The Path in Between

Spring is in full bloom – the season of Wood, of growth, renewal, and movement toward light.
In my clinic, a small green dragon now keeps silent watch, the Hun Spirit Animal, guardian of the Liver, symbol of expansion and vision.

As I prepare to travel to Italy to visit my family and teach a workshop in Milan, I’ve been reflecting on a point along the Liver meridian called Liver 2 – Xingjian, which translates as “Walk Between.”
It speaks to me deeply – I live much of my life between two worlds: here in Australia, where my work and daily life unfold, and in Italy, where my roots and family are.

Recently I was reading a small notebook written by my great-grandfather during the Second World War. It feels like a bridge between generations – a reminder that our lineage carries wisdom we can still listen to.
That notebook, this journey, even my clinic work – they all feel connected by this thread of walking between: past and present, here and there, self and other.

Wood energy loves to act, to decide, to move forward – and yet it can also become rigid, seeing the world in black and white, right or wrong.
The acupoint “Walk Between” invites a different stance: one of nuance, gentleness, and curiosity. It teaches that there are things more valuable than being right – like staying open, staying connected, staying true to what matters.

In the five elements, Liver 2 is the Fire point within Wood. It’s the spark that fuels growth and gives direction to our plans.
If the fire is too dim, our movement slows – we lose drive and clarity.
If it burns too fiercely, it can consume us, leading to burnout or agitation, disturbing the heart.

This point lies on the top of the foot, between the first and second toes, just before the webbing.

You can connect with this energy each morning or whenever you feel pulled to extremes – between doing too much and not enough, between heart and mind, between two worlds.

As I leave for Italy, this point feels like my compass.
It reminds me that balance isn’t about choosing one side but learning to walk gracefully in between – with warmth in the heart and roots that reach in both directions.

Practice: Walking Between — Awakening Liver 2 (Xingjian)

Theme:
Finding motion within stillness, clarity within feeling, fire within wood.

Timing:
Practice in the morning, in the rising yang energy, or anytime you sense yourself pulled between doing and resting, striving and yielding.

Locate the Gate

Gently find the point Liver 2, Xingjian, on the top of each foot: between the big toe and the second toe, just before the webbing (as in the picture above).

Prepare the Field

Stand barefoot if possible. Let the soles soften into the floor.
Take three slow breaths, exhaling through the mouth to release the residue of thought.
Feel how the ground holds you.

On your next inhale, imagine the qi rising through the feet and branches extending through your arms and shoulders. On the exhale imagine roots descending.

Activate the point

From standing, fold forward from your hips and bring your fingertips toward the top of your feet.
If bending isn’t comfortable, you may sit in a chair and rest one ankle across the opposite thigh, easily reaching the point with your hand.

As you inhale, press the point lightly.
Feel the breath rise along the inner legs toward the ribs – the Liver channel ascending, bringing freshness and direction.
As you exhale, release the pressure, letting the breath fall back through the feet into the earth.

Do one to three cycles.

Invoke the Middle Path

Return to upright standing (or remain seated with the feet grounded).
Bring awareness to the space between: between inhale and exhale,
between left and right foot, between past and future.

Allow the Fire within Wood to guide you with clarity rather than urgency.
Ask inwardly:

“Where am I called to move – and where am I called to soften?”

Offer gratitude to the small green dragon within, guardian of renewal, watcher of the path that walks between.

October 6, 2025October 31, 2025

From Indecision to Clarity: the Gallbladder Channel

Finding Clarity: The Gallbladder Channel and Decisiveness

Have you ever felt paralysed by indecision? We’ve all experienced those moments when making a decision feels impossible. Sometimes it’s something small – like what to cook for dinner. Other times, the weight of a bigger choice leaves us frozen, unable to move forward.

According to Chinese medicine, this “stuck” feeling is more than just a mental state, it can reflect a blockage in one of the body’s energy pathways, the Gallbladder channel.

This is different from gut instinct. In Chinese medicine, the Stomach channel relates to instant, unthinking action – intuition. The Gallbladder channel, on the other hand, supports thoughtful, considered decisions. It allows us to pause, reflect, and then respond in a flexible way.

