In the hurried world of all our lives, there is also a deep need to stop. To reflect. To breath. To live. To have our five senses unite as one. That time can be manufactured.
Stopping is novel to most of us but not to be feared. Good by nature, it brings health to the bones, quiet alertness to the mind and relaxation to the lungs and spirit. We need it. It’s difficult to get that while chasing the ten-thousand things. It's a great opportunity for us, this… stopping.
Tea has always been a deep well of stop. It invites us into stillness and accentuated attention. Progressively, it enlivens our sense of smell, touch, sight, hearing and listening with the elemental “stuff” of the entire world*. It's somehow deeply good. It rings true.
Tea is a direct participation with nature - the leaves, of course are not separate from the web of life that surrounded the tea bush and and also the chosen process methods of the farmer who picked and roasted it. This goes way beyond taste, smell and flavor. You can actually get a sense of the soil, the sunshine, the mist and the rain. Tea can be a communion with a very specific part and the nod to the whole of nature.
Tea is social. Spending time with those around you, drinking tea is also a deeply good thing. You may consider spreading your gongfu set out for the family, pouring them your best shots telling your kids how you got into tea. It's pretty great. I've heard many stories from our tea friends that they developed a love for tea from an uncle, or a Grandfather or someone who told them stories about the tea acquired from a far-off distant land.
Tea is traditionally associated with philosophy. If being "productive" is yang, stopping is yin. We need both. In Chinese philosophy the 5 elements are fire, water, earth, metal and wood. When we drink tea the old way, it involves wood which feeds the fire which excites the water which is contained in the kettle which is poured into the earthen vessel containing the tea leaves ;) It also involves all of our senses: sight, sound, touch, tasting and smelling. There is something about it that involves the whole person and can hit you in a deep way. Sauna is very similar and follows the same path. My ideal few hours would be sauna followed by a nice tea session.
Typically, tea is a part of our hurried lives brewed grampa style or in a coffee press but if you are able, set aside an hour, turn everything off and stop. You'll be a more balanced person for it.
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