neuroscience and meditation experiences

There is consistency in the kinds of experiences people have during meditation or when they have near death experiences. One of them is seeing yourself out of your body. Angular gyrus in the brain is responsible for balance and touch. The site http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/obe.html explains the link between out of body experience and angular gyrus.Weak  stimulation of the right angular gyrus caused the patients to report the feeling of 'sinking into the bed' as mentioned in Betty Eddings book 'embracing the light'.

Stronger stimulation caused out of body experience. One patient reported seeing herself lying in bed, from above, but only saw her legs and lower trunk." At other times she reported feelings of "lightness" and of "floating" two meters above the bed. 

These experiences are identical to those of meditators. My own very first experience of floating meters above was at the age of three or four. I never forgot that experience. I had my hair washed and wet when dad called us to meditate for a short period before having our breakfast. Being a little child, I first tried to open one eye to check what other siblings were doing and when I realised that nobody was playing games, I decided out of boredom to actually give it a go and started chanting. Within less than five to ten minutes, I was floating at least a meter above ground. It was a great experience but out of excitement I opened my eyes and was disappointed to see that I was firmly sitting on the ground.

Is Astral travel one of the 18 sidhies?

I think it is.
Found this site on personal experiences about astral travel.
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org/threads/th_astrl.html

Have you done astral travel or are curious about it? I didn't find it as great as experiencing the jewels within the body. To me astral travel was more because of my desire to travel somewhere and take revenge from a certain person as I felt this rage due to being cheated and someone using my spiritual energy without my permission. I couldn't have physically travelled to the faraway place where the person had moved to but my souls desire to get even caused the experience which didn't give me long term bliss.

So after this experience, I never intended to do it again. But reading some of the pages, I suspect that in almost every meditation those visions that I see are related to out of body experiences. But what is the point of knowing what the day entails if I can't change any of it? The only thing I can do is Ardas / prayer to protect me if its not in my favour and recognise the moment in real life which I was made aware of in the dream or meditation. It helps a little bit but not to a great extent whereas if you just do meditation to meet your Guru or Waheguru, its much more fruitful as I end up with a feeling of Bliss that lasts for days and also the blessings that I receive change my life for the better, in a profound way.

Like the Guru says don't run after the Ridhis and Sidhis, they run after the person that meditates. None-the-less, reading about such extra-ordinary experiencing is exciting and encouraging. Here are a few more sites
http://www.theartofastralprojection.com/blog/out-of-body-experiences-interpretation
http://www.theartofastralprojection.com/

Astral Projection verses Etheric projection - Akashic records

http://www.crystalinks.com/astralprojection.html

The above source mentions Monroe method. I feel good to read that the light patterns seen in meditation are merely neural discharges and one should ignore them. Its just an indication that we are entering deeper relaxation. We need to go to even deeper relaxation stage where we do not feel our body at all. After this stage comes the auto-pilot where your mind is not in control. Some external program starts running. Its been long since I expereinced that auto-pilot stage. How much I want to enter that stage! On the site mentioned above there are other menthods mentioned as well, I haven't read them yet.

Step One:


Relax the body. According to Monroe, "the ability to relax is the first prerequisite, perhaps even the first step itself" to having an OBE. (out of body experience). This includes both physical and mental relaxation. Monroe does not suggest a method of attaining this relaxation, although progressive muscle relaxation, coupled with deep breathing exercises (inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3... until about 50 or 100) are known to work well.

Step Two:

Enter the state bordering sleep. This is known as the hypnogogic state. Once again, Monroe doesn't recommend any method of doing this. One way is to hold your forearm up, while keeping your upper arm on the bed, or ground. As you start to fall asleep, your arm will fall, and you will awaken again. With practice you can learn to control the hypnogogic state without using your arm. Another method is to concentrate on an object. When other images start to enter your thoughts, you have entered the hypnogogic state. Passively watch these images. This will also help you maintain this state of near-sleep. Monroe calls this Condition A.

Step Three:

Deepen this state. Begin to clear your mind. Observe your field of vision through your closed eyelids at the blackness in front of your. After a while you may start to notice light patterns. These are simply neural discharges. They have no specific effect. Ignore them. When they cease, one has entered what Monroe calls Condition B. From here, one must enter an even deeper state of relaxation which Monroe calls Condition C-- a state of such relaxation that you lose all awareness of the body and sensory stimulation. You are almost in a void in which your only source of stimulation will be your own thoughts.

The ideal state for leaving your body is Condition D. This is Condition C when it is voluntarily induced from a rested and refreshed condition and is not the effect of normal fatigue. To achieve Condition D, Monroe suggests that you practice entering it in the morning just as you are getting up, or after a short nap.