The Gallbladder channel runs from the outer corner of the eye, zigzagging across the side of the head and down the lateral line of the body to the foot. That zigzagging isn’t random, it’s a metaphor for how we navigate choices: Do I go this way or that way?

When this channel flows freely, we have the ability to weigh up options, stay clear-headed, and make confident decisions, even when the outcome isn’t fully certain.

But when it becomes blocked, indecision grows. We might loop endlessly in “I don’t know,” second-guess ourselves, or become paralysed by too many options. Eventually, this indecision drains vitality and creates tension through the hips, eyes, and head — all key areas along the Gallbladder pathway.

Over time, if we “cultivate” our indecision, telling ourselves “I’m hopeless at making decisions” or always deferring to others, the stagnation can deepen. In classical texts, this pattern is also linked to spider veins near the acupoint Gallbladder 37 (“Bright Eyes”), a point on the lower leg associated with clear vision and clarity of choice.

The good news? You can support this channel in simple, practical ways. Here are two practices I often use myself and share with clients:

Channel Dredging Qigong

This is a simple self-care form designed to clear stagnation from the meridians.

Watch the video for a clear explanation.

With relaxed hands, sweep gently down the outside of your legs and body — from the head to the feet — tracing the Gallbladder channel.
Then, sweep up the inside of your legs from the big toe towards the head, following the Liver channel.
Repeat this several times, exhaling the toxic qi out of the mouth, eyes open.

This clears tension from the pathways of decision-making and vision, helping energy flow again. It’s also a beautiful way to release frustration and reset when your mind feels stuck.

GB37 – Bright and Clear

There’s a point on the Gallbladder channel, Gallbladder 37, called Bright and Clear. It sits on the outer lower leg, above the ankle.

This point is associated with clarity of vision: not only in the eyes, but also in how we “see” our choices in life. It helps release chronic frustration, anger, and stress that often block decisiveness.

Finding GB 37 – Guangming -Bright and Clear:

Start at the bony bump on the outside of your ankle (the lateral malleolus).
From there, measure up about the width of your hand (around five finger breadths). You should feel a small natural dip; the point is always in a slight depression.

How to use it:

Once you’ve found the dip, apply a minute amount of rosemary essential oil using the tip of a toothpick (not a drop). You can gently hold or massage the point.
This helps clarify vision, ease frustration, and calm stress.

Both of these practices are small, but powerful ways to reconnect with decisiveness and trust your own inner direction. Try them when you feel caught in indecision and notice any shift.

Indecision is not our true nature. With a little support, the Gallbladder channel can return to its clear, steady function: helping you step forward with confidence.

If you’d like support clearing what clouds your vision and reconnecting with your inner direction, a personalized kinesiology session can help you release stuck energy and move forward with clarity and purpose.

Whether near or far, the essence of this work remains the same – sessions are available both in person and online.

September 9, 2025October 31, 2025

Riding Hun: the Energy of the Spring Dragon

Do you ever wonder how your vision for life comes about? Where does it sprout from? The Hun, the spirit of the Liver and the Wood element, is the dreamer within us. It takes the insights we have, those flashes of clarity, the call of our North Star, and begins to weave them into vision. From insight comes imagination, daydreaming, and the root of a new possibility.

The Hun is the part of you that sees beyond today. It’s your ability to dream, to hope, and to picture a future that feels worth moving toward.

So where do all the restless and pent-up feelings that belong to Wood come from?

When your Hun is strong, you feel inspired. You can see the next steps ahead and you have compassion for yourself and others because imagination lets you step into someone else’s shoes. You feel possibility opening.

But when Wood energy gets stuck, the picture shifts. Instead of vision, there’s frustration. Instead of hope, there’s anger or sometimes even a flat heaviness, like depression. Your emotions might swing, your energy might spike and crash, or you might feel trapped in the same loops with no way forward.

Anger itself isn’t “bad”; it often shows us something important is being protected. But when it just circles inside without being felt or understood, it blocks the very movement that Wood is meant to bring.

This is where self-compassion helps you pause, feel the anger, and notice the vulnerability underneath. That’s what opens flow again and that’s a gift of the Hun.

