A Tea Practice for Emotional Release and Healing

This weekend, we welcome the April Full Moon, often called the Pink Moon — not for its color, but for the wild phlox that blooms around this time, painting the earth in soft hues of renewal. Full moons mark the peak of lunar energy, a time when emotions rise to the surface, asking to be seen, felt, and released.

This particular moon carries the energy of emotional clearing, encouraging us to loosen the grip of old stories and soften the weight we carry. It’s a time to let go of past hurts and stagnant energy — not through force, but through presence. Through quiet, mindful ritual.

And tea offers the perfect medicine.

Tea as a Gentle Ally

We turn to tea not simply for flavor and enjoyment, but as a plant teacher — a quiet, non-verbal guide into deeper states of presence and awareness. Tea helps us slow down, return to the breath, and listen more deeply to what’s moving within us.

When emotions feel stuck or heavy, the practice of sitting with tea — in stillness, without distraction — can be a way to gently befriend what’s there. To hold it tenderly. And in doing so, begin to let it go.

A Simple Full Moon Tea Ritual for Release

Here’s a gentle ritual you can try this weekend to align with the energy of the Pink Moon:

1. Create Space
   Choose a quiet time and place. Light a candle or some incense. Open a window to feel the night air. Let your space reflect the energy of simplicity and stillness.

2. Brew with Intention
   Choose a tea that feels soft and supportive — aged sheng Puerh for grounding and clarity, or a floral oolong for emotional uplift and heart-opening. As you prepare the leaves, consider what you’re ready to release.

3. Sit and Sip Slowly
   Allow the tea to guide you into your body. As you drink, notice what arises — sensations, memories, emotions. There's nothing to fix or analyze. Just witness.

4. Let the Full Moon Hold It
   If possible, drink under the moonlight or with a view of the sky. Imagine placing your emotional weight in the hands of the moon — trusting it to hold what you’re ready to release.

5. Close with Gratitude
   After your final bowl or cup, close your eyes and offer thanks to the tea, the moon, and your own heart for showing up. Feel what it’s like to carry a little less.

In the same way that the moon waxes and wanes, our emotional lives ebb and flow. There is beauty in both the fullness and the release. This Full Pink Moon reminds us that healing doesn’t always look like fixing — sometimes it’s simply sitting in silence, letting the warmth of tea move through the body, and trusting that something unseen is already softening within us.

May your tea space become a sanctuary for letting go.