What is so special about tea? Why tea for meditation and not any other beverage? There has always been a connection between tea and meditation, especially in Asian countries. Even all the matcha enthusiasts will know that there is matcha, and then there is ceremonial matcha that is used for tea ceremonies. Tea provides a very soothing and grounding experience for everyone who’s looking forward to incorporating mindfulness into daily life.
You can actually benefit a lot by incorporating tea meditation into your daily routine, even if you are a seasoned meditator. The things we do during our day, apart from the main meditation session, also have an incredible amount of impact on the meditation practice. So in this blog post, we will explore the best tea for meditation and how you can incorporate this meditation into your routine.
A simple mindfulness meditation can effectively be combined with tea!
Table of contents
Best tea for meditation practice
It will also depend a lot on your preference. There is a possibility that you will like to have one type of tea over another. We can’t also undermine the benefits and specialties of different types of tea.
For example, if you want to have some caffeine to start your day, then black tea might be your thing. If you are sensitive to caffeine and feel jittery, then green tea or camomile tea will be best.
You also know how to pick the right tea for your meditation in just a minute. Let’s find out the best day for meditation:
1. Black Tea
If you are switching from coffee to tea to try and get the benefits of tea and meditation, then going for black tea can be the best option.
Again this is a matter of preference. Having black tea also gives you the freedom to add milk and sugar to it if you are used to having your tea or coffee like that.
Keep in mind that black tea is going to have a strong taste and a lot more caffeine content compared to other teas. So it will not relax you as much, but if you are looking for a mindful tea drinking experience in the morning, then this is a wonderful option.
Related: Wondering Why You Should Not Meditate At Night? Meditate Only In One Condition
2. Matcha Tea
It’s not going to be a fancy matcha tea latte. You want to make traditional ceremonial matcha tea for meditation.
Many people find that the process of making matcha tea helps them be mindful. So, what is matcha, and how do you prepare it? Matcha is green tea, but the difference is that carefully picked green tea leaves are made into fine powder. Ceremonial matcha is basically very high-quality, finely powdered green tea.
You can have a very mindful meditative morning by drinking matcha tea as part of your routine. Also, matcha tea has a high content of L-theanine, and it can help reduce pain and stress.
3. Green Tea
Green tea is widely popular for its multitude of health benefits. It is a loose leaf tea counterpart of matcha. Both are very rich in antioxidants and L-theanine.
The amount of caffeine can vary in green tea depending on the brand. There are also many flavored and mixed types of green tea available, so watch out for them if you are sensitive to caffeine. Also, green tea has a very soothing earthy flavor which can be great for the meditative experience.
Related: How to Practice Mindful Eating: 8 Steps for a Healthier Lifestyle
4. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is the exact opposite of black tea, which means mild, soothing, floral flavor with a hint of sweetness. It will relax you and make it easier to achieve deeper relaxation during meditation practice. If you find that it’s difficult for you to relax during meditation, this tea is perfect for you.
Chamomile tea has apigenin that can help lower anxiety, but it is not ideal for starting your morning. This tea doesn’t contain caffeine, so you might feel drowsy, so it’s not a great idea to add it to your morning routine. However, you can use it for evening meditation practice.
5. Peppermint Tea
Peppermint tea is very calming, and it can also help with stress headaches, indigestion, and menstrual cramps. Apart from the health benefits, peppermint tea can also help balance the energies of the solar plexus and sacral chakras.
It is a naturally caffeine-free tea, so if you are someone who wants to refrain from caffeinated drinks, this is a great option.
6. Lemon balm tea
This tea is from the mint family, so equally soothing and calming. If you are not a fan of peppermint tea’s taste, then you can go for lemon balm tea for meditation. It can also help reduce stress-causing hormone levels such as cortisol in the blood because it is high in GABA.
Lemon balm tea is a great choice for mindfulness meditation and tea ceremonies because of how calming it is.
