Astral Projection Exercises Astral Projection and Dreams When we dream, we have out-of-body experiences on the astral plane.

Conscious astral projection involves getting into a meditative state, moving your astral body out of your physical body, and traveling around on the astral plane. Astral Body Between you as spirit and your physical body there is an intermediate body known as your astral body. It is lighter and more changeable than your physical body. But the astral body has more shape and density than pure spirit. Your astral body may often be recognizable as your human form, but it can also change appearance, shift shapes, and do fun things like moving through walls. Astral Plane The world between the physical and spiritual world is known as the astral plane, or the astral. While it is commonly referred to in the singular as the astral plane, there are actually many different levels of the astral, or astral planes. We move through these astral planes in our dreams. Astral Travel The astral world is much more fluid than the physical world. Astral travel is not bound by the limitations of time and space. You can visit different dimensions and travel to past or future experiences on the astral. For many people, it is also easier to connect with deceased loved ones on the astral. Astral planes vary from the ordinary, to the phantasmagorical, to the divine. Defying easy definition, the astral planes intersect with both physical reality and the symbolic realms of the dream world. Astral travel can take you to dimensions beyond your imagination. Astral Dream Experiences Your astral body plays a key role in creating new developments which have not yet manifested in your physical life. The astral is like a giant laboratory in which you experiment with your life and your creations. The astral can also offer great insight, as it allows you to come at things from a different angle. Astral dream experiences allow you to see things from a different perspective than your normal awareness. As a result, astral dreams can be especially useful for working on situations that--for one reason or another--may be difficult to face directly in daily life. Astral Projection Meditation

Astral projection typically involves getting into a meditative state so you can consciously move your astral body out of your physical body. With practice, astral projection allows you to develop greater awareness of out-of-body and astral experiences. These are simple directions for an astral meditation that is suitable for beginners... HOW TO MEDITATE - basics of meditation. Make time to meditate. Set aside enough time in your daily routine for meditating. The effects of meditation are most noticeable when you do it regularly and consistently rather than sporadically. Some people will find a five minute meditation worthwhile, for others,the benefits of longer meditation are well worth the time. You can meditate at any time of day; some people like to start their day off with meditation, others like to end the day by clearing their mind, and some prefer to find refuge in meditation in the middle of a busy day. Generally,however, the easiest time to meditate is in the morning, before the day's events tire your body out and give your mind more to think about. Don't meditate immediately following a meal, or when you are likely to be hungry. The body's digestive system can be very distracting. Find or create a quiet,relaxing environment. It's especially important, when you're starting out,to avoid any obstacles to attention. Turn off any TV sets, phone(s) or other noisy appliances. If you play music, make sure it's calm, repetitive and gentle, so as not to break your concentration. Meditating outside can be conducive, as long as you don't sit near a busy roadway or another source of loud noise. Sit on level ground. Sit on a cushion if the ground is uncomfortable. You don't have to twist your limbs into the lotus position or adopt any unusual postures. The important thing is to keep your back straight, as this will help with breathing later on. You can also meditate on a chair. Make sure your back is straight (whether you lean against the chair or sit free does not matter). Your feet should rest solidly on the ground. Any position in which you're relaxed but your back is straight is permissible, even lying down,but be careful that you're not so relaxed that you fall asleep. In warm weather, consider watching the clouds. Keep your eyes half-open without focusing on anything.

