How much do you remember about your morning tea or coffee ?

• • 20 JAN 16
  • 1
  

  How much do you remember about your morning tea or coffee ?

  Many of us stumble out of bed bleary-eyed and head straight to the kitchen for a cup of tea or coffee.

  Have you ever looked at your empty mug and remembered having drunk that first cup ?  Life can be hectic, and many of us are trying to do several things at once.

  So, how can we be more mindful?  It’s a term that we hear often when discussing meditation and inner peace but what does it actually mean?  I recently had the privilege of working with a young child and he said “I don’t want to be mindful because my mind is already full enough!” 🙂
  “Have you ever suddenly become aware of a background noise that had been going on for some time unnoticed? Or have you ever woken up just moments before your alarm clock went off, as if an inner force had lifted you from slumber? That was mindfulness.”

  As a suggestion, and a way of beginning to practice being mindful, try being really present with your morning tea or coffee.  You may wish to begin by choosing one day of the week.

  Prepare your drink.  Do each movement slowly with your full attention on what you are doing.  Do not let one detail of your movement go by without being mindful of it. Know that your hand lifts the kettle by the handle. Know that you are pouring the boiling water in to the cup or pot.   Breathe gently and more deeply than usual.  Bring your attention to your breath if your mind strays. Allow yourself to feel the warmth of the mug between your palms. Watch the steam rising off the top. Does it rise straight up or does it twist and move and dance?  Notice how your palms feel after holding the warm mug. If you put milk in your coffee, what does it look like as you pour it in? Give thanks to the cows that gave you your milk and /or the fellow beings who picked your coffee beens or tea leaves. Take a sip. What do you smell as you bring the mug around your nose? What do you taste? How does it feel as you swallow it? Imagine you can follow it all the way down in to your cells.
  Take a few deep breaths. Listen to the morning sounds. Are there birds chirping? What about other outside noises? Cars? Rubbish collection?
  Be present with your morning drink and be present with this moment. What do you feel ?

  This whole experience probably added 5 or 10 minutes to your day, but do you feel a difference in your body? You may find that just taking those few moments to be present with your morning beverage has a calming affect on your body, and you may find that it was much more flavourful and enjoyable because you took time to taste and experience it.

  Once we have skills like these, simple acts that we perform each day can be transformed in to acts of meditation.  We can slow down our lives and begin to live in the moment more easily than you may have imagined. <3

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  • Posted in
  • Anxiety,
  • Drink,
  • General,
  • Health and wellbeing,
  • Health Tips,
  • mindfulness,
  • Presence,
  • Relaxation

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