I went to a strange gym in a lucid dream. I entered from a university of pittsburgh building but the gym was so alien. There were red sandbags that must have weight 200 lbs but felt like 10 lbs. Ive been to similar gyms in my dreams. Some strange comforting gymnastics niches with pretty mats. Gyms where the weights were super heavy but could never find any heavy enough.
I tried to have a lucid dream about this place last night because it is my sanctuary, but i had strange nightmares and dull dreams instead. any ideas how i can get there and then realize it is but a dream? Its such a fun place!
^Second that, meditation/mental rehearsals are huge in this. Try and embody how you felt during experience to help jumpstart the process.
You could also supplement that with a written description and pieces of art inspired by the place (floorplan, first person perspective, a piece of equipment which stood out, etc).
I would assume envisioning the dream you intend to have and “rehearsing” it in your imagination while awake. Preferably with eyes closed, distractions set aside/tuned out, and visualizing it in as much detail as you can. Binaural beats/white noise/instrumental music (take your pic) can make a good focus aid, as well.
(Hm, I wonder… if you rehearse a dream with some audio playing in the background, then listen to the same audio while you sleep, would that increase your chances of having the intended dream?)