[What] skills (Observe, Describe, Participate).

The ability to Observe: Perceiving without words.

The first "What" skill involves noticing direct sensory and mental experience without adding language to it. It is the act of "being awake" to what is happening internally and externally.

Observing requires adopting a "Teflon mind," where experiences are noticed but not glued.

For example, instead of ruminating on a concern, one observes the thought as if it were a train passing through a station: one sees it arriving and sees it departing, without getting on it.

On a sensory level, it involves noticing the texture of a rough surface under your fingers or the sensation of cold on your skin, without cognitively processing those sensations.

It is pure experience before the mind begins to catalog or interpret what is happening, allowing a direct connection to the reality of the moment.

The ability to Describe: Labeling facts.

Describing consists of applying words to what is observed, but limiting oneself strictly to observable and verifiable facts.

It is the antidote to subjective interpretations that often trigger intense emotions. In describing, facts are separated from opinions.

Instead of saying "This person hates me and is deliberately ignoring me," a fact-based description would be "I waved at him or her and that person kept walking without turning his or her head."

This skill reduces the emotional charge of situations by eliminating eva luative adjectives and assumptions.

The use of accurate labels for emotions ("I feel a tightness in my chest and fear") rather than absolute identity statements ("I am a coward") is encouraged, giving greater control over internal experience.

The Ability to Participate: Total Immersion

Participating is the ultimate goal of the practice: to enter fully into the activity of the present moment, with no separation between the individual and the action.

It involves acting with spontaneity and fluidity, letting go of excessive self-consciousness or rumination.

When fully engaged, one becomes the action; for example, when dancing, one is the dance; when washing the dishes, one's attention is fully on the water and the movement, not on the to-do list.

Even if the emotion present is painful, such as sadness, participating means allowing oneself to feel that sadness fully without trying to block it out or analyze it, simply living the experience as it is.

This immersion reduces the suffering associated with resistance and allows for a more lived and connected life.

Summary

The skill of Observing involves perceiving direct sensory and mental experience without adding language. It adopts a "Teflon mind" where experiences are noticed without attachment.

Describing consists of applying words strictly to observable facts, separating them from opinions. This reduces emotional baggage by eliminating subjective interpretations and unnecessary value judgments.

Participating requires entering fully into the activity of the present moment with spontaneity. It involves joining the action without self-consciousness, living the experience fully as it is.