Hello and welcome to the mindful tea practice.
Everyday rituals like the brewing and drinking of tea are sustaining.
They provide moments of joy and solace throughout our day.
Like any regular acts we undertake,
They carry whatever meaning we bestow upon them.
They can be as mindless or as purposeful as we choose for them to be.
We can undertake them thoughtlessly or we can bring some intention to these acts and they become even more beneficial.
Tea is such a universal gift.
It is accessible,
Affordable,
Does not require elaborate equipment or a celebrating location to practice and it can be part of the rhythms of even the busiest of days.
So let's take a moment to assemble our tea,
Our teapot or infuser to boil the kettle and make sure we have a teaspoon and our favourite cup.
So press pause and start again once your kettle is boiled.
Get comfortable and settle into your body.
Take a few deep belly breaths and decide to be present for the duration of the tea practice.
Your mind will wander,
That's perfectly normal.
When you notice that it has,
Come back to what you were doing and try and give it your full attention.
Close your eyes and we will quickly scan our body.
This is to connect with our body but also to notice if there are any points that may be uncomfortable,
Tight or tense.
Don't try and change anything,
Just become aware.
Starting from your toes and moving up to the front and the bottom of your foot and scanning up your calf,
Your shin,
Your knee,
The front of your thigh and the back of your thigh,
Your sit bones and hips and pelvis.
Just becoming aware of your body and noticing any points that feel uncomfortable or tense or tight.
Your stomach and your chest,
Scanning up through your lower back and your upper back,
Your shoulders and chest,
Your arms,
Forearms,
The palm of your hand,
The underside of your hand,
The top of your hand and each individual finger.
And up through your neck,
Up the back of your head and the top of your scalp and down your face,
Aware of all the muscles around your face,
Your mouth,
Your chin,
Your whole body.
Now take a few deep breaths and follow the breath from where it starts in your abdomen or stomach,
Follow the breath right up your chest,
Right up into your nose and then follow the exhalation all the way out again.
Slowly open your eyes and bring your attention to your tea.
Smell the aroma of the dry tea leaves or the herbal tea.
What notes can you pick up?
As you inhale the aroma,
Can you smell earthy notes,
Floral,
Fruity,
Spicy,
Smoky?
Slowly add spoonfuls of tea to your pot.
Throughout the practice,
We're aiming to bring intention to every action,
Moving calmly,
Peacefully,
Intentionally.
Fill the teapot with boiling water.
Close the lid of the teapot and allow steam distillation to do its magic.
And then as your tea brews,
Take a moment of gratitude to consider the tea leaves,
Tea's journey to you.
It took years for these tea leaves to be created.
Someone planted a tea bush that was nourished by the sun and the rain of many seasons.
The tea was picked,
Sorted,
Processed and packaged.
Stop to consider all the different people that were part of the process of this tea being available to you in this moment.
As you foster that sense of gratitude,
Perhaps take a moment to consider what else you are currently grateful for.
Allow the warmth of that gratitude to permeate throughout your body.
Don't forget to extend that gratitude to yourself as well.
Appreciate the fact that you have taken a moment out for this practice of self-care,
This practice of connecting with your body.
When the time comes and your tea is brewed,
Pour your tea slowly and even reverently.
Engaging all five senses.
When you find that your mind wanders,
Bring your attention back to the tea,
Back to your senses.
What can you see?
And hear?
And feel?
And taste?
And smell?
Sip peacefully.
As you sip your tea,
Be mindful of the warmth that it brings.
Where do you feel that warmth?
In your hands,
As you hold your cup.
Perhaps the steam rises up and curls around your face.
Do you feel the warmth on your lips and your tongue as you sip your tea?
Perhaps you even feel that warmth in your throat.
And spreading down through your chest.
Allow that warmth to calm you.
Imagine the warmth of your tea spreading throughout your body,
Particularly to those points of tension you picked up on during the body scan.
Choose to view this moment of self-connection as sacred.
Take a moment to check in with yourself.
Am I taking full,
Deep breaths today?
Am I living and loving aligned to my values today?
Is there anything my body is telling me?
Is there a message of love I want to internally share with myself today?
Now spend a few silent moments with your tea,
Sipping slowly,
Peacefully and reverently.
Congratulations on taking a moment out to care for yourself.
