Today we live in such a face paced society, we are constantly immersed in devices and rushing from one place to the next. Many of us have lost the ability to feel grounded and remember how to be truly present in the moment. Mindful tea drinking can help.
Mindfulness is a state of being, achieved by focusing your attention and awareness on the present moment, while you calmly connect to your breath, and acknowledge and accept your feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations felt throughout your body.
Mindful tea drinking is a lovely way to bring mindfulness into your daily life. It is a great gorgeous and practical way to remind yourself to be conscious in the now, not worrying about the past or feeling anxious about the future. Drinking organic tea and herbal tisanes with mindfulness will help you to feel more calm and relaxed, and will allow you to reconnect with yourself, your body, and those around you.
Paying close attention to, and appreciating the finer details of preparing and brewing organic loose leaf tea, will also allow you to enjoy a more enriched drinking experience that will engage all of the senses. Making loose leaf tea may take a few minutes more than when using tea bags, that extra time and attention it requires allows you to slow down and reconnect. Tea bags are made for busy people!!! There is something unsatisfying about unconsciously throwing a teabag in a cup then going on with your busy day. When you take the time to brew and drink your tea with mindfulness you are engaging in a time honoured art. Tea making has a long and fascinating past full of ancient legends and rituals, which makes this much loved drink a special part of many countries past and traditions.
Create your own tea time ritual as a gesture of self care, which will help carry feelings of inner peace and wellbeing into your day to day life.
“In my own hands I hold a bowl of tea; I see all of nature represented in its green color. Closing my eyes, I find green mountains and pure water within my own heart. Silently sitting alone and drinking tea, I feel these become a part of me.” - Sen Soshitsu, Urasenke Tea Master XIV, Urasenke School of Japanese Tea Ceremony
The art of mindful tea drinking:
Set aside a time each day to practice mindful tea drinking. It might be in the morning to energize yourself for the day ahead, or to de-stress and ground yourself at work, or to calm your mind and body ready for bed.
Your mindful tea ritual:
Place a spoonful of whole loose leaf Bodhi Organic tea in your favourite teapot.
Smell the aroma of the dried leaves as the settle in your teapot.
Listen to the sound of the water being poured over the leaves.
Observe the beauty of the leaves swelling and expanding.
Think about the leaves being handpicked from organic tea farms around the world.
Watch the water change colour and the steam rise from the pot.
Listen to the sound of your tea being poured into your favourite cup.
Find a quiet comfortable place to sit, take a deep breath in and exhale, expelling any feelings of stress and tension in the body.
Feel the smoothness of your cup in your hands and on your lips as you take your first sip.
With each mouthful feel the warmth of your tea move from your mouth to your stomach, then disperse through your body.
Savour each mouthful, appreciating its rich flavour and aroma.
Bring your focus to your body and how this tea makes your feel. Calm and relaxed, or energized and alert.
Pay attention to what feelings this tea evokes in you.