Wishing you a very nourishing 2026. Excitingly we are approaching the lunar year of the Fire Horse which apparently means we can expect bold change and potential chaos… sounds fun!
Nowadays it feels as though we are, individually and collectively, striving to construct meaningful lives in a world that doesn't seem to inherently be providing the meaning.
One way to be effective in our quest for meaning and finding some sense of ease in our lives, is to reconnect to our truer humanity through a helpful re-training of our brain. By that I mean, it is important for us to experience life through a brain that functions as nature intended- allowing the felt sense and emotional cues of the right brain to show up first in our experiencing of something, before unpacking it and making sense of the experience through our more compartmental left brain. An inner knowing before words.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Contemplation.
Contemplation comes from the Latin word ‘contemplation’, the act of looking at. Its Greek equivalent ‘theoria’ means a ‘profound gazing, beholding or speculative viewing of reality, often involving a divine or higher understanding’. Contemplation is, in essence, about self-realisation and crucial for leading a fulfilling life. It enables us to better understand and see ourselves as we truly are, align actions with values, and break free from limitations. All of which ease our passage through life.
So to set the scene a little better, let us begin by looking at concentration. Concentration is the cognitive ability to actively focus on one thing. It requires effort if we are to block distractions, hence why it is an intentional activity. Concentration is also the ‘tool’ often used to guide the first stages of our learning to meditate effectively. We might concentrate on our breath or parts of our body for example. It involves the ‘doing’ parts of our brain. Meditation is generally thought of as the spiritual practice of connecting to the quieter, more deeply evolved aspects of our consciousness, an ability to connect with our experiences through a wider, more interconnected lens. Most meditation practices are helping train our minds to be more still, present, aware, and less reactive. Although not a passive process, its intention is to settle us, allowing changes in the way we interact with ourselves and the world.
And this is where contemplation comes in. Sitting within concentration and meditation, contemplation is using that still and present space to welcome in a more active and receptive awareness, where there is a freedom to explore and question what shows up. Contemplation involves ‘marking out’ the space created for active observation and investigation. This is where the tea comes in.
I have spoken a lot in these newsletters about the impact on our brain chemistry these remarkable whole-leaf teas have. Promoting our alpha brain wave meditative state, activating both left and right brain hemispheres, removing cortisol from the blood thus de-stressing the mind-body and activating the ideal mental state of calm wakefulness. I’m hoping there is enough exciting stuff there to connect the practice of contemplation with a daily tea-drinking practice, the Tea opening the portal to this delicious state of simultaneously being and doing. Our truly human state.
Breathe and Brew is the term we’ve coined to express the intentional act of sitting with your cup of tea with the purpose of engaging in contemplation, for the tea does all the groundwork for you. It gently invites you for a spot of self-reflection and what shows itself in that space is for you to discover. Some people like to freestyle, some people like prompts or wisdom-led teachings to hold the space for them.
Each tea opens a different ‘quality' of space for pondering different considerations of your life experience. All will help elicit insight, meaning, growth and well-being, if you so desire.
As the New Year begins, why not set a little intention with your morning cuppa, I assure you, although gentle, it can be pretty life-changing. Wishing you a wonderful January and we look forward to talking to you again in February.
Bristol friends, please do join us at the Arnolfini for our next live Breathe and Brew experience https://arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/breatheandbrew/
Anne and Ric x