I think i can do it! just one question?

[Astralkm8]

Hey i have one problem with Astral Projecting. I have a deviated septum which makes it difficult for me to breathe through my nose for most of the time. I will soon have to get a minor surgery to fix this, but who knows how long that could be. Anyways i breathe through my mouth which seems to be an issue because when i'm focusing on not focusing i have to swallow, so i have to close my mouth and swallow which interrupts my processes. any ideas on how to fix this? I really want to AP but i cant exactly fix this one issue, is it okay to swallow? will that screw it up? i obviously do this while im sleeping so its not a problem then, will this prevent me from Astral Projecting? Also for any of you who are experienced what is the best time to AP? i try to do it when i wake up in the middle of the night but i fall right back asleep. Should i do it when i got to sleep? (11:00 PM usually) or should i set an alarm and do it then? if so how long do i wait for? thanks for the answers

[Lookedynamixhales]

If you wake up in the night go down stairs and drink some water It will bring some alertness back to you then attempt projection, you will be tired still but it should perk you up enough to hold out...and swallowing won't interrupt you to much it may push you back a bit but you need to be comfortable and relaxed while attempting projection if you don't swallow your mind will constantly be pondering over it once you reach a certain stage physical needs will not be present well that is what happens with me when I hit focus 12 anyways...

[CFTraveler]

Hey i have one problem with Astral Projecting. I have a deviated septum which makes it difficult for me to breathe through my nose for most of the time.

Have you tried using saline solution or a neti-pot?  The combo of salt water and sitting on a recliner helps me with my deviated septum.

so i have to close my mouth and swallow which interrupts my processes.

Don't think of what you're supposed to do or not supposed to do- this defeats many (regardless of sinus issues) a projector, who spend most of the time trying 'not to' think, or swallow, or move, or whatever.  Try to find something to occupy your mind so you're not thinking of what you're supposed to do or 'not' do.  There are lots of techniques to try in the 'techs' section.

is it okay to swallow?

Yes.  You can do anything as long as you don't fall asleep, regardless of what you've heard.

what is the best time to AP?

Depends if you're a night person- but I project the best very early in the morning (about 2 hours before the usual wakeup time) or during the day when no one is home.  I realize that's not doable for everyone, but I think you can adjust your schedule once a week to do an attempt, and practice other things like relaxation or energy work at other times.

As to projecting at bedtime, I discourage this because it sets you up for failure (you're already trained to go to sleep at that time) and changing the pattern can then give you insomnia, when you actually go to sleep.  But of course I realize scheduling is sometimes difficult- so do it when you can, but not every night.

[Lionheart]

Have you tried using saline solution or a neti-pot?  The combo of salt water and sitting on a recliner helps me with my deviated septum.
Don't think of what you're supposed to do or not supposed to do- this defeats many (regardless of sinus issues) a projector, who spend most of the time trying 'not to' think, or swallow, or move, or whatever.  Try to find something to occupy your mind so you're not thinking of what you're supposed to do or 'not' do.  There are lots of techniques to try in the 'techs' section.
Yes.  You can do anything as long as you don't fall asleep, regardless of what you've heard.
Depends if you're a night person- but I project the best very early in the morning (about 2 hours before the usual wakeup time) or during the day when no one is home.  I realize that's not doable for everyone, but I think you can adjust your schedule once a week to do an attempt, and practice other things like relaxation or energy work at other times.

As to projecting at bedtime, I discourage this because it sets you up for failure (you're already trained to go to sleep at that time) and changing the pattern can then give you insomnia, when you actually go to sleep.  But of course I realize scheduling is sometimes difficult- so do it when you can, but not every night.

CFT was spot on here, especially with her quote that "Don't think of what your "supposed" to do. Just do what you are doing and ALLOW what happens to happen. I had a problem a couple of years ago Aping when I used a technique concentrating on my breath. It became such a strong focus that it had me Hyperventilating. That definitely wasn't going to lead to any positives, so I just laid back, closed my eyes and kind of played with different images in my mind. I would just "imagine" a basketball in my hand, then I would shoot it into the darkness. Pretty soon there was a basket front of me. After more shooting the basketball, I decided to go for a lay-up. To my surprise that's exactly what I did. I could feel the exact same movement that I would feel if I did that in real life. I also saw I was on a court now. After awhile of doing these lay-ups, I saw that someone else was own at the other end of the court. The scene took on a life of it's own. I didn't change a thing. A just ALLOWED it to morph and grow.
What had basically happened is that I had so much focus on this scenario that I had initially created, that I didn't notice that I had "shifted" and was now deep in the NPR.

You can practice anytime, but most people find success in the early mornings, us9ing techniques like Wake Back To Bed, etc.

[CFTraveler]

Shooting baskets sounds like an awesome exit technique.  I'm going to try it the next time I make an attempt.

[Lionheart]

Shooting baskets sounds like an awesome exit technique.  I'm going to try it the next time I make an attempt.

I have actually done quite a bit of personal research on Focus items. Sports seem to be one of the best ways that I can personally acquire a great NP focus. I have made posts here in the past about Hacky Sac, which I found useful. This started by accidently dropping an ball (during a Phase session), I had created, then the next thing I knew, my foot had kicked it back up to my hand again and so the experiments with Astral Hacky Sac began.

Then I went to playing Frisbee on my beach. I had read this technique from Contenteo, who says he a very good Frisbee thrower (as he stated in a former thread). Throwing the Frisbee always led to a morph scene where I found myself flying around. At first you just throw it into the darkness in front of you. After awhile you get to see it. The key to this is don't put a lot of time into creating the visual. Just close your eyes and see that you have tossed a Frisbee. It will appear vivid soon enough. With the Frisbee visual, I would do a slow motion viewing of it as it sored in the air. Watching the trajectory of the Frisbee.

I think that many of the people that attempt to visualize, put too much thought into it. Just mentally go through the motions, the rest will follow.

I have found that it must be as interactive a sport as you can find. This led to me trying Table Tennis, otherwise known as Ping Pong. I loved it. You don't need to see a paddle in your hands or the ball. Just go through the mental motions, soon enough you will see a paddle, the ball, a table, possibly a opponent, the room you are playing in, etc.
I then tried it via a Colleco like (I think the name is right) version of table tennis. One of the electronic sit down video game models. At first it was just simply watching the electronic white glowing paddle hitting the ball. After awhile I found myself sitting in a Cafeteria somewhere with other people behind me rooting me on, lol.

The key to learning this technique is to practice often and don't give up. At first it's hard to keep any visual at all and you just think "Ok, this is stupid".  The ones that give up are the ones that lose out. Stay with, but ALLOW it to go where it wants to. You can start a simple visual of playing some interactive, in your face sport and 20 minutes later you find yourself in China walking in a mall with hundreds of people around. But, in all this time, you haven't focused on your physical body at all. You don't even need to do anything else to AP, because you are already there. Now you can change your intent and go where you wish.

Good Luck and Safe Travels!