View Full Version : Relaxation Is Key
RELAXATION IS KEY
There are a variety of approaches for consciously leaving the body for astral projection, and all of them depend on being able to relax deeply without losing awareness. We want to be in "Body Asleep - Mind Alert"
Here are some methods that you may practice and develop for relaxing... and relaxing more... and more yet.......
RELAXATION TRAINING
* Sit or lie in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
* Bring your attention down from your head into your lower belly, below the navel, and be aware of your breathing there.
Put one hand on your lower belly and feel the slight natural movement... out with inhale and in with exhale.
* Breathe in gently and deeply through your nose and breathe out through your slightly open lips... like a gentle sigh.
(This Releasing Breath can be used any other time also as needed.)
* Breathe in and breathe out like this for several minutes. (Notice how your mind begins to slow down.)
* Whatever you think or feel, just breathe in your belly… observe it all neutrally while you accept and let go as your begin to relax down within yourself. (Now you are in the inward alpha state.)
* As you are breathing, imagine yourself sinking down into a peaceful mountain of cloud pillows... down and down… lighter and lighter.
* Then say and visualize the affirmations you have prepared beforehand, or use your favorite meditation technique, or lift out of your body and journey somewhere… or sleep restfully.
PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION
Take your time with this for best results.
* Get in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
* Bring your attention down into your belly and breathe there for a few minutes.
* Whatever goes on in your thoughts and feelings... just accept and breathe and let go. Notice how your mind slows down.
* Continuing to breathe in your belly, and beginning with your feet, visualize warm liquid light flowing through them and releasing any tension.
* Then do the same, slowly progressing up through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, butt and hips.
* Continue with warm liquid light flowing through your stomach and back muscles.
* Continue through and up your spine, and through your chest, your shoulders and neck.
* Continue with warm liquid light flowing down your arms, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers.
* Then continue with warm liquid light flowing from your neck up over your head and scalp, around your ears and jaw, and over your face.
* Allow the light to flow down through the center of your spine to the bottom, then all around you and enclosing your completely.
Just keep breathing and letting go.
Or... begin at the top of your head and continue slowly down to your feet and toes.
Please feel free to post your own favorite method.
Xan
astralsuzy
24-12-2010, 04:05 AM
You are right Xan, relaxation is the key. Thanks for that.
Spiritlite
24-12-2010, 04:58 AM
Love this,
Thankyou so much
Spiritlite.
Xanth
29-12-2010, 09:26 PM
Or... begin at the top of your head and continue slowly down to your feet and toes.
Actually, Robert Monroe suggests from top to bottom. The reason why is that you shouldn't move onto the rest of your body until you've fully relaxed everything in your head first. All of the muscles, especially the eyes, around the ears, the scalp, the eyelids, the mouth... everything. Let that feeling of relaxation sink into your head and visualize your brain relaxing.
Allow your physical brain to just feel the relaxation sinking in deeper and deeper.
THEN bring that relaxation into each muscle in your body. It'll go much smoother for you that if you went from the feet up. :)
If anyone has listened to the TMI Gateway CD's, the first three Tracks... Robert Monroe guides this particular "progressive relaxation" technique onwards to Focus 10. It's very good. :)
This is brilliant help! Thanks Xan! :D
I am always looking for helpful tips like that.
LadyB.
30-12-2010, 10:20 AM
.
Thanks so much Xan :smile:
Your intelligent, informative and kindly put threads/posts are so appreciated on these forums...:hug:
LB
X
Apakhana Akshobhya
30-12-2010, 10:37 PM
Good post Xan. I really have trouble relaxing allot. Your progressive relaxation reminds me of a practice the Golden Dawn teaches.
dhaga
31-12-2010, 12:06 AM
For years, I've used progressive relaxation to get myself to sleep when I am having trouble doing so otherwise. It is a good practice to get into, even if you are not taking steps into the Astral :)
LadyB: Your intelligent, informative and kindly put threads/posts are so appreciated on these forums...
