Hi! From your viewpoint, would this be the beginning of astral projection or just sleep paralysis? I knew it had first began when I felt a low, dense vibration humming in my toes. I was curious, and let it be. The vibration spread to my calves, seizing them, and then made its way up to my knees. My hands felt numb and heavy, and suddenly I felt trapped in my body. I panicked at first, realizing I could not move. When I talked myself out of it and relaxed again, I felt a sort of… lifting. It began again in my toes and spread throughout my legs. I felt as if I was being pulled out of my body. And there were hands, hands everywhere. I felt them grabbing at me anxiously, wanting to pull me into their world. They were not human hands… I could visualize them as being sort of white, wispy and glowing… I was hearing a low buzzing all around me. I lifted out of my body almost completely when I became aware of someone in the hall outside of my bedroom. This again was not a human presence, and it felt very much like dark energy. I instantly locked up again because of fear, scared that I would never be able to move again. Finally, the experience ended when I forced myself to wiggle a finger and found that the rest of my body became unlocked. I feel quite shaken now, and extremely aware of spiritual presences in the room.

I feel it’s also important to note that I involuntarily lucid dream quite frequently, but to put myself in this state was a conscious decision. Thank you, namaste. <3

~ airbrushmyworld 

Well sleep paralysis is the start of astral projection :P  so it’s both technically. There is no need to be fearful, our body naturally does this every night before sleep. We’re just not always aware of it because our brain waves are in state of deep meditative delta wave pattern frequency. If you became aware of spiritual presences in the room it’s very possible that your consciousness was expanding and you were seeing into the other realms as your body was astral projecting. The important thing is NEVER to FEAR, you are always safe, it’s our body’s reaction status that causes us to tense up, create illusions of fear and doubt that cause us to slip into a state of feeling like we are being attacked by spiritual entities or otherworldly beings. it’s only you :) 

The lights that were glowing were energy or probably spirits in passing. They’re nothing to be afraid of, the veil is very thin these days so spirits have a tendency to slip in and our of our world a lot. They’re just as curious about you as we are them. 

It might be comforting to study the stages of astral projection that way you have a better understanding of what is actually happens to you during this state. It will help you lose the fear of the unknown for you will find it’s only your mind playing tricks on you. 

Voluntary astral projection is a practice that dates back many Centuries. Originally a form of spiritual awareness that allowed one to connect with spirit guides and the spirit world, astral projection today is practiced for many different reasons. When attempting to astral project, it is likely that there will be many barriers and obstacles that must be faced before achieving success in traveling the astral plane. Gaining an understanding of the practice will help dispel any myths and encourage successful astral projection.

Common Misconceptions and Obstacles

For most beginners, the biggest obstacle is fear. Fear can cover many different aspects of the process and can include the fear of what is an unknown experience at first. As you progress through different stages, you will have to overcome your fear of the next stage in order to successfully move forward. It can take time and many sessions to overcome the fear, but it is the only way to succeed in astral projecting. There are other common obstacles that may also come into play when attempting to astral project. The misconception that the astral body may not be able to return to the physical body can cause a lot of fear in beginners. The fact is, your astral body cannot get lost on the astral plane�it will always return to the physical body, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

The distance the astral body will travel is also misunderstood.The astral body is only limited by your own limitations�it can travel as far as you want it to with practice. The astral body will not be governed by the laws of gravity or time, so it can go anywhere at anytime. It can travel through doors, walls, and even go to an entirely different universe. There simply are no limits to where the astral body can go during projection. After many years of practice, it�s possible to control the entire projection so you can go to many different places and times during one session. It is also important to remember that sleeping with others can often limit the ability to have an experience like this, unless there is complete trust. When you�re ready to astral project, you�ll need to be completely comfortable in your environment in order to succeed.

The Steps of Astral Projection

The first step of astral projection is relaxation. You must relax the body entirely. This step alone can take much practice to master, as it is the only way you will ever succeed in your quest to travel the astral plane. Most people benefit from regular meditation and use meditation when preparing for astral projection. You can also use tools like binaural beats to enhance relaxation. Step two involved entering the pre-sleep state. As your relaxation deepens, you will enter the hypnagogic state. During this state, you will begin to enter sleep paralysis, which is when your entire body becomes paralyzed while the mind is alert. It�s important to remember that during this practice, you will not be falling asleep. Complete physical relaxation is necessary, but your mind must remain alert.

During step three of the process, the sleep state will deepen. Keep your mind clear of all thoughts, but allow your body to relax more fully. At this point, you should be able to see the room through your eyelids. The most important thing to remember about his stage is that your mind must remain clear, as any thoughts will likely snap you out of the state entirely. Step four is when the state of vibration will occur. This is when the astral body will begin to separate from the physical body. Learn to control the vibrational state so you can feel it travel up and down your body. Once you have control of it, you will be able to achieve separation. With practice, you can achieve first partial and then total separation from the physical body.

In step five you will achieve total separation. As you disassociate your astral self from your physical self, you will float above your body. This may take practice and patience, but you will eventually be able to travel the astral plane at will. With limitless possibilities, the astral body can see and do things that are impossible on the physical plane, which is what makes astral projection such a popular practice.

http://goarticles.com/article/The-Stages-of-Astral-Projection/4281647/

I wrote about a similar question here: http://theawakenedstate.tumblr.com/post/28132520709/every-so-often-ill-wake-up-but-still-feel-a-bit

and here: http://theawakenedstate.tumblr.com/post/26224208412/what-is-the-meaning-of-having-sleep-paralysis-ive-had

Some free ebooks on astral projection: http://theawakenedstate.tumblr.com/post/25007283947/esoteric-online-free-astral-projection-e-books

http://theawakenedstate.tumblr.com/tagged/astral%20projection

 hope it  helps 

much love <3