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Coffee or Tea?

personperson Don't believe everything you thinkThe liminal space Veteran
edited May 2011 in Meditation
NOTaGangsta had a post a week or so ago saying that he thought tea was better for meditation. I'm generally a coffee drinker but I thought I'd give it a try. No conclusions yet but I'm wondering if anyone else has experimented with different forms of caffiene. Is tea better than coffee for meditation? Is there a certain type of tea or blend of coffee that works better than others?

Comments

  • tesstess
    NOTaGangsta had a post a week or so ago saying that he thought tea was better for meditation. I'm generally a coffee drinker but I thought I'd give it a try. No conclusions yet but I'm wondering if anyone else has experimented with different forms of caffiene. Is tea better than coffee for meditation? Is there a certain type of tea or blend of coffee that works better than others?


    :coffee:

    LOL
  • SherabDorjeSherabDorje
    It's total milligrams of caffeine, and the proximity in time to your meditation. If you can tolerate caffeine and meditate (and not have to pee too much), then you can. If you can't, you can't. Research how much caffeine is in each, see how your body responds to that, and there you have it.
  • ArjquadArjquad Veteran
    I drink tea every weekday. I love the smell of coffee but can't stand the taste.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, causing it to release adrenaline into the system. This could make it difficult for some people to calm the mind and meditate. Herbal tea has no caffeine, and thus wouldn't have that effect.
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Tea!:)
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    I read in Andrew Weil's Chocolate to Morphine book that tea has more caffeine than coffee. But coffee is stronger because there are over 350 other stimulant compounds in coffee that act synergistically.
  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    You don't need drugs, even legal ones like caffeine, to meditate.
  • NOTaGangstaNOTaGangsta
    Tea is better than coffee fo shoo, but I have a lil cuppa time to time in the morning!
  • NOTaGangstaNOTaGangsta
    You don't need drugs, even legal ones like caffeine, to meditate.
    woooo, a square!
  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    Tea.
  • LincLinc Site owner Detroit Moderator
    edited May 2011
    woooo, a square!
    I drink tea (and other caffeinated beverages in general) like a fiend, but I do it to crank out code or stay awake. It's pretty counterproductive to drug yourself before working on conditioning your mind.
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    There's a legend about Bodhidharma being so angry at himself for falling asleep during meditation that he cut off his eyelids and threw them in the dirt where they took root and grew into a tea plant. The legend also has it that this is Bodhidharma's gift to us to aid us in alertness during meditation (To be fair, people were drinking tea long before Bodhidharma.).
  • MindGateMindGate United States Veteran
    @BuckyG

    What the f...? Thats kind of a messed up story.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    Yeah. Gross. :p
  • tammtamm
    I find the process of making matcha meditative in itself. I love making tea, then practicing my kanji, then meditation.
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    I find the process of making matcha meditative in itself. I love making tea, then practicing my kanji, then meditation.
    There's a whole tradition of tea ceremony meditation in Asia.
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    @BuckyG

    What the f...? Thats kind of a messed up story.
    He's widely thought of as the founder of Zen (Chan). Does that make Bodhidharma Eyelid Tea any more appealing?
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    eewwwwww....
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    How did he make coffee? Did he chop off his nose and ears? :lol:
  • NOTaGangstaNOTaGangsta
    woooo, a square!
    I drink tea (and other caffeinated beverages in general) like a fiend, but I do it to crank out code or stay awake. It's pretty counterproductive to drug yourself before working on conditioning your mind.
    I was kidding, I am a tea person myself. Chan masters drink tea, so relax!

  • Floating_AbuFloating_Abu Veteran
    You don't need drugs, even legal ones like caffeine, to meditate.
    What he said.

    (But I like tea just as a taste thingymajig) :)
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    If you have caffeine withdrawal headaches you might actually need some to meditate. Though of course you could get through that.
  • aMattaMatt Veteran
    There's a legend about Bodhidharma being so angry at himself for falling asleep during meditation that he cut off his eyelids and threw them in the dirt where they took root and grew into a tea plant.
    Anyone for some coffee?
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    There's a legend about Bodhidharma being so angry at himself for falling asleep during meditation that he cut off his eyelids and threw them in the dirt where they took root and grew into a tea plant. The legend also has it that this is Bodhidharma's gift to us to aid us in alertness during meditation (To be fair, people were drinking tea long before Bodhidharma.).
    Well, I did ask if there was a particular type of tea that worked better.

    :lol:
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    Get someone to hit you with a big stick and then you won't need tea or coffee! :)
  • jenzayjenzay
    I love all kinds of tea, but for some reason coffee always seems to me like something I shouldn't be drinking. It's this potent taste that I don't like, and I can't stand feeling alert when in my mind I know that I am not feeling alert naturally. I can maybe do 1 sip and then that's it.
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    Is tea better than coffee for meditation? Is there a certain type of tea or blend of coffee that works better than others
    it depends on your meditation objective...are you getting drowsy?
  • DazzleDazzle

    If you're unsure about drinks, sparkling mineral water is nice in the summer and plain boiled hot water in the winter.

    :)
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited May 2011
    For me and my metabolism, coffee to stay awake when challenged by fatigue, tea to get going in the morning
  • DazzleDazzle
    For me and my metabolism, coffee to stay awake when challenged by fatigue, tea to get going in the morning
    Yes, I like coffee when I get up first thing, then a cuppa strong English tea mid morning. Nettle tea later. (inspired by Milarepa, lol !)
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Is tea better than coffee for meditation? Is there a certain type of tea or blend of coffee that works better than others
    it depends on your meditation objective...are you getting drowsy?
    I guess I tend more towards mental sinking in my meditation than scattered thoughts.

