Yogi Tea

A warm sip of heaven to wake up the morning or wind down in the evening. This tea is so easy to make and a cuddle we all deserve.

Today is blue Monday. Google defines it as the third Monday of January that is characterised as the most depressing day of the year.

I am not sure how that was measured, and I am even more uncertain on how blue, the colour of a bright sky, became the symbol of sadness.

No matter how it came to be, today is a very important day.

Not to let ourselves down, but to recognise the role of mental health in our lives.

Not just today, but any day really, we need to look after our mental health, respect each other, and support each other.

The starting and finishing line of our life is our mind.

A lot of people talk about fitness goals, exercise, and body checks. What we need to learn, me first, is to apply the same commitment and love (always) to our mind.

I am myself on a personal journey to heal and strengthen my mind.

A few things help me manage the blues. They might not work for you but hope they can be a source of inspiration to look for what makes you feel good.

I hate exercise but exercise loves me. I always find little/no motivation to do sports but every time I move my body, my mind rejoice. It’s difficult to start but once I am exercising, one I finish, I feel good. A walk, a yoga session, a run, a gym class.

I talk, with family, with friends, with myself. Letting it all out by seeing people in person, giving someone a call, or writing thoughts down on a piece of paper.

I treat myself to nice moments doing things I like. Cooking, reading, taking a bath, watching silly tv, being in the nature, you name it. I carve out some rest time and mindfully appreciate it.

I feel the feelings. Sometimes, days are bad, stillness is okay, tomorrow will be a better day. I don’t pretend things are okay if they are not and honesty is so liberating. Joy, surprise, anger, despair…I feel them all, I don’t push them away. I am training my mind to accept them and recognise them as distinct from myself. I am not joy, surprise, anger, despair. I am myself and that’s just what I feel.

I drink a lot of herbal tea. I know that’s extremely British and I might deserve a honorary citizenship just for my love of tea, but a hot drink is genuinely the most restorative ritual for me. As the tea warms me up from within, I feel like new and ready to get on with things.

That’s why today to take care of each other, I am sharing the yogi tea recipe with you. This tea has many healing properties, and not only it tastes delicious but will fill your home with a sweet and spicy aroma.

This aromatic tea is key part of a yogi’s diet and it was brought to the Western world by yogi Bhajan. He made the team himself and served the tea to his yoga students after class. The tea has five spices common in traditional Ayuverdic medicine.

This is a centuries old recipe. I slightly changed the spice ratios to adapt it to my taste. Experiment freely with the ingredients, add more or less of the spices depending on what you like and adjust the amount of water depending on the intensity you want to give to your tea. You can also omit the black tea for no caffeine or you can make chai latte by adding a bit of milk and honey. You do you.

I hope you’ll carve out a moment of peace today and enjoy this tea. You are worth it.