Welcome to The Mindful Cup Studio
The Mindful Cup studio is intentionally limited to a maximum of 6 seats.
Small groups ensure attentive care so you can learn, not just be guided. Client intake forms are discussed for personalised & supportive teaching.
Personalised Care - 6 seats
Serving healthy, clean water is vital. Being environmentally conscious, we avoid plastic and bottled water.
All water is filtered through a 3-stage water purifier and is served to all guests.
Environmentally-friendly Purified Water
A qualified teacher with the Australian Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness and a Member of the Meditation Association of Australia, committed to ongoing studies, robust ethics and mentoring by senior teachers.
Accredited Meditation Teacher
A class may be for 45-minutes, but it’s more than just the set class time.
The studio ensures you have extra time to orient on arrival, time to absorb after, time to be heard and to ask questions.
Time for You
Supporting Local Businesses
From tradies during the reno, to suppliers for the carpet, lighting or shopping at local second-hand shops and resellers, cafes to gift-shops - it’s imperative for me to shop locally and tell others about owner-operated businesses.
Locals supporting local businesses has been a part of this studio since the very start.
Sustainability & Comfort
Where possible, items in this studio are mindfully selected to practice sustainability.
The vessels, tea ware and furniture are pre-loved, vintage or antique. Every tea meditation is imbued with history and culture and continues to be used with care for the environment.
The 10 meditation cushions, velvet curtains and delicate sheers were custom-made by The Good Bolster, using treasured vintage and remnant fabrics. (Shout out to Ina who also runs Down to Earth Space in Newport. I share and love her ethics for reusing and recycling!)
To ensure comfort for even beginners, I designed the cushions to be larger than regular meditation cushions. They are filled with meticulously cleaned recycled blankets for a firm and supportive seat.
2 vintage velvet-cushion chairs are also available for those who feel more comfortable seated on a chair.
Each piece is intentionally selected to care for the environment and the people, and I believe this imbues care and love into the energy of the studio.
Hello, friend
You are welcome here.
My name is Po-Tien. I’m a wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. I’m an accidental corporate, a clumsy Buddhist, a Nature-lover and a constant student.
I was born in Malaysia. I grew up in the Hills Shire. I studied in Canberra, and I’ve lived in Dee Why for the past 19 years. Australia has been my home since 1987.
How did meditation start for me?
My maternal and paternal grandmothers raised me with respect for all spiritual traditions, and they practised Buddhism, Taoism and animism. My first experiences with meditation were as a small child, helping my grandmother keep time by drumming the “wooden fish” as she chanted Sutras.
I value the accessibility of non-religious mindfulness and meditation practices.
The wisdom of Indigenous and spiritual traditions from across the world informs the practice we share today. So wherever I am, I pay respect to the land. At any synagogue, temple, shrine, mosque, church or place of worship, I pay my respects equally.
I bow to the cultures and traditions whose teachings we now appreciate and share. The meditations we share are not religious; tied to universal humanity.
As a graduate of The Australian Centre for Meditation & Mindfulness (ACMM), and a member of the Meditation Association of Australia, I stand by a robust Code of Ethics, continual training and ongoing mentorship. I love how techniques that are trauma-informed and backed by science can help meditation.
I help busy corporates, hectic parents, stressed students and tired retirees find stability, balance, presence and calm.
What do I believe in?
I believe that everyone deserves rest. I believe we aren’t meant to do this alone. I believe in Community. I believe that self-care is necessary for collective care. And that the care and safety of another is tied to mine.
I volunteered at the old Lifeline shop in Dee Why for 5 years. And I loved seeing how human connection, kindness and a third space can bring people together.
Through my personal meditation practice, I understand how simple meditations and gentle mindfulness can help us reconnect to ourselves and to each other.
Why is tea a part of my practice?
Tea is part of my cultural heritage. There are 6 main types of tea in China, and tea culture is a universal connection to humanity, spreading across the globe.
My great-grandfather, the man who named me, loved Gong Fu Cha brewing. This ritual uses careful, multiple infusions to explore the evolution of the tea leaves as it steeps and blooms with flavour and scent. A deep sensory experience through sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.
When traditional forms of meditation are too much, the ritual of Gong Fu Cha is an entry to waking meditation. It brings stillness through gentle observance of mindful movement & the 5 senses.
Over the years, I have shared my tea meditations as a form of reclamation - to invite kindness, share culture, invoke trust and nurture community. My studies in meditation support my offering with tea. A grounding session opens up conversations, invites a deeper connection to Self, and compassion to others. At the tea table, strangers may meet, as we would have on the Silk Road or on travels, and we cannot help but converse in trust and kinship. An offering to each other, it invites innate kindness.
Why did you start The Mindful Cup?
I wished for a dedicated space where we might cultivate this connection; to ourselves and to each other. Through meditation, compassionate reflection and mindful practice.
A place where we may be mindful of emptying and filling our cups. I am very grateful to have this space.
Whether through guided meditations, mindfulness or gentle tea rituals, may The Mindful Cup act as a humble sanctuary that welcomes all.
I raise a mindful cup to you, friend.
The kettle is boiling. Come, sit.
ACCREDITATION
I am a graduate of The Australian Centre for Meditation & Mindfulness (ACMM) with an Advanced Certificate on electives including Mindfulness and Buddhist Psychology, Connecting with Nature, Meditations for Parents and Children, Meditations for Corporates and Meditations for Pain and Grief.
I am a member of the Meditation Association of Australia, and I stand by a robust Code of Ethics.
I have completed a 50 Hour Sound Therapy Training with Rebecca Gray of Hold Space.
I am committed to continual training, ongoing mentorship and engagement with other fully-insured meditation teachers and holistic health practitioners with respect for medical and mental health professionals.
