Tea as Meditation

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough 

or a book long enough to suit me."  -C.S. Lewis

I love tea.  I drink many cups of green tea and white tea daily; the practice itself has turned into a personalized form of meditation.  I'll outline the health benefits of drinking green tea in another post sometime soon.  Today, though, let's focus on the drinking of tea as a meditative activity.  Drinking tea in the way I outline will improve your overall mindfulness and also your enjoyment of the tea itself.  Here's a basic framework; adapt it to your own liking and enjoy.
  

(tea plantation in India)

Pick and choose

Personally I love Adagio loose-leaf teas.  Have fun picking out what you think you might enjoy.  The healthiest teas are green, white and most herbal teas.  All teas have similar benefits, but green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea. 

Brew

Green tea is not meant to be brewed at the same temperature as black tea, white tea as green tea, etc. I used to find green tea bitter and gross, then I started brewing it correctly.  Now I can't get enough.  There is a great site for basic info here.  Water temperature and steeping time are the key factors.

  

 
Drink

Here's where the real meditative quality comes in.  A few days ago, I posted a guide to a basic meditation.   The primary anchor of any meditation style is breathing.  Focus on your breath, and your mind will calm itself.  As you drink your tea, focus on the sips as you would focus on your breath while meditating.  Don't forget to breathe, obviously, but allow your mind to focus on mindful sipping.  Try and absorb all the taste and aroma as you drink, leaving no drop unsavored.  

The great thing about tea is it's hot.  By that, I mean it requires you to pace yourself.  You can't just chug it down mindlessly like water or soda.  Treat the cooling of your cup as a timing mechanism.  Drinking tea will help you self-regulate and not go too slow or too fast.  

Savor each sip.  Doing so will, just as meditation does, train your mind to be right here, right now.  In time, you'll grow to appreciate other seemingly trivial things you do, and simple activities will become more beautiful, valuable experiences.

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