Pure Leaf has been killing the innovation game lately. With new cold brew teas coming out regularly, housing some of the most creative flavors in the bottled tea market, and a mixture of pop-ups and events throughout NYC and around the US, their name is bigger than ever.
Their newest venture, Tea House Meditations, is just another innovation to add to the list. They've partnered with wellness gurus to create an Amazon Alexa-led meditation series inspired by some of their specialty tea flavors. Their team sent me an Amazon Echo and Infuser so I could test it out for you. Here's how it works and what I thought.
How Does it Work Exactly?
The first step is getting yourself an Alexa product from Amazon, and an infuser with their essential oil set. Once you have those, it's as simple as adding the oil that corresponds with your series and asking Alexa to open their Tea House Meditations program. Mention one of the 5 meditation series' when prompted and get ready to meditate.
You can purchase an infuser here (though any will work), essential oils here, and the Echo Dot here.
But What if You Don't Have/Want to Buy an Alexa?
We all know Alexa ain't cheap, so the good people at at Amazon, made this accessible to even those who aren't ready to relive Smart House just yet.
Amazon also announced that Alexa has been integrated into IOS, so iPhone users can tap the microphone icon next to the search bar in the Amazon Shopping App and give it Alexa voice commands.
In order to get the meditation to work, you need the Alexa App, too (which will work even without your owning the device). Check out the full instructions here.
What Are Each of the Series'?
1. Happiness
The Happiness series is inspired by one of their newer flavors Strawberry and Garden Mint Iced Tea. It includes the "Mood Lift" essential oil and aims to makes you feel joyful and remind you of the sweetness of life.
2. Gratitude
Gratitude meditation comes from another new flavor, Chai Spiced Iced Tea, using "Inner Calm" essential oil to promote a feeling of comfort and soothing effects associated with thankfulness.
3. Focus
Sicilian Lemon & Honeysuckle Iced Tea inspires this meditation to help you stay centered and feel a heightened sense of clarity. The oil for this is appropriately called "Zen".
4. Relaxation
Using "Relaxation" oil to promote peaceful and tranquil feelings, the Relaxation series is inspired by Blackberry and Sage Iced Tea, the latter flavor (Sage) is featured heavily in the meditation's walk-through.
5. Energy
The Energy meditation is a walk-through that should leave you feeling invigorated, motivated and revitalized, using "Stay Alert" essential oil and inspired by Fuji Apple with Ginger Iced Tea.
So What Did I Think?
As someone who gets antsy from even doing yoga and sitting still for long periods of time, I wasn't exactly the poster child for a meditation program. Lucky for me, each of these is only about 3 minutes, so even if I had started to get bored quickly, the walk-through ends as quickly as it begins.
A big plus for me was the infuser combo. The great scent lingered long after the meditation ends and filled my apartment for hours after the infuser turned off. And the words of the meditations allowed you to connect with the origins of the scents, like sage during Relaxation. They mention the plant during the walk-through, making the scene you are imagining feel more realistic.
I didn't love every one of the essential oil smells, but then again, everyone's tastes are different and you can't love everything.
The meditation I was most surprised by was "Energy" because I found it hard to think that meditation could promote energy and wakefulness, since it is inherently an activity that promotes staying still, closing your eyes and breathing deeply, all of which are activities that I would think promote relaxation and a lowering of energy levels.
I was wrong. These really help you feel more alive and rejuvenated, even after 3 minutes of staying still with your eyes closed.
All-in-all if you're someone who enjoys trying new things and wants to find a daily ritual to give yourself some much needed relaxation time, this is definitely something to try. As with me, you may not be a fan of all the smells, in which case, you can just go through the meditation without whichever scent is recommended, or try it with an oil you like better.
And at the end of it all, it doesn't hurt that it gives you an excuse to also try some new tea along the way. Their Spiced Iced Chai is really something different and refreshing.