I've been practicing yoga on and off for a number of years, really having trouble sticking to a consistent routine. For the past week I've propelled myself into daily practice every morning to help heal some injuries I sustained to my back and to help clear my mind. Yoga does a lot of things for my mind and body that tea also does. I've been thinking about all of the parallels between yoga and tea:

- tea and yoga settle and stimulate my mind

- tea and yoga soothe my body

- tea and yoga help me refocus my senses

- tea and yoga have an primal and Earthly quality to them

- tea and yoga realign my concentration

- there are yoga positions and varieties of tea for any specific ailment or mental state

- tea and yoga are nonabrasive forms of healing

I like to end my yoga practice with a cup of tea. Today it's tangerine ginger mixed with a little bit of mother's wort and some buckwheat honey. This is part of ending my routine with relaxation and a way of gratifying my efforts. I think the two together are a potent combination well worth sticking to, and one that I don't doubt will help to reinvigorate my body and clear my mind.