Focusing on the heart
Focusing on the heartSubscribe |
|
Sat, 12/08/2007 - 01:52
|
|
Dana
Join Date: 2007-12-06 Forum Posts: 57 |
In week 4 of Belzebuub's book on Astral Travel he says to focus on the heart, either the beats or through visualization. I found this incredibly challenging! I'm used to Buddhist meditation where we focus on the breathing. But I can not feel my heart beating at all unless I'm exercising. I'm amazed that people can feel it throughout their bodies. I don't even feel it in the chest! So, instead I tried the visualization he recommends. I must admit this is a bit gross, as the heart, though amazing, is not the most beautiful thing in the world. I liked the idea he had of a forest. Not sure why there should be a woman on a throne in there, but my mind didn't have trouble with that. What I found was that the forest vision kinda overlapped my vision of the heart beating. Even so I found it really hard to maintain that image especially while I'm getting intense pressure all over my body and face. I tried even harder then to focus on the heart, but I find my head wanting to look down in that direction which creates tension in my neck. Also, doesn't focusing on any body part keep us within the body since the mind directs the energy bodies? I guess I just need to keep practicing the heart visualization, but I don't find it a pleasant one. Body internals . . . I like the forest idea, but within the chest area makes that challenging too. Can't we just imagine invigoration the heart chakra instead? Thanks! Dana |
|
|
Join Date: 2004-02-21
Forum Posts: 251
Hi Dana
When you don't feel your heart beat just take some deep breaths while laying down for the AP exercise. Then you should feel it.
It is best to do just one exercise at a time, so if you decided to do the forest then stick to it and don't do the other heart visualizations or the heart beat at the same time.
A pressure can come when people try to force the projection. Just improve your concentration for this, a good concentration is attracting sleep and something relaxing.
Here is a video with a concentration exercise:
http://www.gnosticweb.com/node/11708
You can avoid the tensions with the relaxation exercise in the book, before you do the concentration part of the AP exercise.
No, focusing on body parts does not keep you in the body, you can use anything to project with, but the exercises in the book are just quite effecitve ones.
Good luck with your AP exercises.
jonny
Join Date:
Forum Posts: 670
Hi Dana,
You don't have to visualize the heart's physical appearence if it unpleasant to you. A practice should be always pleasant, otherwise we are forcing it.
you can chose other practices and skeep this one if it is to hard for now, and come back to it later.
Join Date: 2007-12-06
Forum Posts: 57
Thank you. Yes, I really like the forest image the best. I hadn't actually tried to go for both images, but my brain just did it, with one kinda transparent over the other. I'll keep working with it.
~ Dana
Join Date: 2004-11-30
Forum Posts: 2899
Hi Dana,
I have a trouble with feeling of my heart beats too sometimes, especially if I am tense physically.
Deep breathing, like Jonny mentioned, helps me to feel the beat, gradually clearing the tension away.
One more thing you can try is to touch the pulse point on your wrist, find heart beat pulsing in your radial artery, and then concentrate on it, struggling with the subconscious.
I agree with what you've said about need to keep practicing. Usually, the first step with each practice is to investigate how does it work, and then it takes some time to make it work.
All the best!