By Sports and Lifestyle Editor Cole Schisler

Tibetan Bon Dream Yoga is the practice of gaining self-awareness while dreaming, and teaches people how to develop the ability to control their dreams, as well as enhance their spirituality.

Lama Geshe YongDong studied for 11 years at the Nangzhig Bonpo Monastery in Tibet, the largest Bon monastery in the world. He was awarded the Rajampa Geshe Degree, which is equivalent to a PhD, in 1992. YongDong has been travelling the world, while teaching and studying various styles of Buddhist thought ever since. He says that the Dream Yoga session will give people the opportunity to experience a different spiritual tradition.

“Dream Yoga is part of our spiritual practice,” YongDong said. “It comes from an ancient text called the Magyu, which means the Mother Tantra.  In the text are many different methods of spiritual practice. This practice looks at dreams as a path to spiritual kindness.”

The average person spends a third of their lifetime asleep. During that time, they also experience dreaming. Some people dream nightly, while others have only the occasional dream. Some can control their dreams naturally, however, many do not practice lucid dreaming enough to fully control their dreams.

“If you want to control something, you have to be aware of it,” YongDong says. “The problem is when you’re dreaming, you don’t realize that you are asleep; then you are lost. If you are aware, then you have control of the dream; you can wake up, you can change the subject, or you can accept what is happening.”

YongDong says that Dream Yoga teaches people to recognize the experience of dreaming naturally, and gain a better understanding of their dreams. He says it also helps people to recognize patterns, and learn what their dreams mean.

The Dream Yoga session will be held in the Royal Arbutus Room on VIU’s Nanaimo Campus on Saturday, February 18 from 10 am – 3:30 pm. The event is by donation; a recommended donation for the full day is $25, but nobody will be turned away for financial reasons. Spots for the session are filling quickly, registration for the event is required. To register contact Jan Leine at <jan43@shaw.ca> or 250-591-7455. To learn more about Lama Geshe YongDong and his teachings, go to <sherabchammaling.com>


Cole is a second-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in creative writing, minoring in political science. He has an interest in all things exciting, mundane, or otherwise. He hopes to one day become an author, actor, comedian, editor, and rapper, while moonlighting as an astronaut.