Step Four:

Enter a state of Vibration. This is the most important part of the technique, and also the most vague. Many projectors have noted these vibrations at the onset of projection. They can be experienced as a mild tingling, or as if electricity is being shot through the body. Their cause is a mystery. It may actually be the astral body trying to leave the physical body.

For entering into the vibrational state, he offers the following directions:

1. Remove all jewelry or other items that might be touching your skin.

2. Darken the room so that no light can be seen through your eyelids, but do not shut out all light.

3. Lie down with your body along a north-south axis, with your head pointed toward magnetic north.

4. Loosen all clothing, but keep covered so that you are slightly warmer than what might normally be comfortable.

5. Be sure you are in a location where, and at a time when, there will be absolutely no noise to disturb you.

6. Enter a state of relaxation.

7. Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember all that occurs during the upcoming session that will be beneficial to your well being. Repeat this five times.

8. As your breathe, concentrate on the void in front of you.

9. Select a point a foot away from your forehead, then change your point of mental reference to six feet.

10. Turn the point 90 degrees upward by drawing an imaginary line parallel to your body axis up above you head. Focus there and reach out for the vibrations at that point and bring them back into your body.

Even if you don't know what these vibrations are, you will know when you have achieved contact with them.

Step Five:

Learn to control the vibrational state. Practice controlling them by mentally pushing them into your head, down to your toes, making them surge throughout your entire body, and producing vibrational waves from head to foot. To produce this wave effect, concentrate on the vibrations and mentally push a wave out of your head and guide it down your body. Practice this until you can induce these waves on command. Once you have control of the vibrational state, you are ready to leave the body.

Step Six:

Begin with a partial separation. The key here is thought control. Keep your mind firmly focused on the idea of leaving the body. Do not let it wander. Stray thoughts might cause you to lose control of the state.

Now having entered the vibrational state, begin exploring the OBE by releasing a hand or a foot of the "second body". Monroe suggests that you extend a limb until it comes in contact with a familiar object, such as a wall near your bed. Then push it through the object. Return the limb by placing it back in to coincidence with the physical one, decrease the vibrational rate, and then terminate the experiment. Lie quietly until you have fully returned to normal. This exercise will prepare you for full separation.

Step Seven:

Dissociate yourself from the body. Monroe suggests two methods for this. One method is to lift out of the body. To do this, think about getting lighter and lighter after entering the vibrational state. Think about how nice it would be to float upward. Keep this thought in mind at all costs and let no extraneous thoughts interrupt it. An OBE will occur naturally at this point.

Another method is the "Rotation Method" or "roll-out" technique. When you have achieved the vibrational state, try to roll over as if you were turning over in bed. Do not attempt to roll over physically. Try to twist your body from the top and virtually roll over into your second body right out of your physical self. At this point, you will be out of the body, but next to it. Think of floating upward, and you should find yourself floating above the body.

Harmonious Spiritual Connection and Astral Travel

Steve G. Jones sells Astral projection CDs on a website. He writes about the state of Harmonious Spiritual Connection

and says that in this state you will be able to enter the astral planes and:

• Develop the highest levels of ESP, allowing you to tap into unknown information an live a life enriched by reliable and rich psychic guidance
• Effortlessly access the Akashic Records, and use this unlimited reservoir of wisdom to understand your past, control your present and predict your future
• Efficiently read other people’s auras and gain a deep understanding of a person’s true nature and motivations
• Enjoy a vivid and exciting *journey to any location in the physical and astral realms, whether it’s a sweeping flight across the Greek islands, a journey through outer space, or an exploration of a far-off astral plane
• Rally your friends and family for group astral projection sessions, and experience exhilarating astral adventures together
• Accomplish otherwise “superhuman” feats like soaring freely through astral airspace and penetrating even the most solid substances
• Explore your past lives, and understand the source of your innermost aspirations, limitations and emotions
• Peek into the future so you can understand your destiny and predict upcoming global events
• Reconstruct your astral body into any shape and form you desire
 

I myself wouldn't bother buying someone elses CDs especially when you can meditate and have the experiences without asking for them. I like the idea that one can direct their journey. Before I was thinking why waste time on Astral projection but then realised that God never gives you anything that you don't need including joy and pain. So may be I had the first experience as result of my request that I wanted to attend Kirtan Diwans that I miss out on as I can't leave my family and my remote location is a disadvantage. So there is a better use of this skill, if and when I learnt to master it. There is always a constructive way of using a gift. Thank you God! Listen to the Shabad - Tu Chao Sajjan Mandeya

Flying in meditation, controlling the air element

I had the most unpredictable meditation session today. I haven't read about this anywhere, so I wasn't aware that such things happen.

