Happy Beltane :)
The celebration of optimism, with spring at its peak and the promise of summer.... although so far the weather has made it hard to believe it’s coming!
This time of year feels like a real moment to honour the plant kingdom. Bursting with life and blossoming everywhere, plants are amazing- they make their own food by capturing the energy from the sun, and drawing water and carbon dioxide into their chlorophyll-laden bodies and boom, incredible. How different the world would be if us humans could do the same! It feels apt to offer some humbling gratitude for the plant world, as they don’t need us for their survival but we very surely need them.
I would thus like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of our herbal blends as we say goodbye to them. For so many years they have offered the bridge that connected us here in the West to the eastern wonders of Chinese tea. They invited us to experience and trust the healing power of plants through their medicinal properties, so that we might now be ready to take the leap into the empowering world of ‘true tea’, the beverages made from the Chinese tea plant or Camellia Sinensis….. here at this time in our history to help us seek a way back to our truer humanity.
Someone recently asked me why tea, tobacco and cacao became the chosen sacred plants? On doing a little research I think our ancestors revered the plants that not only offered great healing properties and spiritual expansion but also were the most enjoyable to ingest!
We are now offering regular ceremonial & community spaces where we honour the tea’s journey from seed to cup. We explore practices to utilise its profound impact on our brain chemistry as it shifts our perspective, both inwardly and outwardly, to be healthier and more interconnected.
This centering ritual is available to us individually every day, with every cup of tea. We call it Breathe and Brew.
Stillness is power. It allows us the space to separate and reflect on the emotions we attach to our thoughts . When our thoughts are troubling, filled with anxiety or high-jacked with busyness, we can often trigger our stress response.
So allowing a little time to self reflect and allow ourselves to observe and become aware of things sitting under the surface, can provide a gateway to a clearer, less-cluttered mind.
The space in a Breathe & Brew experience asks nothing of you- you don’t need to 'work' at anything, just enjoy not doing anything. So much of what we ‘do’ has to be purposeful and sometimes it's nice to just have life meander instead- it can be surprisingly enlightening.
So over the coming months we will be re-introducing each of our magical Chinese teas. Exciting times!
But for now I invite the Bristolians amongst you to join me and various colleagues for some Breathe and Brew experiences. You can find the events for this month below and on our website. The first one is part of the Diaspora festival happening this bank holiday. We would so love to see some of you there.
Wishing you a wonderful May, full of optimism, much needed sunshine and an appreciation for the plants that brighten up your plate, home and life. We look forward to talking to you again in June.
Anne and Ric x