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Tea found me two years ago in Los Angeles at a yoga festival called Tadasana. I remember walking into the Tea tent on a gloomy Spring day, and the energy was so inviting I knew in that instant that I wouldn't want to leave. There were five tables serving tea and I was seated at Wu De's table. He served me my first bowl of Tea and my life changed at that moment. I had a sense of familiarity, as though I could feel a lineage pulling me back in time. I felt Tea had been in my life before. Wu De spoke to us about Cha Dao and I was so moved by everything he said, that his words of wisdom stayed with me all this time. And, of course, he told us about Tea Sage Hut and I knew one day I would visit.
A year later, my dear friend and tea sister, Taylor, invited me to her monthly Full Moon Tea Ceremony and brought this beautiful tradition back into my life. Sharing space with ten strangers in silence was such a powerful experience. Each bowl of Tea spoke to me in different ways. Tea is nature's medicine, and nourishes my mind, body & spirit, harmonizing me with all the elements. The energy in the room shifted throughout the session and by the end of it we came out brothers and sisters. It was incredible to experience how we all connected without using words to communicate.
Eight months later, after completing my Vedic Meditation Initiator Training in India, I traveled to Tea Sage Hut to deepen my love and reverence for Tea. I arrived at the doorstep of this sacred space with no expectations and my cup empty, ready to be filled with wisdom and tea. The moment I opened the door the energy of this magical center filled me with an overwhelming sense of peace and I felt like I was returning home. Wu De, his beautiful wife, Joyce, and the resident students welcomed me into their family with open arms and open hearts. Their hospitality and enthusiasm for Tea deeply nourished me. I was moved by being fully immersed in Cha Dao: the way life flows in the day-to-day activities, from Tea ceremonies, to cleaning, to collecting water from a mountaintop, always mindful and present. As Wu De says, "How you do anything, is how you do everything," and these wise words have left me witnessing how I interact with everyone and everything I encounter - from the way I speak to someone to how I hold my Tea bowl. Each person at the Hut exemplified what it truly means to be selfless and to be of service.
After collecting my first set of teaware, I have left Tea Sage Hut inspired and humbled at the opportunity to share this beautiful tradition with my family, friends and clients. I will be incorporating tea ceremonies at the end of my Ayurvedic Nutrition & Lifestyle Workshops. I've come to see tea as a medicine, and I believe that it can be such a great aid in creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It certainly has done so for me!
I am also a meditation instructor, and I can already foresee many of the ways that Tea is going to influence the group sits I lead. In that way, a lot of the bowls we share together each month will have a greater influence. On my trip, I realized just how much tea and meditation are the same, learning new ways to share them both.
If you find yourself in Los Angeles or Miami, I would love to meet each of you, my extended Tea family, and have the honor to serve you Tea. You can connect with me at:
sabina.padilla@gmail.com
