Tea, Nature & Ceremonies with Colin Hudon

Joining us in this episode is Colin Hudon, the founder of Living Tea. Nathalie has a deep love for tea practice and meditation with tea, and Living Tea is where she gets most of her teas from. In this episode, we’ll explore tea ceremonies, mindful living, nature, meditation, different types of teas, subtle body energies, and how you can start your own tea practice. Tea as a way of life and tradition is something that is usually not understood in the West, and it is just beginning to make its way into the Western consciousness. Colin educates us about how tea is related to the study of nature and what makes tea a way of life. Colin believes that tea is a wonderful way to start your day because it brings calmness and focus. He takes us through his morning routine, including what types of tea he prefers to drink when preparing for the day. He also talks about different types of meditation. There is definitely a place for scientific studies on tea, but Colin says that a scientific study devoid of connecting with the spirit of tea will lead to tea snobbery. However, if you begin your tea journey in a simple way that is about modesty, connection, and meditation, you won’t run that risk. www.shantiyogatrainingschool.com Join Nathalie's Friday Highlights HERE  Get our new book launching this month Living Life In Light by Nathalie Croix www.livinglifeinlight.com Check out Colin's amazing tea collection and join the tea club www.livingtea.net Stay In Touch on Instagram  @livingtea @shantiyogatrainingschool @nathaliecroix  Help create a magical tea house in Telluride for Living Tea - Link for Raffle to win the entire Living Tea Collection https://swee.ps/jTUuQaJUy Peace, love and nature! Thank you for joining us.   Colin’s full bio: Owner and founder Colin Hudon developed Living Tea through his lifelong immersion in Tea and Tao. As an herbalist, acupuncturist, and practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he discovered through the Tea ceremony a means of sharing the extraordinary depth of these Oriental Traditions in the West. In Taoist herbalism, Tea is considered a "shen" or spirit tonic through its ability to calm the mind, open the heart, remove energetic stagnation and connect us with Nature. However, the western world has learned of Tea only as a beverage grown from small bushes on plantations, rather than large, old-growth trees in wild forests containing such powerful properties. With a strong wish to learn more about formal Tea ceremony and the traditions from which the Teaceremony emerged, Colin travelled to Asia in 2010 in "search of Tea." After many months of travel, he discovered a living tradition in Taiwan. Following the cultivation and craft of Cha Tao, he sought to offer Tea to others as a form of moving meditation and living art. Thousands offer Tea to others as a form of moving meditation and living art. Thousands of tea ceremonies later, Living Teacontinues to share this way, these old-growth trees and this ancient tradition with you.   Qualities That Define a Living Tea: Seed-Propagation Room to Grow Biodiversity Chemical Free No Irrigation Healthy Relationships Between All Involved   Living Tea hosts tea ceremonies every week in Telluride, Colorado. Please refer to the Valley Floor Tearoom page to reserve spots for the weekly ceremonies. Living Tea is also available in Colorado for private ceremonies and larger events. Further, we have friends (AYAM) hosting regular ceremonies, workshops and classes in Los Angeles, where Living Tea found its roots in 2010. We make trips to Taiwan and China throughout the year to source the best tea and teaware we can find. We also work very closely with a dear friend and teamaster in Taiwan who helps guide the evolving collective of our tradition. May we share a steaming bowl together soon in this Life of Tea.