A mindful morning tea ceremony

Water is vital for life and is therefore an essential part of nature. The human body is approximately 60% water and we cannot survive for long without it. Yet how often do we fully appreciate just how precious the clean water is that we pour from our taps every day?

Many of us start our days by having a cup of tea or coffee, but we give it very little thought as it has become an automatic routine we pay little notice to.

What if you were to elevate the act of making your morning cup of tea or coffee from a mindless routine into a mindful ritual? Our days can often quickly become overtaken by the distractions of our phone or anxious thoughts about our to-do lists. Carving out some time to really be present and fully enjoy our morning cuppa can give us a good start to our day. Rather than simply tossing a tea bag into a cup and flinging some hot water on top and barely noticing that we’ve gulped our tea down as we scroll mindlessly on our phone, how about redesigning this experience to bring us into the present and really appreciate this beautiful drink and honouring the vitality that this brings us? We never know how our day is going to pan out, but if we establish a lovely mindful morning ritual we have at least set our day up on a good footing and often if our day starts well, it can continue in that vein.

Rituals are known to be good for our wellbeing. It is thought that a ritual can reduce anxiety and give us some predictability in an unpredictable world. Mindfulness can also reduce stress and anxiety and help with emotional regulation.

How can we elevate the making of a cup of tea or coffee into a special mindful experience? As a tea drinker I will explain the basic steps for that drink, but feel free to make the ceremony your own and apply the principle to your preferred morning beverage.

Firstly choose a favourite cup, teapot and special loose-leaf tea. You can also create a very deliberate process, but to bring in the mindful element you need to fully engage your senses at every stage. Listen to the water pouring into the kettle. Consider the journey the water has taken to get to your tap. Listen to the different sounds the water makes as it heats up and starts to come to the boil. Consciously smell the tea as you open the container. Consider how the tea was grown and produced and the journey it has taken to now be in your hands. Listen to the sound of the tea leaves as you tip them into the teapot and pour on the water. Feel the warmth rising from the teapot as you place the lid back on and the sound the lid makes as it goes back on the pot. Choose a favourite place to sit whether this is inside or outside and enjoy this beautiful drink one sip at a time savouring the scent and the flavour with every mouthful. Appreciate the time you are giving to yourself to ‘just be’ and enjoy the nourishment of a delicious hot drink as it brings vital liquid back into your body. Finally, spend a moment of gratitude that nature has provided the water, tea and resources for you to enjoy one of life’s little pleasures – a simple cup of tea.

'Looking deeply into your tea, you see that you are drinking fragrant plants that are the gift of Mother Earth. You see the labour 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.'  – Thich Nhat Hanh

‘Do not gulp the tea but sip it slowly allowing its fragrance to fill your mouth. There is no need to have any special attitude while drinking except one of thankfulness.’ – Pojong Sunim