What rings a bell when you think about tea? Indeed, the idea of a hot cup of tea initiates the feeling of pleasure. Tea meditation is a mind relaxation practice which involves the customs of preparing tea to fix your mind to the present minute.
It’s not shocking that drinking a cup of tea has turned into a fundamental part nowadays, as tea has been consumed in various cultures for thousands of years. It has been consumed in different countries including China, India, Russia, England, Morocco, Argentina and in fact all around the world. Even in Japan, an intricate four hour ceremony is committed to the pleasure and joy of drinking tea.
Well, you don’t need to practice a tea ceremony to enjoy the benefits of tea meditation. If you are taking a cup of tea daily on a regular basis, it is sufficient to initiate the meditation practice through tea. Drinking your tea mindfully is an ideal moment to calm your mind and to acquaint you with the tea meditation practice.
Tea is significantly more than a simple beverage, it is a strong, flavorful, refreshing beverage enjoyed for its unique characteristics.
We’ll discuss here how to use tea meditation to calm your mind with a cup of tea. If you are not interested in traditional ceremonies and want to relax your mind without any rules, see below to know how to do meditation practice via a cup of tea.
What Is Tea Meditation?
Meditation is a practice of training the mind through mindfulness which helps relieve stress and improve focus. Mindfulness can be achieved through breathing exercises, concentration, paying attention to your body, walking or any other exercise which releases stress and anxiety.
Tea meditation is something more than making a cup of tea and putting on the relaxation guide at the time you drink tea. The whole process of preparing tea can be feasted as meditation. Tea mindfulness practice begins from the time you choose your cup to utilize and ends when you take your last sip of tea.
Origin Of Tea Meditation
The discovery of tea is attributed to the Chinese Emperor Shenong, when he was drinking boiled water and some leaves from a tree blown in his cup of water. The leaves changed the color and flavor of water making it a cup of tea.
Tea meditation was originated by Zen Buddhists who was the founder of the Indian monk Bodhi dharma.
Benefits Of Tea Meditation
Tea mindfulness offers a wide array of meditation benefits with added health promoting effects of tea. This mindfulness practice with tea result in
- Improving focus, concentration, attention and alertness
- Relieving stress and anxiety, and promoting healthy brain functions
- Producing a deep relation with nature and creating a sense of gratitude
- Helping focus on the present
- Improving sleep quality
- Calming the mind
- Improving imagination and creativity
- Making you able to respond differently in stressful situations
- Depending on the type of tea, it helps improve heart, brain, digestive and overall health and wellbeing.
Tea Best For Meditation
Looking for the best tea for meditation depends on your preferences and taste. There is a huge list of teas which have calming effects, help reduce stress and anxiety and improve sleep quality.
Some people like to use caffeinated teas like black tea, yerba mate, oolong tea which prevent them falling asleep during meditation while others use herbal teas which have calming effects. However, some of the most commonly used teas for meditation include green tea, matcha tea, peppermint, oolong and chamomile tea.
Both loose leaf tea and tea bags are used for tea mindfulness, however, it is preferred to use loose leaf tea. It will give you a chance to focus on floating leaves and concentrate on extracting flavor, color and aroma.
How To Practice Tea Meditation
Tea meditation is a simple practice you can do anytime of the day. Don’t quit it with the fear of practicing for an hour, tea meditation can be as short as 10 minutes. However, there are some steps which will guide you in starting your journey to practice tea meditation.
Step 1
Choose a vessel for making your tea. Which type of cup should it be? Well, you can choose a cup that is your favorite which can assist you in setting your thoughts toward meditation practice. You can also select a cup that you were gifted with and can create a sense of gratitude.
Step 2
Select your tea you want to steep. You can pick any tea according to your taste or preferences. If you are worried about selecting the type of tea, pick one that comes first to your mind. They would be the perfect tea you are feeling like to brew.
Step 3
Take fresh water in your tea kettle and bring it to boil. Until the water boils, look for a peaceful place, sit and do breathing exercises. Remember to sit in a comfortable position and place one of your hands on your chest and the other on stomach. Listen quietly to the whistles of kettle and inhale and exhale until the time to turn the kettle off.
Step 4
Temperature of water depends on the type of tea to be brewed, as some of the teas do not require boiled water. In this case allow the water to cool for some time and you practice the meditation. Close your eyes and calm your mind by feeling the steam of kettle water.
Inhale and exhale and observe the parts of your body which are relaxed, tense or heavy.
Step 5
Put tea leaves or tea bag in your tea mug and pour warm water into the cup. Allow the tea leaves for required (recommended) time and sit by the side of cup and notice the steeping process. Inhale and exhale, and notice the steam of tea, change in color and floating tea leaves.
Step 6
Pay attention to your senses and listen to the sound of trickling tea carefully as you remove your tea infuser or strain the tea leaves. Grasp the cup with both of your hands and bring it close to the nose to enjoy the aroma.
Step 7
Bring the invigorating cup of tea towards your lips and take the sip. Concentrate on breathing and observe the sense of pleasure. Inhale and exhale, and continue drinking tea sip by sip and enjoy the lovely aroma and flavor. Sit calm for about 30 seconds between each sip and allow yourself to calm your mind.
Step 8
When you reach toward the last sip of tea, let yourself become conscious of the surroundings, observe other environmental noises and slowly open your eyes.
Finish your meditation practice by giving gratitude to yourself and tea producers that helped you to get this successful tea mindfulness.
Bottom Line
Tea is one of the most enjoyed beverages and there is a magical mindfulness that comes with drinking tea. It has been used for thousands of years to charm the people due to its refreshing flavor and punch of benefits. Practicing meditation with tea is not an overwhelming task and it offers various benefits to the mind and body.