The Austin Shambhala Meditation Center is pleased to announce that in addition to the Children’s Program that occurs regularly on the third Sunday of each month, there will now be a Parent Sit on the first Sunday of each month. During the Parent Sit, parent volunteers will host children from 10:00am to 12:00 noon in the Family Room in the Smith House. The intention is to foster family involvement at the Center and to provide parents with an opportunity to participate in the Public Sit while their children are safely engaged in play, reading, and art activities.

Upcoming Parent Sit Dates:
with Rhonda Sparre and Maya Bernal
Sunday, May 3
Sunday, June 7
Sunday, July 5

Upcoming Children’s Program Dates:
with Roy Buchanan
Sunday, May 17
Sunday, June 21
Sunday, July 26

For more information about the Children’s Program or the Parent Sit, contact the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center at 512-443-3263 or austinshambhala@gmail.com.

Uplifting the Family Room
We continue to upgrade the space in the Smith House for children and their families to share time together at the Center. Below you will find a list of items we could use for the space:

Family Room Wish List

• 2-3 medium sized book shelves
• 2 bean bags
• Oversized throw pillows
• Rocking chair (for new mamas and papas)
• Window coverings with hardware for five 31″x 61″ windows
• 2 child size craft tables and chairs
• Any dharma related books, craft books, etc. geared toward children and teens
• Pencils, colored pencils, and crayons
• Glue & child size scissors
• Multi-colored craft paper
• Kid-friendly craft paint (an easel would be cool too)
• Building blocks/games/stretched canvas for kids to make art for the walls
• Other miscellaneous craft supplies

If you can donate of any of these items, you can either drop them off at the center between 12-2pm on Sunday the 26th, or you can contact Rhonda Sparre to make other arrangements. Monetary donations will also be graciously accepted and all monies will go directly to creating a wonderful family space at the ASMC.

On April 17, the Austin Shambhala Center begins a new program, Yoga for Meditators, designed to help meditators prepare the body for seated meditation by cultivating an awareness of breath and body.

Through a series of physical poses and breathing practices that support opening the body, building strength, and inviting flexibility, these classes will focus on cultivating a quiet mind, supple body, and open heart. Classes are appropriate for practitioners at all levels, including beginners.

There is a suggested donation of $15 per class. Please bring your own yoga mat.

Class schedule

• Monday Evenings 5:00-6:30 p.m. with Trent Schmiedehaus
• Friday Mornings 9:30-11:00 a.m. with Kelly Roadhouse
• Friday Noon 12:00-1:00 p.m. with Kelly Roadhouse

About the Instructors

• Kelly Roadhouse has been practicing yoga and Buddhist meditation for more than 10 years. Her teaching is firmly grounded in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of yoga. She is inspired to help others cultivate mindfulness and awareness through the practices of sitting meditation and yoga.
• Trent Schmiedehaus has been practicing meditation and yoga for close to a decade, and he is a certified Dharma Yoga teacher. The union of Dharma and Yoga are at the very heart of his being and these practices are central to his life. Trent has a genuine gift for connecting with others and infuses his teaching with warmth, humor and the spirit of Shambhala Warriorship.

For more information, contact the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center at austinshambhala@gmail.com or 512-443-3263.

Sangha member Craig Thompson will be giving a Kyudo demonstration on Monday, March 2 at 7:00pm, at Casa De Luz (1701 Toomey Rd) in the Japonica Salon, upstairs.

For more details and information about Craig, see the JASGA announcement.

For more information about Kyudo, see http://www.zenko.org