THE WAY OF TEA : TEA AS SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

October 20-23, 2022

Join Tiny Tea Hut founder/Tea Artist and Qigong instructor, Lauryn Axelrod, and Grammy-Award winning musician and Sound Alchemist, Erik Lawrence, for an immersion into tea as a spiritual practice with sound healing and meditation amidst the beauty of Fall at Stone Bowl Farm in Pawlet, Vermont.

In our tea sessions, you will explore different types of tea, tea services and tea wares; taste thoughtfully curated, exquisite farm-sourced “living” teas from China, Japan and Taiwan; learn Taoist secrets of tea for health and the ancient art of tea meditation; and discover how to develop and incorporate a personal tea practice into your life.

In addition to tea, you will enjoy daily qigong, sound meditations, a special tea film screening, and a presentation on tea process and terroir by John Wetzel of Stone Leaf Teahouse to deepen your knowledge and practice. Mindfully-prepared vegetarian meals using seasonal local produce from our farm and nearby farms will delight, as will the simple, but comfortable accommodations and gathering spaces in the barn, farmhouse, cabins, outdoor tents, tea garden and forest hut.

This is certain to be a special time to begin or deepen your tea practice with new tea friends.

Arrival Thursday afternoon/early evening. Departure Sunday at 2pm. Extra night accommodation possible with reservation.

Space is limited. Please register early.

CO-HOSTS

LAURYN AXELROD

Stone Bowl Farm owner and Tea and Ceramic Artist, Lauryn Axelrod is the founder of Tiny Tea Hut, focusing on the healing and spiritual practice of tea service. A certified Tea Sommelier with more than 20 years of study and practice in a variety of tea ceremonies from around the world, Lauryn brings a wealth of knowledge about tea, a deep understanding of the spiritual practice of tea, and has served tea meditations across the US, in Taiwan, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe. She approaches tea with deep humility and respect as a communal, medicinal and spiritual elixir, steeped in a contemplative tradition, from which both pleasure and wisdom can be gleaned in each sip. Her practice is an offering of peace, goodwill, harmony and health.

Lauryn is also a lifelong practitioner of Qigong, Neigong, and a Taoist Adept in the Dragon Gate Sect (Longmen Pai) of the Complete Reality (Quanzhen) School of Taoism to be ordained as a Daoshi (Taoist Priest) in Spring 2023. Her passion for tea brought her to clay, and her award-winning ceramic tea wares are exhibited, collected and used in exclusive tea shops and restaurants around the globe. She has taught ceramics at the university level, in workshops in the US, Europe and Asia, and from her studio and kiln in Vermont. www.tinyteahut.com, www.threetreespottery.com

ERIK LAWRENCE

Erik Lawrence is a Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum musician and certified Sound and Vibration Healing Artist, whose long career includes being a founding member of the Levon Helm and playing with countless other legendary artists from around the world, including Tibetan Flutist Nawang Khechog, Yungchen Lhamo, Gabrielle Roth, National Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, and master composer David Amram. He has held teaching positions at Williams College and many other institutions, including artist-in-residencies at Dartmouth and The Williams College Museum of Art.

Erik's career has been marked by many masters and mentors. He's taken the lessons from the world's biggest stages and from sitting at the feet of masters and innovators to develop a practice combining the science and folk history of healing with sound and vibration. He's performed his musically guided meditations and Sound Sanctuaries in Canada, Israel and throughout the US. He also sits on the board of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine in NYC. Erik is a longtime Student of Tea. www.eriklawrencemusic.com

PRICE

It is against the spirit of tea to charge for the service of tea. It is by donation or offering only. We want to bring tea to those who need it, and share it with friends new and old, regardless of ability to pay, and so strive to make our tea retreats affordable.

Therefore, the price only covers accommodations, food, and minimal contributions to the hosts for sharing their time and skills. If you are able to offer more for the service of tea or a gift in kind, all contributions are welcome.

• Shared room in barn or cabin $400

• Single room in barn or cabin $500

• Camping (bring your own tent to camp in the field or forest with access to outdoor showers and toilets. Please note that it will be cold in October) - $350

• Local option (no overnight lodging, includes meals) - $250

TYPICAL SCHEDULE

Mornings: qigong and meditation, breakfast, tea session

Afternoons: lunch, tea session, free time

Evenings: Dinner, followed by evening activity - bonfire, lecture, film, sound sanctuary, meditation, herbal tea and/or evening qigong for restful sleep.

.