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.
Before Developing the Tips
For years, however, I didn’t make it convenient to go on “tea walks,” as I now call my nature walks that incorporate tea sessions. That means I went on fewer than I might have. What’s more, I entered those I went on a little more frazzled than necessary.
Tips for More Tea Walks
Now, I have a system down that helps me. I’ve learned how to take more tea walks. And, I’d love to share my system with you.
Habit expert James Clear tells us that there are four qualities that help a good habit to take hold. I apply these to facilitating tea walks.
Make It Obvious
That’s the “cue.” For me, I have tea at roughly set times of the day–a morning session and an early afternoon session.
My cues include good-enough weather and a work-from-home day without a meeting near tea time. Those are my cues to go on a tea walk.
Your cue could be something else. For example, it could even be a day of the week or month.
Make It Attractive
I asked for a beautiful teaware travel bag for my birthday one year and was lucky enough to receive it. Packing and carrying this bag brings me a lot of pleasure, in addition to protecting my teaware.
Make It Easy
This is the one that I previously struggled with the most. The teaware travel bag helped. But, I still wanted to bring other things that took time and energy to gather every time. So, I designated a fun, tea-themed tote bag as my other tea-walk bag. In it, I keep a small mat that I can sit on outdoors and a bamboo mat on which to put my tea things. These items stay in the tote when I’m not using them. That makes it so much easier than hunting each thing down and figuring out how to carry them every time. I can slip my thermos of hot water conveniently into that tote, too.
Make It Satisfying
I always pack a tea that I am eager to drink and teaware that’s a pleasure to use (but sturdy enough to travel well). Sometimes, one of my tea pets even joins me. Drinking a tea I love on a beach, by a river, or in a garden–in other words, surrounded by the beauty of nature–never fails to delight me. It’s always satisfying.
Do You Have Tips or Questions?
I’d love to know if you have any tips to take more tea walks. I’m also more than willing to answer any questions and brainstorm about any challenges you face to take more teatime outdoors. Please use the comment function if so.
4 replies on “Tips to Take More Tea Walks”
Thank you for the tips. I see myself slowly incorporating tea times into my day. Tea time on my deck can be a first step to tea time on a walk. Sound easy and hard at the same time.
My pleasure, Yomaira! I think starting with tea on the deck sounds wonderful! It definitely amps the convenience angle up a lot. Another thing folks could do to make tea walks even easier is to make tea at home, pour it into a thermos, and go. I have done that occasionally! I especially like this with thermos’ that have a ceramic interior.
I’m eager to be able to do more travelling with my tea. But, I too, have a worrying mind about how to discard tea leaves and wet tea ware. Have you found a way to work around it? Extra towel, disposable bag for leaves or throw tea leaves in organics recycling where possible? Love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Jenn! Thanks for reading the post and engaging. Lovely to “meet” other tea lovers in this space. I tend to pack a few folded paper towels AND wrap some of my tea pieces in cloth napkins. I either use some of my cloth napkins that are a little too worn to put on my table or I use regular ones. When I’ve finished my tea session, I empty out as much water/tea as I can, give the teaware a wipe with the paper towel, then wrap it back in the cloth napkins. RE tea leaves–Sadly, I can’t compost where I live. I do occasionally spread some tea leaves around my plants–but that can’t be done regularly. I have had good luck either appropriately throwing out my tea leaves wherever I’ve travelled. Or, I have a tea traveling case that allows me to put my teapot in upright. When I want to bring the leaves somewhere else or can’t dispose of them where I am, I pour off as much residual tea as I can, wrap the teapot in the cloth napkin, and put it upright in the tea traveling case. You could easily change that to bringing a silicon reusable bag or other receptacle to put your wet leaves into for transportation.