Another challenge with Wood energy is that vision alone isn’t enough. You can imagine endlessly and still feel stuck if you don’t act. This is where the Gallbladder comes in.

Physically, the gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, which helps us digest fats. Bile salts are unique: they’re amphipathic, meaning they have a part that loves water and a part that repels it.

In Chinese medicine, this dual nature reflects the Gallbladder’s role in decision making. It sits right in the tension of “this or that,” helping us move beyond ambivalence into choice.

The Gallbladder is also what gives us the ability to change direction, to find a way around obstacles instead of getting stuck behind them. Its channel winds across the head like a protective net and then zig zags along the sides of the body, awakening the “lateral line,” an energetic vestige from our fish ancestors, a kind of vibratory awareness that opens us to communication, adaptability, and connection with the world around us.

Two points to support your Wood energy

GB 41 – Foot Palace of Tears

This point allows you to resolve and release stagnant emotions and reminds you that today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can always start with a single step in a new direction or bring fresh awareness to the path you’re already walking. You can also massage it with a clearing, cathartic essential oil like cypress, diluted in a carrier oil.

GB 29 – Dwelling in the bone

This is a meeting point of past and present and helps balance the sympathetic nervous system. Try gently tapping the sides of your hips with soft fists – you’ll feel a release of stress and pressure throughout the body, as if space is opening up for movement again.

Take a moment today to connect with your Hun and Gallbladder energy. Gently tap GB 29 or massage GB 41 and notice what shifts.

If you’d like support turning your vision into action, a personalized session can help you release stuck energy, find clarity, and move confidently forward.

Whether near or far, the essence of this work remains unchanged – sessions are offered both in person and online.

August 8, 2025August 26, 2025

Luo Channels: the Body’s Map to Hidden Emotions

Luo Channels: the Body's Map to Hidden Emotions

Not every story needs words.
Some are written in the body – and can be unwritten, too.

Recently, I deepened my study of the Luo Channels, an ancient system in Chinese medicine that shows us where we store unprocessed emotions. These channels are different from the main meridians. You can actually see them in spider veins, broken capillaries, areas of redness, or changes in the skin.

In Chinese Medicine, blood carries more than nutrients, it carries emotions.

When we’re born, we are completely open, connected, and present. But very quickly we learn to label, to judge, to compare. We’re taught what is acceptable to believe, and what is not. Approval becomes conditional: from family, teachers, and society.

As we all experience, thoughts arise constantly. But which one we decide to believe in, is our decision. When we do that, and transform a belief into our own truth, the body adjusts itself to match that belief, even if it’s not supportive. Emotions then flow from these beliefs, and the body channels energy (qi) to specific organs to express them.

If the emotion is fully expressed and released, there’s no problem. But when the mind overrides the body, suppressing the emotion, it has to be stored somewhere. This can happen in moments of overwhelming feeling, or slowly, over years.

Emotionally, the symptoms will depend on which channel is involved, but they often fall under five main categories: anger, fear, anxiety, worry, or sadness.

A classic example is anger. In Chinese medicine, anger is linked to the Liver. If we feel anger but believe it’s “unacceptable” to show it, we push it down. The body responds by generating heat to try to move that stuck emotion. Over time, that heat, along with the suppressed emotion, consumes the fluids of the body, especially the blood. Because blood holds emotion, this can lead to inflammation, blood pressure issues, and emotional triggers.

At this stage, the body creates extra vessels, the Luo Channels, to hold that unresolved emotional “heat” and its frequency. That’s when you might start to see visible signs like spider veins, varicose veins, bruises or discoloured patches or protruding vessels.

In time these Luo Channels can become full, unable to store more. The emotion then spills back into primary channels. To protect the organs, the body may form nodules, cysts or lumps, physical “barriers” to block the flow from reaching deeper.

Here is the key: these visible signs are not just cosmetic.

They can be clues that your body is still holding a story, one that’s been waiting for the right time, and the right conditions, to be released.

What excites me about working with the Luo Channels is the possibility of freeing a person from this emotional “storage”, allowing the body to return to clarity and presence. It’s not about digging into old wounds with words. It’s about allowing the body to release what it’s been carrying, so you can move forward without the weight of old triggers.

