Vidya Reddy is the host of The Tea on Wellness Podcast and co-founder of Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach.
Tea & Turmeric | The Tea on Wellness
Published: June 17, 2026
If you live in Orange County, you already know the feeling. The 405, the packed schedule, the notifications that never stop. Anxiety doesn't always look like a panic attack. Sometimes it just feels like your body never fully exhales.
In this episode I talk about something I see every single day at Tea & Turmeric in Laguna Beach: people walking in wound up and walking out softer. Not because of anything magic, but because they slowed down for a few minutes and let their nervous system slow down too.
I get into the connection between stress, sleep, digestion, and your nervous system, and why so many of us are treating the symptoms instead of the root. I also share two teas that my customers keep coming back to, the Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea and the Happy Place Mushroom Tea, and why they work the way they do.
There's also a short Loving-Kindness Meditation in this episode that you can do with your evening cup. Simple, quiet, and actually useful.
If you've been feeling like your body is stuck in high gear, this one is for you.
What You Will Learn
- Why anxiety lives in your body, not just your head, and what the HPA axis has to do with it.
- How a simple tea ritual physically shifts your nervous system out of fight or flight.
- The difference between adaptogens and sedatives, and why it matters.
- How ashwagandha, tulsi, lion's mane, reishi, and passionflower support your stress response.
- Charlie's story: a local art teacher from Irvine who stopped fighting himself.
- A step-by-step Loving-Kindness Meditation you can do with your evening cup.
Featured Teas
• Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea: organic ashwagandha, tulsi, nettle leaf, and St. John's wort for daily nervous system support.
• Happy Place Mushroom Tea: chamomile, lion's mane, reishi, kava kava, and passionflower for evenings when you need to soften.
Find both at teaandturmeric.com or come visit us at 1175 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach.
Stay Connected
Come visit us in Laguna Beach or explore our teas and spices anytime at teaandturmeric.com. We share recipes, brewing tips, and behind-the-scenes moments on Instagram at @teanturmeric. Got a question or a story about how tea is helping you? Email us at hello@teaandturmeric.com.
If this episode brought you even one calm breath, a quick review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more people in Orange County find the show. Thank you for being part of this community.
This episode is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
Chapters
0:00 — The Tea on Wellness: Show Intro
1:00 — Anxiety in Orange County: Why Your Body Never Fully Exhales
2:15 — Herbal Tea and Mental Health: A Note Before We Begin
3:15 — Anxiety Lives in Your Body, Not Just Your Head: The Mind-Body Connection
5:15 — How to Use Herbal Tea as a Daily Anxiety Ritual: Adaptogens Explained
7:00 — Happy Place Mushroom Tea: How Lion's Mane and Reishi Support a Calm Mind
8:15 — Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea for Daily Stress: Charlie's Story from Irvine
9:15 — Loving-Kindness Meditation with Your Evening Cup: A Guided Metta Practice
12:00 — Two Simple Tools for Nervous System Calm: Tea Ritual and Metta Practice
13:00 — Shop Anti-Anxiety Teas at Tea and Turmeric, Laguna Beach: Show Outro
Transcript
Podcast: The Tea on Wellness
Episode 25: Tea for Anxiety: Natural Stress Relief and Calming Rituals
Host: Vidya, co-founder of Tea and Turmeric
Location: Laguna Beach, California
[0:00] The Tea on Wellness: Show Intro
[1:00] Anxiety in Orange County: Why Your Body Never Fully Exhales
[VIDYA]: If you live in Orange County, you know the pace. One minute you're crawling along the 405, the next you're juggling work, errands, and a dozen notifications that never stop. That kind of pressure stays in your body.
For many of us, it shows up as anxiety, exhaustion, or even depression, or even all three.
There isn't a magic escape button. But there is something small, steady, and ancient that helps. A cup of tea.
You know that moment when the pressure, maybe after a long day or sitting in traffic, leaves your chest tight and your mind racing? I've felt that too.
