As Metal season comes to its close, I’ve been reflecting on the subtle exhale that exists between one season and the next—the space where refinement is released, tension softens, and clarity emerges. This is a time to notice the letting go that makes room for the quiet and stillness of Water season, and to honor the movements of our body, breath, and mind that accompany it.
In practice, this exhale is not only literal, in the breath, but also embodied in our gestures, our attention, and our small daily rituals. The lift of a bowl, the pour of water over leaves, the mindful pause before each sip—these become invitations to notice what we are ready to release, and to create space for what is yet unseen. It is a time to integrate the lessons of the past season, to honor the refinement of Metal, and to open gently to the stillness that follows. By bringing awareness to these subtle rhythms, our tea practice transforms into a living exhale, a bridge between seasons and a reminder of the quiet wisdom available in each moment.
This Week in Practice: The Art of Exhalation
This week, we turn our attention to the simple, yet profound act of exhaling—the body’s natural gesture of release, the subtle movement from tension to ease, from effort to surrender. As Metal season draws to a close, we are invited to notice what has been refined and let it flow outward, creating space for the quiet, inward turn of the coming season. Exhalation is more than a physical act; it is a moment of acknowledgment, a pause that allows the body, mind, and heart to recalibrate.
-
Begin with breath. Sit with your tea setup, spine upright but relaxed. Take three long, deliberate exhalations, letting the air move fully through your body. Feel your shoulders soften, your chest and belly empty, your spine lengthen. Let this be a full-body acknowledgment that release is possible—a gentle permission to let tension and lingering thoughts flow away.
-
Pour with intention. As you pour water over the leaves, imagine each movement as a continuation of your exhale. Smooth, steady, intentional. Feel the weight of the water as it moves through your hands—imagine it carrying away what no longer serves, leaving clarity and ease in its wake. Let your fingers splay lightly around the vessel, connecting touch, warmth, and movement to the act of letting go. Notice the way the leaves respond, unfurling and releasing their essence into the water.
-
Sip as a micro-exhale. Lift the bowl, inhale to bring presence into the moment, and then exhale into the bowl as you drink. Feel the release ripple through your shoulders, chest, jaw, and spine. Optional: tilt the bowl gently away from you, allowing the exhale to move outward, connecting body and gesture. Allow the warmth of the liquid to carry a sense of ease throughout your body, a physical echo of release.
-
Engage with the steam. Slowly move your hands through the rising warmth. Feel the movement of air and energy; allow your exhale to mingle with the rising vapor. This simple, tactile engagement makes the exhale visible and felt in space, reminding you that letting go is both inward and outward, subtle yet tangible.
By bringing attention, body, and gesture together, your tea practice becomes a living exhale—a ceremony of letting go, grounding, and refinement. In this small, repeated act, we honor the end of Metal season while gently gesturing toward the stillness of Water that awaits, embracing the natural rhythm of transition with presence and care.
Five Element Insights: Metal in Transition
As Metal season wanes, the lungs have done their work: refining, clarifying, discerning. The leaves have been harvested, the breath has been measured, and boundaries have been set. In these final days before Water season arrives, we are invited to practice integration and release—exhaling the clarity we have cultivated and opening space for what is yet unseen. This transitional period calls for gentle reflection and mindful attention, offering an opportunity to honor what has passed while inviting what is to come.
This week, consider these reflections as you move through your tea practice, your body, and your day:
-
Where in my life am I ready to pause refinement and allow rest to enter?
-
What does it feel like to exhale completely — in body, in thought, in effort?
-
When I stop trying to hold form, what subtle wisdom or insight arises?
-
How can I trust the unseen processes of renewal unfolding beneath the surface?
-
In what ways can I embody release this week, allowing movement and stillness to flow together?
Take your time with these prompts. Let them rise like steam from your cup. Consider your answers not as problems to solve, but as gentle invitations to notice, integrate, and breathe with the season. Allow the reflections to settle naturally, like leaves drifting on water, noticing what emerges without force or expectation.
What We’re Drinking: Riversong
This week, our cup is Riversong, a Gong Ting Shou Puerh with Mandarin orange peel from 2022. The small, juicy leaves brew into a thick, earthy tea with a dark chocolate finish, brightened by the sweet, citrusy notes of sun-dried orange peel. It’s a tea that invites slow sipping, attention, and mindful release—perfect for a week focused on the art of exhalation.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mandarin peel supports the lungs and digestion, complementing shou puerh’s grounding, digestive qualities. As you sip, notice how the tea encourages ease in the body and mind, inviting tension and lingering thoughts to soften. Its rich, substantial body paired with the bright lift of citrus mirrors the seasonal practice of refinement and release—dense yet spacious, grounding yet clarifying, reflecting Metal’s slow move toward Water.
Riversong is a tea to savor in long, mindful sessions. Each cup can echo the rhythm of breath: inhale presence, exhale release, and integrate the subtle shifts of the season. Brew gongfu style with a small filter in a clay pot and water just shy of a rolling boil to experience the full depth, texture, and nuance of this beloved blend.
Current Inspiration: Paterson
Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson (2016), starring Adam Driver, follows a week in the life of a bus driver and poet in New Jersey, lingering on the small rhythms of daily life—the morning walk, a quiet conversation, a line of verse jotted in a notebook. The film finds richness and depth in these ordinary moments, honoring patience, attention, and the slow unfolding of everyday experience. Its quiet observation captures the poetry in routine, the subtle textures of daily life, and the gentle persistence of creative practice. Watching it invites reflection on how meaning and beauty emerge in the simplest gestures, offering a subtle reminder to slow down and notice the patterns that carry us through each day.
Friends of Living Tea
Shawn Moore (he/him), founder of The Mindful Rebel®, empowers movement builders and social impact leaders to pause, reflect, and lead with greater clarity. Drawing on nearly two decades of personal Dharma practice and his expertise as a Contemplative Learning & Development Strategist, he blends mindfulness, leadership development, and social equity training to create transformative spaces for renewal, insight, and authentic collaboration. A dedicated practitioner of meditation, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra, Shawn brings the same attentive, present energy to tea practice—inviting stillness, reflection, and mindful attention as a catalyst for sustainable individual and social change. His work continues to inspire and support communities in cultivating presence, clarity, and thoughtful action.