Each person has the natural ability to astral project. Many people do it and are not even aware of the fact that they do. The key is to consciously astral project, and control where your astral body is going and what it is doing.

Assuming you already know what your astral body is and what the astral plane is, let's learn a few different techniques that will help you astral project. When you astral project, you experience something extremely personal. Because of this, it is very important that you learn which techniques work best for you.

This first method is easy for most people, and you do it just as you are getting ready to fall asleep. It is a very simple five step technique.

*The first thing you want to do is get completely relaxed. You can't astral project unless you achieve a deep level of relaxation. Lie down in bed, and begin with your toes. Tense them up for a few moments, then consciously relax every muscle. Do the same thing to every muscle, working your way up your body until you finish with your head and face. This may feel unfamiliar at first, but you will soon get used to this method of relaxation. Your body may feel rather heavy. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.

*Next, take deeper, slower breaths. Using a common meditation technique works for some people. Breathe in deeply, paying close attention to how it feels for the air to come into your lungs and push against your diaphragm. Exhale slowly, completely emptying your lungs. Feel how the air leaves your body as you relax. Try to stay awake through all this. What may help is to focus on the center of your forehead, in the region of the third eye.

*For step three, evaluate how your body feels. Is it heavy? Imagine your body is a lump of clay that does not move easily. Now, think of your astral body it feels so light. It is weightless floating free. Close your eyes and envision your astral self. It feels so light it could float easily like bubbles or feathers carried by a breeze. The contrast is the physical body feels very heavy, while the astral body feels light as a feather.

*This is the point when many people who prefer this astral projection technique say that they can see the dark room through their closed eyelids. They describe the room as being full of purple light. If you achieve this step, focus on the ceiling light.

*For the fifth step of this method, imagine that you are pulling the light on the ceiling toward you. This action may make you feel like you're floating. Remember to stay conscious! The floating feeling should continue, and if you look down, you may see your physical body asleep on the bed below.

Wow you just had a successful astral projection session! Now you can begin astral traveling. If this method did not work well for you, try out the next one.

The next method to try is called gazing. Try this as you are going to bed. Find something that you want to use as a focal point it can be a picture on the wall, the moon outside your window, a crystal or anything that you can see easily while lying down in bed.

Now that you have your object, place it so you can see it easily when you are lying in bed. Focus on this object. As you continue to stare at it, you should feel your eyes getting heavy. Even though they get heavy, keep staring at the object. While your eyes will eventually close, you should still be able to see the object. As you continue to stare, you may feel like you want to sit up or even stand. As this happens, do not be surprised if you still see your physical body lying on the bed, asleep.

If these techniques don't work for you the first couple of times, don't get discouraged. Try them again. If they still don't work, there are other methods to try. It is imperative that you don't get frustrated. This will only cause anxiety and make it more difficult to relax completely so you can achieve a successful astral projection.

In fact it is vital you understand that whatever tools and techniques you try, the main stumbling block to successful astral projection is actually your own subconscious mind. You need to reassure your subconscious mind that it is perfectly okay for your spiritual body to leave your physical body. One way you can do this is by using affirmations. Once your subconscious mind understands this, then you will find astral projection easy!

There are a few short cuts that can help you learn to astral project very quickly. They can speed up the process of getting into a relaxed state of mind, making it much easier to have a successful astral session.

Firstly hypnosis can really help to get you into a fully relaxed state. A quality guided hypnosis session will also explain the steps of how to astral project as you are experiencing it, rather than you worrying about what you should be doing!

There is also a sound technology that is being developed called "binaural beats." In this technology, different sound frequencies are played in each ear. This sends signals to your brain that quickly relaxes you into a deep meditative state, increasing the likelihood of a successful astral projection.

Astral projection is not as hard as many people think it is. Everyone is born with the natural ability to do this, and these tools and techniques help you develop this talent to its full ability. Give them a try and see what works best for you.