Hello! I’m new to LD4all and lucid dreaming itself. I’m very familiar with breathing exercises, mantras, meditation, trances but I have never made myself dream lucidly. I have had lucid dreams, however. I have bee successful in staying aware during the hypnagogic state, however, when I go to enter my dreams I experience a falling sensation that drags me away. It’s the same feeling entering a trance state only much much stronger. It has happened each time I try to dream lucidly. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Well for a start you seem to be jumping in the deep end of the proper dream yogi type goals… maybe you have the knowledge and experience to approach the subject from that angle, I don’t know… but it certainly can’t hurt to look around the site at the more memory-oriented practices, and give some of those a go… you know - checking your state during the day, reminding yourself in bed just before sleep (preferably during meditation in your case I think) that when you next dream you will rememeber to recognise the dream etc etc etc. Just have a look around in the years and years worth of posts, give something a little less “perfect” a go if you’re just looking to induce lucidity.
I have been reading different posts on the site. There are THOUSANDS of posts lol. I’m shocked that I had never been introduced to the idea of lucid dreaming. I guess I am just interested in learning and experiencing as much as a I can. I consider myself some kind of psychedelic explorer I suppose. I’m fascinated by anything that has to do with our minds. I have always had trouble recalling most dreams. In fact, the only dreams I ever remember are strange dreams and lucid dreams. I don’t have nightmares the same way other people do. I’m not accosted by them. I have also died completely in a few of my dreams. So all of this has me extremely interested in LD. I do tend to jump in head first but isn’t that the best way to learn? 
It’s actually a good question you pose at the end there… If you’re skydiving, the answer is a sturdy “no” 
You want to know some things before you jump out of that plane and you KNOW it haha… As for our precious little subject… I’m really not sure. I certainly understand where you’re coming from - sounds a little like me, I always been that way too - reading on erickson, nlp and the rest, once fancied myself an amateur psych etc etc… I think from your reply, and cross-reference with my own experience… I’d say what we BOTH need to do as no.1 priority is get the Dream Journal down. Seriously. This is important stuff. The more we record dreams and provide concrete physical proof of how valuable they are to us, the more our minds are going to take that in - and recall will become more regular and easier - I talk from experience of a particularly productive time before … certain complications came my way. Dream journal man… it’s the way forward.
I can’t recall my dreams unless they are lucid or extremely weird. Part of why I want to learn more about LD is so that I can recall my dreams.
Dream recall can be improved by anyone. I would suggest that you read Improving Dream Recall in the FAQ and tutorial forum. There is also a big sticky topic about this in the stuff forum. Sticky: the BIG remembering dreams topic part VI
Welcome to the forum 
I’m going to start my DJ tonight.
Hai dere! Don’t worry, LD’s are very scarce for a beginner, don’t lose hope, this is the time where most people give up and go. Don’t! Please, try your best and work hard on your LDs and you will become a regular.
Yay Herman! Good choice methinks! I also have mine open with pen draped over it right by my bed already! Nothing in it yet, but that books going nowhere now I have it there.
I’m keeping mine next to my pillow. I almost felt like I remembered part of a dream after I woke up in the middle of the night. Then I got music stuck in my head 
. It’s difficult for me to recall dreams because my mind just goes and goes and goes… That is what the meditation is for, however, I have to constantly meditate to quiet the thing…
What I do is when I don’t remember anything at all I write in my DJ “I didn’t remember any dreams last night”. If I have a vague feeling I dreamed about X, but can’t really remember it I’ll write “I have a vague feeling I dreamed about X”. Sometimes I even write down music stuck in my head, as I wake up very often with a random song in my head 
. You can write down emotions too. Sometimes I wake up without any recall but feel strangely sad, or happy, etc. Anything you write down will help you improve, even if slowly 
I do remember a couple random parts of dreams. Which is more than I am used to remembering. Took your advice and wrote it down! I’m confident that I will begin to recall more.