Rich history of tea and mindfulness being interwoven
I was inspired to expand Presence is Here Now into tea as Mindfl Tea for several reasons. First, there is a rich history of tea and mindfulness being interwoven. Monks have used leaves from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, for thousands of years to stay awake while meditating. Moreover, the cultivation of tea in Japan actually began when Chinese monks travelled to Japan and took tea seeds. There are many other legends and examples of the interweaving of tea and mindfulness throughout history.
Synergistic effects of meditation and tea
Secondly, I noticed in my own practice that drinking tea while meditating resulted in synergistic effects. Rapture was common, as well as joy, relaxation, and what I call a brightening of thoughts and emotions. What I mean by this is that the thoughts and emotions not only could be seen more clearly, but also that they were brighter, more positive, more joyful, and often led to inspiration.
We can set an intention to be open to insight and new ideas before practicing, and tea can facilitate this process through its mood-brightening and concentration-sharpening effects.
Hence I named the company Mindfl Tea because thoughts and emotions could be seen more clearly with tea and are generally more pleasant.
Helping people with overstimulation
The third reason I wanted to expand in Mindfl Tea is to help people in our overstimulating culture. It seems that our culture is one of overstimulation, with sensationalist media, violent TV and movies, relentless advertising wherever we go, social media, and of course strong coffee! Strong coffee, with 200-300 mg of caffeine per cup, can lead to overstimulation, especially given the conditions we live in. Overstimulation can lead to tremendous aversion that nearly paralyzes us, so I want to offer a healthy alternative in tea, some of which contain up to 80 mg caffeine per cup, and many of which are caffeine-free. This lower amount of caffeine is more along the middle path of Buddhism, leading to a moderate amount of stimulation while avoiding the jitters. Moreover, tea has L-theanine, an amino acid which causes relaxation. In addition,
tea has antioxidants that help prevent cancer and anti-inflammatory molecules that work to prevent heart disease and improve immune system functioning.
Furthermore, scientific studies have shown that too much caffeine is as ineffective as too little caffeine in enhancing cognitive and physical performance.
A couple of our delicious, flavorful teas. The Yaupon tree is an evergreen perennial native to the southeastern United States. The leaves contain about the same amount of caffeine as green tea, and also antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules. Native Americans drank yaupon tea for thousands of years for its health-promoting and energizing effects.
Caffeine-free teas
Mindfl Tea also sells caffeine-free teas like Chamomile. These are perhaps even more ideal for mindfulness practice, as they lead to calmness. Chamomile tea is effective at slowing down racing thoughts.
To conclude, I started Mindfl Tea due to the rich tradition of tea and mindfulness being interwoven, because I noticed positive synergistic effects of mindfulness and tea while meditating, and to help people reduce stimulation in a culture of overstimulation. Check out our teas at https://mindfltea.com.