Meditation · Focus
Standing Steady
Aya Fujimoto · 8 min
8:00
remaining
What to do, minute by minute
1. Settle in
0:00–1:36Sit or lie down somewhere you won't be disturbed. Let your shoulders drop, close your eyes or soften your gaze, and take three slow breaths.
2. Follow the breath
1:36–3:12Breathe in for a count of four, out for a count of six. Let the out-breath be longer than the in-breath — that's what calms the nervous system.
3. Scan and release
3:12–4:48Move your attention slowly from your jaw to your shoulders, hands, belly and legs. Wherever you find tension, breathe into it and let it go.
4. Rest in stillness
4:48–6:24Stop steering. Let thoughts come and go like passing traffic — when you notice you've wandered off, that noticing is the practice. Return to the breath.
5. Come back gently
6:24–8:00Deepen your breath, wiggle your fingers and toes, and open your eyes slowly. Carry a little of this quiet into whatever comes next.
Balance as a way of gathering scattered attention.
Stand with the feet a little apart and the knees unlocked. Sway forward and back, smaller and smaller, until you find the middle. Notice how many tiny corrections the body makes to keep you upright. Steadiness is not stillness; it is constant quiet adjustment.