Hi, I'm Vidya, co-owner of Tea and Turmeric in Laguna Beach. When I talk about tea, I'm not just talking about flavor. I'm talking about the way ritual can change how your body feels.
One night, after closing the shop, I sat outside for a few quiet minutes with a mug of tea in my hands. It hit me that real comfort isn't found in rushing or escaping. It's in connecting, breathing, and giving your body permission to rest and feel safe again.
This is The Tea on Wellness. Today we're exploring how tea and the rituals around it can support mental health. We'll focus on two blends that have become staples in our community: Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea and Happy Place Mushroom Tea.
[2:15] Herbal Tea and Mental Health: A Note Before We Begin
[VIDYA]: Before we dive in, a quick but important note. My background is in holistic health, and I create our herbal blends, but I'm not a medical doctor or therapist. This podcast is for educational purposes and provides information, not medical advice.
Please note that our Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea and our Happy Place Mushroom Tea labels direct you to consult your physician, especially if you're taking medication or are pregnant or nursing.
If anxiety or depression ever feels overwhelming, or you feel unsafe, please reach out to a mental health professional or someone you trust immediately.
Finally, while I welcome conversation at the shop, my role there is to help you select a blend, not to offer personal health advice.
[3:15] Anxiety Lives in Your Body, Not Just Your Head: The Mind-Body Connection
[VIDYA]: Here's what's fascinating. Mental health isn't just in your head. It lives in your body, your breath, your gut, your hormones, and even your sleep.
When stress hits, your brain fires an alarm through something called the HPA axis, the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. It's ancient biology. Cortisol floods your system to help you handle danger.
But in modern life, with constant alerts, traffic, and emotional noise, that stress switch stays on. Your digestion slows, your mood dips, your nervous system forgets how to rest.
If you only try to think your way out of anxiety, you miss half the map.
Healing means working with your body, not against it. That's where ritual comes in.
Every slow inhale, every sip of tea, sends a signal to your body: You're safe now.
The tea ritual is more than a drink. It is an opportunity to return to yourself.
Take a second as you listen right now. Ask yourself: When was the last time my body truly relaxed, even for a few breaths?
[5:15] How to Use Herbal Tea as a Daily Anxiety Ritual: Adaptogens Explained
[VIDYA]: At Tea and Turmeric, we see tea as healing in its simplest form: warm water, herbs, and time.
When you steep a cup, you're doing more than making a beverage. You're creating a moment of regulation.
Choose a quiet spot. Boil the water. Cover your tea while it steeps.
While you wait, breathe in for four, hold for one, and exhale for six.
When you pour, notice the steam, the color, the aroma. Sip slowly. Pause between sips.
That's your body learning safety through repetition, shifting from fight or flight into rest and repair.
And the herbs help amplify that shift. Adaptogens like ashwagandha, tulsi, and valerian in our Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea, or lion's mane and reishi in Happy Place Mushroom Tea, don't cure stress. They help your body adapt to it. They bring your system closer to balance.
If you skip a night or forget, no worries, no guilt. Just start again tomorrow.
Compassion is part of the ritual.
[7:00] Happy Place Mushroom Tea: How Lion's Mane and Reishi Support a Calm Mind
[VIDYA]: One evening, I brewed our Happy Place Mushroom Tea, a blend of chamomile, lion's mane, reishi, kava kava, and passionflower.
As I sat by the window and watched the Laguna waves, I felt my chest start to loosen. My mind didn't stop completely, but it slowed. It listened.
The mushrooms and herbs didn't force happiness. They supported my nervous system, gently creating room for rest.
That's what this work is about: small, consistent support that reminds your body what ease feels like.
Please share, what small ritual already helps you shift, even a little?
[8:15] Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea for Daily Stress: Charlie's Story from Irvine
[VIDYA]: Let me tell you about Charlie, a local art teacher from Irvine. He'd been wired, tired, and miserable, trying to power through each day.
He started drinking our Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea each night, made with organic ashwagandha, tulsi, nettle leaf, and St. John's wort.
Two weeks later, he said, "My thoughts still race, but I don't feel like I'm fighting myself anymore."
