We’ve teamed up this month with the super cool yoga company Fierce Grace – their 5 studios across London are THE place to get your hot yoga fix, and for the month of May you’ll also find teapigs tea samples on site too so you can refresh with a cuppa after your practice.
We asked Fierce Grace Yoga founder Michele Pernetta why she’s such a fan of tea:
“Tea is very important to me. It is a moment of pleasure in a difficult day, a small island of comfort and nurturing fulfilment.
I have tried all different kinds of tea, but black tea for me cannot be equalled.
My favourite quote is
“There are only two things to drink before yoga practice - tea or coffee.” Pattabhi Jois
I put this quote up in the Primrose Hill studio tea room. It shocks students! Black tea is natural. If you drink a cup before you exercise it gives that extra energy boost and allow you to work harder and burn more calories. It is high in antioxidants, lowers cholesterol, and improves digestion.
My love of tea goes back to when i was too young even to drink it. My childhood years were filled by the sound of my father clinking his teaspoon in his fine bone china teacup. My dad was a partial invalid unable to go out very much and so he sat at home with us reading to me, helping me to draw and just sitting for hours together drinking tea. The sound of him making tea comforted me when I awoke from a nightmare.
The Japanese have a tea ritual to develop mindfulness, a kind of puja of devotion and meditation. My father had a ritual quality to his tea making. It was a sacred moment in his day. He heated the pot, he heated the cup, very fine bone china. He stirred slowly and carefully. He had big voluptuous lips and huge hands and he would delicately sip this feminine teacup, emblazoned with roses. He would blend tea and it was big news in our house whenever he announced he was switching from one type of tea to another. My love of tea started here, in these intimate, nurturing moments, and I’m sure 99% of brits have similar stories. It’s in our culture, our childhoods our blood.
Studies show that tea can benefit the heart, diabetes, and may even offer some protection from cancer and contribute to longevity. Even if it was not good for you though, I think I would still drink black tea because even if it's just a psychological belief that this is a nurturing thing to do, it certainly does have a positive and nurturing effect and brings pleasure to my day.”
Visit fiercegrace.com for more info on their great hot yoga classes :)
