The key to having a rich dream life—is to learn how to wake up slowly—so that we can prolong contact with our subconscious minds.

Most of us, as soon as we awaken in the morning, allow our minds to wander off—to worrying about work, or school, or getting the kids ready—or we begin talking with our spouse or bed partner about our schedules for the day. If we do not work to recall our dreams immediately upon awakening, we will have missed a crucial opportunity.

Waking up S L O W L Y means that we lie still in bed, without talking, keeping our eyes closed, and working diligently to try to remember what it was we were just dreaming about—because we always dream just before we wake up in the morning.

If we don’t immediately recall a specific image or sequence from a dream, it is important nevertheless to remain still, and allow ourselves to evaluate our feelings. Dreams always leave us with an emotional “hangover.” Did we wake up feeling tense, frustrated, happy, sad, worried? Were we looking for someone, or trying to accomplish a task?

Once we’ve tuned in to our feelings, we want to reach for our dream journal (that we keep faithfully at our bedside—any pad of paper will do!) and write down four sentences:

• What was the key image in the dream?

• What was the key feeling?

• Where was the dream located?

• What situation in our waking life does this dream remind me of?

These four questions will help identify the dream’s meaning, and will help us recall the dream later in the day, when we have more time to reflect upon it, in a clear-headed state. Another goal of writing four sentences is that it helps keep our journal entry brief, and thus easier to faithfully record. (It can be tough to write in the morning—before we’ve had our coffee!)

The third step to having a rich dream life is the simplest of all. Before we go to bed at night, we want to confirm our intention to remember our dreams—and to wake up slowly the following morning. If you sleep with a partner, be sure to ask him or her to give you some “quiet time” first thing in the morning.

It sounds simple—and it is! If you follow these 3 easy steps for two weeks, I guarantee that you will soon be starring in your dreams—on a daily basis!

Dreams are windows to the soul. Dreams enable us to know ourselves better, to make the right decisions in life, and to accomplish our goals. Like fishermen and women casting our lines into a magical ocean, we can all learn to access these empowering reflections of our rich inner lives. All that is required—is intention and effort. Let the dreams begin!