Category Archives: Lineage

Parenting and Caregiving as the Path: Daylong Retreat with Cara Lai

Guest Teacher Cara Lai will join us via Zoom for this daylong workshop on Saturday, February 14 from 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM. There will be a break from 12-1.  Hybrid.

The number of parents  in the world is tremendous, and yet it’s easy to believe that parenthood, or caregiving more broadly, presents a barrier to deep practice. The lack of sleep, the constant attention to others, the endless list of agenda items, and the obstacles to going on retreat all might lead to the belief that one has to choose between having a serious practice and becoming a parent or caregiver. And yet, parenthood and caregiving are clearly abundant with opportunities for practice in metta, generosity, patience, and letting go. This day of practice and connection will explore and celebrate the many ways that being a caregiver has tremendous potential to be its own path to awakening. We will share stories, practice, reflect, grieve, and laugh together; and we will remember the wisdom of parents walking the path before us, to recognize the richness of our awakening as caregivers.

Bio: Cara Lai is a meditation teacher, artist, and writer who helps people step out of the cycle of suffering and into the fullness of life. She spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy, or at least avoid total misery, which ultimately led her to spend the majority of her adulthood meditating. She’s explored what it means to be alive through many adventures in consciousness, including a full year of solitary retreat, living with chronic illness, and having two whole humans come out through her vagina.

She once worked as a wilderness guide, social worker, and psychotherapist, but traded it in for an all-out mindfulness rampage. She’s a working mom whose teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She is authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist Lineage through IMS/Spirit Rock, and she teaches at centers across the country, for the Happier app, Ten Percent Happier, Hatch, and more. She lives with her husband, toddler, and new infant in Hinesburg, Vermont, ultimately hoping to get woke enough to bend spoons with her mind in front of large audiences. And to help everyone get free.

Learn more about Cara and her offerings here: CARA LAI

Practicing with Meditation Challenges

At some point, meditators find themselves challenged with their practice. You may feel like you are doing something wrong, but everyone experiences obstacles! We’ll explore your questions and challenges together in community and come away with new tools and inspiration. Led by Amy Strom and Michãel Palmer, on Saturday February 7 from 9 AM -12:30 PM. Please register online. Hybrid.

Newcomer Orientation

Come learn about meditation and the Bozeman Dharma Center! The first Tuesday of every month, we host a newcomer orientation. Receive basic meditation instruction and learn about what the Center offers. The next one is on Tuesday February 3,  from 5-6 PM. Bring your questions!  No registration necessary. In person.

Dharma Book Club

On Monday February 2, 1-2 PM, the Dharma Book Club will be discussing the book Down to Earth Dharma by Rebecca Bradshaw.

Bradshaw is a Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation community, and she offers teachings that are simple yet require us to explore aspects of ourselves that go against much of our social conditioning.

“With deeply thoughtful, lyrical prose, this book invites readers to engage with the world from a unique perspective that encourages feeling, intuitive understanding, embodiment, interdependence, and sacredness. Weaving together classical Theravada Buddhist teachings and mindfulness practices, the book teaches us when and how to channel our receptive and active orientations—sometimes called the feminine and masculine paradigms—to feel more at home in ourselves and the world and drop more deeply into the Buddhist teachings on suffering and happiness.”

Join us! This is an informal discussion, come even if you haven’t read the book. No registration necessary.

Intro to Meditation

If you’re interested in starting a meditation practice and aren’t sure how, come to our Intro to Meditation class on Saturday January 10 from  9 AM – 12:30 PM! We’ll discuss (and practice) different styles of meditation including practicing with the breath, body scans, working with a question, Metta practice and Tonglen. You’ll leave with an understanding of meditation fundamentals such as different postures that work well, how to work with attention, and ways to support your meditation practice. Please pre-register.

New Year’s Intentions Workshop

January is when many people set intentions for the new year. Can we do this from a place of mindfulness and not self-judgment? Join us on Saturday January 3 from 9 AM to noon for a workshop that will include guided meditations, journal exercises and a meditative inquiry from Tara Brach’s book Radical Compassion. The day will be held in companionable silence to allow us to each stay tucked into our own experience. Please bring a journal.

Dharma Book Club

The next Dharma Book Club will meet on Monday January 5 at 1 PM. This is an informal discussion group that reads a different book each month. For January, the group is reading “Braving the Wilderness” by Brené Brown. Join us! No registration necessary. Come even if you haven’t finished the book!

Newcomer Orientation

Are you thinking about starting a meditation practice this year? Or learn about the Bozeman Dharma Center? On Tuesday January 6 from 5 – 6 PM we will host our monthly orientation. This is a great way to learn about the Center, get your questions answered, and receive basic meditation instruction. No registration required. Free!

Winter Solstice Celebration

As we approach the still point of the winter solstice, you’re invited to pause and rest in the quiet turning of the season on Friday December 19 from  6-7 PM. Together, we’ll light candles, set gentle intentions, and settle into an immersive 60-minute Frequency Sound Bath—a meditative listening experience designed to nourish both body and mind.

Using an array of harmonic instruments such as crystal and Himalayan singing bowls, gong, bells, and chimes, Jessie creates an atmosphere of spacious awareness. The tones and vibrations naturally invite relaxation, guiding attention inward and allowing the body to soften and the mind to settle.

This practice offers a way to honor the return of the light while resting deeply in the present moment. Whether you come seeking renewal, reflection, or simple stillness, you are welcome to arrive as you are, lie back, and receive.

No registration necessary | Donations welcome; any funds collected will be split equally between the Dharma Center and Facilitator.