START YOUR OWN TEA PRACTICE

A 22-day program inviting you to slow down and live an intentional, meaningful life through the simplicity of daily tea ritual

The path of healing can feel never-ending– like there’s always another book to read, class to take, ceremony to go to, and yet your longings never quite feel satiated…

You know that longing…the one where you have done enough work that you’ve earned a break and can actually sit back and enjoy life for a second?

I’ve been there and there’s only one practice that helped me out of this never-ending spiral of self-improvement…

Tea Ceremony

Tea helps us touch what we’re actually seeking. This plant ritual reminds us what it means to be Human, aligns us with our purpose and shows us how to live with an open heart.

Isn’t that why we’re on our healing journey in the first place?

my journey with Tea

Tea helped me change my life.

I know… that’s a bold statement, but hear me out.

Tea is how I stopped pretending to be someone else and started to embody my soul.

Tea is how I remembered that I am nature.

Tea is how I reconnected to the spirit of the Earth & the Mother.

and Tea is how I learned to love.

There was no magic pill, no perfect book, no secret club... it was just practice and drinking tea again, and again, and again.I didn’t need to know how or why it worked I just needed to hear her call and show up.

And now I’m inviting you to do the same…

Tea is the medicine of our times

In a society that is predominantly yang — Tea teaches us to be yin & feminine.

In a world ruled by rigidity — Tea teaches us how to flow.

When we don't know ourselves — Tea provides us with an unbroken mirror.

When we can no longer meet the expectations of life — Tea reminds us that we don't have to.

She is a powerful yet gentle teacher that brings us into right relationship with ourselves & all that is.

Every day when I sit for Tea, She reminds me:

Everything is OK.

I am loved, I am worthy & I am Nature.

And from that place, it’s easier to take on the world.

From that place, I am excited to be myself and to be all that I can be.

From this place, I stop compromising my needs, I stop feeling guilty for being myself, I allow myself to feel & be held & I learn to receive the beauty of this human life.

This is what we've forgotten and are so desperately trying to remember.

This is the part of your healing journey that has been missing.

Start Your Own Tea Practice

is a 22-day program that invites you to slow down and live an intentional and meaningful life — all by beginning a daily tea ritual.

So simple that it works.

In this course we go deep into nature to help us reconnect to our truth & heart through a daily practice that can bring you stillness & comfort in just 15 minutes. You’ll develop a deep connection to yourself, nature & community. This course will fundamentally change how you see the world–allowing you to move through life in a heart-centered & grounded way.

Start Your Own Tea Practice is THE most supportive, transformative and deepest way to dive into the world of Tea.

i made sure of that.
what i’m most proud of in this community is that Each heart that has gone through this course embodies the Tea spirit inside and out.

We get messages like this all the time:

"Wow, no offense, but I'm actually shocked I'm still drinking Tea every day. I never stick to anything, but this practice is unreal."

If tea has been whispering to your heart, I ask you…

will you trust Her?

testimonials

  • “I loved connecting with people around the world and getting to see their unique practices. It was really amazing to see everyone connecting with this practice and nature. It was truly incredible”

    - Heather Jaffe

  • “Here I am a month later, feeling so wildly contained and anchored. I am seeing myself for the first time as a rose–a little bud as she likes to tell me. I ultimately feel that I can trust myself and that my longings are valid and worthy.”

    - Victoria Gentry

  • "SYOTP opened the doorway for me to slow down, soften and remember. The reverence in which Mariana holds this container and her connection with Tea is deep medicine for us all as we reconnect to our own hearts, ceremony, and Mother Earth. For me, this was a journey home to Soul."

    - Kylie McBeath

  • “This experience has left me feeling a strong sense of trust. I feel like everything happened in this divine way for Tea to come into my life. It was everything I needed at this moment in time. What I'm taking with me the most is a revived reverence for nature”

    - Rachel Brathen

  • “This is life changing. I'm so grateful Mariana brought the sacredness of tea into my life. My tea practice is my active meditation, it wakes me up and fills me with such a delight. I've even transformed my living room into a place for tea ceremonies! I highly recommend starting your own tea practice with Mariana."

    - Michael Armstrong

The Nitty Gritty

The course takes place over 22 days and is a bit of an intensive. We're developing a daily practice, so we go narrow & deep right away. Our time together includes:

  • A beautiful, hand-crafted Tea bowl & a Mystery Tea to drink during the course

  • 4 live lectures on Tea, Ritual & Nature

  • 11 live virtual Tea sits

  • Active Community

  • Daily support

The next journey of Start Your Own Tea Practice begins April 28th, 2024

Class 1 | APRIL 28TH, 9am-12pm mt

Opening Intention Setting Circle. Introduction to Tea and an Earth-based ritual for sitting with Tea on a daily basis.

Week 1 | april 29th-may 4th, 8-9am mt

60minutes — group virtual tea practice + sharing and Q&A

Class 2 | may 5th, 9am-12pm mst

We'll dive into the connection between humans & nature to understand why we're here, how to relate to the non-human world & how Tea can help us show up more fully in our life & purpose.

week 2 | may 6th-may 11th

*There will be 3 Tea sits in between class 2 & 4, timing TBD.

Class 3 | may 12th, 9am-12pm mt

Discuss tangible ways to connect with Tea in our daily lives.

week 3 | may 13th-may 18th

*There will be 2 Tea sits in between class 3 & 4, timing TBD.

Class 4 | may 19th, 9am-12pm mt

Unveiling the mystery Tea be guided through ways to continue your Tea journey + closing circle.

What is a Tea Practice?