Related: Top 4 Differences Between Mindfulness And Meditation
7. Herbal Teas
If you don’t like that taste of tea, then herbal tea is another great option. There are two types of herbal teas, with real loose tea leaves and without real tea. There are also going to be a lot of different kinds of her makes, for example, holy basil, rose, mint, cardamom, and so on.
You can also go with herbal tea blends. Tea usually contains lots of antioxidants and offer various health benefits depending on the herb mix.
How To Meditate With Tea
Tea meditation is easy, and you can start the mindfulness practice right from the beginning of the tea-making process. Once you have your cup of tea ready, let’s look at how you will meditate with tea.
- Sit in a quiet place: The whole point of tea meditation is to give you time to relax and just be. Just being present for a few moments and enjoying your tea is important; that’s the whole point.
- Breathing: By paying attention to your breath as you are sipping your tea will make the meditation even deeper. Inhale and breathe deeply and enjoy the steam and aroma of tea.
- Turn it into a whole experience: Take your time and make it a priority to drink tea tree as slowly as possible. It’s not an obligation to drink your tea slowly, but it’s important that you take your time so you can really make it into a meditation practice.
- No restriction for the thoughts and mind: You don’t need to keep your mind focused completely, but whole make sure to be attentive to the present moment and how the sip of tea feels. Even after practicing meditation just for a day or two, you will notice that now it’s the only way you like to drink tea.
Related: Complete Inner Peace Program: Inner Peace Guided Meditation
Here are some tips for making tea for meditation practice:
- Carefully select tea, your favorite tea; if you haven’t tried it ever before, then start with something that is mild.
- You can use plain water for preparing your tea but make sure to boil it well beforehand so that it has no flavor of its own. That way, you will be able to taste the real flavor of the tea.
- Invite your friends and family over for tea. It will also provide you a chance to connect with them more, and you can also introduce meditation to them.
- Usually, the tea used for meditation is prepared without milk and sugar, but if you are not used to having your coffee without milk and sugar, then don’t restrict yourself too much. You can start with natural sweetness like honey, then move to drink tea without any sweetener or milk.
Benefits Of Tea Meditation
Getting all the benefits from drinking tea, but you will also be getting the benefits of meditation and mindfulness along with it.
Alertness throughout the day:
Even if you are starting a day with relaxation practice like meditation, you will continue to stay alert during the day because of the caffeine from the tea. Usually, many people experience that when they meditate and get into the deepest state of meditation, it also makes them a little drowsy.
It will become easy to focus:
When you are trying to sit still and meditate and practice mindfulness, it can be difficult to focus your mind. Having a cup of tea in your hand and just observing everything can make it easy to focus because you are not trying to focus.
Improved ability to stay mindful:
It will start as a small habit, but you will notice that you are automatically starting to feel more mindful throughout the day. Meditating with tea allows you to have a sensory awareness experience which makes it easy to stay mindful. Once you experience how easy and rewarding it is, you will not need to try or remind yourself to stay mind full.
Establish a deep connection with yourself:
When you spend your morning or evening focusing just on yourself and your tea, and your thoughts, it will help form a deeper connection within. It will also allow you to celebrate your me-time every day in the simplest way.
Tea meditation also offers many mental and Physical health benefits. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, mental clarity, and increase alertness without making you feel jittery. Drinking tea can also help improve immunity, reduce the risk of heart disease, and keep colds and flu away. If you are going to use a blend of herbs that have ingredients such as hibiscus and mint, it can also help lower blood pressure.
Related: 9 Signs Of Deep Meditation And How To Achieve It
Conclusion
Tea meditation is a wonderful and easy mindfulness meditation method. There are also many benefits of tea alone when combined with meditation. The effectiveness increases even more. The combination of L-theanine with caffeine increases alpha brain waves during meditation, which means you can meditate even after drinking tea.So if you struggle to meditate and find it difficult, then you can try drinking tea right before meditation. If you are just starting out to meditate, then using guided meditation will help you even more. Enhanced meditation app provides free high-quality guided meditations.
