Dreaming and Nidra

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

There is a lot of mention of dreams in the bible.  Often prophetic wisdom is brought to life through dreams.  Joseph of the Old Testament was an interpreter of dreams.  Joseph of the New Testament was a follower of dreams. Perhaps they were even related or prophetic one to the other especially given both involved Egypt, both saved lives.

Dreams are a part of yoga.  In fact, one could say that meditation is a form of dreaming.  Nidra in Sanskrit means sleep.  Yoga Nidra is Sleep Yoga and is the form of meditation that I teach. iRest is a form of Yoga Nidra.  iRest has been studied by Dr. Nick Atlas at a local college (UWG) in Carrollton, Georgia as part of his study of Lucid Dreaming. The science of dreaming and its intersection with meditation is an ongoing area of study. 

Dreams have come a long way from Biblical times, but we continue to learn from them, interpret them, create them, build them, follow them, and learn from them. May all our dreams come true in this new year.

Photo from https://www.faena.com/aleph/dream-yoga-cultivating-the-clarity-of-awareness

Nick Atlas  https://nickatlas.com/