Page 8 - August 2023 CW Magazine

Creating a Meditative Tea
Experience

By Kathleen Edinger

Did you know that tea is a healthy alternative to many of the sugary drinks out in the market?
There are so many different varieties of what we consider to be tea in the United States. Tea from
the Camellia Sinensis plant is generally categorized as white, green, oolong, black or pu-erh based
on the harvesting and processing techniques of the tea leaves. Caffeine levels vary in this tea plant
with more caffeine being in the younger buds and leaves. Herbal teas or tisanes come from fruits,
roots, flowers, seeds and other plants that are not from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Herbal teas
typically do not have caffeine with one exception being the Yerba Mate plant. Any tea can be used
for a meditation practice and is based on your tea preference, your caffeine sensitivity and time of
day you are consuming the tea. If you are sensitive to caffeine or will be doing your meditation
practice later in the afternoon or evening, you may want to choose an herbal or decaffeinated tea
to avoid negatively impacting your sleep.

Tea preparation is a wonderful way to enhance any meditation practice. Begin with choosing the
meditation style and time length. Adding tea to this practice allows you to incorporate your sight,
hearing, touch, smell, and taste senses for a more fulfilling experience. There are many meditation
apps available that offer a wide variety of mediation styles. Experiment with different apps to see
which one you like, or you can use relaxing music like nature sounds, chimes, wind flutes or you
can just meditate in silence.

Kathleen Edinger, Founder & Owner of TeaScapes
Website: www.teascapes.com
Email: Kathleen@enjoyteascapes.com

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