Conversing with Tea Leaves.
In the modern hustle-and-bustling living, we often place a big value on being productive, that is, we strive so hard to be functional beings by keeping ourselves busy, super busy to a point that we forget to give time to ourselves and well-being. How many of us wake up first thing in the morning opening up our social media to check how many likes and views we got from followers? Or check our email inboxes to see if we are missing any important mails from work that we can’t afford to reply anytime later? Or to reply all of the pop-up messages we see from our messenger apps? We often keep ourselves busy fulfilling needs and expectations of others but deprive ourselves of that very same attention and care. How many of us actually take time out in a day to listen to our own needs and tune into our senses by putting FULL focus back to ourselves without outside distractions?
Brewing tea in a slow, mindful way is a good start. Whether it is traditional gongfucha style or modern western style, as long as we put our complete focus and attention on the tea leaves we are brewing, we are entering an introspective journey by paying attention to our bodily responses that the tea brings to us. We simply start by looking at the tea leaves as we scoop them into our tea vessel, listening to the stream of hot water as we pour it in, watching our tea leaves dance in our cup, smelling the fragrant accents of the tea and then finally sipping it with mindfulness and intention. When we allow ourselves to fully put our focus on the process of tea brewing and drinking, we are sparking a deep conversation with our tea leaves and ourselves. We tune into the sensations that the tea leaves give us, such as feeling a warm surge through our body, savouring the aroma and flavour that kick into our olfactory and tasting receptors respectively, or experiencing an electrifying yet relaxing nervous system stimulation, etc. Everyone goes through a sensational experience that is unique to themselves and this has to be felt, not taught by others.
When we can just carve a little time out each day to put this kind of mindful tea brewing and drinking practice into our daily living, we are giving care and attention to ourselves. That is, we are conversing with ourselves in a deep and meaningful way that doesn’t require too much time and money. If we can afford to spend so much (not limiting to money but also time and effort) on things outside of ourselves, why not considering putting a little aside for a deep, wonderful conversation with the tea leaves and ourselves?
What tea leaves are you conversing with today?
Happy Brewing!
