At first glance, the pictures look like they've been lifted from the pages of a glossy fashion magazine. But look closer and you'll see that not all is as it seems. Ms Anami, who splits her time between Bali and LA, and describes herself as a 'holistic sex and relationship expert, vaginal weightlifter and surfer', started practicing 'Vaginal Kung Fu' 20 years ago. Michelle Atkin, 48, a therapist, lives in Darwen, Lancashire, with her partner Linds She learned to lift a range of objects by attaching a jade egg to the object, inserting it into her vagina and then using her internal muscles to hold it there. Most recently, she has embarked on a tour of the world, showing off her unique talent, in a bid to 'break down barriers'. In one photograph, taken in Morocco, Ms Anami lifts a pot of mind tea off the ground between her legs, while in another, taken in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, she holds aloft a beautiful Murano glass chandelier. Other images show the sex expert pictured in a white bikini beside a ornate pool, with an intricate ceramic plate; and balancing on one leg in the rain on the Italian island of Burano with another glass vase. She previously told Daily Mail that her aim is to to encourage women to develop their pelvic muscles to improve their health. 'Much of my work is about breaking down sexual barriers: opening conversations about sex and daring to say the things that deep down (very deep, like cervix deep) people want to hear and say, but generally don’t,' 'There are the emotional walls that we erect to protect ourselves. The choice to fear instead of open... Until all of these barriers come down, until we soften and chip away at the hardness, we can’t fully feel.' Ms Anami has previously said she believes 'Vaginal Kung Fu' helps with depression and gives women younger looking skin - and can be especially helpful to women after childbirth. In one image from Bali, Ms Anami is photographed in a stunning yoga pose, with a green mango dangling from between her legs. In others, the 45-year-old is pictured in Barcelona, Spain, wearing a red, frilled dress holding two fans aloft and also posing with a bowl of paella. 'Fanning the flames', she captioned the picture, going on to explain that it's important to keep the 'sexual simmer' alight in your life 'This is your life force energy. If you aren’t tuned into it, you are operating at a deficiency,' she wrote. 'It is your creative well-spring and you need it to thrive.' The expert has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram where she shares snaps of herself weightlifting a multitude of objects. She has also had thousands sign up to her online courses - where she provides information and instruction on Vaginal Kung Fu and vaginal weightlifting. 'Sex for me is a personal growth tool. It is healing, revitalising and self-actualising. It's just part of a healthy lifestyle,' she said. 'I have always felt very aware of my sexual energy and had an interest in how to make sex even better.'
