Tea Meditation
Five Simple Steps To Cultivating a Deeper Presence With Tea
- Create natural beauty around you
In beginning this meditation, take time to set up for this practice. Take a few moments to walk outside of your home, in a garden or around your neighborhood. While you walk,notice the nature around you. Find a flower or tree branch that catches your eye. Harvest a small part of it’s beauty by carefully breaking off a piece of it.
With this piece of nature in hand, return home, carefully select a vessel, fill it with water, and place the branch or flower inside. Set this beautiful ornament of nature on your table where you plan to enjoy your tea meditation. Take a few moments to notice how it’s beauty, shape, and color stand out within your home.
- Observe the steeping process with care
Select the Grateatude tea that you wish to use for this meditation. Heat the water according to the required temperature on the label of our teas. Check in with yourself first. Ask yourself kindly, ‘what experience am I seeking?’ Perhaps, you will find that you're seeking the relaxation of Chamomile. Or, perhaps you desire the empowerment of black tea blend. Whichever you decide, will promote wellbeing and encouragement.
Once the water has boiled, set the tea pot with your tea on the table. Pour the boiling water over the tea, and return the kettle. Next, sit down comfortably in front of the steeping tea leaves. Begin to see the steam coming off of the leaves. Notice how the leaves might darken in color or unfurl. Observe the steeping process with a sense of joy and ease for the process of awaiting your tea.
- Turn your awareness to the gift of tea
Once the tea has fully steeped, pour your tea into your cup. Take time to follow this meditation before drinking your first cup of tea:
Start by closing your eyes. Bring your awareness to your mind and breath. Take three deep breaths slowly. Allow your mind to visualize the tea leaves. See their color and shape in your mind’s eye. Let yourself imagine the beautiful process of growth, cultivation, and harvest. Imagine what the tea fields look like. Imagine the great journey the tea leaves have taken to become a mature plant, and make their way inside of your cup! Settle into a feeling of gratitude for the present moment. Feel grateful for the gift of tea. Grateful for the beauty of nature. Grateful for your home. Grateful to yourself for making the time to sip tea with presence.
Take as long as you wish to meditate quietly. It can be as brief or long as you would like. When you are ready slowly open your eyes. Right away, look inside of your cup. Notice the warmth, color, texture, and shape of the tea water. Smell the aroma. Be present and grateful in your heart.
- Make space for presence with tea by eliminating distractions
Drinking Grateatude tea daily is giving yourself the gift of time and self-care. The process of selecting, steeping, and sipping your tea as an extension of the sitting meditation. Tea is meditation!
Let yourself find true presence without the distractions of daily life. Silence your phone. Turn off your devices. Put away your work. Simply sip your tea and enjoy the flower or tree branch for inspiration. Practicing presence during tea time can help you bring more focus, joy, happiness, and gratitude into your experiences.
- Share your happiness and generosity with others
Tea is the gift that keeps on giving. Share your tea practice, presence and meditation with a loved one or a friend. Give the gift of Grateatude tea to others. Tea becomes special when it is shared among people who enjoy each other's presence. By giving Grateatude tea to someone special you are sending a ripple of kindness into the world, which promotes goodness, purity, health and balance.
Share with us your experiences with Grateatude tea! We love to hear from our community, share wisdom, and collaborate. Say hello, info@grateatude.com , or follow us on social media for more musings and tea notes www.instagram.com/grateatudetea | www.grateatude.com #alwaysgrateaful