral project through sleep, for instance, I often find myself hanging around my house. Through meditation I go directly where I want to be. My suggestion would be to explore different techniques until you find something that works for you. I use a particular visualization through meditation that I discovered in an old book at a garage sale, if you can believe it. That .25 cents changed my life. Have an open mind, and you'll get there.

[Egadanadage]

And if you want to read it, it's an old book written in the seventies called Creative Dreaming, by Patricia Garfield. In case you're interested in reading it. I don't actually spend much time reading books about dreaming. Actually this is probably the only book on the topic that I've read. I don't have any idea how prominent the author is in the field, but I found it interesting and helpful.

im trying to learn to LD and I often find myself having a "mini dream" during normal days ( which dont consist of not much at the moment) but sometimes i feel, i guess my conscious realizes it and i cant seem to stay in long enough to take it that next step. It happens a lot when i start reading stuff like whats on this forum or anything related to the such. I have hard times making my dreams at night last very long too. I also have been slacking on my meditation but instead ive been exercising creativity skills.

[SpiritMachine]

First and foremost, I supplement all of my spiritual goals with brainwave entrainment, audio aids, and meditation (frequency-assisted and non). Meditation in itself has a tendency to help with my dream awareness. You can tailor meditations for lucid dreaming with effective affirmations. The awareness one gains from mindfulness helps as well.

When I first experimented with lucid dreaming, I would generally use wake back to bed or the cycle adjustment technique. With WBTB, I would sleep for around four to six hours, wake up for a short period, and return to bed saying affirmations such as "I will lucid dream now." I had my first lucid dream using this method.

The cycle adjustment technique is where you go to bed around the same time every day for a 4 to 7 days, and wake up early. Thirty minutes to an hour earlier than normal worked for me. After a few days of practice, you sleep "in" while your body is used to you being awake.

(OBE4U technique)
I have had success with this technique as well. It's similar to WBTB, but instead of repeating affirmations, you vividly imagine yourself making physical actions you make on a regular basis (e.g. using a joystick, running, jumping, pressing buttons on a cellphone [he recommends this one]). It's similar to some of the trancework athletes do where they imagine making the perfect jumpshot, right hook, dodge, throw etc... Over time, you may not even have to wake up in the middle of the night to do this. The be fair, Michael Raduga believes OBEs/APing and LDs are the same thing, so your mileage may vary. I think they are different, but this has helped me in both cases.

With WBTB and "Entering the Phase," it is of course practical to reach a point where you don't have to wake up.

Self hypnosis has helped me as well. I record mp3s on occasion, and have also had success with reading hypnosis.

Whatever builds your creative visualization skills, awareness, and ability to maintain a mental state will help you.

Best of luck.