Using Matcha to Enhance Meditation
Meditate Like a Monk
Meditating is easy.
Just sit on the ground, close your eyes, and magic happens.
Umm…
That would be nice, but… no.
Not even close.
Actually, meditating can be really hard.
Meditation takes practice and dedication.
Some days we feel great and our practice is amazing.
Other days, well, not so much.
Today especially, stress levels are higher than ever.
Closing our eyes and calming our mind — well, it’s harder than ever.
Isn’t that right?
Well, what if there was a simple way to get help you get into that ideal headspace?
What if there was something that could help you sit more peacefully in your daily practice.
Well, good news: there is.
Traveling across the Pacific Ocean to the island-nation of Japan — we discover the our answer.
For 100s of years now, the Monks in Japan have been enhancing their daily practice through adding one simple ingredient to their diet.
This one simple ingredient calms the mind.
This one simple ingredient enhances focus.
This one simple ingredient gives sustained energy.
What is this once simple ingredient?
You may have guessed it already:
Matcha green tea powder.
Maybe you have heard of it; maybe you haven’t.
That’s okay — regardless, now you have.
But, how exactly does matcha tea powder calm the mind, enhance focus, AND give you sustained energy?
Simple.
To begin, matcha is a green tea — which means it contains caffeine — but not too much.
In fact, a serving of matcha contains roughly 1/3 the amount of caffeine when compared to a cup of coffee.
The benefit here: no racing heart, and no jitters.
Sounds good so far, right?
Now, here is where it gets really interesting…
Matcha tea powder also contains a very unique and powerful amino acid, called “l-theanine”.
Simply put, l-theanine is a naturally occurring relaxant found only in tea.
And in Japan farmers grow the tea in a very unique way in order to maximize the amounts of l-theanine in the tea leaves.
When consumed, l-theanine stimulates the brain in a way that creates alpha brain wave activity — putting you in an alpha state.
Alpha is 'the power of now', being here, in the present. Alpha is the resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning.
- Brainworks Neurotherapy
Translation: l-theanine calms the brain and enhances focus, without drowsiness.
Combining that with the caffeine in matcha and you get a calm, focused, and energized mind & body: a perfect state for meditation.
Calm, focused, & alert energy…
Isn’t that how everyone wants to feel when they meditate?
Japanese monks have been using this simple matcha hack for years… maybe it is time you give it a try too.