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I'm *very* new to all this, but I have definitely felt resistance.  Last night, my shoulder ached for a while after repeated attempts to separate by rolling out, as if it were anchoring me to the physical.

My plan for next time is twofold: 1) use thought as action more consciously, as LightBeam mentioned, and 2) be patient.  It could be different for you, but I got the distinct impression that this isn't something I can force.

Very interesting thought!  I had my first experience with projection last night, and although I didn't experience a full OBE, I repeatedly came very close to full separation.  After each attempt, I definitely felt mildly "drained," and I had to spend time breathing deeply and bringing more energy into my body before I felt confident trying again.  I think there could definitely be some truth to this idea.

I'll definitely be giving this a try!  I use the same progressive relaxation method you mention, but this seems like a way to really ensure the separation of mind and body.

Hello all!  I'm new here.  A little bit about me...I'm a 24 year old college student in VA majoring in Religious Studies.  I have a good deal of experience with meditation and chanting and have had lucid dreams before, though never on purpose.  I'm interested in learning about astral projection and OBEs, which is how I found this forum.  If you like, take a look at the experience thread I just posted.  I think I had a partial OBE on my first attempt at projecting, which is exciting.  Anyway, I look forward to learning more and sharing what I can! 

Hey everyone!  As you can probably guess, I'm new here - I stumbled across this forum because I've been looking for a place to learn about projection and ask about an experience I just had.  Sorry in advance for the wall of text...this is still fresh in my mind, and I'd like to share details.

Anyway, I've been curious about astral projection for a little while.  I've had lucid dreams before (though not intentionally), and they were fascinating, and I have a lot of experience with meditation and deep relaxation.  Until tonight, however, I had never attempted to project.  For guidance, I followed an excerpt from a book (thanks Google) outlining the basics of Robert Monroe's method.  In all honesty, I decided to try as much out of curiosity as anything, but I approached it seriously, and the results were worth it.

First, I turned off the lights in my room, leaving my closet door barely ajar with only a sliver of light escaping.  I lay flat on my bed, legs extended, with my hands resting comfortably on my thighs.  I began to relax myself, breathing deeply and slowly.  I paired this with a sort of mantra, since I figured some reinforcement wouldn't hurt: in between each inhale and exhale I would repeat the thought, "I am going to astrally project."

I then began consciously relaxing each part of my body in addition to this.  I started with the first joint of my toes and moved bit by bit all the way up to the top of my head, willing peace and light into each spot.  After this, my body was as calm as it could be, to the point where I felt no urge to move or even think about it (I guess this is sleep paralysis?), but my mind remained alert and active.  I spent some time staring with my eyes closed, allowing myself to sink even further into this state while stilling my thoughts further.

I gradually became able to view my surroundings without opening my eyes.  Things were fuzzy, but my familiarity with my room helped to clarify my vision.  I can only assume this was my mind's eye beginning to open.  As recommended by Monroe's steps, I focused this my inner sight on a point on the ceiling directly above me.  I attempted to pull the energy of that point downward and spread it throughout my body.  Each time I tried, there seemed to be a time delay between my efforts and when the waves landed.  I could tell that this energy was making a longer journey than the short distance from the ceiling to my bed.

Eventually, I felt it cascading it through me in slow waves.  It felt cool and refreshing, and each wave seemed to lift me up for a moment.  After a period of time, I began to focus on making my body as light as could be, even lighter than air.  The more I did so, the more in tune I felt with the waves of energy passing through me. I continued this for what seemed like only a few minutes, and after a time, I watched the following with my mind's eye:

While staring up with closed eyes, I saw the darkness behind my eyelids change.  It shifted from the typical dark one would normally see to a complete blackness, void of all light, that seemed infinitely deep. Shortly after this, I watched as I lifted my forearm up in a way that can only be described as separating it from my body. I moved it slightly to the right and briefly grasped and tugged upon a bunched-up portion of cloth before setting it back down. Looking back, this amazes me, but at the time it was simply something I decided to do.  Next, I raised my right foot approximately one foot in the air, again watching it pass through the quilt as if there were no barrier.  I waved it around briefly and then lowered back down. It felt as though I had always had a second copy of my body, one made of something different and intended for a different use, and I was just now discovering that use.

The excerpt I read said that such actions are signs that one is ready to leave the body. Being curious to explore further, I attempted to apply the technique of "lightness" to my entire body, but to no avail.  Next I tried the "roll out" method as described in Monroe's steps, and what happened was unlike any feeling I've had before.  Though my physical body didn't move, I felt my astral body begin to rise as I rolled to the right.  I could perceive the sliver of light from my closet more clearly, as though I was facing it (which makes sense because my closet is to the right from where I lay in bed).

However, I almost instantly felt myself pulled back into my body.  After a short period of deep breathing and re-centering myself, I tried again, with the same result.  I made a third attempt, this time rolling left, but it was all the same.  Each time, I felt as though my left shoulder acted as an anchor, weighing me down and rendering me unable to completely leave my body.  I would have taken more time to relax and make further attempts, but (despite it not having physically moved at all) my shoulder began to ache.  It also became progressively harder with each attempt to bring back the "deep darkness" I had witnessed before.

I decided to break away and try again at a later time. The entire experience took place over the course of an hour and a half, but it didn't feel nearly that long.   Upon moving my physical body (particularly upon rising from bed), I felt very sluggish, as if I were moving a half-step behind the physical world.  This feeling persisted strongly for roughly 20 minutes and gradually lessened over the course of the next hour.  In addition, my shoulder continued to ache for about 5 minutes after I began to move again, and it remains a little stiff two hours later.

Put simply, my question is this: what exactly happened?  For lack of a better word, it feels like I had a "partial" out of body experience.  The fact that my shoulder ached despite not moving it seems like evidence to support that claim.  Next time, I'm going to spend more time relaxing and attempting small movements before trying to fully leave my body.  With that said, I'm pleasantly surprised by the results of this first attempt - it was amazing!  Thanks in advance for your thoughts.  If I seem like a newbie, forgive me...it's because I am.