Tea Meditation: Embracing the Power of Choice

As human beings, we have the power to choose. Some decisions are BIG and some are small, but they are all important. We are constantly making choices, even when we are not aware of it. The more present we are, the more likely we are to make “good choices,” choices that are in alignment with our highest good. When we listen to our intuition, we make choices from a place of love. When we listen to our ego, we often make choices from a place of fear. Choices made from a place of loving presence will always bring us joy, wisdom, healing, abundance, connection, fulfillment, and love. Meditation and mindfulness practices help us to be more present and more aware of our intuition.

Tea meditations can make it easier to return to the place of loving presence throughout the day, which increases the probability that the choices you make are aligned with your true desires. The intention for this tea meditation is to tap into this power of choice so that you make healthy choices all day long.

The power to choose

There are times in life when we believe we do not have a choice, when we feel powerless or victimized. We may not have chosen this specific situation but we can always choose how we relate to it. We can’t choose our feelings, but we can choose how we relate to them. Sometimes we choose to worry about feeling worried, to stress about feeling stressed, to be scared of being scared, to be sad about feeling depressed. These choices perpetuate the unpleasant feeling keeping us in a vicious spiral of negativity. If a child or good friend felt angry, would you be angry at them for feeling angry or would you compassionately allow them to express their anger so they could let it go and heal?

Through meditation, we can tune into these feelings, acknowledge and accept them, then choose to relate to them differently. We watch them pass like a storm.

A meditation embracing the power of choice

To practice this meditation, you may choose to say something like, “even though I feel anxious right now, I still love and appreciate myself.” In every moment you can choose acceptance, compassion and love.

1. Read through this meditation first and then practice it on you own. It is more simple than it looks.
2. Choose a tea or warm beverage that will feel best in you body right now. Are you drinking this beverage just because it’s what you drink every morning or is this really what you want to put in you body?
3. Choose a comfortable pose in which to sit and drink you tea.
4. Take five deep breaths with you eyes closed. Breathe down into your belly so you feel it expand like a balloon on the inhale, and contract on the exhale.
5. Bring your awareness to your solar plexus chakra, which is located in the center of your belly. This is our power center! This is where we find our will to choose. Notice how your tummy feels as you breathe into it. Imagine a bright yellow and gold sun in the center of your belly. Feel the power and energy from this sun radiating throughout your body and out into the room.
6. Pick up you cup of tea and feel its warmth connecting with the warmth from your solar plexus. Imagine this tea is liquid sunshine, the ultimate fuel for every cell in your body.
7. Say to yourself,  “I choose to be present right now.” Take a sip of tea and feel your consciousness scanning your body as you relax into the present moment.
8. Say to yourself, “I choose to be happy.” Take a sip of tea. Smile and feel happiness resonating throughout your body.
9. Say to yourself, “I choose to be healthy.” Take a sip of tea and imagine every cell in you body is healthy. Feel all the parts of you body that feel good and healthy right now and allow this feeling of wellness to outshine any feelings of pain or disease.
10. For the remainder of the meditation, choose your own affirmations. With each sip of tea, choose another affirmation. They don’t all have to be positive! We become empowered when we become aware that we sometimes choose to feel powerless, or choose to be angry, or we choose to be sad about something. Dive deep into why you might choose to be the victim. How does this choice serve your ego? If there is a particular person in you life with whom you are frustrated, remind yourself that you choose to be in relationship with that person. If there is a situation in your life that is not enjoyable, do you choose to be in it? Are you really stuck or do you choose to feel stuck? Do you choose to do what you do for a living? Do you chose to be where you are right now? Owning your choices brings back your power!