Can a cup of tea open us to the mysteries of life and ourselves?

We invite you to explore the answer with us in a virtual tea room with Mina Lee.

Mina is an executive coach and East-West cultural bridge who moves fluidly between wisdom traditions and corporate settings. Whether she's working with global audiences or circles of two, she is often guided by this question: "How can we arrive more deeply into the present moment through love?" One of the methods she uses is the tea ceremony.

"Tea can help us cultivate stillness, beauty and deep connection," Mina says, "with ourselves, others, and nature." Tea has over 5,000 years of history in China, originally used by Taoists to deepen their meditations. For several years, Mina has been training with a Chan (Zen) monk who forages in old, wild, and unpolluted tea forests in China for tea to use in their ceremonies. The ceremonies can enhance one's awareness of posture and breath, and serve as a portal to the subtler energies and dimensions of life.

The virtual tea ceremony: in Mina's words: "We will practice connecting the mind and body, followed by the heart and energy body, moment by moment, into the pure presence. We will then connect as a community, using tea to embody what we want to drink in for 2024. We practice life through the practice of tea. A sensual, embodied, and heart-opening practice into stillness and connection!"

What to bring: a cup of your favorite tea (oolong, green, white, black, puer, herbal -- whichever you most prefer), and a pitcher of hot water (enough to pour four cups of tea).

The ceremony and reflections will last approximately 60 minutes.

Please join us in sipping tea, imbibing life, and expanding our individual and collective hearts for the New Year!

In preparation for the ceremony, we invite you to reflect upon the wisdom of a Chan monk: "The key to tasting tea is to never judge it. Some teas open in the beginning and fade quickly, some teas take...and last longer, but if at every cup you are tasting for whether it is good or bad, that judgment influences your journey before and after. Instead, just be with it."

To listen to Mina's past Awakin Call, click here and view the "recordings" tab.

***Please note new starting time for these Awakin Calls starting in 2024.