My Cup of Tea

I have written about drinking water flavored with herbs from my garden during the summer, but during the winter they are not available. I drink mostly herbal teas, and I have a whole cupboard full of various flavors and brands for different moods and needs.Some are fruity, some are spicy, some are for health issues, and some are for pure enjoyment.
One brand that I like and buy frequently is Yogi. Yogi teas not only feed the body, they also feed the spirit. They are made from all natural ingredients, most are herbal, with a few green and black tea varieties. As one of their principles states, "We don't have laboratories, we have kitchens". Their guiding principle is: "Feel Good, Be Good, Do Good." Many of their teas are created for specific health issues, such as stress, colds, digestive issues and PMS.One of my favorites from this category is their Honey Lavender Stress Relief tea.
They also make a variety of teas in interesting and unusual flavors. My morning drink is often a big mug of one teabag each of Mayan Cocoa Spice and Sweet Aztec Chili, with a little Xylitol to sweeten it. As the names suggest, this gives me a spicy cocoa flavor to get me up and moving. Keep in mind, that if you are expecting the Cocoa Spice to tasted like a cup of cocoa made with milk, you may be disappointed, but if you try it with an open mind, and enjoy it for its own uniqueness, you may be happily satisfied. I have also sometimes combined it with a raspberry tea, for a wonderful 'chocolate covered fruit' taste.
So how does a cup of tea feed the spirit? Oh, let me count the ways. Depending on the kind of tea you are drinking, it can be refreshing, energizing, calming, soothing... With Yogi teas, you get something extra, besides the tea itself. Every teabag has a tag with a pearl of wisdom, almost like a fortune cookie.A sampling: 'Grace brings contentment': and 'Bliss is a constant state of mind, undisturbed by loss or gain'. Those of us with chronic health issues can take that to heart. We may have lost some aspects of our selves, life may be more difficult, but bliss is inside of us, despite our losses. I went to their website, www.yogiproducts.com, and explored. On the 'Inspiration' page I clicked on 'Inspirations'. There I found an interactive teabag. Click on a part of it, and you get a pearl of wisdom, written by one of their readers. (If you want to, you can post your own pearls.) The first one I found was 'Erase all the obstacles from your mind and let the light shine on you'. Another was 'There is no shame in what's shaping you'. In other words, stop apologizing for your illness and its effects on you (and others ).
On the 'Ingredients' page, you can look up particular ingredients that you especially want, or need to avoid, and it not only gives a description of that ingredient and what it is good for, it also tells you which teas it is in.
Even the box itself is a work of art. The inside of the box is a lovely Eastern pattern, one of these days I am going to open up a box flat after it is empty, and color in the design with my colored pencils. Maybe I will do a whole series of these... Another feature on the box and the website is yoga poses, with descriptions, pictures and the benefits of each pose.There are videos you can watch made by Yogi Tea Master Guru Hari, as well as some made by others, about the teas and their benefits.
As to the teas themselves, I enjoy the variety, the unique flavor combinations, as well as the way they make me feel. A hot mug of tea on a winter day makes me feel protected and cared for, and my mouth gets to enjoy every sip. Yogi teas may or may not be available in your local grocery store, but they are in health food stores, organic food stores, and the like.There is a store locator on the website, or you can order some online, without having to change out of your jammies.