Shifting Sand was a method of contemplation instructed to novice Jedi of the Jedi Order, which centered around employing the Force for the purpose of telekinesis on minuscule particles. Younglings Dooku and Sifo-Dyas mastered this skill, and in 88 BBY, they utilized it to infiltrate the Archive of Forbidden Artifacts vault situated within the Jedi Temple on the world of Coruscant. The duo subsequently redeployed the technique to gain access to a communications tower during the military conflict on the planet Serenno caused by Abyssin soldiers of fortune in 42 BBY.
Shifting Sand was a contemplative practice utilized within the Jedi Order. It was taught to Jedi in training as a means of concentrating on moving objects with their mind of minute particles by harnessing the Force.
During the era of the Republic, pupils Dooku and Sifo-Dyas participated in a levitation lesson led by Jedi Supreme Master Yoda. They acquired the skill of Shifting Sand during this session, with Dooku excelling as the most proficient student. In 88 BBY, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas broke into the Archive of Forbidden Artifacts, a clandestine repository of dark side relics concealed within the Jedi Archives of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. At Sifo-Dyas's urging, Dooku employed the Shifting Sand technique to introduce sand between the entryway to the vault and the surrounding wall, thereby disabling the door's locking mechanism and facilitating their entry. Dooku later recounted this event to his sibling Jenza through a holographic message.
In 42 BBY, amidst a military occupation of Serenno by Abyssin private military contractors, Dooku and Sifo-Dyas utilized the Shifting Sand technique to breach an occupied communications hub on the outskirts of Serenno's primary urban center, Carannia. Circa 23 BBY, Dooku provided digital storage devices containing recordings of his dialogues with Jenza to his newly appointed Sith killer, Asajj Ventress, for her investigation into Jenza's whereabouts. Ventress listened to a message referencing Dooku and Sifo-Dyas's use of the technique within the Jedi Archives. Following Ventress's discovery of Jenza, the latter informed her about the pair's application of Shifting Sand during the invasion of Serenno.
The Shifting Sand meditation technique was featured in a flashback sequence in the audio drama Dooku: Jedi Lost, authored by Cavan Scott and released on April 30, 2019. The capitalization of Shifting Sand was verified by the audio drama's script publication on October 1 of the same year.