Tea & Mindfulness

We can bring so much richness to our lives when we practice mindfulness, preparing and drinking a cup of tea mindfully is s an ideal time to ‘press pause’ and slow down during the day, awaken our senses & get back in touch with ourselves & our inner quiet as we enjoy our tea

Have you ever watched one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s talks? Halfway through a talk, Thich Nhat Hanh will pause and pour himself a cup of tea. As the audience watch, he raises the cup to his lips and enjoys a few unhurried sips. He often holds the cup with both hands as if to illustrate that his whole attention is on it.

Thich Nhat Hanh truly takes a break when he drinks his tea. He is not using the time to do anything aside from experiencing and enjoying the tea.

Drinking a cup of tea can be a form of mindfulness practice, a ritual, a sacred ceremony, a spiritual practice.

Keep any books, newspapers, or devices away from you. Keep them away for a while. You need at least ten undisturbed minutes to enjoy your tea.

Method for mindfully making and drinking tea

Reflect on how the tea arrived in your hands – A lot of energy went into providing you this lovely tea, The plant that produced the leaves was nourished by the four elements, earth air, water and fire (sun) Somebodies hands picked, sorted & packed the leaves. Somebody transported the packaged tea to the shop where someone else put the tea on a shelf enabling you to see & buy it. There were elements, individuals and businesses that all put in effort so that you may have this delicious, refreshing, comforting cuppa, offer thanks to everything and everyone who made this delicious cup of tea possible for you.

“The entire universe can be seen in a flower,” - Thich Nhat Hanh, Love Letter to the Earth.

Fill & boil the kettle. Notice the water as you fill the kettle, fresh water is a blessing, recognise it now as such. Notice how it runs, the pattern it makes, the sound it makes as it fills the kettle. Listen to the sound of the kettle boiling, just stop and listen, don’t rush to the next step. Notice the coolness of the water. Give thanks to the water & the fact that you have it at your fingertips.

Pour a little hot water into the teapot to warm it up, then, after a minute or so pour that water from the teapot into another vessel to use for watering plants once cooled. Again, notice the flow of the water.

Put one spoonful of tea into the pot. What shape are the leaves? What colour? What sound do they make as you scoop them from the caddy and put into the teapot?

All this noticing of what is, is at the heart of mindfulness.

Boil the kettle again, paying the same attention as to the first boil.

Pour boiling water into the teapot if using black, chai, rooibos or herbal tea, for green & white tea use water that is just beginning to boil- tiny bubbles forming at the bottom of the kettle.

Pour 1 – 1.5 cups of water over the tea leaves. As the water meets the tea leaves, notice the colours slowly swirl and deepen. Depending on the tea, you might be able to see the leaves unfurl as they start to infuse.

Use a spoon to stir tea in pot clockwise, stir seven times and one for luck or circle the teapot around to the right 3 times, Let the aroma of the tea fill the space of your mind

Wait three to five minutes for tea to brew in teapot.

If you take milk pour a little into your cup thanking the cow & all the helpers that enabled you to have this milk. how does it look in the cup?

Pour tea into the cup. If your teapot doesn’t have a built-in strainer you will need to use a separate strainer.

Pour the tea slowly, stop for a moment, pour again and stop, to ensure strength of tea. You might like to add more hot water if the tea looks too strong or let it steep a little longer if too weak- don’t be tempted to add more tea in order to make it stronger, this will only cause bitterness.

Drink mindfully, take a moment to really take the tea in as you look at it, smell it, feel the warmth of the cup in your hands. As you bring cup to mouth, maybe you can feel the warmth of steam on your face.

Sip slowly and savor. “Just this,” remind yourself with each sip. “Just this.” Take the first sip slowly, and enjoy it, don’t rush to take the second sip, let the first sip fully dissolve in your mouth first. Cherish every sip, Is it a familiar taste? Are there lingering aftertastes, floral maybe or spiced? Allow time between sips to settle yourself Observe it as it enters your body. Feel the tea inside you, as it moves from your mouth to your stomach.

When you finish your tea just sit and feel the effects that this mindful practice offers. Notice how centred and calm you are, notice the easy flow of your breath, visualise your day flowing with ease, every interaction you encounter being positive.