The Unsettling Feeling of Falling Backwards in Meditation

Hi Laura,
During meditation I reach a certain point of relaxation and then I feel like I am falling backwards. It’s very unsettling and it startles me out of the flow of meditation completely. What is going on?
a fan

Dear Fan,

You are starting to astrally project and a falling sensation is common when folks are leaving their body. A lot of folks leave their body without even knowing what it is…have you ever started to fall asleep in a nap perhaps, and begun dreaming you were somewhere else in or around your home—only to feel yourself slipping on a stair or hearing a noise, and then suddenly jerked yourself awake? It’s the same thing. You are out of the body and when the conscious mind is still on, it says, “hey, this can’t be right,” and yanks you back like a vacuum cord on speed rewind. For some it’s very much like the sensation of falling and if you’ve never left the weight of the body, that too can be disorienting.

Astral Projection is nothing to be afraid of. It’s simply moving the spiritual body (the etheric body) out of the frame or container of the physical body. A beautiful golden cord assures that the etheric body (spirit) is always attached to the physical body. When you are outside of the body you can travel, explore, go across town, remote view and more! Each time you meditate you probably don’t want to astrally project so retrain yourself to stay grounded and centered during meditation. Grounding helps you to relax, to feel safer, calmer, and to be more aware of the body. If you choose to astrally project, remind yourself it’s okay to go further (outside of the physical body) because you are safely grounded and ease out gently. That will help with feeling less startled. Have fun!