Fragment 5 — Finding the Middle

Today, like every day, is a beginning.
Take a breath now as though nothing has gone before this moment.

• Imagine you are standing on two bathroom scales. Which one shows more weight — left or right?
• Shift your weight from side to side. First in big movements, then smaller and smaller. Pause when you find a spot that feels neither left nor right.

Now try the same front to back:

• Where is your weight? In your heels, the balls of your feet, maybe even your toes?
• Gently rock forward and back. Big movements at first, then smaller. Notice when you feel balanced.

Finally, play with the vertical axis:

• Imagine being heavy, as you did as a child when you didn’t want to be picked up.
• Then imagine being floaty and light, as though you were lifting like a cloud.
• Move between these two until you find the sweet spot — not stuck, not drifting, but steady and alive.

Reflection
Congratulations — you’ve just done a standing meditation!

I used to think standing meditation meant standing as still and motionless as possible. I’d read that a still mind was good, and I interpreted that as locking everything down.

But really, there should be an internal freedom when you’re standing. From the outside, a bird at your windowsill might see you as perfectly still — but inside, there’s movement, subtle and alive.

Here are a few ways I like to play with that freedom:

• Imagine a fly has landed on your right shoulder, and the weight of that tiny fly reverberates through your whole body.
• Picture yourself as a baby’s mobile hung over a cot. A gentle draft stirs it, and the whole structure moves — not just one part.
• Pretend you’re seaweed anchored to a rock, surrounded by water. Feel the buoyancy as you bob around, pulled and pushed playfully by the tide. Notice how the movement changes as the tide reverses, or as a swirl carries you in an unexpected direction.

Stillness doesn’t mean shutting down. It means being so free inside that even the lightest touch ripples through you. Stillness brings options; it’s not the removal of them.

Thank you for being here.

The Quiet Ground is a simple place to pause. Nothing to chase. Nothing to fix. Just a steady reminder to soften the grip and let the body find its own way home.

“God is at home. It is we who have gone out for a walk.” — Meister Eckhart