“Having A Cuppa: Mindfulness For Beginners” By Natasha Richardson [Free Download]

Downloads · Emotional well-being

Allow yourself to relax as Natasha Richardson of foragebotanicals.co.uk shows you that tea can be the antidote for modern living

Perfect for any Brit, or Brit-at-heart, this exercise will guide you through mindful tea-drinking.

“Mindfulness helps us assess what advice is beneficial to us. We have become so bad at listening to our bodies. Confused by artificial lighting, elongated working hours, artificial foods and stimulants. We don’t even realise how much we’re ignoring our bodies just to live the average life. If you’ve ever experienced exhaustion you’ll know that when you’re really tired you can’t ignore your body anymore. All the artificially stimulating things in our surroundings become unbearable.

“Some people are born with this awareness of stimulus upon their bodies. In fact, when this is taken to the extreme it’s thought to contribute to schizophrenia. It’s thought that those suffering with the condition can’t close the sensory gateways that allow the average person to concentrate in a crowded place or listen to their conversation rather than all the others happening around them. If, like me, you’re naturally sensitive to life you’ll be all too aware of how hyper-stimulated we are in modern society. Quiet tech-free retreats are getting more and more popular to remedy this.

“I’d like to invite you to practice mindful tea-drinking this week as your own home-retreat from the modern world. I’d suggest trying it with a relaxing herb like Passionflower for a double-whammy relaxing effect.

“A simple summary of the instructions below is that you start by scanning your body from head to toe to closely observe how you’re feeling. Then you start to taste your tea or food and notice the changes it illicits. The ability to tune into your body using the scanning technique is something you can practice and tap into anytime. It will help with all matter of malady from over-eating to overachieving.

“Here’s an audio guide to the exercise but you can also read the outline on Forage Botanicals‘ website too.”