5 Ways to Connect with the Water Element for Winter

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This post was first published as a guest post on Aussie health blog This Is Lifeblood – it is most definitely Winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, that cold, still, watery, dark Yin time. I often write about the Water Element, as Water is my constitutional element (or CF), but Winter is the season of the Water Element, and it is important to connect in with this energy now, at its most potent, whatever your own Element is.

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Water CF Element Five Elements Chinese Medicine

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1. Slow Down & Think Hibernation

The quickest way to connect with the Water Element at any time of the year, but particularly as we move into Water’s season of Winter, is to slow down! Many of us will have been super busy and outwardly sociable during the Summer, with lots of outdoor gatherings with family and friends. Winter is about stillness, coolness, darkness, hibernation – think about what nature is doing at the moment, everything is retracting inwards, seeds of potential are underneath the ground, barely a bud or leaf above soil, and animals are retreating to warm safe spaces. The Water Element will respond beautifully to increased rest in warm safe spaces! Up your commitment to quiet self-care, scale back your social commitments, and keep the Kidneys warm – no crop tops or showing your midriff! Just remember, the energy you conserve during the Winter, becomes the pot of Qi you have for the following Summer – it’s well worth topping yourself up now!

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2. Activate the Water Element Taste

Each of the Five Elements has a “taste” associated with it. Fire is bitter, Earth is sweet, Metal is pungent, Wood is sour, and Water is salty. Salt is a hot topic in health circles, and many people avoid salt at all costs. Processed table salt is not advisable, especially if you have high blood pressure, but in Chinese Medicine, we know that the Water Element and its associated organ, the Kidneys, actually NEED some salt to be supported and function correctly. Add a touch more sea salt or pink himalayan salt to your Winter cooking, or opt for something naturally salty like miso – it is warm, sweet and salty in terms of Chinese Food Energetics. It goes straight to the Water Element organ of the Kidneys, helping to activate their function of fluid control within the body.

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3. Warm the Qi with Food Energetics

As seen above, we can affect the balance in our bodies with that we eat. During Winter we need to reduce raw and cold food intake, cutting down on salads and turning to physically warm dishes like soups, stews and risottos. Apart from being warming, they also have a very “watery” aspect to them, which automatically connects in to the Water Element. Adding energetically hot spices like garlic, cayenne, chilli, ginger, or cinnamon is important in Winter as the temperatures drop down. But note, if you have a tendency to run towards being a hot person, go easy with those very heating spices, even in Winter – nourishing your Yin with rest, and gently warming with thyme, sage or rosemary should be a good balance for you.

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4. Reign in the Fear & Ramp up the Reassurance

The emotion associated with the Water Element is Fear (or conversely, complete lack of it!). This element is all about risk assessing and then reassuring. In Winter, my fear tends to crank up a few notches, as the weather gets worse with snow and ice in the UK – it is riskier to travel, there is more disruption, more uncertainty, and my Water Element has a bit of a wobble! It might not be about the weather, but notice if fear is creeping in and holding you back, this exercise may help you reign in the fear. Write down the issue you are fearful about. Then divide the page in two, with a line down the centre. On the left, write down everything you can think of that is the “worst case scenario”, what you are afraid will happen, what could go wrong, what is stopping you. Once you have really connected into the fear of that column, and exhausted all the potential options (remember, the Water Element WILL find ALL the possible risks, so to harness the positive side of this power, you need to do the same!), turn to the right hand column. You may find it helpful to switch seats or go into a different room for the right hand column – be in a different energetic space!

For each of the risks or fears you wrote down on the left, write down ONE thing that you COULD do, if indeed the worst thing were to happen. For example, it could be the idea of moving to another city is too scary for you, despite your heart knowing it is what you want to do. So in the left column you might write, “I could move away and then not have enough money to support myself”; then in the right column, one thing you COULD do if that were to happen would be “I could find a flatmate”, or “I could move back home with my folks”, or “I could be creative with coming up with new revenue streams”… whatever feels congruent and true to you – this is not a BS exercise, else your Water Element will not feel reassured enough. It must feel as true as possible.

