My Body. My Life. My Undoing. My Power. 🔥
Throughout my life, movement has been more than just physical. It has been my survival. My healing. My power. Now, in midlife, I know this deeply: our body holds our stories — and movement helps us rewrite them.
Anny at Elwood beach aged 17-ish
How Movement Saved Me
At 12, I ranked 4th in Victorian long-distance running.
Even though I smoked and barely ate, I kept running. Movement became my way to cope. Home life was very heavy. I needed a release.
In my twenties, that release became dance. Belly dance, African rhythm, whirling dervish spinning, circus training, Body Weather (Butoh), and eventually Qigong.
Each form of somatic movement helped move the weight of trauma out of my body.
They helped me establish boundaries, soften anxiety, and experience rest — real, nourishing rest.
The Body Keeps Score — And It Speaks Through Tension
In my thirties, while living in Turkey and running a private shiatsu clinic, I worked on hundreds of bodies.
The difference between bodies that moved and bodies that did not was striking.
Especially in the three major hinges:
The hips
The shoulders
The jaw
These areas were loaded with tension. Especially in women.
I saw clearly that many women — myself included — carried the emotional labour of life in their physical form.
This was not just structural. It was energetic. It was stored emotion.
The Turning Point: Qigong and the Body’s Wisdom
After long days of bodywork, I would collapse in bed feeling emotionally & physically drained.
Then, I met my first true Qigong teacher.
At dawn, we practised over-looking the Bosphorus. Just one hour a day.
And something profound shifted.
This ancient Qigong practice relieved my chronic pain.
It grounded my nervous system.
It deepened my capacity to work with others.
This was not just a movement class. It was a conversation with my body’s wisdom.
Why Qigong Is My Anchor in Midlife
Today, Qigong is my daily practice. Not just for myself, but for the women I guide.
It draws from the ancient systems of Chinese medicine. It supports us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
And now more than ever — in midlife, in a world that moves so fast — reconnection is vital.
Why Qigong, Why Now
Qigong is gentle. But don’t mistake that for weak.
It is a powerful form of somatic healing that supports every major system of the body — and helps release what talk therapy sometimes cannot touch.
1. Functional Movement and Joint Mobility
Qigong supports everyday movement like walking, reaching, turning and standing.
It strengthens communication between bones, muscles and joints — improving balance and preventing injuries.
2. Nervous System Regulation
Breath-led movement helps regulate the nervous system and shift us out of fight-or-flight.
Through Qigong for nervous system healing, we support:
Sleep quality
Digestion
Weight regulation
Blood pressure
It brings us into a state of deeply felt belonging. Safety.
3. Fascia and Lymphatic Health
Qigong is one of the most effective fascia release techniques.
It gently stretches and hydrates the fascia, and stimulates the lymphatic system — which has no pump and depends on movement.
This boosts:
Immune resilience
Mental clarity
Reduced water retention
Faster recovery from illness
4. Emotional Health and Trauma Healing
Movement is medicine.
Qigong for trauma healing supports us to process suppressed emotions stored in the body.
It lets tears rise.
It moves frustration.
It allows grief to soften.
Women often find their hot flushes and menopause symptoms improve when emotional energy is released rather than suppressed.
The 3 Pillars of Qigong
Breath. Movement. Imagination.
Breath is the bridge between the body and mind.
We marrying the breath with movement, while utilising imagery to guide the Qi.
Visualisations of colour, elements like water or fire, or specific organs we direct energy and create a shift into the healing parasympathetic state.
This is moving meditation. It is trauma-informed movement. It is reclaiming safety through ease.
Winter Qigong Practice Circle
This Winter, I am offering a small, supportive Qigong practice circle.
Together, we will explore a 9-movement Medical Qigong sequence that:
Opens the spine
Nourishes the joints
Boosts lymph flow
Eases tension
Reconnects you to your breath
This is not just something you do with me — this is a ritual you will carry into your life.
No prior experience needed. No perfect body required. Just bring yourself, as you are.
This Is a Homecoming
Come back to your body.
Not the one you had at 20
But the one you have now — seasoned, wise, beautiful, alive
Let’s move through Winter not with force, but with grace
Not with punishment, but with presence
Send me a message to reserve your spot or ask questions.
Let this Winter be a season of awakening, not just surviving.
