Chinese Tea Tasting Experience & Taoist Health Talk

Sea Cloud Hall is hosting a Chinese Tea Tasting Experience & Taoist Health Talk on Saturday 24 October, from 13:30 to 15:30. The afternoon brings together two things that usually stay separate: a tasting of a selection of unique teas and a talk on seasonal health and wellbeing drawn from Taoist principles. The talk is built around the idea of living in harmony with the natural rhythms of the year, and it's meant to leave you with some practical ideas you can actually use.

One person who's been before mentioned the variety of teas on offer and the ritual of making them, and said they left feeling calm. That's a good way to sum up the whole thing: the tasting and the talk together, rather than one after the other.

The setting does a fair bit of the heavy lifting here. Sea Cloud Hall is the home of the International Taoist Society and the permanent Leeds home of the Lee Family Arts, which is described as the UK's first dedicated space for Taoist practice, teaching and community activities. It's tucked away in Sandford Lodge in Kirkstall, overlooking the River Aire, Kirkstall Meadows and Kirkstall Abbey. The centre has more than 50 years of teaching Taoist arts in the city behind it, with a system rooted in Taoist philosophy that brings together Tai Chi, Qigong, Tao Yoga, meditation and Kung Fu.

So, if you're after a quiet Saturday afternoon that's more about slowing down than filling your day, this is a good shout. It runs from 13:30 to 15:30 on Saturday 24 October at Sea Cloud Hall, Sandford Lodge, Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3BY, and tickets are £15.