You should find that by connecting to the Water Elements resourcefulness in coming up with contingency plans, you can prove to yourself (and your Water) that even if the worst thing happened, you WILL be ok. Give it a try, it can be really liberating to write it all down and visually see if the bad thing happened, it really wouldn’t be such a big deal – and this is coming from a Water CF girl, who does the risk assessing thing constantly!!

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5. Have Acupuncture!

And of course, having acupuncture will immediately connect us into the Water Element ready for Winter! There are specific points we call “horary points”, which have particular potency during their specific season. Don’t forget each of us has ALL of the Five Elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal & Water – within us, we just tend to have ONE of the Elements that we resonate most with, or is like our default setting… (read more in my FREE ebook to see what Element you might be!)… So although this post is particularly relevant to those Water CFs (constitutional factors or constitutional Elements) amongst us, we can ALL benefit from connecting in with the Water Element in Winter.

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2013

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What Does Your Stress Look Like?

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Next week sees the arrival of the UK’s annual Stress Awareness Day, that happens on the first Wednesday of November every year. This year’s theme and focus is on stress being a balancing act. And acupuncture is ALL about BALANCE.

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The balancing and harmonising affect of acupuncture, that uses ultra fine needles as thin as a human hair, makes it well placed to deal with stress. In scientific terms, acupuncture has been shown to stimulate release of endorphins (the happy hormones) and oxytocin (the calm and contented hormone often associated with nursing mothers) – leading to reduction of stress levels.

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As a member of the British Acupuncture Council, and a traditional acupuncturist, I use acupuncture to address the root cause reason as to why a physical or emotional issue is present or persisting. The Five Element style believes that most often the root cause reason is in our default Element.

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what is my element ebook on ipad thumbnail mergedIn Chinese Medicine, there are Five Elements – Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. We do have all of the Five Elements within us, but one Element is the dominant one, like our default setting, the one that shows itself the most in everything we do.

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I might have five people all coming for acupuncture because they are stressed out, but each of them might experience stress very differently, depending upon which Element is dominant for them. One might be overworked, overwhelmed, anxious and tearful, another might have tight shoulders and feel irritable or frustrated. Understanding the kinds of habits, behaviours, blocks and emotions that you experience in daily life, is the first step to managing your stress levels.

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The free ebook is intended to be a gentle introduction into the Five Elements, to give you an idea of what each Element is like, and to see if you can identify yourself in one of them. Download it by filling out the form below, I’d love to know what you think!

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2014

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What Does Going Off Coffee Have to Do With the Heart?

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A patient recently emailed me, surprised that she had gone off her beloved coffee. Having previously drunk a lot of the black stuff on a regular basis, she found she just didn’t feel like she wanted it any more. She was intrigued and wanted answers.

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From my integrated Five Element Acupuncturist perspective, it wasn’t a surprise. Each of the Five Elements – Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood – have an associated taste, as well as many other resonances, read more in my new ebook. Coffee is bitter, and bitter is linked to the Fire Element. The main Fire organ is the Heart, and in Chinese Medicine and Chinese Food Energetics, the bitter taste is said to go straight to the Heart and affect the energetics, feelings and functionings of the organ.

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Coffee Heart Five Elements Chinese Medicine

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This is why I avoid coffee, I LOVE the smell, but its affects on me and my heart are super strong. I get shaky, light headed and feel sick, like my blood pressure has dropped. I feel my heart beating like mad, skipping around with palpitations.

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For others, and maybe for you, it is different and the Heart is given some support from coffee – some boosting, a little kick in the morning of familiar warmth, of feel-good happy contented energy. But for some, a craving or too much dependence on coffee can indicate (or even create in the long term!) an imbalance in the Fire Element and it’s energy.

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The more we return to balance in the Fire Element and the heart, the less we NEED coffee. And this is what had happened to my gorgeous patient. Through work on herself, with the support of coaching and acupuncture, she had become more in touch with her Heart. She connected with her Heart, acknowledged it and really FELT into it. She was fully enjoying this Heart space she hadn’t realised she had been missing.

