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
