Sipping Mindfulness: How Tea Ceremony Taught Me to Be Present and Find Joy
In my journey of mindfulness and intentional living, the practice of tea ceremony has become a profound way for me to cultivate presence and joy. Tea-making is more than just brewing leaves in hot water; it is a meditative practice that requires full focus, precision, and deep awareness. Through its seven steps, I have learned to anchor myself in the present moment, appreciating the subtle yet powerful details of each movement, sound, and aroma.
The Art of Presence in Tea Ceremony
Each step of the tea ceremony invites me into a state of deep concentration and mindfulness.
Step 1: Namaste🙏 – Greeting All Presence
Before beginning the tea ceremony, I take a moment to greet and acknowledge everything around me—the people present, the house or environment if outdoors, and all living things. This moment of gratitude helps me set an intention of respect and harmony for the ritual ahead.
Step 2: Turning the Cups
When I carefully turn over a teacup, I become fully aware of my hands and fingers—how they move in harmony, how they gently touch the porcelain, and how they work together to place the cup on the dish without making a sound. This seemingly simple action transforms into a moment of total presence, where nothing else exists but the cup and my movement.
Step 3: Listening to the Water Boiling
Before I began practicing the tea ceremony, I never realized that water makes a distinct deep, rumbling sound just before it boils. This discovery has heightened my awareness of the subtle changes in nature that often go unnoticed in a hurried life. By tuning into the rhythm of boiling water, I feel more attuned to the world around me.
Step 4: Experiencing the Tea’s Aroma
When I shake the dried tea leaves in a warm bowl, the fragrance suddenly awakens—floral, earthy, and rich. I take a deep breath, allowing the scent to fill my senses. In that moment, I feel a connection not just to the tea but to the nature and labor that brought it into existence.
Step 5: Brewing the Tea
As I pour hot water into the brewing bowl, I watch how the water flows out of the tea spout, forming a delicate line in the air before cascading into the bowl. The water gently hits the inner side of the bowl, swirls, and twirls the tea leaves. I notice how the tea brews into different shades of green, yellow, red, or brown, depending on the type of tea. This visual transformation is mesmerizing, reminding me of the ever-changing nature of life itself.
Step 6: Pouring Tea Equally
The act of pouring tea into multiple cups evenly is not as easy as it seems! One night, I was troubled by my thoughts, and no matter how hard I tried, I always left the last cup with much less tea than the others. This moment made me realize how my state of mind directly affects my actions. The more distracted I was, the more inconsistent my pouring became. It was a humbling lesson in presence and patience.
Step 7: Feeling the Warmth Spread
As I take a sip of hot tea, I notice the heat traveling through my body, bringing a wave of comfort and calmness. The tea also tastes richer and more aromatic compared to how I used to prepare it. This simple shift in mindfulness has elevated my tea-making experience to a whole new level. The warmth I feel is not just physical; it is also a metaphor for the inner peace and fulfillment that comes from being present.
March: A Month of Embracing Time
This month, my KonMari Club theme is TIME—embracing the present, appreciating time as a gift, and fully immersing in the moment. Although I only started my daily tea ceremony practice in the last weeks of March, its impact has been astonishing. My March Wheel of Life assessment resulted in 104 out of 120, a high score that surprised me. I hadn’t realized how being present could positively influence every aspect of my life.
The Tea Ceremony Exam: A Lesson in Energy and Joy
This Wednesday, I took my tea ceremony exam after a two-week brewing course. While the final video recording lasted only 40 minutes, the preparation—six hours of practice, corrections, and filming—was intense.
I hadn’t noticed how exhausted I was until I arrived home with a pounding headache and complete fatigue. Tea-making has always been a rejuvenating ritual for me, so I didn’t expect it to become an energy-draining experience under exam conditions. That day, I realized that even when performing the same activity with the same people, my internal experience could be entirely different. I had been feeling overjoyed for two weeks, and this excessive happiness had drained me.
Joy vs. Happiness: A Zen Perspective
Recently, I have been seeing the Chinese character for Joy (乐) frequently in my Zen readings. Through my tea practice, I finally understood the Zen teaching that joy is different from happiness. Happiness is active and intense, sometimes leading to emotional exhaustion. Joy, on the other hand, is a gentle, stable state—one that nourishes rather than depletes.
Perhaps this is why Marie Kondo chose "Spark Joy" rather than "Spark Happiness". The Zen (禅) definition of Joy is 身心怡乐, meaning both body and mind are fulfilled with gentle joy. It is a deeper, more sustainable form of contentment.
Returning to the Present with Tea
This morning, I performed a tea ceremony by myself, fully present in each step. This time, the joy I felt recharged me, rather than depleting me. I now see that tea ceremony is not just about perfecting techniques but about aligning with the rhythm of presence and balance.
If you are looking for a way to cultivate mindfulness, I encourage you to explore the practice of tea ceremony from Mindful Peace Sydney. They host tea ceremony experiences every Wednesday, and it is completely FREE. Start small—perhaps with a simple ritual of brewing and sipping tea mindfully. You may be surprised by how this ancient practice can transform your daily life. Click here for their full list of weekly rituals.
Namaste.🙏
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