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So what does that have to do with coffee? The support from acupuncture and coaching had created a mindful, ACTIVE connection to the Heart space. This connected to the energy of the Heart, the nurture of the Qi (or life force) there, focusing attention there, shifting the energy there, creating a boost, a stimulation, a kick start of the Heart and the Fire Element. It therefore no longer needs to rely on the coffee and it’s bitter taste for that Heart boost or stimulation. As a result, the craving goes down, the body, mind and spirit no longer require it; it’s a sign that something internally has changed.

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Have you noticed something has changed for you recently? Have you gone off a certain food, or found yourself suddenly reaching for something that isn’t normally on your menu? It could be an indication of an internal shift, one of your Five Elements is in a changing state of balance – towards imbalance, or toward a better state of balance. Share your thoughts in the comments below and my acupuncturists brain may be able to shed some light on it for you!

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2014

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Note: original coffee cup photo from Tumblr

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Free Five Element Ebook CF

What I Learnt From My Professional Photo Shoot

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This post was written back in February, for the (very) soft launch of this new site in March. The crazy amazingness of Acupuncture Awareness Week 2014 then took over and the blog took a back seat… Read on to see what I learnt about perspective in the process of my re-branding and relaunch…

Welcome to this new space of mine, I’m so glad you’re here!

R x

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Rhiannon Griffiths Acupuncture paul wilkinson shoot proofs montage

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My intention for this new website was to show the world more of me, more of my true self. Whilst the old site was great, it was functional, clean and promoted me as a respectable white-coated acupuncturist, it had little of my true essence.

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It didn’t give you an idea of the kind of energy you would feel in my treatment room, nor the kind of deep, transformative support I foster in my patient-practitioner relationships, or actually who I am, and what choosing me as your acupuncturist or coach will bring in to your life.

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Then, after many months of procrastinating, putting it off, coming up with excuses as to why “now was not the right time” because of how I looked, or how I felt, or it wasn’t the right season for the photos I wanted, I actually booked a session with local photographer extraordinaire, Paul Wilkinson to portray me, my magic, my energy, my intention, on film.

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It was quite an experience. For someone who is not entirely comfortable in the spotlight, someone who can be hideously self-critical and doesn’t relish being centre of attention, having a solo photo shoot where all eyes are on you and you have literally no where to hide, is, well, very illuminating – on many levels.

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Paul is some kind of wizard with an incredible skill of calming nerves and allowing you to relax into the unfamiliar process. This means he captures the genuine spirit of his clients, minus all the BS, the insecurities, filters, preconceptions, and crappy stories we tell ourselves about ourselves – his shots are absolutely pure and true and magical.

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On getting the proofs back, I literally could not believe the photos were actually of me… and yet, I could also clearly see my true authentic self staring back at me. And it was THIS energy that I had wanted for my new site, for the world to see, to be able to connect with the real me.

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I learnt a lot about perspective. Your perspective of anything can change in an instant if you look at something through a different focus, a different lens. And in this instance, it was incredibly LITERAL – I had the lens of a camera focused on me for hours and it FORCED me to view myself from a different perspective.

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Having someone as skilled as Paul looking at you through a photographic lens SHIFTS the energy immediately. The detail he sees, the way in which he constructs the photos, the beauty he recognises, articulates and encapsulates, it cannot help but change your perspective, whatever you are looking at.

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camera lens perspective

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It is akin to the way your man looks at you, holding you in his gaze as though you are entirely magical, and wholly beautiful. Looking at yourself through his eyes is enlightening, helpful and reassuring. It opens up a new level of truth, coming from a place of love, goodness, compassion and connection. It utterly negates the self-doubt, the overly critical voice, and the fear of truly being seen. Seeing yourself through his eyes allows you to be out in the world as your deepest authentic self, and allows you to connect to this space in the purest way. His gorgeous eyes are a different lens, an alternative perspective, a different pair of glasses to look through.

