It was an absolutely fascinating message from our new member that
prompted me to find out more information on "Out of Body" experience.
I actually tried this and it's very engaging.

Astral Projection ('AP') is an automatic reflex, built in to your
body and mind. To trigger it, while fully conscious, there are three
major requirements.

1. The ability to relax your body 100% and stay awake.
2. You have to be able to shift your consciousness point outside of
your body.
3. You need enough mental and psychic energy to maintain control over
the projection and not slip into the dream state. Together, these
will trigger the automatic projection reflex for a full powered AP'.
There are a few minor conditions but these can be varied to suit your
experience and surroundings.

Relaxation: You must `master' a full body relaxation exercise. If you
know one already it can be adapted to suit. Sit in a `chair' and
relax. Starting with the feet, tense them and relax them. Continue
this with calves, thighs, hips, stomach, chest, arms, neck and face.
Go over this a few times until you feel completely relaxed. Breathe
deeply and slowly throughout this and try to become `aware' of the
breath entering and leaving your body.

Mental hands: Imagine you have a pair of `mental hands'. Stroke
yourself with these `hands' in an upward motion from your feet and up
your legs, over and over again. Try and `feel' them relaxing and
soothing you. Continue this up through the centre of your torso,
paying particular attention to the chakras. The mental hands
technique will also get you used to shifting your point of
consciousness to different parts of your body. Try and put as much of
yourself as you can into these mental hands.

Energy raising: As you pull upwards through your legs with your
mental hands, imagine you are gripping the energy that flows there
and pull it up through you. This is the natural path of the
psychic/life energy that flows through you. With practise you will
actually `feel' this energy tingling and surging through you. It will
literally `charge' you up like a battery.

Chakras: These are situated at: 1. the base of the spine (between the
anus and the genitals) 2. The spleen (slightly below the belly
button) 3. The solar plexus (1 hand-span above the belly button) 4.
The heart (centre of the chest) 5. the throat. 6. forehead. 7. Crown
(full top of your head). They are best imagined as roughly the size
of your hand.

Chakra stimulation: Chakras are centres for the transformation of
energy. Each chakra transforms the raw life energy of the planet into
a different type. As you pull this energy up through you with your
mental hands, stop at each chakra and imagine your mental hands
opening it. Pull the energy up through it to the next one and so on.
Repeat this a few times, you may not feel anything at first but with
practise you will feel a fluttering or pulsing under your skin.

Stop Check: Keep checking your muscles for any tensioning throughout
these exercises and re-relax as needed. A common problem is the
automatic tensing of muscles as you pull energy up through you.
Remember, this is all mental, the body must stay dormant and relaxed
throughout this.

Point shift: To shift your point of consciousness, imagine you are a
foot or two out in front of yourself. NOT a figure in front of you
but YOU are in front of your physical body. Keep in mind your
physical body being behind you. This is tricky but you will get used
to it quickly. Don't tense or strain any muscles during this, your
body will try to obey you `physically', don't let it.

Mental state: Your surface mind will be fully occupied by these
exercises so no mental exercise is needed up to this point. When you
feel so relaxed your body begins to feel `heavy' you are entering a
light trance. Cease the other exercises and use breath awareness to
stop your mind wandering.

Breath awareness: `Feel' your breath coming in and `feel' it going
out. With the inhale, `pull' energy up from the base chakra to your
heart chakra with your mental hands. Note: If you feel any vibration
start in your body at this point, and don't want to project yet, move
your head slightly, and gently sway your body into normal alertness.

These exercises should be carried out daily. Some of them can be done
anywhere and anytime you have a few minutes to spare. You will, in
time, condition your body to respond quickly and easily. With
practise you will be able to attain a state of `total relaxation' in
just a few minutes. This training will reduce the amount of effort
needed, and the fatigue produced, when you attempt a fully conscious
AP.