I keep awakening in the astral, but only for brief periods - sometimes this happens many times per night - I realize I am awake in the astral, and then I wake up in my bed right after. Is there a reason this is happening, and is there anything I can to help this?

Also, I am having a hard time escaping my body when I fall asleep - possibly I am not separating my consciousness from my intellectual brain and I'm not sure how to do that - does this get easier with practice, or is there something I am missing? I am praying "I believe in God, I believe in my Divine Mother, I believe in white magic, Divine Mother please take me from my body" to no avail. Thank you for your time and attention!