LB... I appreciate the appreciation. :smile:
_/\_
namaste
Xan
Evaah
31-12-2010, 01:57 AM
I have to agree with LadyB. I always anticipate your posts/replies, Xan, because they're simply so wise... no doubt you've had lots of experience.
You're like a spiritual parent to me, haha. :smile:
I'm going to try this tonight. Do you suppose this will help keep my mind away from wanting to AP? Because I read that in order to AP, you should avoid thinking about wanting to do so. I can actually vouch for this; the one time I did AP (unconsciously), I was thinking about everything else BUT astral projection.
These days, though, I can't seem to just stuff the intent at the back of my mind.
~Ev
Yes Evaah... In focusing on the process of relaxation your mind is distracted from AP or anything else. And... by breathing down in your belly as your relax you'll notice your thoughts beginning to quiet down.
(btw... I'd rather be thought of as mentor than parent, if you think of me in a role at all. :smile: )
blessings
Xan
Evaah
31-12-2010, 01:12 PM
But I read that it's actually "bad" (for lack of a better term... ineffective? counter-productive, maybe?) to focus on breathing while trying to AP because we don't breathe in the astral. I think in another AP thread, someone pointed out that it's better to draw your attention away from breathing.
I can get to the stage where I'm relaxed. My body feels as though it's paralyzed (but it actually isn't); it feels heavy, and eventually, some parts begin to tingle. But at that point, I'm sort of stuck, because I'm trying not to think about wanting to AP, but at the same time, I'm afraid that if I stop thinking, I'll fall asleep. So I try to think about other things - or imagine myself in my "happy place". But the thoughts about AP always manage to creep back in...
I did try your breathing exercise in meditation last night, and yes, I found it to work well. I went straight into visualization afterward and found myself with a less active mind.
(Xan: Haha. Okay, then. Spiritual mentor. :smile:)
~Ev
Evaah: I did try your breathing exercise in meditation last night, and yes, I found it to work well. I went straight into visualization afterward and found myself with a less active mind.
Yes... Conscious breathing is a direct and and effective way to relax and bridge into alert awareness out-of-body, when breath awareness disappears.
btw, Evaah... That tiny font of your is hard for some of us squinty-eyed folks to read.
Xan
Apakhana Akshobhya
31-12-2010, 10:39 PM
Has anyone used this progressive muscular relaxation as their actual technique to project?
Something I've mistakenly done in the past has been to look at the relaxation part only as a preliminary or preparatory stage and then switch to a projection technique itself but the thought occured to me that:
It's not that complicated and, assuming we project when we sleep anyway but are unconscious of the fact, there need be no special technique - all we have to do is let the body sleep while we stay aware.
So, I timed myself doing simple relaxation and not worrying at all about projecting or picking a technique. If I'm worried about the technique then I think it's missing the point since all we are trying to do with any technique is catalyze what happens naturally.
The first try in which I timed myself, it was approximately eleven minutes until the body fell asleep and the "vibrations" began. I assumed soon after projection would follow as normal but I had to brake the practice to look at the clock.
I did this again and it took about fifteen minutes. So it depends on the state you're in and how tired you are.
Maybe someone else can do this too and see approximately how long it takes them to begin to project, through simply relaxing until it happens naturally and not worry about an actual technique.
Comparing results might be interesting.
Evaah
31-12-2010, 11:03 PM
btw, Evaah... That tiny font of your is hard for some of us squinty-eyed folks to read.
Aw, oops. :D My bad.
Ciqala
12-01-2011, 11:32 PM
Has anyone used this progressive muscular relaxation as their actual technique to project?
Something I've mistakenly done in the past has been to look at the relaxation part only as a preliminary or preparatory stage and then switch to a projection technique itself but the thought occured to me that:
It's not that complicated and, assuming we project when we sleep anyway but are unconscious of the fact, there need be no special technique - all we have to do is let the body sleep while we stay aware.
