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.
I began the Tea Meditation on campus by inviting participants to use the cloth napkins, tea bowls, and tea leaves to arrange their space as they liked. (I brought the cloth napkins and many of the tea bowls, among other things.)
Then, I guided folks to mindfully engage with the tea leaves and the steep. While our tea was hot, we segued into a tea meditation. A gatha from Thich Nhat Han served as the core of this part. I used the same gatha that I incorporated into my workshop at the Toronto Tea Festival. But, where I only used half of it in Toronto, I was able to use the entire gatha on campus. Then, we followed the meditation by mindfully drinking our tea in noble silence.
Afterwards, we discussed the experience and chatted. I enjoyed the entire experience and the companionship of everyone who attended. It was yet another reminder of how grateful I am for the connections we can make with and through tea.