Relaxing the mind properly?

[Zyther]

Okay so I've been having trouble trying to get my mind to relax so my body can fall asleep. I can get my mind to relax until I start going into the hypnagogic state. The problem is I need to stop daydreaming at this point so I can consciously astral project. When I stop daydreaming my mind stops relaxing and I can't fall asleep further. I wake up at about 8pm and go to a different room to sleep in and try to astral project. Should I do an earlier time or think about something that could relax my mind without falling asleep unconsciously?

Thanks.

[Xan]

Zyther... Here are some methods for deeply relaxing the body. The mind will naturally follow.

Relaxation Is Key - http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8263


Xan

[Astral Explorer]

Originally Posted by Zyther

Okay so I've been having trouble trying to get my mind to relax so my body can fall asleep. I can get my mind to relax until I start going into the hypnagogic state. The problem is I need to stop daydreaming at this point so I can consciously astral project. When I stop daydreaming my mind stops relaxing and I can't fall asleep further. I wake up at about 8pm and go to a different room to sleep in and try to astral project. Should I do an earlier time or think about something that could relax my mind without falling asleep unconsciously?

Thanks.

Have you given Binaural beats a try yet? These are a very good way of altering your brainwaves without having to retain total awareness. They do a lot of the hardwork. A lot of people will urge others not to use these because you become dependent upon them, but to each their own. They have worked wonders with me and I am far from dependent on them, they are just really great.

[astralsuzy]

Listening to the beats or sounds of the rain is good to help the mind relax. After a while you may not need the beats. You can ap without it.

[Astral Explorer]

Originally Posted by astralsuzy

Listening to the beats or sounds of the rain is good to help the mind relax. After a while you may not need the beats. You can ap without it.

A lot of the Binaurals use nature sounds overlapped with the sound waves. The most important part is the sound waves though since they mimic brain waves and make it more automatic that your brain waves enter that frequency instead of a forced method using focus. I started out using nature sounds myself that's how I found out about Binaurals. Nature sounds are good for the people who are worried they will become dependent on the brain waves, or people who want a more "natural" meditation session. I will admit the Binaurals are a little more artificial.

[astralsuzy]

Thanks for that Astral Explorer. It does not matter if it is bit more unnatural so long as it works. I think I will try the beats. It is good to compare the sounds of the rain with something else. I do not like listening to the sounds of the birds as it does not relax my mind. It does not worry me if I become dependent on the beats or if it is more artificial. If it works that is the main thing.

[Zyther]

Thanks. I'll give this a few tries :)

[Zyther]

I have tried binaural beats a lot but I would need to lay on my back because of the headphones which will get uncomfortable after a while. Should I do this when I go to bed or in the morning?

[astralsuzy]

Listening to something can make a lot of difference. I did not ap as I kept falling asleep. When I woke up I was listening to the sounds of the wind and I could feel my mind relaxing more and more. It is very affective.
I use the head phones for a while then I take them off. I was very awake this morning so I decided to lie on my side and I took one side of the headphone off so I could still use it. Do whatever works for you. What works for one person may not work for another. Most people find it easier to ap after they get some sleep first otherwise you are too tired.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by Zyther

Okay so I've been having trouble trying to get my mind to relax so my body can fall asleep. I can get my mind to relax until I start going into the hypnagogic state. The problem is I need to stop daydreaming at this point so I can consciously astral project. When I stop daydreaming my mind stops relaxing and I can't fall asleep further. I wake up at about 8pm and go to a different room to sleep in and try to astral project. Should I do an earlier time or think about something that could relax my mind without falling asleep unconsciously?

Thanks.

I think a cool thing to do is relax the body part by part. Like, feel the toes and relax, feel the feet relax, feel the calves and relax then the thighs, relax... and bit by bit, feel the body and relax.