Hey, I posted this elsewhere http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/52-ways-to-have-lucid...

Also: http://www.reddit.com/r/LucidDreaming (cant believe i'm linking reddit)

I started when I was young, somebody told me it was possible so the following night I tried it - and it worked. Such is the wonder of youth :)

It comes and goes, so it does require continual 'retraining' - basically find a technique that works for you and give it your best effort. At the end of the day I suspect these 'techniques' are merely 'permission slips' allowing our brain to accept that it's possible. Either way, they can work.

The thing you have described is 'sleep paralysis' when in waking life (at least in the LD circles) - it's a very good sign, apparently you're meant to chill and just let it be. If you really needed to move (emergency), your brain would override the 'state' and allow you to (that has happened to people, the body 'unlocks' immediately).

I don't know what it means in dream life, other than it would be a good cue to remember that you have FULL control in your dream. When it happens next, remember this chat, and make yourself superman.. use your superhuman powers to break free :D Whatevvvver you like, just know that you can actually do that, because many of us do every night.

I'm no expert, since I didn't need to go through any hardships to achieve it. So perhaps there are better people for more 'concrete' advice. Good luck, it's lots of fun.

> Another question: has anyone had the feeling when they are in a dream that they can't move? I want to force myself to roll over to the other side and something invisible holds me there. I noticed this happens mostly when it's cold.

Roll over on the other side IRL on in the dream? In the former case this seems to be a very good description of sleep paralysis[1], including the sensation of something invisible holding you immobile. (tl;dr for the wiki article: When you are asleep, you are paralyzed. Sleep paralysis happens when you are already paralyzed and not yet asleep, or still paralyzed and already awake.)

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis

Most tips I've read about how to trigger LD involve conscious effort throughout the day to check that you are not dreaming. It's weird, but I used to ask myself everytime I flipped a light switch "is this a dream?". It gets your brain in the habit of questioning when you're in a dream state and that can carry over to actual dreams.

I'm not aware of any foolproof method to experience LD, but it was definetly something that I worked hard at and didn't come naturally.

>Another question: has anyone had the feeling when they are in a dream that they can't move?

Yes, it's one of the most common dreams. Along with "falling" or "sudden fall".

Another classic is incorporating external elements (a phone ringing in the apartment, a police car passing) into your dream.

The old instruction to pinch yourself to check you are not dreaming is essentially all you need to do. The pinching itself is not really necessary, just the habit of checking the current status of reality.