Autumn Equinox & Mindfulness with Jimmy Buffett: Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

Tucson MBSR w/ Jimmy Buffett: Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

Welcome to the Fall Season.

Fall in the desert is a relief from the intensity of summer.  And yet, there is a new intensity too, as our town fills back up with students and our work and family pressures begin anew.

It may be helpful to remember that this is a transitional time.  What helps you to transition?

The weather we have been having in Tucson, has given us plenty of natural novelty, balmy air, luscious clouds, gray days, torrential downpours, flowing rivers.  Monsoon like, yet different.

Have you had any weather inspired moments of awe?

Which brings to mind when one of our Fall MBSR classes began on a day of record rainfall in Tucson.  It was an auspicious and adventurous start, especially for one of our participants traveling from Phoenix each week. That hurricane activity reminds me of a Jimmy Buffet song that packs a profound mindfulness message, written as an ode to New Orleans survival of Hurricane Katrina.

The song is “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On,” and the title alone is a whole practice. Breathe in, and notice what is actually here: the storm, the mess, the worry about the semester ahead. Breathe out, and let your body soften around it, even a little. Then move on, not by pretending nothing happened, but by letting the next moment arrive without dragging the last one along. That is a lot of what we teach in mindfulness. You do not have to control the weather, inside or out, to meet it with some steadiness. As you step into this new season, with its busier streets, fuller calendars, and surprise rain, you might let that phrase be a small anchor. What would it be like to take one full breath before your next transition? We look forward to practicing with you this fall.