So, I timed myself doing simple relaxation and not worrying at all about projecting or picking a technique. If I'm worried about the technique then I think it's missing the point since all we are trying to do with any technique is catalyze what happens naturally.
The first try in which I timed myself, it was approximately eleven minutes until the body fell asleep and the "vibrations" began. I assumed soon after projection would follow as normal but I had to brake the practice to look at the clock.
I did this again and it took about fifteen minutes. So it depends on the state you're in and how tired you are.
Maybe someone else can do this too and see approximately how long it takes them to begin to project, through simply relaxing until it happens naturally and not worry about an actual technique.
Comparing results might be interesting.
I've figured out the same thing, since the body is supposed to fall asleep while the mind is still awake, you don't need to do any other techniques other than a good relaxation. I tried stopping the relaxation and forcing my astral body out, but that only disrupts the body from falling asleep. The timing is different for me, it depends on if i am tired or not. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes, sometimes takes hours if i am too awake. Sometimes doesn't work if i'm too tired too, i just fall asleep right away and am too exhausted to do any work. It's trying to find the best state of tiredness to work with. But as soon as my body falls asleep, i can get out of my body.
rasayyasar
14-01-2011, 02:27 AM
]Dear Xan
Letting to flow warm light logically bottom to up and be avoid of any thinking or tension is the keyrole to seperate from body. I shall try it.
Thank you so much for your complimentary help.
Spiritlite
12-06-2011, 04:59 AM
Thankyou again as a person who likes to worry (I say that in jest) this is something I forgot about, thankyou.
Spiritlite.
astralsuzy
12-06-2011, 07:08 AM
Very true, relaxation is the key. This morning I was not tired. I had all the sleep I needed. I got onto my side as that position is very relaxing for me to be in. I breathed in and out for a short while. Then I let my whole body relax at the same time. I felt my inner self rise up and going out of my body.
The only problem with being in that position is it is very relaxing so it is easy to fall asleep. I can lie on my back but after a while it gets uncomfortable. If it gets uncomfortable then you are unlikely to ap. That is what I learnt recently. You probably already know that.
Do you think it it worth while practicing to stay awake lying on my side and give up lying on my back for a while? Lying on my back mostly does not work. If I lie on my side it can get too comfortable and that may not be good.
Prokopton
12-06-2011, 11:25 AM
Good relaxation techniques are indeed vital, not only to projection, but to everything! Personally I like the tense-relax technique of Edmund Jacobson, who first came up with the term 'progressive relaxation' back in the 1930s. He'd been researching the removal of anxiety by relaxation of muscle fibres since 1908! He wrote a guide for the layperson called You Must Relax: A Practical Method of Reducing the Strains of Modern Living (http://www.amazon.com/You-Must-Relax-Practical-Reducing/dp/B000FJG2CQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1307877010&sr=1-2) in 1934, followed by a technical manual containing all his research, Progressive Relaxation (http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Relaxation-Edmund-Jacobson/dp/0226390586/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307877086&sr=1-2), in 1938.
This was later expanded in therapeutic terms by Joseph Wolpe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Wolpe). These days we have a lot of research showing effectiveness of those specific techniques in treating many common human difficulties; for example phobia, anxiety and panic disorders, hypertension, insomnia and depression on the psychological side; and headache, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, dysmenorrhea and tinnitus on the physical one. The technique is often taught as part of wider therapy and may just be holding some aspects of civilization together at this point. :)
This book (http://www.amazon.com/Directions-Progressive-Relaxation-Training-Professionals/dp/0275968375/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307877401&sr=1-2) gives all the info you'd need on history and training. You can also get good quick instructions in the technique from this web page (http://www.hypnos.co.uk/hypnomag/jacobson.htm), or famous astral projection guru Robert Bruce's favoured version is on this web page (http://www.newagevillage.com/wiki/index.php/Full_Body_Relaxation_Technique) (or in his book Astral Dynamics (http://www.amazon.com/Astral-Dynamics-Out---Body-Experiences/dp/B000HWY5MU/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307877517&sr=1-2).)
