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Standing Practice – Stage 3

Refinement: Integrating Stillness and Awareness

Purpose

Keep part of your attention anchored in your body's center while feeling the whole body.
Deepen this split awareness until posture, breath, and attention unify into living presence.

Duration: ongoing practice.

Posture

  • Same stance as Stage 2; seek subtle alignment, not greater endurance.
  • Feel a gentle connection between soles and crown.

Arms

  • Begin with the ball-holding position from Stage 2 (chest height, palms facing).
  • After 10–15 minutes of stillness, experiment with different slow circular movements:
  • Vertical circles: down, forward, up, back down — palms facing each other.
  • Horizontal rotation: hands circle left, then right on a horizontal plane.
  • Tilting: one hand rises while the other descends — palms facing, like a scale tipping.
  • Move slowly for 30–60 seconds, then pause and listen to your body.
  • What do you feel? Where is tension? Where is ease?
  • Continue with the same movement or try a different one.
  • Notice: can you keep part of your attention anchored in your center while your hands move?

The circular movements teach you to remain centered while the body moves.
Stillness is not rigidity.

Feet

  • Maintain the parallel alignment from Stage 2.
  • Feel the whole sole contact the ground evenly — front, back, inside, and outside edges.
  • Sense a gentle “drawing together” through the arches without gripping.
  • Let awareness extend downward through the floor, as if standing on water yet completely stable.

Focus

  • Rest awareness in the body's centre.
  • Observe tiny internal movements without interfering.
  • Breath becomes quiet and diffuse; mind alert but still.

Eyes

  • Eyes closed throughout the practice.
  • With posture and breath now stable, closed eyes allow you to sense subtle internal movements and whole-body breathing without distraction.
  • Full attention turns inward — observing tiny shifts, vibrations, and the integration of awareness through the entire body.
  • This deepens the refinement that Stage 3 cultivates.

Routine

  • 30–60 minutes, 3–4 times weekly.
  • Always end with the arms low.
  • Document what you did and what it did to you — contribute to collective understanding.

Signs of Progress

  • Continious awarness to body center.
  • Calm vitality after standing, no heaviness.
  • Clear attention during daily activity.

Common Errors

Issue Correction
Forcing concentration Return to relaxed awareness
Losing body sense Ground attention in soles and breath
Seeking experiences Stay with simplicity
Neglecting recovery Include walking and rest

Goal

Presence that persists beyond posture — stillness within movement and thought.

"When the standing ends, the practice begins."

When to Explore Stage 4

When 30+ minutes of standing feels like clear, calm presence rather than endurance, and your breath adjusts naturally without thought — step one foot forward and test asymmetry.
Reopen your eyes. If you stay grounded and curious under the uneven load, Stage 4 is calling.