Expectation

[Wolf_Thor]

I know exactly what you're talking about Korpo. And judging from some of the replies, it's a fairly common experience. There must be some kind of mechanism that locks you into your body when your conscious mind is fully awake. Leading to the need of a trance or semi-sleep state in order to exit. It's my assumption that enlightenment is a result of somehow overcoming this "lock" mechanism.
I'm convinced that the key to overcoming this is the breath. The problem is physiological, not just mental. Mental blocks play a role, yes, but it goes deeper than that.

Recently I've had some success feeling my energy body loosening up from my physical body. And it's all because of the breath. It's really hard to describe. But you need to find a way to take full, deep breaths without causing any strain or tension in the physical. As soon as you feel greater tension, you're headed in the wrong direction. It seems like on every breath, the tension has to be released. This is especially true for the 3rd eye area. There seems to be an almost impenetrable tension/block there.

A trick I've been using recently: Imagine the air to be like an ocean. Think of the air you breath as a thick substance, and really feel it inside of your nostrils as you inhale. Fully inhale! Inhale all of that "liquid" as deeply as you can. Pull it down into your body. Use your diaphragm (do a google search to find out exactly where the diaphragm is). And as you are inhaling, as best as you can, release the tension in your body, on every breath.Then exhale as fully as you can, and once again, release the physical tension. With time, you'll feel a circulation of energy moving through your body. And you'll feel your energy body loosening up.

[Fish]

I'm not Mishell, but I'll say it: Believing that the outcome is a present thing. Behaving as it is already so. A fact.
That's why affirmations only work if you state them as if they are already true and present.

Great this explains a lot in few words I like that thank you CF! Makes a ton of sense.

I can relate to the controlling thing completely too Palehorse! Sounds like a lot of us have the same hangups with this.

Repition of the "how-to-dos" don't hurt one bit either!

[sdbl731]

Sounds a lot like me I've still got a lot of work left to do about that...

No, you haven't. Get it?

Oliver

I get it...

This is hardly new - at all. But the more I expect of a practice, the more I want something out of a practice, the more I am focussed on a result, achieving a state or getting anywhere at all, the less result I get.

This is simple law of attraction. When you are in expectation, you are focusing on lack. Lack is what you bring to yourself. Expectation says "I don't have it now, but I will in the future." That keeps your desired outcome in the future.

Believing that the outcome is a present thing. Behaving as it is already so. A fact.
That's why affirmations only work if you state them as if they are already true and present.

Looks like everyone is on the same page here, which is excellent...

Andy