This is how I start my days:

Staring into a nice, warm cup of green tea. I double bag a sencha and a genmaicha in nearly-boiling water and let them steep so the flavors meld. It makes the perfect cup. The sencha is nice and grassy and the genmaicha – green tea with roasted brown rice – is nutty.

By now you’ve no doubt heard the endless health benefits of tea: catechins (plant antioxidants) protect cells against free radical damage; boosts metabolism; improves digestion; protects against cancer….
Tea also contains the calming amino acid l-theanine, making it the true cup of serenity.
Try this morning ritual, loosely based on my former classmate Wendy Millstine’s book 5 Good Minutes:

Prepare tea and sit quietly with your hands folded around the mug. Breathe in the aroma and take a quick inventory of your body and how you’re feeling. Are your muscles tense, tight? Relax everything – especially your face – and take a deep breath in, repeating to yourself “Breathing in, I am Calm,” and exhale with “Breathing out, I am calm.”

Drink tea every day! I start out with green and move to white, sometimes red (rooibos), and then calming chamomile before bed.

Mary Vance, NC

Mary Vance is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and author specializing in digestive health. She combines a science-based approach with natural therapies to rebalance the body. In addition to her 1:1 coaching, she offers courses to help you heal your gut and improve your health. Mary lives in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in Northern California. Read more about her coaching practice here and her background here.