To drink your Jasmine tea with awareness, you might like to….
….admire the origin of your tea, the Jasmine shrub with its white flowers.
You can spend some thoughts on how the shrub lived and bloomed, and how the flowers smell. Your tea is scented with Jasmine flowers; do you see the whitish leaves? If you have bought Jasmine pearls, you could appreciate how they unfold.
Sniff the relaxing scent of Jasmine. Does this bring back memories? Happy memories? Do you like to let go something before you will enjoy your tea? Feel the warm tea mug and enjoy the drinking. Thoughts, scent, and taste…observe them all.
Do you get distracted or is your tea finished? Feel the tranquillizing effect of your mindful tea session by being grateful for this mindful moment.
What are your thoughts on Jasmine tea and mindfully drinking scented tea? Is Jasmine growing in your garden? Have you painted its flowers? I invite you to add your link in the comment section.
– Paula Kuitenbrouwer
© 2013, essay and photographs and artwork (above and below), Paula Kuitenbrouwer, All rights reserved
PAULA KUITENBROUWER ~ is a regular contributor to Into the Bardo and a Dutch nature artist living in The Netherlands and sharing her work with us on her blog, Mindful Drawing and on her website. In addition to art, Paula’s main interest is philosophy. She studied at the University of Utrecht and Amsterdam. She has lived in Eastern Europe and in Asia. Paula says that in Korea, “my family lived next to a Buddhist temple. In the early morning we would hear the monks chanting. During my hours of sauntering with my daughter through the beautiful temple gardens, I felt a blissful happiness that I try to capture in my drawings.” Paula sometimes teaches children’s art classes. She lives with her husband and daughter and close to her father. You can view her portfolio of mindful drawings HERE.
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