Why My Morning Coffee Is Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is an art that has been interpreted and exercised many different ways over the last 1500+ years. Its goal is to ultimately reduce the noise in ones head and reduce the control racing thoughts have on a moment by blocking out outside thoughts and focusing on the experience of the moment. Some would put it more simply as to be in control of ones own thoughts, even if for only a few moments. I define it as creating a space in ones own head to think and understand/ acknowledge all that is going on in ones own body and mind, while having some level of control over what is happening. It definitely takes practice and often requires a level of daily commitment, but does not require one to do 2 hours of morning yoga or observe a week of silence every couple months or even sit cross legged on the floor, with eyes closed and while chanting to practice mindfulness meditation. For me, my daily mindfulness exercise is different than all of that. My daily mindfulness exercise involves something hot, black, and full of caffeine that in my mind is sacrilege to pollute with cream or milk or nut beverage or even sugar. I am referring of course to my morning cup of coffee.

Coffee Associated Spiritualism and Mindfulness

There are rituals and ceremonies the world over regarding coffee and tea, many believed to be linked to spiritual wellbeing, health, and mental wellness. The coffee ceremony practiced in parts of Ethiopia comes to mind, where the ceremony starts with ritual petrification of the space guests still gather, to ward off evil spirits, and cleaning of green coffee bean, beans are then roasted in a slow, laborious, and loving fashion, typically over hot coals in a pan that is much like a wok, ever mindful to not burn the beans during the roast. The beans are hand ground in a mortar and pestle, and boiled in a coffee pot before being presented to guests in handle-less cups, to sweeten to taste on their own and to enjoy, praise their host, discuss politics, community matters, and other gossip. The ceremony is seen to be spiritual and it is believed that there is a transformation of the spirit over the typical 3 rounds of coffee served in each ceremony, using the same beans and the coffee becoming progressively weaker each round. The whole ceremony can takes 2 to 3 hours and is practiced 3 times a day in many parts of Ethiopia. Though the full practice of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony would never fit in my day, in many ways my morning cup has more in common with a coffee ceremony than a Starbucks run.

It All Starts With Beans; Whole... Roasted... Beans

Every morning starts with whole roasted coffee beans. Not roasted by me, unfortunately I do not have that kind of time, but at least it is fair trade certified and typically of single nation origin, often locally roasted in ecologically minded operations (I am not a rich man, but paying a little more for amazing quality coffee is a no brainer). When I open the bag each morning the aroma of the beans hit me before I disturb them. I stop to acknowledge the scent of it (I switch roasts quite often so there is a real question of what coffee am I about to make), but also take a moment to focus on what I am doing rather than what is coming up for the day. Adding the beans to my coffee grinder, I measure by eye, not weight, and not volume. I will admit that my grinder is electric and not a mortar and pestle, but I do have one, just not so much time every morning. I pulse the beans a few times while gently shaking the grinder up and down (almost like shaking a shaker for a mixed drink but with less force and less sharp movements). The aroma of the beans are more noticeable than before and I draw the scent in, again noting the specifics of the roast without jamming my nose into the grounds. I pour the grounds into the grinders lid and set them on the counter as I prep the coffee maker.

Conscious steps; Mindful State

I pull the reusable filter basket from my coffee maker each morning, it is already clean from the day prior but rinse in in tap water, wetting the basket to create a slight barrier which helps with early brewing. I pour my grounds into the wetted basket, noting how high they fill the basket (admittedly it is not filled to the same point every day). I then grab a literal pinch of pink Himalayan salt and sprinkle it on top of the grounds. Placing the basket back into my brewer and pour one cup of water into the single serve reservoir, then place my cup under the prepared basket. And yes, I use a single cup basket brewer instead of a Chemex or French Press, but I really enjoy it. I then press the brew button and very shortly smell the hot water seeping into the fresh grounds and can smell my third sensation of a burst of coffee fragrance of the day, each being stronger than the one prior. I breath it in fully, focusing on that scent alone. I then listen as the hot water fills the basket and hot coffee streams into my cup with pressure from the steamy water. I know that it will take a couple minutes for the brewing to finish, but allow myself to do nothing but to stand in front of the brewer, smelling the coffee, listening to the coffee fill my cup and focusing on nothing but that coffee. Eventually the cup is nearly filled and the coffee stops pouring out of the brewing basket and I look at my completed cup of office, black and hot and beautiful.

While Drinking Said Coffee, The Day Intrudes

I only have so many moments each morning to dedicate to nothing but being in the moment and experiencing one thing. I enjoy my coffee while it is still piping hot and without polluting it with any cream or milk or sugar. It is after my first few sips of that first cup of coffee of the day, very hot and slightly salty, a little sweet, rich, and mildly smoky, that I allow thoughts of the day to enter my mind. Spending about 5 minutes preparing, brewing, and taking he first couple sips of coffee are always a key point of my day, almost spiritual for a man who does not consider himself to be such, but the moment only really last fully for those 5 minutes but I feel like I carry the benefits throughout my day and know it helps keep me from carrying much of the stress from one day into the next.

Mindfulness Is A Journey

To be clear, I am not shaman nor a monk. I have very few things in life truly and fully figured out. I try every day, taking some steps forwards and others backwards and I often wake up thinking of things that I can not or am not going to be able to deal with at that moment. Taking 5 minutes each morning to create a little space away from the previous day, enjoying the experience of making coffee, before entering a new one seems to be good for me. It is something I have not done for that long, it is however something that I make sure to do every day now. I always seem to, even now, wake up with the previous day in my head, as well as the upcoming day starting to creep into that space. By starting my morning ritual, I push those thoughts away for a few minutes, create space for them to come back to, and relax so I will be more ready to deal with them. Every person has their own daily rituals, but I would highly recommend applying a mindfulness focus to some daily ritual to all people living because we all deal with noise and could all benefit from a little peace, even if it is temporary.