I was lying in my husband's room when I started the breathing to pull the pranic and the kundalini energy together. I decided to have the pranic energy go down from the left hand side of my body and kundalini come up the right hand side. I couldn't feel pranic energy but felt the kundalini energy coming up from both feet as it should. I noticed a green eye in the room that made me feel uncomfortable. It wasn't evil but had no expression like a mask. I ignored it twice. Soon I was feeling disturbed by john's energy as he rolled over. So I decided to move to my bed in my meditation room. I checked the time was 3.35am.

I sat down and started meditation by saying Moolmantra words over the chakra points. This technique that I developed or should say got it by intuition is mentioned in an older blog sent last month. Instead of saying a word once, I kept saying it over the same point until I felt the sensation, starting from the 10th gate, dasam war,7th chakra.

I am not sure if the meditation was too strong or the moon was on right position or it was the right day of my menstrual cycle (6th-7th day). As I was feeling the sensation at each point, I also saw portals opening at third eye and also a fire portal on solar plexus. I have never felt them so alive, as if ready to open bigger and very inviting. I finished the moolmantra and sat quietly focusing on the breathing. It was great but I also noticed that I could see some unpleasent entities looking at me. I ignored them. Then I saw the death skull very clearly. I blew it away with my breath and drew a purple spiral and asked for protection. I focused on my breathing again and tried to draw the pranic energy from above. After some time, I felt sleepy. Instead of lying down, I placed a pillow between the bedhead and myself and leaned on it and continued focusing on the breath.

Next I saw myself in an underground area. There was nothing else there but soil/ earth element. There was enough space around and above me, as much in my actual room. It was like a cave with a tunnel on one side to come in and out of it.

Suddenly I felt a lot of air rotating above my head like the fan of a helicopter and commented to stop it. I received the intution that the air above my head is to help me fly. I got excited.

The next second I was lifted near the roof of the room. I flew out of that earth room somehow and started going straight up. I felt the heavy rain and received the confirmation that it is actually raining so its Ok to feel it, but I wasn't wet. Then I couldn't feel the rain. I was above all the houses. Within seconds I was so high that I could now see the mountains far below and houses were unnoticeable.

I thought I was too high. I was scared and asked to go down but instead kept going up. I saw the mouth of the tunnel from which I came clearly. It was well above the ground and most prominent of all things I could see. So I focused on it and instructed myself to go down.

I came down enough to see the houses. I looked and asked, "Which one is mine". "Whichever one I like", I got the intuition. I couldn't recognise any of them as mine, neither did I like any of them. They were Indian city style houses that I didn't like. I was looking for a modern Australian style new house.

I saw one lady outside her house, (with a baby?). It was quite dark. I was worried that someone will see me flying above the houses and that won't be good. And how long can I keep flying and searching, may be I should land. So I came to the ground.

Then I realised that it would take be much longer walking through the streets than to fly above and search. So I asked to rise again and upon realising that I won't be able to solve this problem, asked to be taken to the Gurdwara / Sikh temple and said that my Guru will know where I should go. At this point I saw the corner light of a Gurdwara's roof. The gurdwara was white. I was on the tar road of the Gurdwara near a tap. I washed my younger son's hands as they had dry leafy stuff on them, as if to get ready to go to the temple. Next I was in my body and I said to myself, "Well, that was an experience!"

The very next second I heard a noise of something falling. Later I realised the mirror that was sitting on my tallboy with one side hanging towards the window had fallen down. Was it my entry through the window that made it fall down, I had wondered. My husbands alarm clock went off. I went to turn the alarm off, it was 4.33am not 4.30am. Was it the second time it went off? Was it the first alarm that helped me come back in my body?

I thanked for a great experience but also felt the shallowness of the experience. What did I achieve? I didn't feel divine peace like when I do after seeing my Guru or seeing or going into that vast nothingness where the universe talks and gives me knowledge. So I asked Guru Nanak that I only want to go astral travelling if he would go with me. It's no point going if he is not with me to show me all that I want him to show me. I want to be his astral companion, not travel alone.

What was the meaning of the death skull before the travel? Was it a warning? If I had not asked for my Guru to take me to my house, and I had been unable to find it, would I have been considered dead in the physical body? What would have happened to my soul then?

I wasn't intending to go astral traveling? I don't know enough about it. I have often wondered about astral travel and have always wised to be Guru Nanak's astral companion forever. I was looking for some astral travel books a few days ago just out of curosity but my library doesn't have any. The websites don't give much info. Besides I was only browsing, I hadn't had the time to read anything other than try to fall asleep bit.

Why were those unknown entities watching me? When I first started serious meditation, then I use to see such entities but after my dad came and gave me purple spiral of protection, I didn't see any of those. Why again?

May be the following source will help me understand what happened in my meditation session.Astral Projection Techniques
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4164970/66-Astral-Projection-Techniques

Tunnel with light, Astral travel to a place where life after death exists!

