Cairn: noun \ˈkern\ A pile of stones that marks a place (such as the place where someone is buried or a battle took place) or that shows the direction of a trail.

Michael Grab

The art of rock balancing is something we all played at a bit when we are children. But not many people spend time on it once they are grown. Enter Michael Grab, master balancer of rocks, who has elevated the simple act of stacking stones into an eye-popping art form. Here’s how he does it:

“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… Some point balances will give the illusion of weightlessness as the rocks look to be barely touching.”

But every bit as important to the process, Grab goes on to explain, is the element of meditation. He says he finds a place of complete silence in himself so he can find each rock’s sweet spot. He says the biggest challenge is overcoming your self-doubt. Perhaps it’s because of this element of meditation that makes them so appealing and so soothing. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!  I’m so thrilled to find an art form I can experiment with without having to buy equipment or supplies (or making a mess), I can’t wait to get outside and try it for myself!

All images property of Michael Grab/Gravity Glue.