Four Embodied Practices to Help Break a Block

Or "Show up, but make sure you’re wearing pants."

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Recently, I wrote about the importance of showing up and the next day, I found myself NOT wanting to show up to my gym/sauna session. “You just wrote about this,” I thought, “You have to show up.” I had the wrong shoes, but told myself I could use the ones I had. I forgot a water bottle, but told myself I'd buy one there. I went back and forth until I finally arrived, checked in, was standing in my underwear in the locker room and realized I had also forgotten my gym pants. (I briefly wondered if I could enter the sauna in my dress pants, but finally gave up.)

Moral of the story: sometimes just showing up just doesn't work.

We can’t always think our way into action, either. Somedays, we want to begin, but our body feels sluggish, our mind resists, and suddenly checking your phone or making another cup of coffee seems more urgent than the thing you actually set out to do.

If that is where you are and you’re struggling to start because you feel stuck—writing, practicing yoga, tackling a creative project—I have a trick to shake things up and ease into that blank page that’s staring at you.

Here are four body-based practices to help you break that block when showing up doesn't do it for you (assuming you remembered your pants).

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1. Disrupt Stagnation by Shaking it Off

Shaking is one of my favorite ways to wake up the body and stimulate some movement. It’s like the perfect shot of expresso—it warms you up, clears your mind and leaves you a little buzzy.

✅ Try This: The 30-Second Shake

• Stand up and shake out your fingers, hands, and arms

• Move to your shoulders, lifting and releasing as fast as possible

• Bounce lightly on your heels, shake one foot then the other.

• Let your breath move freely while you do this—sigh, exhale, or even make a little noise.

💡 Why it works: This wakes up the nervous system, increases circulation, and signals to your brain that something is shifting. Plus, it’s hard to stay mentally rigid when your body is loose.

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2. Breath Some Fire Into Your Body

When you can’t get started, your nervous system might be stuck in either low-energy mode (freeze state). The right breath can help reset you.

✅ Try This:

• If you feel sluggish → Try Breath of Fire (Energizing Breath We Use in Kundalini Yoga)

  • Sit tall, inhale normally, then begin rapid, short exhalations through the nose, pulling your belly in with each exhale (like blowing out candles quickly). Continue for 30 seconds.

💡 Why it works: Breath patterns signal to your nervous system to ramp up, helping you transition into the right state for focused work.

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3. Find Balance in Box Breath

If your nervous system is stuck in overactive mode (fight-or-flight), you want something calming and restorative.

✅ Try This:

• If you feel overwhelmed → Try Box Breathing (Grounding)

  • Inhale for 4 counts → Hold for 4 counts → Exhale for 4 counts → Hold for 4 counts. Repeat 3-5 times.

💡 Why it works: Breath patterns signal to your nervous system to slow down, helping you transition into the right state for focused work.

4. Sensory Reset with an Outdoor Walk

If your mind is scattered or resistant, dropping into your senses can pull you into the present moment. Take a 15 minute walk outside without any devices or distractions.

✅ Try This: As you walk, try the 5-4-3-2-1 Method

• Name 5 things you can see.

• Name 4 things you can touch.

• Name 3 things you can hear.

• Name 2 things you can smell.

• Take 1 slow, deep breath inhaling for 10 and exhaling for 10.

💡 Why it works: Engaging your senses pulls you out of analysis paralysis and into embodied awareness, making it easier to start.

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Let the body lead, and the mind will follow. If you’re waiting to feel ready, you might be waiting forever. Instead of forcing motivation, try one of these small, physical shifts.

Final Thought: Motion Over Motivation

We can’t always plan our way into action. Somedays, it’s important to listen to our bodies and not show up. Then, the challenge is to just be okay with missing. Not to beat ourselves up about missing or let missing lead to missing more. Somedays, you just got to let it go and try again tomorrow.