In Buddhism, the practice is to first return to Basic Sanity, which involves sensing the lower abdomen and other areas of the body that serve as a Safe Place. This is known as Shamata. Only after establishing this foundation does the practitioner turn to Vipassana, or mindfulness of inner experience.
In contrast, in the Work, we intentionally direct our Attention to whatever is present, thereby potentiating or strengthening it. Often, we encounter unpleasant sensations. This is what Gurdjieff meant when he said he "lived with devils." By intensifying our discomfort through sensing, or conscious labor, we engage in intentional suffering. This is the alchemical fire that purifies the dross of the subtle body.
The three higher centers, always available as a possbiltiy, including the lower abdomen, are considered part of the causal or third body, which transcends the subtle body. Its bliss can sometimes serve to bypass the generation of a Kejdan or second body, which involves the refinement—not transcendence—of the subtle body. Thus, the first stage of the Work is often vivid, awakening the BODY from torpor, comfort addiction, and self-soothing through digital distractions and other addictions.
It is the BODY that Wakes up, electrifies, vivifies. (This alertness is sometimes known as "Gurdjieff eyes".) The simple conscious, non-phenomenal Being in the heart is always already present, aware, and awake.
The practice of conscious labor involves repeatedly sensing and directing Attention to the inner body. Aim to do this over a hundred times a day on the first day. Over time, we become accustomed to living with this natural electricity, this high voltage, and no longer need to rely on mechanical energy, such as Internet signal, to feel buzzing, alive, awake.