March 26, 2021 ~ A Mindful Cup of Tea

 

I so appreciate those who participated in Friday morning's program, A Cup of Mindful Tea (on Zoom). I appreciated this rare time of quiet connection. I also enjoyed the discussion with those of you who lingered afterward to reflect on how the practice was.  

I was inspired that for some of you this is part of a wider practice of adding mindfulness to your meal times or other rhythms in general.  There are many people who thrive on a daily spiritual practice, and a cup of tea seems like a very attainable one to try out.  I imagine even just a few times a week could be very transformative toward spiritual and physical well being.   

Invitations for follow-up: 

1. Watch or just listen to the recording of the guided meditation part with a warm drink in your hands. I know that some of you intended to be there and it just didn't work out or maybe you were there and want another go at it until it becomes second nature. 

2. Find out more about that plant of your preferred tea or coffee.  I am excited to have found this 3 min. video about rooibus. It will help me feel more connected to the one place in the world where it grows in Cedarburg, South Africa.  I can more easily send my gratitude when I can visualize what it looks like, and gratitude for those who cultivate and harvest it.  It takes 2 years to mature!  If your tea is local herbs, look up more of the health benefits.       

3. If any of you would like to have another gathering like this, let me know and I'm happy to set up another Fri. morning Zoom link for another week or two out.  I don't think I could lead it every time but it could be a time of sitting together, or of one of you taking a turn to guide the meditation.  

Here's the Thich Nhah Hanh quote Pat found that inspired the session all together:  

“Something as simple and ordinary as drinking a cup of tea can bring us great joy and help us feel our connection to the Earth. The way we drink our tea can transform our lives if we truly devote our attention to it. Sometimes we hurry through our daily tasks, looking forward to the time when we can stop and have a cup of tea. But then when we’re finally sitting with the cup in our hands, our mind is still running off into the future and we can’t enjoy what we’re doing; we lose the pleasure of drinking our tea. 

We need to keep our awareness alive and value each moment of our daily life. We may think our other tasks are less pleasant than drinking tea. But if we do them with awareness, we may find that they’re actually very enjoyable. Drinking a cup of tea is a pleasure we can give ourselves every day. 

To enjoy our tea, we have to be fully present and know clearly and deeply that we are drinking tea. When you lift your cup, you may like to breathe in the aroma. Looking deeply into your tea, you see that you are drinking fragrant plants that are the gift of Mother Earth. You see the labor of the tea pickers; you see the luscious tea fields and plantations in Sri Lanka, China, and Vietnam. You know that you are drinking a cloud; you are drinking the rain. The tea contains the whole universe.”

― Thích Nhất Hạnh, How to Eat

And here's an article that gave me some inspiration, How to Be Mindful with a Cup of Tea.