Parenting and Caregiving as the Path

with Cara Lai

Saturday, February 14
9:30 AM – 3:00 PM MST

About the Retreat

The number of parents  in the world is tremendous (everyone exists because of them!), 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.

It is important to Cara and to the BDC that everyone who is interested has access to this retreat. If finding or paying for childcare becomes a barrier to taking this class, please reach out to info@bozemandharmacenter.org.

Cara Lai will be online via Zoom. You are welcome to come to the BDC to participate in community or to practice in the comfort of your home.

About the Teacher

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.