Balance in a cup of tea

I am a recovering Coffeehouse owner.  I got into the business, because I LOVED coffee-the smell, the taste, the way a correct shot of espresso sets up, the sound made when beans are ground, the zip and zoom of chatter, sales, and need to keep tables clean, the decor, did I say the taste, the smell, pulling a shot of espresso from a hand-pull machine……

Yeah.  I loved ALL of it.  It is in my blood.  I have so much respect and awe for all of it.  But all of that “energy” began to take it’s toll on me-every piece of me.  That was when my herbalist required me to start taking Yoga or Tai-Chi on a consistent basis.  He told me I couldn’t come back until then!  So, after about a month of stubborn, I found a class.  I was captivated.  I wanted to jump into the world of yoga, learn everything, and (without my knowing) over-work myself some more with something that was meant to do the complete opposite.  Balance.  Everyone and everything around me said I needed to find “balance”…….

I’m still, daily, seeking out balance.  I am a go-getter, Type A, a Pitta personality, First-born-however you want to coin it.  I don’t sit well.  Moving slow can be annoying.  Not re-acting to everything that goes through my mind can be very tiring!  Balance.

This is where the tea comes in:)

Balance.  Tea.  Balance.  Tea.  Balance.

Many of us have rituals, those things that make us smile with pause, and treasures in our life that we take care of with vigilance.  That started to stand out in my mind as a time, or thing, that slowed people down in a good way with minimal resistance.  I had this little memory in my head of my Mom making a cup of tea when I was young.  Tea took a little longer to make than other drinks she would make.  With that first sip, there was a peace, an easy smile that ALWAYS came across her face.  That moment, that ease, that was what I was craving to counter all of the momentum, fire, anxiety, perfectionism, and speed I had been pulling into my life.  Tea.

My Yoga practice has led me to have the ability to reflect in the moment, or soon afterward, as my life is happening.  I give thanks for it.  Without Yoga’s seed of being present, I don’t feel I would have noticed the power tea had for my Mom.  This awareness caused me to look again at the teas I offer in our studio for myself and others to drink.  If I was allowing tea to pull out a chair for me of time, ease, and reprieves-shouldn’t it be like the ritual and the treasures many of us take care to foster, cherish, and look forward to?  As soon as I decided I wanted that from our tea offerings in the Studio, I was poured one of the most satisfying and exquisite cups of Chai I had ever tasted.  The Universe, again, put me in front of what it was that I was needing.  When I inquired about this delicious cup, my friends, Astara and Orion, immediately shared praise and respect for Artemis Teas and their founder Andrea Comiskey Lawse.  Long story short, I met with Andrea, fell in love with her and am in awe of her purpose and process. 

Andrea crafts each tea from hand-truly.  She is a trained and certified Herbalist.  She is a writer and a scholar.  She is a mother, a wife, and a woman.  She is a naturalist.  She likes exquisite tasting things.  Believe it or not, you sense all of this in her teas-from website, to packaging, to visual experience, to the dance your taste buds will do.  It is amazing.  Needless to say, we are carrying her teas in the studio.

Tea.  Balance. Tea.  Balance.

I am taking time a couple times a day, every day, to make myself a cup of Andrea’s tea.  Not only do the health benefits, the taste, and the way I feel entice me to slow down and to smile with ease, knowing where it comes from causes me to want to cherish and protect it.  I am excited to take 15 minutes out of every day for a cup of health and pleasure!  It isn’t just effecting ME in a positive way.  It is supporting right growing practices, land protection, small farmers livelihood, Andrea’s health and wellness, balance in my time with my boyfriend, my cat, my family, and my business world.  It is Balance.

Please stop in for a cup of tea before or after class.  Go to Andrea’s website www.artemisteas.com.  Be watching for the tea tasting that we will be having with Andrea.  Most of all, seek out Balance.  Maybe a cup of tea will be yours too:)

Namaste.