If you’ve noticed these signs in your body, or if you’ve been feeling caught in repeated emotional patterns, this work can offer a way back to yourself.

Sessions are available both in person and online – this medicine translates beautifully across distance.

July 1, 2025July 7, 2025

Ever feel like you’re dragging a buffalo uphill?

There’s a difference between moving forward and forcing forward. I’ve seen it – in clients, in nature, and often in myself. When our actions aren’t aligned with our truth, we use force instead of flow… and like trying to drag a buffalo uphill, it exhausts us and gets us nowhere.

Take the first image: a woman digging her heels in, gripping the rope with all her strength, trying to drag a buffalo uphill. It’s an image that speaks to something many of us know too well, trying to push through life from a place of effort alone.

We’ve all been there. Using willpower to push through fatigue, ignoring our own signals, trying to make progress by forcing it. And yet, even with all that energy spent… nothing really moves.

In the second image, the buffalo is still there. The woman is still there. But the energy has shifted. She’s no longer pulling, she’s beside the animal, moving with it, with clarity, steadiness and ease.
This shift is what happens when we stop forcing and start aligning. When we stop acting from pressure and instead move from a deeper connection to our truth.
And that connection starts with listening.

We often talk about moving forward: setting goals, taking action, changing habits. But if we skip the listening part, we end up pulling against our own energy. That’s where depletion and frustration begin.

True alignment begins when we learn to tune into what inspires us, what energises us, what naturally fuels us. That’s where our personal resources live. That’s what connects us to our Shen, the spirit of the Heart, and the part of us that knows, quietly and clearly, where to stand.

A small but powerful practice that helps you start tuning into your Shen, is one I learned from Stephanie Nosco. It’s simple, but it opens a doorway.

Close your eyes. Take a few relaxed breaths imagining that you are breathing in and out from the centre of your chest and maintain your awareness in your heart area.
Now, say something that is not true, like, for me, “My name is John.” Feel what happens in your body when you tell a lie.
Now, say something true, like “My name is Vittoria.” Notice how your body responds and if there is any shift. Go back and forth between the lie and the truth to calibrate your response. Start using this simple tool and play with it until you feel ready to move on to more important aspects of your life.

This is your body showing you the difference between misalignment and truth. Between pulling against the buffalo and moving beside it.
Once you get familiar with how truth feels in your system, you can begin using this tool in everyday life, when making choices, having conversations, or sensing when it’s time to act (or rest).

The journey forward doesn’t have to be uphill and exhausting. When you begin by listening, deeply, honestly, you’ll find the place where your energy gathers, not scatters. And from there, you can move with flow.

If you’re tired of pulling, and ready to discover what alignment feels like, I invite you to begin with this practice. The smallest shift in intention can change the entire direction of your path.

And if you’d like more support as you move forward, I’d be honoured to walk beside yo

May 19, 2025May 19, 2025

The Art of Listening Inward

I’ve recently spoken about the importance of discovering what truly lights us up, your values, as well as your hidden needs: those unconscious motivations behind frustration, reactivity, or over giving that often drive us from beneath the surface.

We often hear the advice to “go within.” But what does that actually mean? And how do we listen to ourselves in a way that brings clarity rather than confusion?

To uncover these hidden layers, we need to shift from thinking about ourselves to listening within.

Before we can understand what drives us, we need to make space to hear the quieter parts of ourselves, the parts that don’t shout, but whisper. Our values and hidden needs can only be discovered when we slow down enough to truly listen and create space to sense what lies beneath the noise of daily life.

Listening Is a Somatic Skill

This kind of listening is different from thinking. It doesn’t come from analysing or trying to figure things out. It’s not about writing down goals or listing personality traits. Instead, it comes from softening into the body, the breath, and the subtle signals that arise when we pause. It requires a gentler awareness, one that drops below the surface of the mind and quietly opens the inner door.

In my recent Qigong teacher training, we explored a beautiful sequence that invited just this kind of listening. We were guided to connect, one by one, with three distinct centres of perception:

Small Intestine 19, “Listening Palace” – Located in the small depression in front of the ear, this point helps open the “ear of the heart,” allowing us to hear not just sounds, but the truth beneath them. Gently place your finger there, close your eyes, and pause in stillness.