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    Boiled water in winter? :eek: Herbal tea has no caffeine!
  • Malachy12Malachy12
    @BuckyG Ahhh! I've heard that story before! lol
  • fedaalisfedaalis
    edited May 2011
    Tea (from the camella sinensis plant) has an amino acid in it called Theanine, which is a somewhat recent object of study in the medical community. It is being associated with the calm, relaxed state of well-being that many tea-drinkers have reported experiencing. Apparently it can help offset the agitation that goes along with the presence of caffeine in the tea.

    So maybe tea, if it's between tea and coffee

    "Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, theanine has psychoactive properties.[5] Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress,[6] and improves cognition and mood in a synergistic manner with caffeine.[7]"

    ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine )
  • HappyMondaysHappyMondays
    "Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, theanine has psychoactive properties.[5] Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress,[6] and improves cognition and mood in a synergistic manner with caffeine.[7]"

    ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine )

    Yes, I've found green tea to be great as well. If you get nice looseleaf stuff, and prepare it in the right way, with the right steep time and so on, it can be something that increases alertness but doesn't get you high, like with coffee. Coffee can be so intense it almost numbs your lips.

    I drink coffee, tea, and consume dark chocolate, and I consider myself to be addicted to drugs because of this (half joking, half really not), and I really find that too much of it can just cause anxiety. Maybe bringing that anxiety to the forefront of one's mind has benefits for more advanced meditator wishing to look into the physical sensations that anxiety and jitters bring.

    In the meantime, I usually have just a little coffee in the morning an meditate 30-60 minutes afterwards, and sometimes it's a great help.

    Like life, it's about experimenting! Just don't go too overboard.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Tea (from the camella sinensis plant) has an amino acid in it called Theanine, which is a somewhat recent object of study in the medical community. It is being associated with the calm, relaxed state of well-being that many tea-drinkers have reported experiencing. Apparently it can help offset the agitation that goes along with the presence of caffeine in the tea.

    So maybe tea, if it's between tea and coffee

    "Able to cross the blood-brain barrier, theanine has psychoactive properties.[5] Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress,[6] and improves cognition and mood in a synergistic manner with caffeine.[7]"

    ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine )
    Great stuff, thanks a bunch. :)
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    ...mental sinking...
    what do u mean by this?

  • BuckyGBuckyG
    it's contingent on your meditation style & meditative purpose(s)...xanthines like caffeine and amino acids like l-theanine can be combined to varying extents in various ways...coffee's kick is primarily from caffeine...teas' kicks is primarily caffeine+l-theanine+theophyllene (some users report a calming effect from l-theanine, & theophyllene is also a xanthine), although some teas/infusions can rival the levels of caffeine in coffee...(chocolate's kick primarily comes from theobromine, yet another xanthine)...yerba me jacks you up because it has high levels of caffeine, theophyllene & theobromine...coffee, tea, and mate have some levels of all the xanthines, but i'm pretty sure tea might be the only one of three with l-theanine in it...(i LOVE l-theanine)...green teas have the highest concentration of l-theanine, but research on it is still ongoing and several teas haven't been studied yet...BEWARE: this is true of coffee, tea and mate, but especially of coffee: CAFFEINE (and probably the other stimulants) LEVELS CAN VARY WIDELY, EVEN FROM CUP TO CUP...one the most recent discoveries in the research on the substances in our favorite beverages is how this HIGH VARIANCE...the studies on tea are starting to show similar things, so, it's kind of IRONIC, but you have to use WISE INTROSPECTION to detect the effects of your stimulant beverage consumption...
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    ...mental sinking...
    what do u mean by this?

    Mental sinking and mental excitement are 2 obstacles in trying to develop concentration. I kind of think of them as like depression and mania, though not as pronounced. Here's a link to a blog post about it.

    http://satisfiedbuddhist.blogspot.com/2009/03/mental-sinking-in-meditation.html
  • CosmicGypsyCosmicGypsy Veteran
    Tea... Coffee is no good, messes with your body in a bad way.
  • FenixFenix Veteran
    Neither
  • BuckyGBuckyG
    ...mental sinking...
    what do u mean by this?
    ...Mental sinking and mental excitement are 2 obstacles in trying to develop concentration. I kind of think of them as like depression and mania, though not as pronounced....
    thanks for the clarification...are you familiar with the (5) hindrances? the link you cited seems to be talking about these in their terms...however, mania & depression are very Euro-American intellectual notions...nonetheless, i think i'm starting to see what your after (i hope)...let's simplify and say Downers (D) and stimulants (S)...to fight sloth/torpor/apathy/laziness/drowsiness/sinking, increase S...to fight anxiety/restlessness/excitement, decrease S...the reverse is true for D...
    More importantly, IMO, is also to analyze yourself in terms of the intoxicating effects (if any) of these substances...THAT is where mania and depression are helpful ideas...e.g., too much caffeine can overwork our adrenals, which in turn can contribute to depression/sinking
    B@ease
    BG
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    After a longitudinal, double blind, control grouped, scientific study of the matter, I have come to the scientific conclusion that indeed tea is better than coffee for my morning meditation. Its now been empirically proven and I have dubbed it "Caffiene Theory". ;) Thanks for everyones input. :)
  • dharmadharma
    Thai milk tea and Chai ( Tazo) are delicious.
    Teavana makes good tea also.

    :coffee:
  • dharmadharma
    Hi tamm,
    I find the process of making matcha meditative in itself. I love making tea, then practicing my kanji, then meditation.
    Sounds like fun ! would you mind describing the process.

    With metta,

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