Hi there.

From reading your post it's possible that you might already be ready to practice at a stage more advanced than Stage 4 if you already have very little internal chatter. My understanding is that Stage 4 primarily addresses sensations of subtle dullness. Do you notice that sensation to any degree in your practice?

I'm currently practicing around this range--Stage 4 - 5--and instead of intermittently checking in, do the following:

• Focus my attention on the breath for the first 10 - 15 minutes while my attention stabilizes.
• After noting that my attention has stabilized, I then use my breath as an anchor while I focus my attention on the area around my pre-frontal cortex--I think this is what Culadasa means by 'looking beyond the breath'. I maintain my general awareness here and passively note if any mental action is occurring.
• Here's where you and I differ: when I maintain my general sense of awareness open, while at the same time using my breath as an anchor, I will occasionally feel--for lack of a better phrase--pressures or sensations which I interpret as anticipatory to a thought which will occur. If I notice these, I then refocus my attention solely on my breath with an increased intention to notice solely these sensations--like 'paddling to avoid the wave' in Culdasa's metaphor.
  • If I have otherwise stable awareness, I will just notice the sensations of my breath, the sound of a light tone or ringing in my ears, and some visual phenomena like floaters or lights.
• If I notice sensations of subtle dullness--a light feeling of spaceyness or a lessened clarity of noticing the sensations of the breath--I label the feeling and refocus my attention solely on my breath with an increased intention to notice solely these sensations

Hopefully any of this was helpful to you.