Author: Traci Levy
In this post, I share my initial disappointment and eventual appreciation of my experience with an Interactive Guided Meditation course from Jack Kornfield.
In April 2025, I finished an online Masterclass in Interactive Guided Meditation led by Jack Kornfield. Initially, I was disappointed. I misunderstood the nature of the “cohort” system for this course. Despite that, I was fascinated and, at times, moved by the new tools and the deeper dives into some of the techniques I learned.
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Using Tea to Identify Plants
I’m trying to harness my love for tea to help me learn something unrelated to tea–to identify plants and remember them!
Since you are reading my tea blog, you already know–or can guess–that I am a lover of tea and all things Camellia sinensis. I typically enjoy one or two mindful tea sessions every day. Sometimes, I take my tea on nature walks.
Varli in Williston Park, New York serves three different kinds of chai, or tea. They also serve Indian street food.
Although I’ve had a number of delicious meals there (including breakfast on the weekend), this review will focus on the three types of chai that Varli serves.
I visited Varli in Williston Park several times before writing this review of their chai. It was important to me to try their different types of chai on different visits.
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My First Visit to a Buddhist Monastery
A few weeks ago, I was lucky to enjoy my first visit to a Buddhist monastery. I spent a weekend at Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate New York. The monastery is part of the Plum Village Tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
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Tips to Take More Tea Walks
I’m sharing tips to take more tea walks!
Teatime and nature walks are two occasions when I reliably slow down.
I tend to breathe more deeply and slowly, and connect with the present moment.
I’ve found arranging to have tea in nature (tea + nature walk) especially calming and delightful.
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Five-Minute Tea Bubble Meditation
This post shares a short tea-bubble meditation. You can do it in as few as five minutes.
It uses the bubbles from pouring certain teas–NOT bubble tea–as the focal point of the meditation.
Does a particular tea that you drink tend to make more bubbles when poured? If so, that’s a great tea to choose.
Examples could include chai, Darjeeling, etc.
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Review of Té Company, East Village Tearoom
Té in the West Village of NYC, is one of my favorite tearooms. So, when an East Village Location of Té Company opened, I couldn’t wait to try the new tearoom.
I’ve been to the East Village location of Té twice now. Once, before hours, for a tea tasting–a wonderful experience. The second time, I met my daughter-in-law for tea there. Also a wonderful experience. I like to visit a place more than once–if I possibly can–before I review it.
Great news: This location, as far as I can tell, has the same excellent selection of Taiwanese teas as the original Té. (See my review of the original, West Village location here.)
Make it easy to have restorative and mindful tea sessions this spring: purchase your Spring Rest Kit for Tea Lovers!
Imagine carving out time to enjoy a peaceful, mindful tea session. You spend a few moments using a practice to ground yourself. Then, you mindfully drink your tea and take time to journal. Maybe there is even music playing. At the end, you notice that you feel more at ease and peaceful.
I designed this Spring Rest Kit for Tea Lovers to help you have experiences like this!
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What’s Mindful Tea?
Ever wonder what people mean when they refer to “mindful tea” or a “mindful tea session?” This post shares one vision of what that could look like.
You carve out 10 minutes. Or 20 minutes. Or 30.
Imagine sitting down in front of your tea things with resources to help you have a convenient, restful, and mindful tea session. Or, you just have your cup of tea.
Maybe the sun is streaming through a nearby window. Maybe the rain is sliding down it.
Perhaps you’ve arranged your tea space with intention. A smooth rock from a beach vacation is next to your teacup. Blooming flowers are nearby, as is your journal.