Central Vessel 17, “Altar of the Chest” – The heart centre, where we often feel emotions as resonance, longing, or unease. Place your hand in the middle of your chest, above the sternum.

The lower dantian – Below the navel, this is the seat of instinct and inner knowing. Rest your hand gently over this area and breathe.

We were asked: At which level do you want to listen today? From the mind, the heart, or the gut?

It’s a question worth returning to again and again. True self-cultivation starts with this kind of listening.

I invite you to try this practice by placing your hand at SI19. Breathe. Wait. Your body will speak when it feels safe enough to be heard. Then follow with the other points.

Let Your Values Emerge

When you begin to identify what you truly value – freedom, stability, connection, expression – you can also begin to notice where those values have been overlooked or unmet.

The gift is: once seen, they no longer need to stay hidden. You can begin to work with them, integrate them, and let them guide you with intention.

Curious to explore what your body is trying to tell you?

I’d love to guide you. Whether through a gentle Elemental Kinesiology session or one-to-one coaching, we can create space for you to tune in and hear yourself more clearly.

April 9, 2025May 19, 2025

Why Setting a Specific Goal during a Session Matters

In every kinesiology session, there’s one moment that quietly sets the tone for everything that follows: the moment we clarify your goal. It might sound simple – perhaps even secondary to the rest of the session – but in truth, it’s the compass. Without it, we’re wandering. With it, we’re laser focused.

Sometimes a client arrives knowing exactly what they want. More often, they come with something vague: “I just want to feel better.” Or “I’d like to be calmer and not feel anxious all the time.” These are important intentions. But they’re broad—so broad that it’s hard for your brain to know what “better” or “calm” actually looks like in your life.

This is where our work together begins.

If you say you want to feel less anxious, I might ask: “If I were with you during the day, what would I observe you doing if you didn’t have that anxiety?” This question often pauses people. They haven’t thought of it like that. But slowly, the goal becomes more tangible: “I wouldn’t check my phone obsessively.” “I’d sleep without replaying everything that happened during the day.” “I’d be able to do that call without overthinking.”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

A specific goal doesn’t just help me understand what you need—it helps you see it more clearly too. Vague goals keep us stuck in the loop of wishing for change without knowing what that change looks like. When we make it concrete, we can start to move. And kinesiology is wonderfully equipped for this.

Once we’re clear about your desired outcome, we can work precisely to shift the old patterns that stand in the way. Whether it’s outdated beliefs, unconscious habits, or unresolved emotional stress, kinesiology helps identify what’s holding you back. And more importantly, it helps your body release the emotional attachment to it.

But clarity is also key for building something new.

When we know where you want to go, we can break it down into smaller, actionable steps. We’re not trying to “get rid of anxiety” in a general way—we’re helping you develop the capacity to walk into that social event with a steady breath. To feel safe in your body during an argument. To choose rest without guilt.

Each of those moments is measurable, real, and reachable.

This is the heart of the process: tuning into what you actually want—beneath the noise, the habits, the stories—and anchoring it into your everyday life. When you come into session, you’re not just working through what’s “wrong”. You’re clarifying your next step forward.

So if you ever feel uncertain about what your goal is, that’s okay. It’s my job to help you find it. Not by telling you what to want—but by listening, asking the right questions, and guiding you back to your own knowing.

That clarity is where the real shift begins.

April 4, 2025April 9, 2025

The Unspoken Needs That Drive Us

Have you ever felt deeply frustrated or irritated, yet struggled to understand why?

Perhaps certain situations trigger you, making you feel unseen, powerless, or out of place. These emotional reactions often point to an underlying unmet need that drives your actions and decisions.

Hidden needs are the aspects of ourselves that we unconsciously seek to fulfill, sometimes in ways that don’t serve us.

But rather than trying to eliminate them, we can use them as a tool for transformation—redirecting them toward actions that align with what we truly want.

Over time, through self-cultivation, these needs may naturally dissolve, not because we suppress them, but because we’ve learned how to meet them in a more sustainable way.

Understanding these patterns through the lens of the Five Elements can help us find new, more empowering ways to respond to them.

