Greg Z:
Also, I'm not really able to count things off as "physical" and "mental." When I attempt it, then I feel caught in a super fast ping pong between mental and physical because each moment of registering physical is then a mental event that needs to be registered as such. Or does it?
while eran suggests that what you've gotten yourself into is a habit of noting the noting (and that you would then be inclined to note the note of the note, ad infinitum...), i didn't read what you wrote in the same way. if he has understood correctly, then his advice is suitable. otherwise, if you are simply noting the 'echo' of noting the physical at every moment you note a physical sensation/movement/happening, then you are doing the practice correctly and at a very in-depth level. if you can maintain this level of thoroughness without being sucked into the content or being thrown off-track, i recommend you proceed with it, however much it may feel like 'super fast ping pong'. noting practice, particularly the beginning stages, can require an enormous amount of energy and effort, or produce it, and this can be unsettling[1]. than the most widely applicable solution is to simply carry on, noting the doubts that arise but giving them no credence whatsoever. at a certain point, that ping ponging may take on a life of its own and you will no longer 'feel caught' in it (not in a way that you would be concerned about, anyway).
tarin
[1] i could tell you a reason why, but learning that the reasons don't actually matter would be a far more valuable lesson (as far as insight is concerned) than knowing what the reasons are.