Welcome to this brief meditation which is part of a series of using daily routines as part of your mindfulness regime.
It's one thing to set aside time on a daily basis to practice mindfulness in silence,
But it's another thing to allow mindful practice to infuse your day.
So this mindfulness meditation revolves around making tea.
And if you're a coffee drinker then feel free to substitute coffee for tea.
So I'm going to assume that your preferences have already been decided,
That you know if you're going to be using milk,
Soy milk,
Another kind of grain milk,
Maybe no milk.
You know if you're going to be using sugar or stevia or honey or another sweetener or no sweetener.
And we're going to begin this as a visualisation which you can then repeat while you're actually making tea or coffee.
But once you have done the visualisation I'm quite sure that you will be able to run it through in your head as you make coffee or tea without needing the recording.
So let's begin either sitting or standing upright and taking one or two deep centering breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
And then what we're going to do is visualise the area where you would make tea.
Visualise the cup that you've chosen or the mug.
Visualise your kettle.
Visualise the tea that you're going to use.
Imagine taking the cup in your hands.
How does it feel?
How heavy is it?
Is it thick or thin?
Does it feel solid or fragile?
Imagine placing the cup gently on the surface in your kitchen.
Next visualise your kettle.
See the colour in your head.
Is it already full?
Do you need to run it under the tap to fill it?
How does the weight change as you're doing that?
Imagine placing the kettle on the work surface or on the stove and turning it on.
How do you usually use this time waiting for a kettle to boil?
Today we're going to simply be present.
You're going to select the tea that you're going to use.
Are you using tea bags or are you using loose leaf tea?
Either way you can hold the tea in your hand,
Feel the texture of either the tea bag or the loose leaf tea and whatever strainer or stirrer you're going to use.
Imagine the smell of the tea.
What is its fragrance?
Where does that smell take you?
And now visualise putting the tea either into the teapot that you're going to use or into the cup or into the strainer and setting your hands down on the counter next to your cup.
Perhaps you can hear the water beginning to boil in the kettle.
Perhaps reaching out a hand and holding the handle of the kettle you can feel the vibrations as the water begins to boil.
When the water's reached the right temperature you're going to pick up the kettle and pour it gently into the cup or the teapot.
Imagine the sight of the water pouring in.
Imagine it meeting the tea,
The change in colour,
The swirling motion and the change in fragrance as the smell of the tea reaches your nostrils.
You may want to add milk or a sweetener.
And then imagine bringing your hands together around the mug or cup of tea that you've just made.
Feel the warmth coursing through your hands and raise the cup to your face so that you can really smell the drink that you have made.
Imagine it just cool enough for you to take that first sip.
Imagine your appreciation and your enjoyment.
Perhaps say a few silent words of gratitude for this few minutes of peace and calm and mindful attention to making yourself a cup of tea.
Enjoy your drink.
You
