“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.”
This quote by Thich Nhat Hanh, the famed Vietnamese monk from Plum Monastery, describes the contemplative and beautiful quality of a tea meditation. Tea meditations are a simple and effective way to slow down, and reduce stress. They can help center you, bringing focus and concentration into your day, while helping you through difficulties, and challenges.
Tea meditations are an ancient practice, which are used in Buddhist Asian cultures. These meditations started centuries ago, and originated from Japan. Involving both an internal (mind) and external (physical) component, aimed at stilling the mind, and creating focus.
“Enjoy simple things with total intensity. Just a cup of tea can be a deep meditation.” Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
As you sip the tea slowly, focus on bringing your mind into the present and to stillness, drawing peace and quiet into the moment. Bring your awareness into the now, and align yourself into your day. Concentrate on watching your thoughts come and go without holding on to any of them.
Tea meditations are a wonderful way to stop the overwhelm from taking its toll on us, and to ward off stress that builds, as we face competing challenges that test us. They can be implemented as a daily self-care practice in order to reap the full benefits.
Books such as “Meditations on Tea” by Okakura Kakuzo or “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Nhat Hanh, provide great advice on how to create daily tea meditation rituals that will bring calm into your life.