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Similarly, seeing myself through the eyes of the camera opened up a whole other way of looking at me. It was an empowering, positive and transformative experience. Something inside me shifted, put me into a different space, and I am truly thankful for the universe guiding me towards working with Paul.

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Perspective is a powerful tool by which we can shift stuck energy in relation to ANY circumstance, not just how we feel about ourselves or view ourselves. I use it in my coaching sessions (and sometimes even in my acupuncture clinic) so that my clients can come to a better place of BALANCE.

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Often the “glasses” we have been wearing for many years are cloudy, scratched and do not reveal the sparkling, crystal clear truth of matters. We can become stuck in one way of viewing the world and believe it to be the only way. We re-tell the same stories about ourselves, repeat the same patterns, inevitably getting the same results.

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Sometimes the other perspective is something we could NEVER have imagined, or seen on our own, we need something or someone else entirely to help us to “see” differently. For me, it was a photographer, for you it might be a coach – tell me in the comments below how you have changed your perspective, I would LOVE to hear.

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2014

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Free Five Element Ebook CF

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2013

Visit the website

Now on Instagram

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Visit the YouTube Channel

Check out my Pinterest

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– See more at: http://www.rhiannongriffiths.com/blog/#sthash.xZAxaN7W.dpuf

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2013

Visit the website

Now on Instagram

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Visit the YouTube Channel

Check out my Pinterest

.

– See more at: http://www.rhiannongriffiths.com/blog/#sthash.xZAxaN7W.dpuf

.

© Rhiannon Griffiths 2013

Visit the website

Now on Instagram

Like on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

Visit the YouTube Channel

Check out my Pinterest

.

– See more at: http://www.rhiannongriffiths.com/blog/#sthash.xZAxaN7W.dpuf

Beauty In Transformation

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Today I was visited by this little fellow – the third tortoiseshell butterfly to grace this space in the last month. I originally wrote this post when the first little chap unexpectedly arrived, the second one arrived to nudge me in to writing it up, and now the third is REALLY shouting their message of transformation at me! He even settled on to my laptop!

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The first one was a gorgeous surprise, not only because it was fully autumn, and now pretty much Winter, here in the UK, but also because he appeared indoors, in my bedroom. It was as though he appeared by magic, in all his grace, ease & beauty.

Yet I was struck that it was very likely that the part I didn’t see, the part before the unveiling of the amazing, intricate wings, was anything but easy, graceful or beautiful. The caterpillar creating the chrysalis, the feeling of something ending, letting go, trusting the process, the dying off of the old, to allow the transformation into the new.

Timing is everything & not only did my first graceful visitor come during a time when I was working behind the scenes on my new website & it felt like pulling teeth, whilst I was pulling my hair out, but he also came to remind me that Autumn is the season of the Metal Element, which has letting go, dying off to make way for the new, connecting with beauty & grace in transformation, at its very heart.

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Any big change, any big growing, any step along the road to transformation can be challenging, it can feel uncomfortable, it can feel hard. It’s when we are nearest to the biggest & best changes, those which are going to have the biggest impacts on our lives, the bit beforehand feels like the hardest part. Sometimes, like  the hardest part we have ever endured.

From the perspective of the butterfly I gained space, room to breathe. He awakened in me a knowledge that even the hardest struggle is worth it. It is worth it for the breathtaking transformation & beauty that comes after it. Transformation isn’t always easy, but my goodness it is magnificent.

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So, for me, I need to let go & trust that the launch of my new website & everything after it will bring beauty, ease & grace, even though I’m struggling to trust it right now & things feel overwhelming. The autumn needs to come & the leaves need to fall off the trees in order for the new buds & blossom to appear in the Spring.

What do you need to think like the butterfly about? Are you going through a website or branding transformation? Are you considering retraining or looking for a new job? Is there something in your life that has a lack of ease at the moment? Are you growing & need some support in your chrysalis time? Could you benefit from acupuncture or coaching as you go through your transformation? Let me know in the comments below!

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© Rhiannon Griffiths 2013

Visit the website

Now on Instagram

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