By Julie Afsahi
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the practice of compassionately bringing our awareness to the present moment. This beautiful practice helps us to find more meaning in our lives. There are tons of studies supporting the health benefits of mindfulness, including neurological, emotional, and hormonal improvements.
“ If we choose to drink a cup of tea in mindfulness, the pleasure of drinking tea will more than double because we are truly there and the tea is also truly there.” ~ Thich Nhat Hahn
What are the benefits of mindfulness?
The amazing thing about developing a mindfulness practice is that your regular old surroundings begin to seem wildly deep. A person with a regular mindfulness practice might begin to view everything as a miracle. You definitely don’t have to be weird about it though 🤣, like when Phoebe dated Parker on Friends, and he thought it was an amazing thing to be alive because of the plate bouncy thing in the buffet line.
Back to hot tea meditation! A tea meditation can take as little as one minute. Below I’ve included an outline for how to create a longer tea meditation practice, but if all you have is one minute, you can simply connect to the smell of the tea before drinking it. Or simply notice the journey of a few breaths as you’re waiting for your tea to steep.
Mindfulness Hot Tea Meditation Guide
Consider these wonderful points of focus during your hot tea meditation:
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Awareness of your seat
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Awareness of how the cup feels in your hands
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Moment of gratitude for the tea, for those who cultivate the tea, the farmers, the environment, the water, the animals, all the living beings that worked together to bring this tea to life
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Awareness of what you smell
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Awareness of how it feels in your mouth
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Awareness of how it journeys down into your body
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Awareness of what you see
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Gratitude for water, the reason for life
When we begin to see the complexity of a simple cup of tea, how we move through the day begins to transform. This type of shift in our understanding can also help us to see the mundane elements of life as opportunities to connect with the many gifts that the present moment holds for us.