Dear Beautiful Soul,
As of late, brainwaves have come to my attention — those quiet, invisible rhythms that shape how we think, feel, and create. I’m a fan.
Turns out, most of us spend our days in Beta — the busy, logical, problem-solving brainwave state. It’s great for emails, deadlines, and grocery lists, but not so great for breakthroughs. Creativity and intuition don’t live there. They live one level down, in Alpha — the calm, open, “in-between” place where ideas rise naturally and connections click without effort.
And here’s the good news: you don’t need a meditation cushion to get there.
You can walk yourself into Alpha.
Stepping Into Alpha
Research shows that long walks in Nature — 40 minutes or more at an unhurried pace — gently lower Beta brain activity and increase Alpha waves. That’s the relaxed, creative, receptive state often called the genius zone. When we walk in rhythm with the Earth, our brains sync with her steadiness. Ideas we’ve been chasing suddenly find us.
History (and herstory) is full of examples:
Jane Austen took long walks to work through storylines and dialogue.
Mary Oliver wrote much of her poetry after hours walking alone in the woods of Provincetown.
Nikola Tesla conceived the alternating current system on a walk in the park.
Charles Darwin built a “thinking path” — a circular walking track at Down House — and credited it for many of his insights.
Steve Jobs held “walking meetings” because he found them more creative and productive than any boardroom.
Each of them discovered what science now confirms: the rhythm of walking unlocks something extraordinary in the brain.
My Walks, My Work, My Alpha
When I’m out walking in Nature — especially alone and unplugged — I enter that same state. I call it getting a “quantum download.” Ideas, clarity, and direction just… land.
The Walk Your Walk Tour, the entire One Million Women Walking movement, and much of the ecosystem you see me building? They came to me during these walks — moments of deep listening when the noise fell away and the next step appeared.
For me, walking is both medicine and method — a spiritual practice wrapped in biology. My brain finds coherence; my spirit finds joy. It’s the most practical form of magic I know.
How You Can Use This Tool
This week, I invite you to experiment.
Take one longer walk — 40 minutes or more — ideally in a natural setting. Leave your phone behind, or at least on silent. Walk slowly enough to breathe deeply and notice your surroundings.
Let your thoughts wander. Don’t force insight. Just walk.
Notice what ideas or solutions bubble up when you stop trying to find them.
Then, I’d love to hear from you — what came through for you in your own walk-induced Alpha? You can reply to this Letter or share in the chat.
And if you’d like gentle prompts to keep you walking — to help you make this practice part of your life — subscribe to Daily Steps. Three times a week, you’ll receive an encouraging note designed to get you outside, reconnect you to your body, and open that Alpha state naturally.
Because walking isn’t just movement. It’s access.
To your ideas. To your intuition. To your own quantum brilliance.
Walking with you in wonder, one step at a time.
XO Laura
