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Tastes and smells have the power to transport us to other times and places. Maybe the smell of the ocean brings you back to childhood vacations, the scent of pine trees conjures up Christmas, or one bite of a melted s'more has you looking for the nearest sleeping bag to snuggle up in. Of course, tea can do this for us too, and your trip down memory lane is as easy as boiling a pot of water. 

One place I can easily transport myself is to my grandparents' table.  All it takes is a cup of decaf tea.   It has a calming familiarity, and suddenly I'm perched in that bright dining room, feet not quite reaching the floor, dumping spoon after spoon of sugar into my after-lunch mug. 

I am now the proud owner of several of Grandma's dainty teacups, which I never even saw as a child. Someday I'll have a house with some display space in which to show them off. For now, I enjoy using Grandma's creamer and sugar bowl - especially that sugar bowl. I still like my tea sweeter than Grandma likes hers, and I definitely let mine steep longer than she does. (Family joke: some relatives just "wave the bag over" their hot water. You know who you are!) In honor of Grandma's birthday, I'm thinking of her, and looking forward to sharing a cup of tea with her again soon. And seeing where it takes us. 

Meditation is being proclaimed by magazines, medical journals, and adherents everywhere as the Next Big Thing: a cure for stress, for headaches, for pain, even for obesity. While I'm not personally in a position to make any huge claims about meditation's efficacy as a cure for any ailment, I can certainly say that it has helped me achieve and maintain a sense of balance in my own hectic life.

But meditating was extremely difficult the first several times I attempted it; it's difficult, in a world full of chaos and busy-ness, to attain a state of stillness.

I wonder now if, had I been a tea-drinker at the time, it would have been a little easier.

Sitting down with a cup of tea is often my gateway for entrance into meditation now; tea makes the transition from consciousness to awareness so simple.

If you are new to or intrigued by meditation, here is a simple step-by-step guide to turn your next tea-time into your very first meditation.

1. Bring your tea to nature. It's often easier to disconnect from the outside world if you are not surrounded by computers, TVs, cell phones, and so on. You can even just step outside to your backyard or porch and ask your family not to disturb you for a few minutes; the simple change of scenery will help you detach from your day-to-day life.

2. Try to stop using words. When you raise your cup to your lips to take a sip, just experience that sip and that sensation: don't name it. Naming things cheapens them, and starts your mind chattering. It's much easier to not start thinking in the first place than to try to stop the thoughts from flowing and disrupting your mindfulness.

3. Don't judge the thoughts that rise up through your consciousness. Just acknowledge them and let them go. Don't interact with them; don't reflect on them. Just let them be.

4. Focus on each sip of your tea. Continue focusing on the feelings and sensations without naming them: the touch of the glass or mug against your lips; the sensation of the tea filling your mouth, its flavor, its subtle intricacies; the way it feels as it slides down the back of your throat and into your stomach.

5. Spend as much or as little time on this exercise as you wish. Then get up and resume your normal life -- with a renewed sense of balance.

Mindfulness becomes easier in time. It is very counterintuitive -- but also very beneficial -- to spend time devoid of any thoughts or feelings. Using tea as a vehicle for meditation makes it simpler -- and, of course, also more enjoyable!

       Close your eyes.  Lift up your cup of tea, and inhale the aroma.  How do you feel?  Does the scent of your tea trigger a memory for you?  Is it a fond one?  Scientists have found that scents, can in fact trigger memory.  Scent is actually the strongest sense that triggers memory.   So it's no wonder that every time I have a cup of the Jasmine Pearls from CTH, I am overwhelmed with peacefulness.   

      Twelve long years ago, I was pregnant with my first child.  I was due anytime, and helping out in my parents cafe back home.  As pregnant as I was, I spent a lot of time sitting in an old white rocking chair, in front of the bay windows in the cafe.  I loved to sit there, watching the people go by, the snow drifting in the air.  Sitting in the chair, my hand on my abundant belly,  feeling hope, pride and nervous excitement. I can remember what I was wearing and what the cars looked like outside.  As I sat there contemplating the wonders of my first child, the sun came out.  It was snowing like a blizzard, and the sun gloriously illuminated every single snowflake.  I remember thinking, this is something I haven't seen before!  An immense sense of ease, and elation overwhelmed me, bringing tears to my eyes.  In that moment, that magical frame of time, I was able to capture almost every detail.  

      Why is this all possible?  It's not because I have photographic memory, or above average memory.  It's because it was the very first time I had, or smelled Jasmine tea.  The aroma helped my brain bookmark the scent and the memory.   It is a relatively complicated process,  that involves the olfactory bulb ( our emotional brain ) and conditioned responses.   None the less, the ability to pair emotions or memories with scents, can be a wonderful thing.  The next time you have an important event, or special day coming up, why not try a new tea from California Tea House?  A new tea, with a wonderful aroma may help you capture a wonderful memory, that will last a lifetime.

For my "maiden post" I thought I would tell you a bit about how I got here. I got my love for tea and all things tea from my mom. She, of course, gave me my first tea set... It was a child's set made of China, with beautiful yellow roses and gold trim. Tea parties were among the few girlie things I did as a child. I have two older brothers and was a bit (understatement) of a tom boy. I still have some of the pieces from my childhood sets, but most were broken... I retain the pieces like fragments of those memories. 

Tea represents a spiritual connection with my mom. She passed away in 1993 and I still miss her terribly. In the photo above she was in her early 30s and very stylish. It was the 1960s after all! The Asian tea set was a gift from her (or to her from me, I can't really remember) when I was a teenager. We exchanged tea pots and sets as gifts for all occasions. Our favorite tea was Oolong. It was a real treat because, back then, the only place you could get it in Florida was in Asian restaurants. When I drink Oolong tea now, it tastes of my past and carries me back to sharing tea with my mom. 

My daughter was not into girlie things either and since she came into my life at 6 years old, many of her childhood interests were already established. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, tea and tea wares were far from her mind. Two years ago, she blessd me with a granddaughter and when she is old enough, I will give her a real China tea set. Maybe we will have a favorite tea and when she drinks it as a grown woman, it will bring to her memories of enjoying tea with me...

China: A land of history and intrigue where many inventions still around today were discovered and created. One such find was the tea leaf. Tea remains a very popular drink in Asia and the tea culture in China thrives in this modern day and age.

The tea houses of China represent an aspect of Chinese culture that has resisted the headlong rush into modernism most countries have succumbed to. Even now, one can go to a tea house and watch tea being prepared the traditional way right before their eyes, just like it has been for hundreds of years.

American culture has changed so much since this country started, that almost nothing of the original culture remains. Local meeting points where you could meet your friends and hear the latest gossip while enjoying a drink have disintegrated into bars and clubs which encourage connecting to others in solely physical ways. The spiritual connection to others in public places has been all but lost.

Tea houses, on the other hand, serve the modern China in a variety of ways, from acting as a gathering spot for the older members of the community to talk, to hosting wedding receptions and business meetings.

While we in America can meet each other for lunch at a local restaurant or catch up with friends at Starbucks, there's something about a pot of tea that makes a get-together special because tea is the drink that brings everyone together.