Yes, it does count.

I believe that exercise is meant to be a demonstration of just how indisciplined most of us are regarding our physical bodies.

If you have never in your life sat down perfectly still for 30 minutes before, it will seem like an almost impossible task and the symptoms you are describing perhaps illustrate some of the problems of bodily self-control.

But the more you practice the easier it gets until, one day, you look back and wonder why anyone ever has any trouble sitting still. :)

I asked a similar question... I was told with time this wouldn't happen and to just keep practicing. This definitely works but it requires alot of maintenance. The thoughts become so mental that they just seem to lose grasp of the phsical in a sense. Before anything else, please master this. It will count only if you 100% know you are doing it right which is a subjective process. Good Luck :)

Perfectly still means to do nothing, just be empty. It's the basis of all esoteric work. The physiological counterpart of the mind is the brain that's divided into two parts, left and right. The right mind is associated with feeling, the left mind is associated with thoughts and logic. Creative impulses arise from within us from both left and right parts. Being perfectly still and aware of our body means we're accessing our right mind and freeing ourselves of the thought process, consequently opening ourselves up to the intuitive process. This is how by simply being still and wishing to know about what is happening on a particular subject, anyone can learn lot's of things that are usually hidden from our consciousness.

Involuntary bodily reactions don't mean you've failed this exercise. The main point is the beginnings of being disciplined. It begins with the body and advances to the mind in the next lesson. Yes, a part of the learning is to see how very undisciplined we are, but the goal is not just knowing that, it is to become disciplined in body and mind.

Our lives are incredibly distracted by all kinds of stimuli. It's amazing to me how freaked out some people get with silence. But it's in the stillness and silence that our mind can become fully engaged in the creative process.

Take it step by step. It's a growth process. Never be down on yourself. It's an exercise and as with any kind of exercise, you will get better at it.

quote from a similar thread: "There is no day's physical work harder than ten minutes real proper thinking"

This exercise totally demonstrates how true it is..especially if you are studying the master-key for the first time. Having just started a few days, ago, I realize this 30minutes not only teaches you how to be disciplined, but it's also a way to test your persistence, endurance, and show you how well you could have spent that time straigtening out your thoughts instead of wasting it on tv or some computer games... it's like an eternity worth of time for you to think everything you would want to think about.

Perfectly still means silencing the body and mind. Body still has certain involuntary movements but developing the ability to ignore is important. Stilling the mind means reducing the thoughts completely so one can experience the vacuum within. With practice, one can get to silence the mind within few minutes.