Pour your tea to a ceramic cup with a handle. Keep it on a table and sit in front of it. Become aware of your sitting position – how you keep your feet and where you feel your body weight, the touch sensations on any part of the body, even the touch of your clothes on your body, the hard and soft sensations of your seat. It might be useful to slowly become aware of your whole body from tip to toe for a few seconds within your own mind.
Just be open to the sounds that surround you. Do you hear the silence in between? As you become aware of that silence look at the cup. Become aware of any thoughts that come to your mind. Sometimes the thoughts relating to expectations about the cup might come to your mind (such as likes, dislikes, memories about tea or any unrelated thoughts that may pop up), be aware and continue the observation, no need to analyze. Observe the shape of the cup. Look at the tea inside the cup. Observe the colour, the golden ring right round the perimeter. Now touch the cup and hold it and feel the warmth, the smoothness or the texture of its surface, the weight of the cup and slowly bring it towards your mouth as slowly as possible. Before you even bring your lips closer to the cup smell the aroma that emanates from the tea. Does this aroma evoke any thoughts, memories, expectations? If so, become aware of them but don’t analyze them. Notice and simply move on. Observe the intention to drink. Bring the cup closer to your mouth. Become aware how your lips open up. Observe the warm sensation on your lips. Become aware of the process of tilting the cup and how hot tea touches your lips and tongue. Take a sip to the mouth and take the cup away. Observe the whole experience, what do you feel first – the wetness or the warmth? The taste? What are the tastes that you notice and from which parts of the tongue or mouth do you get them? Become aware of the process of swallowing the tea. Hear the sound of swallowing. Try to notice what happens to your breath at this moment. Are you inhaling, exhaling or holding the breath while swallowing? Try to feel how the hot liquid flows through your throat. Observe where you have the cup and once again become aware of your total being.
Repeat the whole process as many times as you can. Slower you do it the better it is to develop the ability to become aware of the present moment. You might notice suddenly that you are thinking of a totally unrelated subject instead of paying attention to drinking tea. Relax.. come back to the present moment. Continue the experiment as long as you can.
What are the tastes that you notice and from which parts of the tongue or mouth do you get them? Become aware of the process of swallowing the tea. Hear the sound of swallowing. Try to notice what happens to your breath at this moment. Are you inhaling, exhaling or holding the breath while swallowing? Try to feel how the hot liquid flows through your throat. Observe where you have the cup and once again become aware of your total being.