Life is busy and sometimes just finding a few moments to stop and be still to meditate can be difficult. But combine it with a cuppa and tranquillity beckons. Here’s how to take a tea meditation…
Life is busy and sometimes just finding a few moments to stop and be still to meditate can be difficult. But combine it with a cuppa and tranquillity beckons. Here’s how to take a tea meditation…
1. From the very moment you create space for a tea meditation, become mindful of each step: the choosing of tea, the pouring of water, the sensations that take you from the outer world to the inner realm, and into a space of clarity and balance.
2. Give your full attention to the preparation and, when the tea is ready, settle into your place of quiet meditation.
3. Sit with your cup of tea. Be fully present. Breathe. Notice the tea’s colour, the rising steam, any bubbles that surface.
4. Focus on the moment with a calm and open heart. Feel gratitude for this cup of tea, for its healing and insights. Sit quietly.
5. Drink your tea slowly, mindfully. Take small sips. Breathe consciously, but without effort, and feel deeply relaxed in this moment. Sigh, if needed. Let the weight of any worries or world-weariness fall away.
6. Observe whatever thoughts, emotions, feelings and sensations surface as you sip your tea. Acknowledge these without absorbing them or hanging on to them, and without judgement, bringing your focus back to the tea.
7. Pay attention to the experience of being present where there is stillness, deep calm and a nurturing sense of feeling embraced in this moment.
8. Allow the tea meditation to come to a natural end. After taking the last sip, slowly put the cup down, and just sit quietly for a few more moments.
9. The meditation is as long as it takes to finish your tea. No rush! If you feel the need for a longer session of meditation (and more tea), make a fresh brew and pour another cup.
Once you have finished, it’s a good idea to make notes in a journal of any insights, visions, ideas, feelings and thoughts that came through for you during the tea meditation or that manifest in the magical post-tea meditation moments.
This article was originally published in Issue 3, Breathe Magazine – Restore Serenity.
