KETTLE MINUTES™
3 Minutes. 1 Kettle. 1 Reset You
So you’re back to “busy and frantic”, answering emails, crossing off to-do lists, and rushing reports to make school pick-up? And yet, amongst all of that, you find yourself heading for the kettle. You know you need a cuppa, and that’s your cue for Kettle Minutes™.
Kettle Minutes™ came from sharing a simple grounding practice at a women’s business conference and reading about monks walking across America for peace, encouraging one mindful minute each hour.
It is a short practice I created to help myself reset throughout my entrepreneurial-busy-minded-WFH-desk-days (as opposed to my Art of Tea office-warehouse-shop days when I’m never desk bound!). Now I’m sharing my “Kettle Minutes” with you. A simple, practical reset in under three minutes.
Kettle Minutes is exactly what it sounds like. While the kettle is coming to the boil (about three minutes), you take a short, intentional break for your mind and body. You don’t scroll. You don’t rush off to do something else. You stay right there with the kettle, and you choose one of three options:
Kettle Minutes – Still (Centre)
This one’s for you if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Stand with both feet evenly on the floor. Maybe close your eyes. Let your shoulders drop.
Take a few slow, intentional breaths.
Just notice your breath moving in and out, and the sound of the kettle. You may even take this moment to feel grateful for your clean drinking water, electricity, and a roof over your head. By the time you’ve done that… the kettle’s boiled.
Kettle Minutes – Move (Slow)
This one’s for you if you’ve been hunched over a keyboard without a break. While the water heats, take the chance to stretch big and wide. Roll your shoulders forwards and back. Perhaps do a couple of gentle yoga poses, a short Tai Chi flow, or, let’s be honest, one or two of those physio stretches you’re “meant to do every day.” Nothing complicated. Just enough movement to remind your body that you’re not a statue.
Kettle Minutes – Move (Fast)
This one’s for you if your brain’s feeling foggy or you’re feeling flat and you need a quick reset. Press the button on the kettle, then try something energetic: jumping jacks, a few push-ups against the bench, a sprint on the spot, or any quick HIIT-style burst. It’s not about fitness, it’s just about re-energising your body and clearing the cobwebs from your head.
The beauty of Kettle Minutes™ is that it doesn’t ask for more time. You’re waiting anyway. It is just about turning those three minutes into something mindful and intentional, whether you choose to Still Centre, Move Slow, or Move Fast.
Over a day, these Kettle Minutes add up. They break the crazies in your head. They ease the tight spots in your body.
Now, making a cup of tea isn’t just about your (art of) tea — it’s a reset as well.
So next time you put the kettle on, try it. Three minutes. Still Centre, Move Slow, or Move Fast. Your tea will taste just as good, and you might feel a whole lot better too. 💛
*Kettle Minutes™, are practices created by Samantha Brown – the Art of Tea lady since 2007
As Trademark is pending on “Kettle Minutes” we ask the right to reserve the term “Kettle Minutes” and the concept of “Kettle Minutes: Still (Centered), Move (Slow) and Move (Fast)” and any reference to such with credit to the Art of Tea, Tasmania, Australia.
Art of Tea brand, celebrated 25 years in 2025! Now thats an acheivement for a small Tasmanian, female owned, single mum, locally only employer, business!