Hi,
I'm Kim Pask.
Welcome to Ride the Wave.
In this practice,
We'll use the rhythm of ocean waves to notice an urge,
Make space for it in the body,
And practice riding it without immediately acting on it.
Begin by settling into a comfortable position.
Perhaps lengthening your spine.
And allowing your shoulders to soften and your jaw to relax.
For the first minute,
We'll practice a gentle ocean breath.
Breathing in slowly through your nose,
Almost like you're sipping a milkshake through a thick straw.
Creating a soft whispering sensation in the back of the throat.
And exhale with the same gentle sound,
A light constriction of the upper back throat as you breathe out.
Breathing in through your nose as you gently lift the throat up and in.
And breathing out through your nose as you lift the throat up and back.
A subtle hiss might emerge in the back of the throat.
Let your breath become steady and smooth,
Like waves moving toward and away from the shoreline.
Now imagine yourself standing safely at the edge of an ocean.
Watch one wave arrive.
And then recede.
Begin by bringing the mind to a mild urge.
Something that you can practice observing without acting on.
It might be an urge to check,
Avoid,
React,
Reach out,
Eat,
Scroll,
Or escape.
Just be mindful to choose something manageable.
Once you've brought to mind this mild urge,
Begin to notice where the urge lives in your body.
Is there pressure,
Heat?
Restlessness or tightness.
You might sense a pull forward.
Or backward.
Describe the sensation internally without judging it.
Now imagine the sensation as a wave.
You don't have to stop the wave.
You don't have to obey it.
You can watch it move.
Inhale as the wave rises.
And begin to exhale as the wave begins to fall.
Inhale,
The wave rises.
And exhale,
The wave begins to fall.
I invite you to ask yourself,
What happens when I give this sensation space instead of a command?
What happens when I give this sensation space instead of a command?
Notice if the sensation changes,
Even slightly.
It may grow,
Shrink,
Move,
Or stay the same.
Your job is to simply observe.
You might silently repeat.
I can feel an urge without acting on it.
I can feel an urge without acting on it.
I can feel an urge without acting on it.
Again,
I can ride this wave.
I can ride this wave.
I can ride this wave.
Let the ocean remind you.
That no wave stays at its peak forever.
Taking one slow,
Smooth breath in.
And exhale.
Imagining the wave returning to the sea.
You are not the urge.
You are the one noticing the urge.
And you can choose what comes next.
Beginning to notice the breath again.
Perhaps the light length of your spine.
And the support of your feet or your hips.
And return gently to your space when you're ready.
