By P. A. Alaniz
Try the following experiment with me. Shut off your TV, silence your phone, grab your tea kettle, and go over to the sink. Fill it with cold water. Listen to the sound of the water falling into the pot. How does the sound change as it fills? Place the kettle on the stove. Listen to the sound the kettle makes as the water gently heats to a boil. Pour the hot water in a clear mug. Place your tea in the water. Observe as the color slowly swirls and filters through the cup until it turns the water a rich brown. Take a moment and breathe in the tea’s aroma. Take a small sip. Sit for a moment and just breathe.
Even the act of drinking tea can be done mindfully. Not only can the physical act of drinking tea be mindful, but it can support your meditation or mindfulness practice, too. Some Buddhist monks have been known to drink matcha or green tea prior to meditation to enhance the experience. Tea contains L-theanine, and in combination with caffeine, it has effects similar to EGCCG (Epigallocatechin) which helps to reduce inflammation and prevent certain types of heart and brain disease and diabetes.
When it comes to picking a tea to help you be mindful and reduce your anxiety, it depends upon your palette and how you are affected by caffeine. While caffeine in tea can help to relax a person in combination with the L-theanine, caffeine is not for everyone. This doesn’t exclude a completely herbal tea though—many can still help to relax you and enhance your mindfulness practice. You have many flavor choices for tea that aid in mindfulness. Your choices can be traditional matcha or green tea, something with a bright citrus flavor, florals such as lavender and rose, mint, eucalyptus, as well as cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger.
I would pick the flavor of tea depending on what time of day or meditation experience that I hoped to have. For a more traditional experience I would stick with matcha or green tea. If a bit tired, I would use a bright citrus note with black or green tea in order to stimulate my mind to be more in the present moment. Should I be having a bit of anxiety, I would recommend going with a blend of tea that has mint or eucalyptus, these would help me to relax and breathe more. To enhance the senses, I would use tea that contained mint, cinnamon, cardamom, or ginger. Some mornings you just might need a combination of relaxing, stimulating, and enhancing, so I would choose a tea such as ginger or citrus green tea.
Ginger Citrus Green Tea
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of sliced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon of loose-leaf green tea
1 slice or more of your favorite citrus: lemon, lime, orange or a combination of all three.
Bring one cup of water to a boil and add one teaspoon of sliced fresh ginger, then boil for five minutes. Remove from the heat and add a teaspoon of loose-leaf green tea. At this time, you can choose to add your slices of citrus, or you can add them later as a garnish. After three minutes strain and serve. Enjoy and be in the moment.
P.A. Alaniz is a Chicken Soup for the Soul author, writes a blog called “Tea, Travel, and Spirits,” and is a tea enthusiast. She has an MFA from the University of Naropa in Boulder, Colorado and has taught writing at Jackson College.
