Mental Health Awareness Special: Beautiful Being Virtual #byot Tea Ceremony

Here is a safe space for you to just be. A place in your heart resides the pulsing light of trust and truth.

Held in hopes to raise awareness of mental health well-being, this Tea ceremony will provide an introduction to Cha Dao (The  Way of Tea) as a Way of meditation, and eventually, a Way of Life to guide us through our solitary journeys. Acknowledging the shadow work reminds us that it is okay to not be okay sometimes. Together, we sit to weave a mandala of love that will gently open up your hearts. Tea has a beautiful way of gently opening up your hearts without words, as She brings us all together in a space where egos and identities do not exist. We all carry certain labels and histories, scars and wounds. Here, you come simply to drink Tea, and after the ceremony, there will be room to sit and share, reflect, and support each other.  

By being in the present, fully committed to the moment and the Tea, we may lose ourselves, acting without ego or attachment - we are Tea, in other words. There is no 'Self', no you or I, just Tea. This is what the Taoist sages meant when they said 'wu wei' (無為)  – action free of ego, liberated from a sense of 'self' within the action.  

In this virtual Tea sit, I hold space for you to bring stillness and presence with our most honourable guest, Tea Spirit. 

 Social Distancing Update: 

Now, as we adjust to these winds of change, we look at serving Tea virtually, instilling stillness and presence of mind across the digital waves. You can still participate by simply finding a quiet corner and sitting in silence with me during the tea ceremony. What you need:  1. A bowl or cup is fine too. Prepare a flask or kettle of hot water.  If you have no loose leaf teas around, simply pour this steaming hot water into the bowl/cup and drink in tandem with me.  2. As you sit in silence you begin to become conscious of the Qi the heat is catalysing within you. Continue to sip on the water/tea, and begin to sink into this meditative silence. The more often we partake in ceremony, the easier we find it to sink into meditation and slowly, this meditative pace and appreciation for the simplest things in life will seep into your daily lives.  

After the ceremony has ended, I will be opening the floor to reflections, questions, and of course, a chat. The bowls, as they come and go during the tea ceremony, is a symbolic mandala of our connection – as we sit together we drop all egos and identities are simply being ourselves, with the conscious awareness that we are also all individuals who will eventually leave this ceremony to go on with our lives. In this moment, it is my honour to sit and connect us all. In this moment that is all that matters – this very moment.  

 This ceremony is free for all. 

 No prior Tea ceremony experience is required. Just come as you are, or sit in silence with your favourite leaves in a bowl, or simply hot water.