With the constant pressure to keep up in our day to day lives, we often neglect taking time for ourselves. It’s critical to understand that mindful downtime is not a luxury, but rather an important part of maintaining a balanced life. Much like yoga or meditation, a tea time ritual can help calm your nerves, nourish your body, and invigorate your spirit,

Why Create a Tea Time Ritual?

Rituals and traditions are known to provide many positive benefits including anxiety relief, emotional stability, and confidence. In addition, drinking tea has many undisputed health benefits. It provides antioxidants and nutrients, can boost metabolism, and may reduce risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer.   

Creating your own personal tea ritual is an excellent way to reconnect with yourself and reap the physical and psychological benefits of mindfulness. It allows you to slow down and bring yourself back to the present moment. It is here that you can begin to focus on your mind-body-soul connection.

How to Create the Perfect Tea Time Ritual

The most important thing to remember when creating your ritual is that it’s all about you. There truly is no right or wrong way to do it. Do what feels good, and recognize that this may vary from day to day. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Create Space, Physically and Mentally

Find a time and place where you can focus on your ritual without distraction. Your tea time ritual doesn’t have to be a long process. In fact, it can be done in as little as 10 to 25 minutes. The key is to decide how much time you have available and commit to it. Let go of the outside world and focus your full, deliberate attention on the present moment.

Prepare Your Tea

Start the kettle boiling and prepare your tea. This is not the time for a dusty, old generic “tea”. For the best experience, use real, crafted teas, in individual unbleached chlorine free tea bags, like Essence of Earth teas. As you prepare it, pay close attention to the scent, texture, colors, both before and after it has steeped.

Set the Tone

Light some candles, grab a comfy blanket, and put on some of your favorite music. You might choose to open your ritual by stretching, reading a poem, or setting an intention. This is your ritual, so just trust your instincts do what speaks to your soul.

Plan a “Feel Good” Activity

If time permits, incorporate an activity into your ritual. Depending on your preferences, this could mean meditating, journaling, coloring, or simply sitting quietly and observing your surroundings.

Take your Time

Drink your tea slowly, focusing on the individual flavors and the feeling of warmth as it travels through your body. Be mindful of how it makes you feel. Pay attention to the sights, sounds, and scents surrounding you. Observe any thoughts or feelings that come up as you relax and set your mind free.

Close with Gratitude

Before you end your tea time, take a moment to thank yourself for creating this special time and feel gratitude for your abundances. Recognize that by taking a few moments for yourself, you will now be in a much better place mentally and physically to tackle whatever life throws at you.