Coffee Meditation Will Get You Through the Darkest Days

How did I come up with the idea of coffee meditation?

Back in 2019 I participated in a Mindfull Coffee Tasting conducted by Just Breath Project in London. It was a fun 45 mins cupping session with coffee from local roasteries and wonderful guided tasting. This experience was more about learning how to do cupping in a relaxed atmosphere and have support on tasting new flavors. I still felt that it was missing something, so I started experimenting more with the idea of combining guided meditation and coffee tasting. As cupping is bit technical and I have noticed that for many newbies, the procedure takes majority of their concentration preventing them from tasting which would be the original reason to do cupping. Instead of putting too much effort on how the tasting is done I started to center my attention on how I feel during the coffee tasting and realized that I can taste much more in this way plus I felt that got all the benefits of meditation as a side effect.

I been now conducting coffee meditation to different groups from time to time and every time people say that they felt the aroma and flavor of coffee was clearer and that felt it was easier for them to taste. I invite you to take few minutes to yourself and to grab some of you favorite coffee and give coffee meditation a chance! 

It would be best if somebody else would read the instructions and guide you through the meditation. But just by loosely following the instructions and concentrating on the present moment works fine at least for me personally. Before you start the meditation place three cup in front of you. Fill one cup with coffee beans, one with coffee ground coffee and one with black filter coffee. You can also just grab just the filter coffee and purely concentrate on the aroma and flavor. And now let's start.

How to coffee meditate? 

1. Sit down and get comfortable. Try to be as relaxed as possible in the posture that is the most comfortable for you. This is a break from the everyday hustle. Take your time gazing the space around you. You can look at cups in front of you but do not touch or taste anything yet.  
2. Start paying attending to your breath. Feel how it flows in and out through your nose. You can now close your eyes if it feels comfortable for you. Take five breath circles in and out through your nose with your own pace. Try to consecrate solemnly on your breath, you do not have to worry about emptying your mind or worry about anything. 
3. Continue your calm breathing but now shift your attention on the coffee beans in front of you. Place your right hand into the cup with the beans. Feel how the beans feel against your skin. Are they smooth and round or maybe a bit cool and greasy?  After feeling the beans long enough, you can return you hand to your lap. Take again five breath circles in calm pace.
4. Continue with your own calm breath and shift your attention towards the cup with ground coffee in it. Put your left hand into the cup and feel how the coffee feels against your skin. Does it feel rough, prickly or more dust like? After you have felt the coffee long enough you can return your hand to your lap. 
5. Continue with peaceful and calm breath and now shift your attention to the cup with coffee in it. Take it to your hand. Concentrate on how the cup feel in your hand. Is the surface warm or has it already cooled down a bit. Does it feel smooth or rough against your skin. Take again five breath circles trough nose in calm pace. 
6. Lift the cup in front of your face, breathe in through your nose, and blow out through the mouth. Concentrate on the aroma of the coffee and take five breath circles. What can you smell, maybe sweetness or the roast? Is the aroma soft or strong?
7. You can now lower the cup but continue holding it in your hand. Concentrate again to your breath. Feel how your chest is rising and falling with your breath. Take five breath circles trough your nose.
8. You can now take a light sip from your coffee and twiddle it your mouth. How does the coffee feel like, is warm? Is it strong? Take again five calm breath circles.
9. Take another sip from your coffee and this time concentrate on the flavour.  Is there sweetness, acidity or bitterness in your cup? What other flavours or nuances can you find? Take again five breath circles through your nose. 
10. You can continue drinking your cup or just hold your cup in your hand. Return concentration to your breath. Feel how your chest is rising and falling. Your mind feels relaxed and the coffee cup in your hand feels warm and nice. This mediation has calmed your mind. You feel rested yet energized. 
11. Return slowly back to your normal breath rhythm. Wiggle your fingers and toes to increase blood flow. You can stretch your arms and back. Mediation is about to end. Thank yourself for taking this time to have a meditational coffee break.