Quite simply, having a daily Tea practice means sitting in meditative silence with Tea as a plant medicine. In this ritual, you drink bowls of Tea and connect deeply with the spirit of Tea.

Why Tea?

Tea is a beautiful, heart-opening plant ally. She is a powerful and gentle as a teacher. In ceremonial Tea practice we drink what are known as living Teas. These are Teas cultivated from their natural environments in forests where Tea has lived in communion with humans for thousands and thousands of years.

In the course I’ll go over more about why Tea, but through your unique experience and relationship with Tea, the answer to this question will deepen with each bowl you drink.

READ MORE TESTIMONIALS HERE

a practice to enhance your life

Drinking Tea in ritual can bring you into right relationship with all life, including yourself.

As you sit in noble silence with this plant you are able to tune inward, uncovering the whispers of your heart and soul. During each sit you can cultivate an awakened sense of presence and harmony.

Tea has the ability to help you reconnect to purpose & the spirit of the Mother. Our practice is rooted in Earth-based wisdom and cultivates a sense of peace.

What makes this offering unique?

Having grown up in Hong Kong, I’ve been around Tea my whole life. Over the past seven years I studied Tea as a plant medicine through different teachers, travels & community. I’ve traveled to Taiwan & China to visit the Tea plants, and held ceremonial Tea space in my home for both ceremony & education.

I've served Tea to hundreds of people, most of them in their first Tea ceremony, giving me a unique perspective and understanding about how to introduce Tea to a newcomer and educate them on what we’re doing.

Two years into my practice I experienced a lull... I felt like I couldn't go deeper without reading books and learning more about Tea within human society. This is when my spiritual teacher came into my life, teaching me about the Nature Ways. These teachings are from the indigenous groups of the Americas and are based in the natural flow & rhythms of this Earth.

Tea began speaking to me even more.

My daily practice wasn't being guided by Human knowledge, but rather by Tea herself and the Elements and the Spirit of everything involved, including my own.

Through these teachings my Tea practice has become what it is today. And it is through the Nature Ways that Tea & I have co-created Start Your Own Tea Practice.

Tea rooted in Earth-based wisdom.

This course invites us to reconnect to Nature with our hearts and shift our understanding of Tea from beverage to medicine.

We will explore all of this through the lens of our Humanness, the natural world, and how to live in alignment with the cycles and rhythms of Nature.

testimonials

  • “I am blown away by how Tea has changed my life and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. I've had many different spiritual rituals and practices, but tea has simply elevated everything else. It was amazing to learn how to share the magic of tea with others, and the container was so sacred and special. It is so great that this lasts for a lifetime - far beyond the 3 week course! Mariana brings a calming, grounding energy to the practice and really made me feel like I couldn't mess it up - no matter what.”

    - Kelly Carlone

  • “My intention for this class was for tea to heal my soul and to really be present to what she was bringing into my life and I feel I have done exactly that. I am really blown away at the transformation that's happened for me in such a short amount of time. The healing I have created with Tea has literally transformed my life. It has created so much for me in 22 days. I’m beyond grateful and am really excited to see where my life goes.”

    - Elizabeth Baxter

  • "Mariana was the most incredible guide. I am so thankful for the gift that is Start Your Own Tea Practice. This class was everything that I needed and more than I could have possibly imagined when I signed up. Being in the presence of Mariana’s deeply embodied wisdom and the way in which Tea Spirit flows through you is a transformative experience in itself. Through this practice I have gained an understanding of how I can connect more deeply with nature, with other beings, and with myself that I know will continue to unfold in ever evolving layers for the rest of my life. I am profoundly grateful for this experience."

    -Kristen Wesenberg

  • “I instantly felt connected to Mariana’s generosity, authenticity and love towards the practice and how deeply rooted in her it is. As someone who travels a lot for work it matters that I find ways to ground and align wherever I am. I loved the balance of how introspective the course is while open and vulnerable it is in the shares. I went through an instant shift. I love waking up and having this practice with myself, with tea, and Spirit. My heart opens every time and I get excited for the clarity. Most importantly I learned to trust myself.”

    - May Calamway

FAQs

  • All you really need is an open heart.

    But, if you're asking about what you physically need, it's really just to sign up for SYOTP and get a thermos or kettle for hot water. Everything else is provided to you. This is about keeping things simple and not overwhelming you as you invite Tea into your life. Two weeks before the course begins, registrants will have access to a pre-course video that shares different ways to begin connecting with Tea before we officially begin.

  • Yes! Start Your Own Tea Practice is is an amazing way to come back to beginner's mind and deepen your already existing tea practice.

  • Yes! We've had students join from all over the world. My advice if you live abroad is to sign up ASAP so that we can get your tea and bowl shipped out right away. It's okay if you can't join the course live, all videos are posted soon after the class finishes. Some of the deepest experiences have come from students on the other side of the world who couldn't join live.

  • Mmmm… I love this question! Honestly, it's that it is different every time. The mystery tea, the group of people who come together, the theme and intentions anchoring the course. I do not prepare much in advance, I just show up and speak from the heart and it is a humbling experience for me each time. I feel so in love with every person who has embarked on this journey. Watching your hearts open & witnessing your unraveling is some serious medicine for me.

  • Start Your Own Tea Practice runs once (maybe twice) a year depending on the year. Enrollment is currently open for people who know they want to learn this way of being in the next year... The next course will begin in early 2023 and after that, will not run for 9 to 12 months.

  • There are no refunds once you register for this course. All experiences are recorded for your ability to participate in your own time.

read more testimonials here