After selecting the rocks， Grab studies their surfaces. As he writes：

　　"The most fundamental element of balancing in a physical sense is finding some kind of 'tripod' for the rock to stand on. Every rock is covered in a variety of tiny to large indentations that can act as a tripod for the rock to stand upright， or in most orientations you can think of with other rocks. By paying close attention to the feeling of the rocks， you will start to feel even the smallest clicks as the notches of the rocks in contact are moving over one another."

　　The next step， he says， is to "find a zero point， or silence within myself." Grab speaks about rock balancing with a calm fervor that verges on holistic mysticism. He finds a reflection of the world in the balanced rocks， which are "precariously sturdy， mysterious， and fragile."