TEA CEREMONIES

Very simply, tea can be thought of like wine - the integrity of the leaf is dependent on growing conditions, locations, soil, farmed or wild, the season they’re picked, the amount of sunlight or moonlight the leaves are exposed to.

Tea ceremonies allow us to leave our weapons at the door. It’s a time to connect at the most basic level, to allow and to surrender. One of the most enjoyed beverages on the planet, people from all walks of life can relate to tea.

The ceremonial experience drops us in at the most basic level - leaves, water and a bowl. In many ways this experience is like an active meditation, being mindful in a shared experience with thousands of years of roots. Feeling the warmth and textures of the ceramic bowl, the aromas of the steam rising, the feeling of the warm drink in the mouth and stomach, and most interestingly the movement of qi (energy) and the feelings that ensue.

TEAm CEREMONY OPTIONS:

1) STRESS-LESS

This is the ceremony where we sit and let the tea and ceremonial experience calm us busy beings. The mind will almost certainly wander, and through discussion, mindfulness and brief meditations throughout we will all enjoy the deeply calming nature of the tea ceremony.

2) CREATIVITEA

This Creativitea ceremony is for when a team is looking to support the creation and development of ideas or to progress something that is perhaps stuck. It might be during meeting or day that needs extra fluidity, to invoke new thoughts, or perhaps as a means to support problem solving. Ideal for 2 to 10 people. Max 15 people. Tea ceremonies last for varying durations (30 mins to 2+ hours) and can be delivered at set times or throughout a full day experience. Please enquire for more information.

THE EXPERIENCE

During the ceremony itself, we sit in a semicircle, ideally on the floor. Some parts will be in silence, others more expressive. The group will hear about the origins of tea, some of the original uses, the different types of tea and also some tea stories where the metaphors are specifically used to guide the mind into a state of calm connectedness. The type of tea served will depend on the type of experience requested.

The ceremony experience includes all of the ceremonial paraphernalia (tea bowls, burners, tea pots, ceremony alter, clean water) and a 25g bag of tea for each member of the ceremony. For every booking, a donation is made to either an Ocean Clean Up project or the Woodland Trust for tree planting and protection of ancient trees.

ABOUT RICHARD ENION

Richard is a tea expert who delivers tea ceremonies in a variety of languages (English and Spanish) throughout the world. Tea ceremonies are an active meditation, allowing individuals to be mindful in a shared experience with thousands of years of roots. Richard’s interest in health and wellbeing stems from his experience of living with and learning from doctors of Chinese Medicine in LA as well as overcoming obesity as a teenager and cancer in his early 20’s. As well as Tea Meditation, Vipassana is his current favorite meditation practice; it begins with ten days of meditation in noble silence and then can be used as a regular practice.

Richard has successfully combined his Business background (he holds a first class degree in Business Information Systems) with a personal training qualification, and he has over 15 years of experience hosting events and talks for global companies such as HSBC, L’Oreal, and a number of leading Universities on health, wellness and motivation. He is also the Co-author of the book "F**K Dieting" (being launched Spring 2020). He believes that Tea ceremonies allow us to leave our weapons at the door. It’s a time to connect at the most basic level, to allow and to surrender.