Hi,
I'm Kim Pasch,
And welcome to 4's Floor.
In this practice,
We'll slow down and use our senses and body to practice the DBT skills of observing and describing without immediately adding judgment or story.
As always,
Settle into a comfortable position.
And you might notice the surface that's supporting you.
It could be your feet on the floor,
Your hips in a chair.
And now for the first minute,
Take a gentle three-part breath.
We'll begin by slowly breathing into the belly,
The ribs,
The chest,
Lightly holding at the top if that feels right,
And then exhale slowly out the nose or mouth.
Releasing from the chest,
Ribs to the belly.
We'll do that three more rounds,
Breathing into the belly,
Ribs,
Chest.
And exhaling slowly down from the chest,
Ribs,
To the belly.
Breathing in up through the belly,
All the way to the chest.
And breathing out from the chest to the base of your belly.
Take one more round on your own.
Letting your last exhale or this next exhale breath ground you a little bit deeper.
In disbanding any more breathing technique,
I invite you to imagine sitting quietly on the forest floor.
What do you notice as you imagine yourself sitting quietly on the forest floor?
I invite you to bring your attention to one physical sensation in your body.
Instead of explaining it,
Can you simply describe it?
Warm,
Cool,
Heavy,
Light,
Tight?
Maybe loose,
Pulsing,
Still,
Moving.
Now,
Notice how quickly the mind wants to add a story.
Maybe it's like,
This is bad,
Or this should not be here at all.
This means something might be wrong or just not right.
And then gently return to the description of the sensation in your body.
Texture,
Temperature.
This is the practice of observing and describing without immediately judging.
Noticing the description,
Tightness,
Pressure,
Warmth,
Movement.
And now begin to expand your awareness to your surroundings.
You might notice three sounds around you.
Notice three sensations of touch.
And notice one quality of the air around you.
Let the force teach you.
Experience can be noticed without needing to be labeled good or bad.
You might ask your body,
What do I notice when I describe instead of judge?
Begin again by taking a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
You might silently repeat,
Notice,
Describe,
Allow.
Twice more,
Taking a slow breath in.
And as you breathe out,
Notice,
Describe,
Allow.
One more round,
Perhaps exhaling in a whisper,
Breathing in,
Notice.
Describe.
Allow.
Taking one final breath in and a long exhale out the nose or mouth.
Feeling the ground beneath you.
And when you're ready,
Return to the room or space.
