Tea InfusiastMy monthly newsletter, Tea Infusiast News, is now subscriber only.
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In the October 2024 edition:
I have been thinking over my surprise teas of 2024: the teas that made a big impression on me that weren’t already on my favorites list. The first teas that came to mind were all flavored teas. Historically, I tend to drink a lot more unflavored teas. So, this was quite a surprise!
My surprise standout teas of 2024 so far include:
I’m sharing some ideas to invite stillness into your life. These tips are for anyone who finds it challenging to meditate or “be still.” Maybe that’s you most of the time. Maybe only sometimes.
Difficulty with being still in meditation is something I have had to tackle in my own practice. My body and mind have often (and continue to, at times) struggle to remain still. For me, part of this challenge is nervous energy and part is physical stiffness.
Two ways of thinking about the challenge really helped me. First, reframe the issue of stillness. Recognize that stillness can be “absolute” or relative.
Secondly, conceptually and physically separating forms of stillness can also be helpful. You can be (relatively) still in body and/or mind. Either and both can be healthy and are worth cultivating.
Here are some ways to invite stillness into your life.
This post explains how I understand a gratitude practice and why I am offering a meditation and gratitude series that begins on September 13, 2024.
I avoided starting a gratitude practice for years. I mistakenly believed that consciously embracing gratitude involved denying or downplaying the hard and painful parts of life. In fact, I have heard people talk about gratitude that way. Some have suggested that it trumps or should dissolve most pain and hardship.
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Hi, Tea Friend! Hope you have been steeping up and sipping down lots of good tea lately. This post shares a confession about tea steeping temperature.
BesTea is a “tea bar” with loose-leaf teas and really fun decor in Babylon, New York (on Long Island) that is connected to a boutique, Hitch, that carries goods to support “local makers and artisans.” This post shares what I saw, sipped, and learned during my visit to BesTea (and Hitch).
A visit to Gryphon–a beautiful café with afternoon tea in Savannah, Georgia–brought brunch, tea and a surprise discovery about our family’s ancestry!
On a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, I was determined to finally visit Gryphon–a café that also serves tea and scones. On previous trips to the city we weren’t able to visit.
The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) runs Gryphon, which is situated in an historic building. It’s on Bull Street right along Madison Square, one of the lovely historic squares in the Savannah.
We were hoping for a nice brunch, tea, and scones. We received those things AND a big surprise at Gryphon!
Friday Morning Meditation and Gratitude Practice Series, September 2024
Interested in exploring what a conscious gratitude practice and gratitude-focused meditations could do for you? Or, maybe you already have a gratitude practice and would like to deepen it with meditation and the encouragement of community. Either way, you are warmly invited to sign up for my September guided meditation series focusing on gratitude!
In honor of the second birthday of a tiny clay turtle generously gifted to me, I am sharing a few lessons from my tea pet.
Bonsai is my tiny turtle tea pet. She’s slightly smaller than a quarter. If you aren’t familiar with tea pets–which are used by some people who drink tea in a style where they pour out the first rinse of some teas–my previous post on tea pets could be helpful.
Michell Hovey made Bonsai (and other clay tea turtles). She is a tea lover brimming with kindness and affection for small things. Many of us first learned about the sweet clay tea pets she made through the Instagram tea community by following Herb the Traveling Tea Turtle. (Find out more about Michell and Herb in this earlier post.) You can also follow Herb on Instagram.