It's very easy, if you've got the general idea from trying out a description or two, to improvise and mould the technique for your own particular requirements, especially if you've taken the wise step of learning something about your anatomy. Combination with chi self massage from Taoist (http://www.amazon.com/Chi-Self-Massage-Taoist-Way-Rejuvenation/dp/1594771103/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307878062&sr=1-1) traditions (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-System-Self-Healing-Internal-Exercises/dp/B000NDHQ74/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307877683&sr=1-1) or shiatsu (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Shiatsu-Harmonize-Better-Health/dp/087040394X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307877703&sr=1-2) can produce some very welcome results.
Another important basic relaxation tool is the inner smile technique -- see from page 39 of Chia's Awaken Healing Energy Through the Tao, available for free here (http://www.scribd.com/doc/48256624/Mantak-Chia-Awaken-Healing-Energy).
Xanth
12-06-2011, 09:16 PM
Actually, recently I've come to the conclusion that "relaxation" is NOT required. Don't get me wrong, it does seriously help... veterans and beginners a like, but the MAIN key to projection is learning to disassociate your consciousness from your physical body and its surroundings.
And you do NOT need to relax in order to do that... it just helps a bit more.
astralsuzy
12-06-2011, 09:20 PM
You are right Xanth. I think both ways are correct, to be very relaxed and not so relaxed. Both ways will work. There are times when I am not relaxed and I AP. I think you can ap more often if you are relaxed.
The only problem with being in that position is it is very relaxing so it is easy to fall asleep.
Do you think it it worth while practicing to stay awake lying on my side and give up lying on my back for a while? Lying on my back mostly does not work. If I lie on my side it can get too comfortable and that may not be good.
suzy... I suggest finding another position that is both comfortable and not the way you usually sleep.
For instance, maybe your other side, or turned around in your bed head-to-foot, or putting a pillow or rolled up towel under your knees. I have used a modified 'lounge chair' position, with my head and shoulders propped up a little and my knees supported. I've heard some people even go ap lying on their stomachs.
Xan
astralsuzy
12-06-2011, 09:47 PM
Thanks Xan, I always appreciate your replies. You are sensible and knowledgeable.
Thanks, suzy...
blessings
Xan
not human
11-07-2011, 12:29 AM
For years, I've used progressive relaxation to get myself to sleep when I am having trouble doing so otherwise. It is a good practice to get into, even if you are not taking steps into the Astral :)
I totally agree with this. Please pardon my ignorance, I looked into AP when I was a teen mainly because it seemed fun & scary at the same time & just a really cool thing to master. As I refined my path as I grew older I could never see the value of exploring different " states " as my particular journey seems more to do with embracing humaness rather than leaving it conciously. Am I missing something here, what are the different motivations for achieving this state conciously. Thank you.
not human... For more responses you might start a new thread on this question... What are the different motivations for AP?
Xan
not human
11-07-2011, 01:59 AM
Good idea Xan I am curious
Good thread you started, not human.
http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18849
Xan
Rememoration
25-07-2011, 04:51 AM
Well, Xan, I have this issue . I'm not sure if it's hindering my ability to relax, or not. Pretty much, I can't breathe through my nose. My polyps are oddly enlarged and swollen at all times, blocking my ability to inhale through my nose.
Is this something I should worry about in achieving a deep state of relaxation?
I hear that breathing in through the nose and exhale through the mouth is the best way. All in all, nice presentation. I could really use this on my next attempt.
Rememoration... Worrying about how you are breathing would get in the way of relaxation a lot more than anything else.
You must have developed a way of breathing pretty naturally even with your problem... so just do that and keep letting go through relaxing your muscles and thinking mind.
