Extremely close but....? And a few other questions.

[InnerDesire]

  So, I've never tried to astral project before, although I have accidently woken up while being half out of my body before.

My friends and I decided to try and astral project at around the same hour (1 am) to see if we could meet up somewhere (a playground that is in our neighborhood). In order to relax myself, I put on a binaural beat song usually intended to help lucid dreaming but I thought it would help with this too. I had a lamp on, because I do feel more comfortable with a light on. I lay on my back, which is a position I never sleep in but comfortable nonetheless and tried to remember what I should do. I began concentrating on my breathing and I didn't even count, but I began to feel as if my body was sinking into the mattress, yet locking into place (?) at the same time. It kind of felt as if my body was turning into stone and I felt myself gradually not be able to move any of my body parts except for my tongue and throat which felt weird cause my jaw was locked into place.

At this point I tried to do that thing where you relax your body parts from your toes to your head but for some reason it just wasn't working for me, i don't know. However, my whole body began to tingle, or vibrate and it felt like I was thrumming with energy that was on the surface of my skin, alive and moving.
My eyes were closed and I started seeing shapes and colors dancing around behind my eyelids I've never seen anything like it before- It was really fascinating. I tried to project myself out of my body by chanting a mantra or even trying to force myself out but I couldn't do it.

There were a few distractions would could have stopped me because my stomach was making those "digesting" noises very loudly and they wouldn't go away...I shouldn't have eaten a cookie before doing this I guess lol. Also my throat was dry and I kept trying to clear it.

But I need help on how to phase myself...I'm not sure how close I was, or if I need a new technique. Since this was my first time, do you think if I do it again tonight I'll get better results?

Also, is it possible to imagine yourself in an area and just "poof/teleport" there? And the astral plane, are you able to talk and hear things? Because when I woke up while half out of my body I tried screaming but found I couldn't talk.   

[CFTraveler]

  So, I've never tried to astral project before, although I have accidently woken up while being half out of my body before.

My friends and I decided to try and astral project at around the same hour (1 am) to see if we could meet up somewhere (a playground that is in our neighborhood).

First of all, it's a tall order to try to project to a specific place for the first time- I would recommend you try by yourself first, and once you get the hang of it then go to prearranged meeting places.

In order to relax myself, I put on a binaural beat song usually intended to help lucid dreaming but I thought it would help with this too. I had a lamp on, because I do feel more comfortable with a light on. I lay on my back, which is a position I never sleep in but comfortable nonetheless and tried to remember what I should do. I began concentrating on my breathing and I didn't even count, but I began to feel as if my body was sinking into the mattress, yet locking into place (?) at the same time. It kind of felt as if my body was turning into stone and I felt myself gradually not be able to move any of my body parts except for my tongue and throat which felt weird cause my jaw was locked into place.

Sounds like you were going into trance, which is what you want.

At this point I tried to do that thing where you relax your body parts from your toes to your head but for some reason it just wasn't working for me, i don't know. However, my whole body began to tingle, or vibrate and it felt like I was thrumming with energy that was on the surface of my skin, alive and moving.

Actually, if your body was paralyzed, then you had (the famous) exit vibrations, and chances are that if you had tried an exit technique you would have had an OBE to the RTZ.  (aka etheric OBE).

My eyes were closed and I started seeing shapes and colors dancing around behind my eyelids I've never seen anything like it before- It was really fascinating. I tried to project myself out of my body by chanting a mantra or even trying to force myself out but I couldn't do it.

This is the preliminary vision screen.  If you can continue looking at it without getting excited you can exit into one when it slows down enough.  This would be phasing into the astral, and it's not the same as an RTZ OBE, which would have taken you to (the closest thing to) a 'real' place.  Phasing takes you to a place more removed from 'reality'.

There were a few distractions would could have stopped me because my stomach was making those "digesting" noises very loudly and they wouldn't go away...I shouldn't have eaten a cookie before doing this I guess lol. Also my throat was dry and I kept trying to clear it.

That surprises me.  With sound input and you still could hear your body noises? (I'd think if you were hungry they would have been worse if you didn't eat the cookie) but this tells me at some point you snapped out of trance.  It's too bad, you were on your way.

But I need help on how to phase myself...I'm not sure how close I was, or if I need a new technique. Since this was my first time, do you think if I do it again tonight I'll get better results?

I think you were very close, but I don't know if you can detach your awareness enough to just ignore the things that snap out of it and stay tranced.  Also, if you're having vibrations, you may have to go with an old-fashioned separation to the RTZ OBE.  Nothing wrong with that, some people are more prone to that kind than phasing.  Eventually, you can do both.

Also, is it possible to imagine yourself in an area and just "poof/teleport" there?

Yes, if you do it in deep trance, can make yourself see the scene, and merge into it.  The problem is that you probably won't meet up with anyone else, because it may be a 'personal' space.  But you can meet with guides and other self-aspects in these places, which are just as fascinating.

And the astral plane, are you able to talk and hear things? Because when I woke up while half out of my body I tried screaming but found I couldn't talk.    [/color]

Depends on where you go.  Some people report talking and hearing.  In my case, no.  I have 'felt' others' vibrations and communicated telepathically.  Remember that you hear sounds with your ears, while when you're out the information is imparted more directly, or energetically if you will.  But it all depends, I suppose.  Just because I never have heard sound in the astral doesn't mean it can't be heard.  Just that it's not in my experience.

[InnerDesire]

Thanks for the reply. :] I hadn't known about exit techniques that night, but I wish I had...Is there a different way to get to RTZ than the Astral realm? Because I'm not sure what's the difference if there is different ways.

[CFTraveler]

Thanks for the reply. :] I hadn't known about exit techniques that night, but I wish I had...Is there a different way to get to RTZ than the Astral realm? Because I'm not sure what's the difference if there is different ways.

I don't understand what you mean by this.
The RTZ is the closest to physical reality of the astral realm.
There are ways to separate, and there is phasing, which generally doesn't go to the RTZ.  But nothing is written in stone.

[InnerDesire]

Okay, sorry I was a bit confused by the realms O_o