This Week's Practice: Walk With Awareness

Hi there,

Last week in The Nervous System Isn’t the Enemy: It’s Your Oldest Ally, I shared what it means to thank your body — not for performing, but for protecting. I explored how real-time check-ins can shift us from reaction to relationship, even in moments of overwhelm.

That practice opened a doorway — not just to presence, but to appreciation. And this week, I’m walking through that doorway. Literally.

But let me pause here.

I know that walking may not be accessible or comfortable for everyone. For some, physical limitations, pain, or other circumstances make walking less possible — or not possible at all. The practice I’m sharing isn’t about walking itself. It’s about movement as a way to return to your body. That might mean gentle stretching in a chair, rocking side to side, rolling your shoulders, or even imagining yourself moving through a favorite place.

Whatever form it takes, the invitation is the same: shift from urgency to awareness. From outside demands back into your own embodied experience.

For me, that’s often a walk.

Some days, my mind feels like a pinball machine — bouncing from task to task, everything urgent, nothing grounded. When that happens, I’ve learned to reach for a simple, reliable practice: I go for a walk.
Not to get my steps in.
Not to “be productive.”
But to come back to myself.

Over the past few weeks — including a beautiful, busy trip to Singapore and Bali — I’ve been reminded how powerful walking can be. These weren’t power walks or sightseeing tours. They were a way of metabolizing thoughts, emotions, and sensory input. A way to remember: I’m here.

In Burnout (affiliate link), Emily and Amelia Nagoski describe stress as a biological cycle. Even when the stressor ends, our bodies don’t always get the memo. Physical movement helps complete the cycle, releasing the energy that gets stuck in our systems.

🌱 Try This: A Simple Practice

• Before you begin, pause. Place a hand on your heart. Ask: How am I arriving today?
• As you move, let your senses lead. What do you hear? Smell? Feel?
• When you finish, thank your body — not for performing, but for showing up.

💛 What I’m Loving This Week

• Sound: Mourning doves cooing on my morning walks — grounding and rhythmic.
• Practice: Walking after Zoom calls, not to “get steps in,” but to come back to myself.
• Song: “Simply the Best” by Tina Turner — bold, joyful, and full of embodied confidence.

This week’s blog explores how walking — or any intentional movement — can shift us from urgency to awareness.

👉 https://www.lisaconradi.com/blog

Next week, we’ll explore Why Triggers Aren’t Weaknesses, But Wisdom. I hope you’ll walk with me there too.

With care,
Lisa