The Secret of Reducing Stress Gently and Naturally Revealed - Easy to Follow Advice

A Proverb from the Song Dynasty

When a peasant asked the Master what to do about the very bad harvest, he replied "Drink Tea"

When a wealthy tradesman asked the Master what to do with his failing business, he replied "Drink Tea"

When the Emperor was trapped by enemy troops, he also asked advice from the Master who replied "Drink Tea"

This sums up the Chinese belief that bitterness and worry will not last long, if one can attain the proper tranquility to see through a problem to achieve a solution. This ancient tradition has been developed for centuries through the holistic cultivation of the mind, body and spirit. It is suggested that if we drink tea, we can attain a mental and physical stage to pursue the proper clarity and peace of mind. It is not so much the tea itself that creates this state, it is more the act of drinking tea that can relax the mind, body and soul.

So how can you use tea drinking to de-stress your own life?

The answer is to see tea drinking as a bit of a ritual. Set aside time. Instead of putting a teabag in a cup to prepare a drink in less than a minute, use loose tea. Take time out.

Firstly, you need to buy a good quality tea or this just will not work. Before you place the leaves in the cup, smell the odour of the dried and wizened leaves whilst they are still inside the box. Take the appropriate quantity of leaves in your fingers; drop them into your cupped palm. Feel the texture, the crispness, the lightness. Connect physically with the leaves.

Then add them to a cup, a large bowl shaped cup is best. Watch them drop from your hand into the bottom of the cup. Imagine them falling in slow motion as if you are looking at a film. Rinse the leaves briefly with a small quantity of water, savour the new aroma released in the steam as the rinse water is decanted.

Finally add the brewing water. Watch the leaves unfurl and move on the miniscule currents in the cup. Enjoy the smell. Enjoy the motion. Enjoy the colours.

Finally, when the loose leaves have brewed to your taste, lift the cup to your mouth, feel the heat of the tea through the sides of the cup, the warmth of the rising steam on your cheeks and finally the taste of the liquid in your mouth. Run it round the inside of your mouth and let it slip slowly down your throat. Enjoy the aftertaste.

Drinking tea in this way can be a spiritual experience and benefit your body mentally. If you drink a pure organic Green, White or Oolong tea it can also be a physical health benefit too. These teas are renowned for their ability to aid your body in such areas as reducing heart disease, fighting cancer and more.

If this way of drinking tea is too spiritual for you, then think of it like this - it does at least take your mind off any problems that you may be experiencing for a period of time, which has got to be a good thing, surely? And if you have worries are you open minded enough to try this ancient, gentle and natural method of relieving stress? Or will you simply continue to take pills?