Xan
Nice thread - and the 'Why Astral Project' one as well. I may comment on that, though these days I don't so much, so perhaps I'll just listen. :smile:
jaries12
08-12-2011, 01:44 PM
Cheers Xan,
I do practice these types of techniques, so it's good to know I'm on the right track. However, for myself, I am not able to reach an OBE from a conscious meditation... I always seem to reach the vibrational state randomly upon waking at different times of the night. I suppose this is still success, but I wish I could reach it from meditation.
Jaries... I often recommend a book that gives a variety of methods to find one what works for you, along with a lot of good information and stories from many different people. This is "The Secret of the Soul" by William Buhlman.
Xan
astralsuzy
08-12-2011, 10:50 PM
There are times when I meditate I am unable to ap. You just have to keep persevering with it. You can try other techniques but that does not work all the time as well. You have to keep persevering with it. When you are in the meditative state any technique will work. The hard part is to get into the meditative state. The next step is very easy.
Occasionally I am not in a meditative state and I am awake and I can ap but that is very unusual. Mostly it does not happen.
I wish I had a chance to ap last night but my daughter was making very loud noises and I could not relax properly. I gave up. I just thought I would add that in. Tonight I am going out to dinner. I hope I will try to ap when I get home and not talk myself out of it.
Avilucis
11-12-2011, 09:11 PM
I often get uncomfortable and give up. One of the things that's the worst for me is a restless feeling, normally would make me toss and turn, or move my limbs around.
Babies get it too, it means the body is overtired. You know your baby is overtired if they jerk out, and arch their back.
Well, so normally I'd give up, but I read in a Robert Bruce book, that all you need to do is relax, and the feelings of wanting to turn over or move will go away.
So, I tried this, and managed to get very comfortable - on my back even!
Previously, I was very restless and uncomfortable.
I just wanted to pass that on, to anyone who's stuggling with being uncomfortable. Try relaxing further.
How I relaxed, is I said to myself I am open, completely open to anything that happens to me, anything is ok.
This worked (at the time, not sure if it will again) ... the reason I tense is because I fear the unexpected - so I took that reason for tensing away, and I could relax very easily.
astralsuzy
11-12-2011, 11:07 PM
Thanks for that Avilucis. After reading about you I realise that is my problem too. I cannot seem to relax. I may lie there without moving for a while but I am not relaxed and I want to turn over. I will have to work on that.
Apakhana Akshobhya
11-12-2011, 11:57 PM
I am reading the same Robert Bruce thing Avilucis is. Something I was doing recently is the breathing technique. It's for relaxing and not for projecting really (well maybe it's kinda the same thing but) it relaxes me pretty well.
First you take one short breath then a little longer one, the tird a little longer until you count up to about 6 breaths and the 6th is the longest you can do, then let them grow shallow again. You can go to 12 if you want, whatever.
Maybe try that if anyone has a hard time relaxing.
You really have to focus so you relax the mind as well. Projecting really requires the body is asleep as well as the thinking paprt of the mind. You just want that subtle awareness to be active without having to think about it.
astralsuzy
12-12-2011, 12:26 AM
Thanks for that Apakhana Akshobhya. I am going to do the slow breathing and I will do the yoga stretches as well. That should work.
It's important to realize that most of our tension and inability to relax comes from what's going on in our mind, not just the body.
To relax your mind takes some self-awareness...
paying attention to what you're feeling without thinking about it much
accepting and allowing whatever you feel
and letting go.
Conscious breathing with your feelings helps a lot.
Xan
astralsuzy
07-05-2012, 06:06 AM
Thanks Xan for bringing it up. It is extremely important to be able to relax when you want to ap. Also it is a reminder for me to do what Apakhana Akshobhya suggested and that is to do short and long breaths. I will use the relaxing CD if that does not work after the breathing. I will keep persevering with the breathing. That sounds great. Your advice is good as well, of course.
Miss Hepburn
18-03-2013, 04:17 AM
This also needs to be brought up.
:smile:
vBulletin v3.5.5, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.