Tea InfusiastA few weeks ago, I was lucky to enjoy my first visit to a Buddhist monastery. I spent a weekend at Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate New York. The monastery is part of the Plum Village Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
I’m sharing tips to take more tea walks!
Teatime and nature walks are two occasions when I reliably slow down.
I tend to breathe more deeply and slowly, and connect with the present moment.
I’ve found arranging to have tea in nature (tea + nature walk) especially calming and delightful.
This post shares a short tea-bubble meditation. You can do it in as few as five minutes.
It uses the bubbles from pouring certain teas–NOT bubble tea–as the focal point of the meditation.
Does a particular tea that you drink tend to make more bubbles when poured? If so, that’s a great tea to choose.
Examples could include chai, Darjeeling, etc.
Té in the West Village of NYC, is one of my favorite tearooms. So, when an East Village Location of Té Company opened, I couldn’t wait to try the new tearoom.
I’ve been to the East Village location of Té twice now. Once, before hours, for a tea tasting–a wonderful experience. The second time, I met my daughter-in-law for tea there. Also a wonderful experience. I like to visit a place more than once–if I possibly can–before I review it.
Great news: This location, as far as I can tell, has the same excellent selection of Taiwanese teas as the original Té. (See my review of the original, West Village location here.)
Make it easy to have restorative and mindful tea sessions this spring: purchase your Spring Rest Kit for Tea Lovers!
Imagine carving out time to enjoy a peaceful, mindful tea session. You spend a few moments using a practice to ground yourself. Then, you mindfully drink your tea and take time to journal. Maybe there is even music playing. At the end, you notice that you feel more at ease and peaceful.
I designed this Spring Rest Kit for Tea Lovers to help you have experiences like this!
Ever wonder what people mean when they refer to “mindful tea” or a “mindful tea session?” This post shares one vision of what that could look like.
You carve out 10 minutes. Or 20 minutes. Or 30.
Imagine sitting down in front of your tea things with resources to help you have a convenient, restful, and mindful tea session. Or, you just have your cup of tea.
Maybe the sun is streaming through a nearby window. Maybe the rain is sliding down it.
Perhaps you’ve arranged your tea space with intention. A smooth rock from a beach vacation is next to your teacup. Blooming flowers are nearby, as is your journal.
This post is my ode to Roam–a loosely compressed Dian Hong black tea blend sold by Crimson Lotus Tea. (This post is NOT sponsored.)
Some teas are beautiful (to me) in ways that are easy to explain–heady floral bouquet, deep minerality, silky texture, notes of cream, chocolate, or berries, and so on. By contrast, other teas win my heart and it’s much harder to explain why. Roam is one of those teas!
Tea, flowers, and happiness (I mean sunshine!) can help me slide more easily into presence. Please allow me to explain.
In my regular meditation practice, I meditate in all kinds of spaces–my living room, a doctor’s office, in a meditation center, and in my car. The list goes on.
One of my favorite places to meditate when I am not practicing with others is at my kitchen table in the morning with my tea things. Taking a few minutes to set up this space is a great enhancer of the experience.
Recently, I led a tea meditation on the campus where I teach. It was an honor. The Mindfulness Center organized the event and invited me to offer it in their serene space. I have experience offering tea meditations online and in person. In person is trickier in the sense that I often have to bring some of the tea things. So, for this event, I needed to think about what items campus had, what I must provide, and what I might also bring to enhance the experience.