My sister rang me last Monday morning and shared some weard stuff. I suspected that she was proving the Hindu cosmology right. If you see the youtube video on Mysteries of the universe in which they talk about a sacred city, my sister very likely was describing this place. Note the direction she flew in first, to come out of that city. (She hasn't seen this video, she is not a internet freak like me.)

This is how it all happened.
She prayed God to help her with meditation and expressed her feeling that she doesn't know the right way to do meditation. As she had her eyes closed, she saw a tunnel and felt that she was going through it very fast. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She then opened her eyes.

A couple of days later, last Sunday night she had this dream, but she recons it felt like real. She saw that she was where our dad is. Our father left this world ten years ago. He showed her the place where he lives, a place with mountains arounds it with huge trees, three times bigger than the normal trees. It felt like evening time. She did't see any sun.

He said to my sister," this is where I will bring you all." Dad then gave her a remote control and told her to go back for now. he said that the remote control will help her get back. She started flying slowly and then suddenly flew upwards at a tremendously high speed. She got scared and tried to use the remote to slow down but it only slowed down after reaching the point upwards that it needed to reach. After this she started flying in a direction towards home. When she opened her eyes, she was in bed but her body was sweatty with fear. She felt as if she actually left her body and flew.

Samuel Sagan says,"The background of the astral colours is what occultists have called the ‘astral light’. It is the basic colour that pervades the astral space, and it is no different from the purple light you see when you meditate in the eye. It could also be called ‘astral darkness’, for it appears as a semi-darkness, definitely dimmer than the daylight of the physical world, but of a different nature than the darkness of our nights. The physical darkness is an absence of light. The astral darkness glows.

In the very next paragraph on p. 74 Samuel Sagan says, "The astral space is neither unique nor uniform. As you advance in your meditation and your travelling, you learn to jump from one astral space to another. One of the references that allows you to
find your way is the quality of the colours and the basic hue of the astral light, both of which vary depending on which space you are in. In certain regions of the space the background of astral light is milky, in others it is darker, nearly black, or even greenblue as under the ocean. Even before reaching the actual stage of travelling, you can observe these variations in the colour of the space when you meditate in your eye."

Samuel says that it takes a great deal of inner experience and esoteric knowledge before one can safely interpret the significance of visions. Finally Samuel recommends, "If you practise along these lines, putting more emphasis on the
fact of seeing than on the content of the visions, then you won't build castles in the astral, and your spiritual journey will be safe.
Ultimately it is the pure light of the Spirit that will allow you to
discriminate and move towards Truth, even in the most confusing circumstances."

Three forms of Astral Projections

I have an interest in Astral travel as Guru Nanak Dev ji once astral travelled with the son of a Haji (Muslim leader)to show him other planets and solar systems with human life on them. This Haji had challenged Guru to prove what he says. Haji himself was scared to go with the Guru when the Guru offered him to come with him and see other planets with life on them, with his own eyes. My muslim friend once told me this story that I hadn't heard from Sikhs. She was surprised that I didn't know this story that is popular among muslims.

Psychic 101 website under training section mentions three forms of projection.

In the first you can look back and see your body. I have had this experience as shown in the picture. I also saw a yellow ball of sun glowing inside the head of the projected body. During this session I had also heard ringing of bells. I had this experience as I was meditating in the Sikh temple when there was no service on.

In the second you will not see the body but be aware of it, and experience some duality. I had this experience when I saw my future, old self taking me to show her house. In this I was aware of body walking behind this old self. I had this experience when I used the vippasana technique of focusing on the air in and around the nostrils.

After reading this I realised that I don't need to worry about astral travel as what I experience during meditation session is astral travel.

In the third form you will no longer be aware of the body. Your experience will be the most vivid only in this form you can project outside the solar system. I agree with the last statement completely. Therefore, don't try to go astral travelling, just try to have a great meditation session. Call upon your guide to help you understand God. Remember, the guide you call upon must be a SatGuru himself, an enlightened one who has seen, known and understood the formless himself. If you don't know of such a guide, just call Guru Nanak or ask the God himself to show you the right path.

Technique on astral projection by Robert Peterson:

Lay down, close your eyes, and relax completely. Imagine that you are separate from the body, and laying inside the body-shell. Imagine that your physical body is vibrating slowly, and your astral body is vibrating at a faster rate. Pretend you can both hear and feel the vibrations throughout your astral body as if you were standing in front of nine-foot speakers. Next, imagine the vibration of the astral body increases in pitch gradually, getting higher and higher. As the pitch gets higher, the two notes go out of sync and a certain resonance gets stronger and stronger.
Repeat this exercise several times. This simple exercise can actually produce the vibrations which can separate you from your body. It also might help to try to listen intently for any sounds "inside" your head at various points in the exercise.