Genesis Osborne
Cha Dao, or the way of tea, focuses on the harmonious preparation and consumption of tea as a form of meditation. In cultivating this internal stillness, both the spiritual and physical body are centered in a connection to the present moment and nature.
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Tea has long been a part of my life; I grew up in a household that valued morning stillness with a cup of tea. I've always been fascinated by its ability to speak inwardly. Being a person with anxiety, Cha Dao becomes a way to ground myself, to feel connected to the earth itself. To feel as if we are inhaling and exhaling simultaneously. As if we are one.
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As a server, my perpetual philosophy has been to remove the self from the material world. Growing up in the Hudson Valley surrounded by evolving seasons imbued me with a deep appreciation for the need to feel and connect with nature concurrently, and internally match its spirit within.
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There’s so much stress, misunderstanding, guilt, and shame in this present world requiring the ability to be released inwardly before its external discharge. I believe that to be in tune with your inner balance is to be presented with life’s greatest ideology: stillness. The understanding that we have no control over what is done, what is gone, and what is to come, is the path to internal bliss. Tea has a fantastic way of speaking to your softest and hardest spots, and all it takes is a listener.
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Cassandra Laifer
In all things I seek to embody sincerity and boundlessness. To be so entirely myself that others are reminded of their ability to do the same. I have found Cha Dao to be honest, simple yet dynamic, in which urgency is released, resistance is dissolved, and presence remains. The opportunity arises to strengthen my own gravitational center and reunite with my core informant, and I can continue to create greater coherence between my heart and mind. This is what I want to share, the space to breathe life into ourselves and others. For us to be true to ourselves in each moment, a reminder that we do have time for expression, presence, and innocence.
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Andrea Riesenfeld
My tea journey seemed to start by chance, yet was always destined to be. Twelve years ago I wandered into a Japanese teashop in Paris for a sublime cup of sencha, and then found my way into the 1st arrondissement boutique of a Hong Kong tea master for an amazing experience with my first pot of puerh. Unknown to me then, my life in tea had begun.
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At first, I was attracted to tea as a beverage. Jumping right in, I trained as a tea sommelier at the UK Tea Academy, climbed in the Japanese tea gardens of Uji, and learned to make Taiwanese oolong on Ali Mountain. Cha Dao, Chanoyu, Senchado, and (of course) a proper afternoon tea are all traditions within the global tea culture that I have been fortunate to experience.
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“Tea friend” was a new expression for me, and now it has become my view of the world. I have shared tea with amazing people in New York, London, Paris, Montreal, Tokyo, and Taipei. And now...online. This extended family has been generous and kind, with a deep wisdom and understanding of tea itself, the healing properties of tea, and the culture and community of tea from ancient times to the present.​
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