A morning tea ritual helps you set the mood for the day and start of on the right foot.
It also doesn't have to be elaborate or hard. Mine is super-simple.
It involves two cups of tea.
One girl, two cups.
Green tea makes me feel better than coffee ever did. It makes me alert but doesn't lead to a crash in energy later on (like coffee often does for me).
There’s also a ritualistic component to preparing it. Here's how I like to do it:
I prefer to prepare the water in a water boiler. It feels more immediate and meditative to hear the water heating.
I believe that using a microwave does the tea ritual a disservice.
Instead, I pour the boiling water over the—preferably organic—tea bag or loose tea. Purists will say that one should let the water cool down a bit for green tea.
But I’m not a purist. I’m also oftentimes in a hurry to get my caffeine "fix."
Over the years, I’ve burned myself a few times with hot water but that's decidedly not part of this morning ritual so please don’t copy it!
After sensing the bitter taste in my mouth that comes from the green tea, I instantly feel more awake. I’m more ready to confront the world. Part of this is probably caffeine, part is placebo.
And part is about having time to be with myself, first thing in the morning.
Drinking tea is just about me. It’s supposed to make me feel better, to re-center me. It can even give me a sense of stability in the midst of intense changes.
Some would say that there are deeper rituals than the one I am suggesting. However, these rituals are oftentimes more difficult to implement or take longer to practice.
In contrast, my morning ritual is convenient and transportable.
Case in point: I’ve generally been able to find a way to have green tea regardless of where I’ve been in the world.
Doing so hasn’t always been easy. In fact, it sometimes required venturing to coffeeshops and enduring overly-caffeinated entrepreneurs or other productivity impediments.
A few times, I've also had to begrudgingly place a mug with water in a microwave to heat it up.
For true tea aficionados, that's nothing short of sacrilegious. But I'm a "tea atheist" (or addict?) and so my desire to have caffeine will win over my inner tea purist any day.
With many rituals on offer sometimes it’s good to remember that even the simplest of practices can bring us both wellness and contentment.
At least that has been my experience with my tea ritual.