In Chinese medicine winter is governed by the water element. A time for the slow cooker, not the salad.

Rest is not the reward at the end of the process, it is the condition that healing needs to begin.

Three specific times in a woman's life carry extraordinary power. The power to restore health deeply, or if ignored, to lose it quietly over time.

A bear doesn't waste energy trying to be anything other than a bear. Bears know the way home.

Notice where you are so full you could burst. The treasure is in the noticing itself.

Your body is not an obstacle or something to manage or override. It is one of the most sophisticated instruments of intelligence we have access to.

The Turning

At 1:46 in the morning on Saturday March 21, while most of us were sleeping, the earth reached a point of perfect balance.

The Autumn Equinox. From the Latin aequi meaning equal and nox meaning night. Equal night. The moment in the year when day and dark are held in precise equilibrium before the slow descent into the quieter, darker months begins.

I find it profoundly moving that this turning happens in the dark. Without fanfare. Without our conscious participation. The earth simply arrives at balance and moves on.

The body works the same way. So much of our deepest shifting happens beneath the surface, in the quiet hours, before the mind has any idea.

As we approach the end of 2025, we stand in a powerful threshold moment.
This year — the Wood Snake — has been a year of shedding, listening deeply, clearing the undergrowth, and meeting the parts of ourselves that live close to the ground. Snakes don’t rush. They feel through the skin. They wait until the old layer is too tight… and then they slide out of what no longer fits.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, Qi and Blood are more than physiological substances — they are our resources, the energy and vitality the body draws on to meet life’s demands. And when we carry old emotions, unspoken words, or unresolved grief, these resources are quietly tied up. The body is still performing, still functioning, but it is working with less fuel than it could have.

When a woman enters her menopausal transition, the landscape of her inner climate shifts. What may have once held a steady rhythms begins to rearrange itself.

From a classical Chinese medicine perspective, through the wisdom of the Six Conformations — hot flushes are not a sign that she is “too hot,” but often that her yang has become unanchored.

As a practitioner trained across many modalities, namely Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, somatic awareness, Qigong, nutritional and holistic health coaching. I move fluidly between languages of the body.

The thread that runs through all of them is this: we are whole. Our bodies, minds, and emotions are inseparable. The heart cannot be considered without the nervous system. Our kidneys cannot be separated from the fear we carry. Pain, tension, and joy all circulate through the same living system.

When something small stirs a big reaction, it’s rarely about the present moment. A trigger can be the tip of an iceberg, revealing stories and sensations the body still holds. In this reflection, Dr Anny Fodor shares how awareness of what lies beneath can begin to shift the very patterns that shape our health and sense of self.

What happens to us emotionally happens to us physically. Through Chinese medicine and lived experience, Anny explores how our bodies remember and how healing unfolds when we listen.

There’s something revolutionary about a woman coming home to her body.
In a world that teaches us to override, ignore, or manage our sensations, to actually feel ourselves; our energy, our rhythm, our pleasure. A significant act of reclamation.

This is the essence of my work, and why I’ve returned to the heart of Chinese Medicine with The Three Treasures.

This month, we honour Menopause Awareness.

A time to open deeper conversations about women’s health, and really, about the health of our communities.

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know how much I love this work. Supporting women through transitions feels more urgent than ever, in a world where so many of us are feeling the strain of rising crises, physically, emotionally, collectively.

For those who are new, welcome.
This space is a place of Connection; of recognising that our wellbeing doesn’t exist in isolation.

We are always in relationship: with ourselves, our environment, and each other.

Not Just a Women’s Issue — Menopause Shapes Communities

There’s a growing recognition that menopause isn’t just a women’s issue. It’s a community issue. A cultural issue. A human issue.

Every one of us has been shaped by women; by mothers, aunties, teachers, colleagues, friends. And the health of women’s bodies ripples through every layer of society. When women are well, families are well. Communities are well.

Yet, despite living in 2025 with access to unprecedented knowledge, women continue to walk into my clinic saying they have been dismissed, misunderstood, or told that “it’s just part of getting older.” Many of these women are doctors themselves. The medical system, even with all its progress, continues to fail women in one of the most significant transitions of their lives.

We are blood cycle driven. Our bodies follow natural rhythms connected to the moon, hormones, and seasons of growth and release. When we honour these cycles instead of pushing through external demands, we restore balance, vitality, and inner wisdom. Explore how Chinese medicine, qigong, and somatic practices can help you live in harmony with your body’s natural flow.

Spring winds stir the Liver in Chinese medicine, often bringing headaches, irritability, and restless energy. Known as the season of the Wood Dragon, spring is a time for growth, renewal, and expression. Learn simple ways to harmonise Liver Qi—through food, movement, and Qigong—so your inner dragon can rise with vitality and ease.

In Chinese medicine and Daoist philosophy, health is never separate from life. It is the harmony of body, breath, and spirit that creates true vitality. This integration is described as the Three Treasures — Jing, Qi, and Shen.

Each Treasure is precious. Each plays a role. Together, they form the living foundation of our health and the compass that guides us through life’s transitions.

“I desire more connection to my intuition.”
It’s one of the most common things I hear at the moment.

I notice it in myself too: if I don’t ‘check in’ with myself before reaching for my phone, I’m gone. Lost in the noise of messages, feeds, and news. If I don’t connect inward, I start consuming immediately, no wonder I can develop indigestion before I’ve even had breakfast.

When did it become a prescription to:

• Drink two litres of water.

• Get in 10,000 steps — counted.

• Lift weights to “survive” menopause.