Tea meditation | Mindful Tea Ceremony

Tea meditation | Mindful Tea Ceremony

Tea meditation (Thien tra in Vietnamese) is the art of celebrating the depth and the beauty of a single moment through the way of tea. It is a mindfulness practice of preparing tea, serving tea and enjoying your cup of tea.

In 2023, Sierra has been hosting over 20 tea ceremonies for group and private one on one session in Auckland.

The tradition of tea that Sierra has been sharing is Vietnamese tea tradition, and Gongfu cha from Southern China in which tea is prepared in small pot and served in the little cups. In this way, we are not just consuming tea in large quantity but really connecting with nature and appreciating the little resources that we have. We consume less tea and save more nature resources but at the same time enjoy ourselves abundantly through the way of Gongfu tea brewing.

When we come together to sit in a circle, there is no indication of hierarchy. Everyone is the same. We are just being sharing this art of living in the same space. We breath the same air, drink the same liquid, share the same moment. There is no "self" in tea ritual drinking. We empty the "self" out, all the identifications of jobs, titles, labels, and social statuses so that there is only the essence of who truly are being one with the present moment.

The way of tea reminds us to allow ourself to find your most natural rhythm. There is no need to rush to the next moment. Time is an illusion that the concept of time is only in the thinking. The past doesn't exist anymore and the future hasn't yet arrived. All we ever have is this moment right in front of us. Everything else is an illusion.