When people first think of mindfulness it’s easy to wonder where to start. The thing is, you can start anywhere at anytime. Right now if you like. But a good conscious way to start your mindfulness journey is with something most people do every day (or if you are like me, multiple times a day) - the sacred cup of coffee.
If you don’t drink coffee and prefer tea or another drink like a smoothie than substitute your drink of choice. Even water will do. Maybe you could add a piece of lemon to it to enhance the process. The trick is to pick something that you drink every day.
Start by selecting your favourite cup. Bonus points if it’s aesthetically pleasing, feels nice to hold in your hand, is clean (no coffee stains). If you don’t have a favourite cup, then it might be time to splurge on yourself or even pick one out at a second-hand store. When you pick up this cup, notice how it makes you feel, appreciate the cup, give thanks to the cup (this may seem extremely strange but stay with me).
Then smell the beans, teabag, fruit or any ingredient you are going to use in the drink. Take in the scents and the emotions it brings to you – joy, comfort, cleansing, detox.
Start to make the drink how you usually would, but be aware of each stage of the process, taking in each moment using all your senses. Feel the buttons beneath your fingers, notice the texture of the teabag or fruit, the temperature of the ingredients.
Listen to the noises that are around you – the buzz of the coffee machine, the gurgle of the kettle, the whir of the smoothie machine. Even the sound the water makes as you turn on the tap or move the water jug. Notice any background sounds like the neighbour in their yard, the toddler at your feet or birds chirping outside. Appreciate the wonderous joy that is sound.
Watch the liquid as you prepare pouring into your cup. Observe the flow and turn of the drink you have just made, noting the colours and textures.
Listen again to the sound of the liquid hitting the cup. Maybe it makes a slurping sound or is quiet like a distant ocean. Perhaps the sounds around you have risen above the liquid pouring. That’s OK. You were present for the noise even if your ears didn’t register it.
Take the cup in your hands and consciously wait as the temperature transfers through the cup into your skin. Is it warm or cold or room temperature? Note how it makes your chest feel – clear, warm, relaxed.
It’s time to smell again. Take the cup to your nose and breathe deep, noticing if the scent has changed. Does it evoke a different emotion now? The sweet coffee beans might now have a bitterness that invigorates your senses. The touch of lemon may bring a clearness to your mind.
Now taste the coffee. Feel the cup on your lips. Notice the taste of the drink on your tongue. Is it bitter, sweet, bland? Sense the liquid as it travels down your throat and into your stomach. Observe how you feel – nourished, cleansed, awakened. Take conscious sips, noting how each mouthful makes you feel. Keep alert to your other senses – the sounds around you, the changing temperature of the cup in your hands, how the liquid moves in the cup, the different tastes with each sip (maybe it’s changing from sweet to bitter), how the aroma is altering from when you first made the drink.
That’s it. You have now had a mindful coffee. Think about the last time you drank a cup of coffee. Do you remember much about it? How it made you feel? Was it just like all the other coffees you have had?
Thank yourself for taking the time to mindfully make and drink the coffee. If a barista made the coffee for you, thank them and their talent quietly after you have finished (if the coffee wasn’t made well, then thank them for trying - everyone is learning in this wonderful universe of ours). Thank the people who made and gathered the ingredients. Thank the universe for making you abundant so you can buy the ingredients. Thank yourself for turning up mindfully.
Do you remember the first time you were mindful? What were you doing? Please let me know in the comments.
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