If this is too distracting or difficult,close them or find something steady to focus on such as a small candle flame. Breathe deeply and slowly from your abdomen rather than your chest. You should feel your stomach rise and fall while your chest stays relatively still. Healthy,stress relieving breathing may be done by inhaling for count of 3, exhaling for count of 6, repeat over and over for 15 to 20 minutes. This expels the used air and more completely oxygenates your blood, lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Many high blood pressure patients have dropped their blood pressure as much as 50 points,allowing them to decrease or eliminate the need for medication. This breathing exercise should be done on a regular basis. Relax every muscle in your body. Don't rush this, as it takes time to fully relax. Do it bit by bit, starting at your toes, and working up to your head,until the tension melts away. Focus your attention. You may notice that your mind wants to wander, bouncing from thought to thought, making observations about other things. Gently bring your attention back to a single point until it rests there naturally. The goal is to allow the "chattering" in your mind to gradually fade away. Find an "anchor" to settle your mind. Let your attention rest on the flow of your breath. Listen to it, follow it,but make no judgments on it (such as "It sounds a little raspy...maybe I'm getting a cold?"). To overcome verbal chatter, recite a mantra (repetition of a sacred word). A single word like "aum" uttered at a steady rhythm is best. You can recite it verbally or just with the voice in your mind. Beginners may find it easier to count their breaths. Try counting your breath from 1 to 10, then simply start again at 1. To circumvent images that keep intruding on your thoughts, visualize a place that calms you. It can be real or imaginary. Imagine you are at the top of a staircase leading to a peaceful place. Count your way down the steps until you are peaceful and relaxed. For some people,focusing attention on a point or object does exactly the opposite of what meditation is all about. It takes you back to the life of "focus",: concentration", "strain". In this case,as an alternative to the above techniques, some meditators recommend un-focusing your attention. Instead of focusing attention on a point or an object, this type of meditation is achieved by attaining a state of zero. Take your attention above all thoughts till a point you lose all attention and all thoughts. Silence your mind. Once you've trained your mind to focus on just one thing at a time, the next step is focus on nothing at all, essentially "clearing" your mind. This

requires tremendous discipline but is the pinnacle of meditation. After focusing on a single point as described in the previous step,you can either cast it away, or observe it impartially and let it come and then go, without labeling it as "good" or "bad". Take the same approach to any thoughts which return to your mind until silence perseveres. ASTRAL PROJECTION EXERCISE: Preparing the Space, Preparing Yourself Find a quiet, comfortable place for yourself--where you will not be disturbed. Create a relaxing atmosphere. You may want to light a candle, burn incense, or play some quiet, soothing music in the background. Begin to relax in general. Take some deep breaths and perhaps do some light stretching. Sit upright in a comfortable position with an open posture. Part I: Aura Meditation Get yourself centered and grounded by doing the Aura Meditation. You will also need to repeat this after your astral projection meditation. Notice how you experience yourself before doing the Astral Projection exercise. Then close your eyes and focus your attention inward. Part II: Astral Projection Meditation Be aware of your body. Notice how you experience the density of your physical body. Then be aware of your aura about an arm's length all the way around your body. Notice how you experience the lightness of your spiritual energy. Then start to open up your awareness of an intermediate body between your physical body and you as spirit. Notice how you experience the vibration of your astral body. Allow yourself to shift your awareness to your astral body. Be present in your astral body. Float your astral body up to a corner of the room. Be present in your astral body in that upper corner of the room. From that upper corner of the room, be aware of your physical body down below you, sitting in the chair. Notice how you experience your physical body down below you. Then float your astral body up through the ceiling and be on the roof of your building. Be aware of your astral body standing on the roof of your building. On the roof, move around a bit in your astral body. Notice how you experience being in your astral body. Be aware of the world around from the roof of your building. Notice how you experience the world from your astral body. Then bring your astral body down through the roof and be in

an upper corner of the room again. From the upper corner of the room, notice your physical body sitting in the chair below you. Float your astral body above your physical body. Notice what it's like to be above your physical body. Then gently lower yourself down into your physical body. First be aware of being in your astral body in your physical body. Then allow yourself to shift your awareness to your physical body itself. Allow yourself to come back fully into your physical body. Part III: Repeat the Aura Meditation Get yourself centered and grounded by doing the Aura Meditation in How to Meditate. Draw all of your energy back from above you. Feel your feet on the floor. Feel your legs, torso, arms, neck and head. Be aware of your aura an arm's length around your body. Notice what it's like to be grounded back in your body. When you feel ready, take a few deep breaths, gently open your eyes, and slowly begin to move. Notice how you experience yourself after doing the Astral Projection exercise. Give yourself some time to integrate this experience and enjoy being relaxed before moving on to other activities. (Especially after you first start practicing this meditation-you may want to journal your experience, have a cup of tea, or go for a quiet walk.) If you practice astral meditation on a regular basis, it will become easier to do and your out-of-body experiences will gradually become clearer.