Welcome to my tea blog! Here, have a cup of tea :).

In this blog, I will be drinking a lot of tea, but I am willing to share! I also will talk about my quest to create a comtemplative tea lifestyle and slow things down so that I can enjoy my life more, and about how drinking tea brings peace to my day.

It, truly, is the pause that refreshes, and I am asking myself how I can create more of that and less of the crazy-buzy, hurry-to-get-to-the-next-thing energy that all too often adds pressure and tension to my day.


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What's Next?

As I conclude the "31 Days to Build A Better Blog" challenge (such a wonderful time I had meeting the other bloggers in the challenge), and myself, have concluded two challenges related to tea and meditation, I am considering what's next, both for me and for this blog.

Tea and Meditation

I know that I am still making changes in lifestyle and I intend to continue. I want to continue working out how to create a contemplative tea lifestyle and still have time for allk the other priorities.

What about you?

Blog Plan

I am pretty sure I will not post every day, but will continue sharing my journey. I intend to post at least twice a week for the month of October, probably on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

So far, my ideas are to have a Tuesday "treat", offering a recipe of some kind for tea or goodies to have with tea, and to post an update about how the week is going on Thursdays. If I don't check in, I will post a meditation video you can try with your own cup of tea.

Tuesday Treat


Tea and Meditation Thursdays

This coming Thursday, I may take a break since I have just posted about how it's going, so I'll see you next week!

Jeanine

Monday, October 4, 2010

A Lifestyle Review: Life After 30 Days of Tea & Meditation

Last week, I shared what I have been learning as I struggle to create the tea lifestyle I want. I learned a lot about how to handle not wanting to meditate! But what about all those changes?

30 Days of Tea and Meditation

It has been 30 days, now (as of Oct. 2nd), since I challenged myself after completing the Chopra meditation challenge, to continue the practice of tea and meditation for 30 days straight.
I tried to make room for morning and afternoon tea, for working at home, for homeschooling, for meditating, for family time and for getting enough sleep! And I wanted to slow down and make room for contemplation and reflection, in general.

Almost every one of those changes proved to be challenging. More often than not, something got compromised.

Here’s My Update

I am still creating those changes in my lifestyle and still finding some of them a challenge. But shifting my attitude so that I can fully accept the imperfection of it all has made a huge difference in how I feel about how it’s going!!

And somehow, without any strenuous effort on my part, the changes are becoming easier. There is more a flow, especially when I don’t fight myself. I am getting more sleep, I am spending time with my family, I am finding more time for contemplation, I am drinking more tea, I am getting more work done and having enough time for our homeschooling.



Some days go by without afternoon tea. And sometimes, I briefly lament the things that didn’t get done. But all in all, I’d call it a success!

Homework

Journal about where you are in the process of change. Celebrate the successes! And hold the tough parts lightly, staying open to creative solutions that might pop up while you sip your next cup of tea.

See you tomorrow!

Jeanine

Friday, October 1, 2010

Something to Think about When You Meditate

The Wisdom of Having a Plan


Though the harvest moon may be in hiding by now, it did launch the harvest season, which means it’s a good time to think about what you want to harvest in your own life.

Last week, I did a full moon meditation prior to making my full moon dreamboard and it just highlighted for me that the whole process of meditating is much easier for me if I have something to think about or a plan before I start. When I did my full moon meditation, I thought through some things but also got some intuitive guidance about how to create autumn bliss next month.

Meditation Prompt

So here are some ideas to get you started if you would like to meditate about your own harvest season. They come from Jamie Ridler, who often offers dreamboard and journal prompts based on the moon’s activity.

From her new moon questions, we are invited to consider what wants to begin in our lives and what we would like to make grow. What do we want to nurture into harvest?

Homework

Your homework: pick one of those prompts for tea and meditation. And let us know how it goes. For extra credit, journal about your experience after the meditation.

See you Monday! Have a wonderful weekend!!

Jeanine