When I was young, 8 I think? I was at a summer camp way up in northern Ontario just across the bay from Manitoulin Island. Beautiful area with lots of islands popping up from the clear blue water.
We were on a 3 day out-trip to a group of islands called the Benjamin’s. On the way there is a sweet cliff that you can jump off. Just a bunch of kids having fun jumping into the water.
My out of body experience came when I jumped off the cliff, and on my swim back to the surface, I smashed head to head by one of the camp councilors who hadn’t seen me jump in.

It was such a strange feeling. It was like I could see myself just floating there under water, not knowing which way was up. I wasn’t seeing it through my eyes though, it was like it was through the eyes of someone else who might have been under water watching me. Everything was eerily calm for what seemed like 10 minutes.
Then all of a sudden it was like I was in a tunnel with a bright light at the end, and I felt my brain kick in and say SWIM TOWARDS THAT LIGHT!!! So I did, and finally broke the surface.

Intense. I had a concussion.

Though the experience was interesting, I don’t recommend trying to achieve an out of body experience by cranking your head against someone who weights twice as much as you.

I much prefer the meditation method. Though I’ve only reached that out of body feeling once, and it wasn’t quite the same, (not as close to death), it was a very cool feeling.

It is not easy. You will have to have complete control over your thoughts, while simultaneously letting them be free.

I find the best time to try is as you’re going to sleep.

Here are some preparation steps:

1. Get comfortable.
Lay on your back, roll your shoulders back so that your shoulder blades are supporting you. Arms by your side, palms facing up. relax your jaw, and begin to feel yourself breath. Try and take your breathes into your stomach first. Fill your chest from the bottom up on the inhale, stomach, bottom of your lungs, then top of your lungs. Feel your chest rise up and out. Then reverse it for the exhale. Top of you lungs, middle, stomach. Focus on the pauses between breathes.

When you’re calm…

2. Take 3 deep breathes.
Try and focus only on the air coming into your lungs. Try and feel the oxygen being pumped to your finger tips and toes. Feel the air fill your lungs. Pause, then feel it rushing out of your mouth.
With each of the 3 breathes try and feel your body sinking further and further into relaxation.
Sometimes it helps me to repeat a simple saying in my head, like saying “in…….out……..in…….out…” as I breath.

3. Release you mind-body connection.
The hardest part as you start getting into meditation is to conquer your body telling you that it’s uncomfortable. You will start feeling your entire body, and if you have an itch, it will try and get your mind to address it by moving to scratch it. DO NOT ALLOW THIS. The feeling will pass. If you feel a signal like this from your body, recognize it for what it is and remind yourself that it will pass and just strengthen your focus on your breathing.

4. Open your mind.
Be the air in your lungs, that is your energy. Flow that energy in and out of your body. Let your mind let go of everything and be power by that flow of air.

If you successfully get to this point without falling asleep, you will feel amazing, and you may even get to that out of body place. It’s hard to reach, but like anything, if you practice and focus, you will get better every time you do it.