Rooted in Balance?

My daily yoga practice, an essential, foundational aspect of my life.

For a long time, in my life and through my yoga practice, I've had to reflect on and learn the simple but easy-to-overlook aspect of how much the foundation matters. To the extent we are able to root ourselves down, that will define our ability to manifest positively and sustainably in this life.

Planting a cutting of the cultivar Tri2043 at the Glen Nevis Tea Plantation with its red porous, acidic soil. Together with the very generous tea master Tharindu Methruwan.

In tea, that foundation is the earth, terra, itself. Some of the most remarkable teas, from top-notch tea-growing regions, are places with red, porous, acidic soils or mineral-rich volcanic ground. These environments encourage the plant to struggle just enough to grow deep roots. Regions like Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian in China, Taiwan’s high mountains, and Japan’s revered Uji tea production fields fall into this category. Some areas like Yunnan, Guangdong, and Vietnam even have several hundred old tea trees. These are always planted from seeds. Only then can the bush grow into a tree by developing a deep enough root system. Cuttings spread out their roots more, nearer to the surface.

Darjeeling First Flush tea 2026 grown in an exceptional environment. Dorje-ling literally means "queen of the hills"! Photo credit to Raju Lama, Darjeeling Tea Leaves.

And The same is true for the misty, high-elevation areas of Darjeeling, Nepal, and Himachal Pradesh, and the central highlands of Sri Lanka, all with red soil. Parts of Africa are shaped by the rich volcanic soil. Tea from all these regions develops a depth that you literally can taste in your cup.

While soil is essential, it’s never the whole story.

“Terroir is a plant’s ‘sense of place.’ It is the sum of all the effects the local environment has had upon the plant’s growth and production.” — TeaTime Magazine

Tea needs balance. Sunlight, rain, altitude, space to grow, biodiversity, and—just as importantly—people who know how to work with all of it. From careful cultivation to precise harvesting and processing, human skill completes what nature begins.

Red porous soil in Sri Lanka, Kandy Region at the Glen Nevis Tea Plantation April 2026. Producer of the Aratenna Special Silver Tips, an Award winning white silver needle tea.

“Terroir is the poetry written by nature and interpreted by the farmer.” — Desert Sage

We’re not that different from the tea plant. We also need a stable, nourishing foundation to grow from. Without it, everything will sooner or later fall apart. But even with a strong foundation, we still need balance with the other aspects of our lives.

In Ayurveda, this balance is described through the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha. We need a balance between all three for optimum health on a physical, spiritual, and emotional level.

From the Ayurvedic Hotel, Heritance in Beruwala, Sri Lanka. A lovely place to cultivate your balance through treatments, food, yoga and more.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine and other philosophies, these thoughts are expressed through the interplay of the five elements. These elements are not the same in TCM vs. Ayurveda/yoga. The systems differ, but the message is consistent: health and growth come from balance, not from pushing one thing to the extreme and forgetting about another.

A small budset, slightly withered, Fikkal, Nepal, March 2026. Teastation Inc. and Pemba Yolmo.

Tea reminds me so beautifully of these foundational teachings when I slow down to notice it. That's why my daily yoga practice is so essential to me. That is my training ground for life. When my breath gets stuck, when I lose my bearings, these are signs to become more aware, take a step back, take an extra slow, deep breath, and start the movement over with more ease and balance. I then try to take this practice with me into my daily life.

The mother of tea artisan Bibek Rai in Nepal—an exceptional tea plucker. Without precise plucking, no great tea can be made.

And so the character of a tea similarly isn’t just about where it’s planted, even if the character and composition of the soil play a foundational role. In the end, it's about how everything comes together—earth, climate, ecosystem, and human care. As The Tale of Tea puts it:“ Terroir is just as important to the character of a tea as it is to wine.”

A tea bud stretching up to reach more space and light.

True for me and you

We are shaped by our environment, our habits, the people around us, and the way we care for ourselves. Growth isn’t something we can force—it’s something we support internally by tending to the conditions that make growth possible.

Good soil. Enough light. Space to breathe. The right balance.

That’s true for tea. And it’s true for me too.

A wonderful pottery face from Glen Nevis Tea Plantation Ltd and Jade Villas, with that serene, balanced expression! 😊✨

Do you want some artisan teas for your shop, cafe, or hotel? Feel free to contact me, and I'll help you with a great selection. If you would like to purchase teas for your private consumption, you're welcome to visit Långbro Gård in Mölnbo! I hope to meet you soon there or at a tea cupping! You're also always welcome to contact me for a tasting event. I look forward to hearing from you.

Kumar from the Monastery of Tea, Kandy Region, Sri Lanka. Producing small batches of organic teas, from a biodiverse environment. Where the whole process is like medtiation, cultivating more tranquility.