🌊Water: The Need for Validation

If Water is your predominant element, you might crave depth, wisdom, and understanding. If your hidden driver is validation, you may constantly seek approval, fearing that your ideas or creativity aren’t “good enough.”

This can manifest as hesitation in sharing your thoughts or an excessive reliance on external feedback. The key? To develop trust in your own intuition and recognizing your inherent worth.

💡A practical shift: use your need for validation to cultivate deep self-trust.

For example, rather than waiting for someone else to affirm your insights, you can create a daily reflective practice—writing down your insights, decisions, or creative ideas.

You can also focus on physically grounding yourself before making decisions. Standing with feet firmly on the ground and holding the acupressure point kid 23 (Shen Seal) beside the middle of the sternum can help you connect to your own sense of inner knowing.

🌿Wood: The Need for Attention

People who have a lot of Wood in their constitution thrive on growth, ambition, and making an impact.

When left uncultivated, this drive can turn into a strong need for attention and recognition. If you feel frustrated when your efforts aren’t acknowledged, or you find yourself constantly striving to prove your worth, this may be Wood’s shadow emerging.

Deep down, this is often linked to a need of feeling special, to be recognised and to be able to express one’s creativity. Wood finds harmony when it learns that true recognition comes from within—not from external applause.

💡A practical shift: setting small, achievable steps reinforces your sense of achievement without relying on external feedback.

Moving your body, such as through stretching or shaking out tension, also helps release frustration and rechannel your energy into meaningful action.

🔥Fire: The Need for Control

If Fire is your predominant element you thrive on connection, passion, and presence.

But when imbalanced, it can manifest as a need for control—control over emotions, situations, and even other people. If you find yourself micromanaging, resisting spontaneity, or struggling to trust the flow of life, Fire’s shadow may be at play. At its core, this need stems from a fear of chaos or rejection.

True balance comes when you learn to trust the moment, cultivate inner security, and let go of the illusion that everything must go as planned.

💡A practical shift: If the urge to control arises, practice conscious breathing, focusing on what is within your power—your own state of being. By taking three slow breaths mentally repeating “I choose to trust this moment,” you can redirect your energy toward cultivating inner stability rather than trying to force external outcomes.

🌏Earth: The Need for Belonging

Earth values relationships and harmony.

If belonging is your unspoken need, you may overextend yourself to be accepted, saying “yes” even when you want to say “no.” Your frustration arises when you feel unappreciated despite your sacrifices.

The antidote? Setting healthy boundaries and recognizing that true belonging starts with self-acceptance.

💡A practical shift: Before committing to something, take a moment to feel your physical centre—placing a hand on your stomach and noticing any tension. If your body tightens at the thought of saying “yes,” it’s a sign you may be acting out of obligation rather than true willingness. Practicing small moments of stillness, even just sipping a warm drink mindfully, helps you recognize your own needs before automatically prioritizing others.

⚪Metal: The Need for Being Right

Metal seeks refinement, order, and meaning.

When superiority becomes a hidden need, you may feel the need to be “right” or to prove your expertise. If your “wisdom” isn’t acknowledged, you might disconnect.

The work here is to practice humility and allow wisdom to flow without attachment to recognition.

💡A practical shift: Instead of focusing on proving a point, physically shift your posture—relaxing your shoulders and widening your peripheral vision by looking side to side. This simple movement signals the brain to move out of rigid thinking.

You can also cultivate curiosity and instead of correcting someone, you can ask, “What led you to that perspective?” This allows you to engage without attachment to being right, transforming interactions into opportunities for deeper understanding.

Integrating Your Shadow for Growth

By identifying the hidden needs that drive your emotions, you gain the power to shift them. Instead of being ruled by hidden needs, you can integrate them in a way that aligns with your true essence.

The next time frustration arises, ask yourself:

What situations annoy me or make me feel uncomfortable?
When I get angry or feel frustrated, what am I really trying to achieve?
Is there a need that I constantly try to fulfill?

True transformation happens when we embrace both light and shadow, using awareness as a tool for growth. When you uncover the root of your discomfort, you gain the freedom to move forward with clarity and purpose.

If you’re ready to explore your unspoken values and bring balance to your element, call me for a chat on how I can support you.