You're not broken if you feel anxious or low. Your system just needs reminders, and ritual gives it those reminders.
Change comes from repetition, not perfection.
[9:15] Loving-Kindness Meditation with Your Evening Cup: A Guided Metta Practice
[VIDYA]: Now, let's bring it all together with one of my favorite grounding practices: also known as Loving-Kindness Meditation, also known as metta bhavana meditation.
This practice came to me through my guruji, who said it's like planting seeds of love in your heart garden, reminding yourself that you are worthy of gentle care.
First, make yourself a cup of tea, maybe our Happy Place mushroom blend, the Anti-Anxiety, or whatever calls to you. Bring it close. Find a comfortable seat. Hold your mug and feel its warmth. Let it anchor you.
Take a deep breath in and release slowly.
Now, silently repeat these phrases, either aloud or in your mind, as you breathe:
May I be safe. Feel the warmth of your mug grounding you.
May I be peaceful. Focus on your breath.
May I be kind to myself. The sip is your moment of self-kindness.
May I find ease in this moment.
Next, extend that same kindness outward to someone you love, someone nearby, or even a stranger on the 405:
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful.
May you be kind to yourself.
May you find ease in this moment.
As you take your next sip, let the warmth remind you of the kindness flowing in and out, no rush, no pressure, just gentle care.
This practice, paired with your herbal tea, is a simple way to invite comfort and emotional support into daily life.
[12:00] Two Simple Tools for Nervous System Calm: Tea Ritual and Metta Practice
[VIDYA]: Now you have two simple tools: the tea ritual and the Metta practice. Together, they form a supportive loop.
Choose Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea or Happy Place Mushroom Tea in the evening when you need to soften.
Make it a habit. Say, "I'll have tea," not, "if I have time."
Pair your tea with your Metta practice or a five-minute walk. Put your phone away while you sip and give yourself undistracted time.
Ask your body: What do I truly need right now?
Tea supports it. It doesn't replace it.
Healing doesn't happen overnight. It's built in the quiet moments, a cup of tea, a breath, a gentle pause.
Each time you return to this ritual, you reinforce a loop of safety and ease.
If this episode gave you even one calm breath, please follow The Tea on Wellness on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps more people in Orange County discover real calm in the chaos.
If you're local, come visit us in Laguna Beach. We'd love to help you find the right blend.
Or visit us online at teaandturmeric.com.
You don't have to navigate your mind alone. Your body, your breath, and your tea are your anchors.
You're worthy of ease, clarity, and balance.
Thanks for listening, and for caring for yourself.
Until next time, take a mindful moment. Breathe. Sip. Rest.
This is The Tea on Wellness.
[13:00] Shop Anti-Anxiety Teas at Tea and Turmeric, Laguna Beach: Show Outro
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About The Host
Vidya is the host of The Tea on Wellness Podcast, ranked in the top 25% of new podcasts globally. She is co-founder and owner of Tea and Turmeric, a tea and spice shop in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California. Raised in Eastern Canada in an Indian family rooted in Ayurveda, she grew up drinking masala chai daily in her Amma Amma's kitchen long before sourcing loose-leaf herbs for her own shop. Today, Vidya formulates functional herbal teas and spice blends and speaks with customers every day about stress, sleep, digestion, and nervous system support. She shares Ayurvedic tea traditions, adaptogens, and practical wellness rituals bi-weekly on The Tea on Wellness Podcast.
Resources and Links
Shop the Episode:
• Anti-Anxiety and Depression Herbal Tea
• Happy Place Mushroom Tea
• Shop All Stress and Anxiety Teas
Visit Us:
Tea and Turmeric | 1175 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, California
Shop Online: teaandturmeric.com
Instagram: @teanturmeric
Email: hello@teaandturmeric.com
This episode is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medication.
Episode Length: 14:00
Category: Wellness, Health, Mind and Body, Anxiety Relief, Herbal Tea, Nervous System, Meditation, Adaptogens, Ayurveda, Orange County
Publish Date: June 17, 2026
Location: Laguna Beach, Orange County, California
