Hello,
I'm Sammy Sone,
And today I'm going to lead you through a mindful tea practice.
If you haven't got a cuppa yet,
Hit pause,
Go grab one,
And we'll get into it.
Wherever you decide to practice today,
It's most important that you are comfortable.
The tea can be in your hand,
At waist or belly height,
Or just in front of you within arms reach.
We will begin with a couple of deep inhales with a slight pause at the top,
And a full exhale all the way out.
Now at your own pace,
Bring your focus to where the heart is in your body,
And check in with yourself,
How am I feeling?
Now be aware of any sensations,
Thoughts,
Or feelings that may arise,
It's all completely normal,
There's no need to resist it.
Now bring your awareness to your arms,
And feel the sensation of weight within them,
Can you feel them resting on your lap?
Maybe cupped in front of you,
You can feel the sensations of contact between your body and your arms,
Maybe along your torso.
Just feel into this sensation.
Take a few breaths here.
Now whilst maintaining that awareness on the weight of your arms,
I want you to slowly reach for your cup as slow as possible,
And feel every sensation of that movement within your body.
Slowly pick the cup up,
And feel the sensations of that cup.
What's the texture feel like?
Can you feel the warmth?
What about the weight?
Notice these sensations,
See how deep you can explore them.
Perhaps the scent of the tea is now reaching your nose,
And you can smell some of the subtle flavors.
Take a few breaths,
Check in with yourself,
See how you're feeling,
See what you can feel,
What sensations are present right now.
Feel deeply into the sensations of the cup and the tea.
Feel the warmth spreading through your fingers,
Warming up your palms.
Slowly lift the tea up to your face and smell all the flavors present.
How intricate can you get with the flavors that you currently have in front of you?
Can you notice the taste buds starting to kick in and willing you to drink?
Maybe you can see a reflection in the surface of the tea,
Or the sediments dancing around the bottom of your cup.
Take a few deep breaths,
Inhaling the tea flavors.
Feeling all the motions and the sensations,
Slowly take a sip of your tea.
Feel the liquid hit your lips and flood your mouth.
How does that feel?
When you swallow,
Can you sense the liquid going down your throat and into your stomach and warming that area?
Be careful not to burn yourself,
And if a smile creeps up on your face,
That's great.
Enjoy that.
Remember to pause between sips,
Savor all the moments,
All the sensory explosions of this cup of tea.
Try slurping your next sip of tea and witness the difference in the flavors between a sip and a slurp.
What can you notice?
See what else you can explore with your senses in this tea.
Enjoy the rest of your tea.
