The practice of meditation is becoming increasingly common among people from all walks of life, encouraged in high-level corporate sessions, during coffee breaks and before academic tests and sports competitions. Every day, more of us are being introduced to meditation practices that have been cherished since ancient times. In this course you will learn about the many benefits of meditation and practice various meditation and visualization techniques, including mantra meditation, single-object meditation, breath-awareness meditation, meta meditation, and mindfulness of the present moment. The class features multimedia-based lectures, guided meditation, and relaxation video clips. Our text is the instructor’s book, The Divine Art of Meditation, the result of almost a decade of research on the subject. Note: Class begins February 22. 6 Classes. Limit 17.

Farnaz Masumian
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 22. Ends March 28.
Abiding Love Lutheran Church
7210 Brush Country Road (78749)

The Austin area is a great place to bird. We will four classroom sessions and four field trips in the immediate Austin area. Classroom sessions will introduce students to the birds that live in Central Texas year-round as well as those that pass through during the spring migration and those that breed here. Other topics will be equipment, bird identification tips, how to attract birds to your yard and places to bird in the Austin area. Although the class is geared toward the beginning birder, all skill levels are welcome. The classroom sessions will be from 10:00—Noon on Thursdays; field trips will be 8:00—10:00 A.M. Participants can expect to walk up to a mile and a half on mainly level surfaces that may not be paved. The instructor has been birding for over 40 years and is a Master Birder and Master Naturalist. Limit 20.

Chris Gunter
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends April 4.
Triumphant Love Lutheran Church, Upper Room
9508 Great Hills Trail (78759)

You can learn from the beginning or get help with a project. Bring practice yarn and needles or hook to the first class. The instructor, an accomplished artist, has taught knitting and crocheting for over 30 years. Call  512-364-3147 or email pat@tittizer.us with questions about this course. Limit 15.

Pat Tittizer
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends April 4.
United Christian Church, Fellowship Area
3500 W. Parmer Lane (78727)

Are we alone in the universe? We will explore the essential steps that lead to humans dominating this planet. The first steps involve an astronomical exploration of our universe. Is there anything special about our galaxy, our star, the Sun, or the planet we inhabit Chemistry and biology dominate the next steps. How did life arise on our planet? Could this process occur elsewhere in the galaxy? Does intelligence arise as a natural consequence of a rich, threatening environment? Is our galaxy sterile, feral, fallow or filled? Finally, what about UFOs?

Our instructor is a retired Senior Research Scientist, now an amateur astronomer, still affiliated with UT’s McDonald Observatory. 6 Classes. Limit 50.

G. Fritz Benedict
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends March 21.
The Village at the Triangle
4517 Triangle Avenue (78751)

Take a deep dive into traditional and replacement Medicare, as well as how to handle needs beyond what Medicare will cover. We’ll examine real examples of how the program works, use of Medicare for specific needs, and coverage of costs when Medicare shuts off. If you are now on Medicare, are approaching Medicare eligibility, or considering Medicare benefits for a loved one, this is a course for you. It will give you a firm grasp of how to maximize your benefits, what types of plans are available, and as a bonus, how to keep marketers from calling you so much! Our instructors are insurance brokers with a focus on educating the community. Limit 24.

Raeven Harris and Cassie Walden
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends April 4.
Westover Hills Church of Christ, Room 201
8332 Mesa Drive (78759)

This course examines the greatest theft of art and cultural valuables in history and its continuing impact today. From 1933 to 1945, the Nazis confiscated more than half a million objects of art. Although the western Allies refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of these confiscations, many heirs of Nazi victims are still trying to recover their ancestors’ art. Using films, Power Point presentations and class discussions, the class begins by exploring the history of looting art during times of conflict, from the Romans through Napoleon. Then we focus on Hitler’s views on art, the development of the Nazi aesthetic, and confiscations from German museums and private collections in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. We’ll consider the role of the “Monuments Men” after the Allied invasion of Europe, the discovery of Nazi caches of art, and initial attempts to restitute such art. Finally, we examine legal restitution efforts after the war, more recently, and currently. Our instructor taught art law at Harvard Law School until his retirement in 2008, taught a seminar on art law at the UT Law School upon his subsequent move to Austin, and taught several summer art law seminars in Freiberg, Germany. Note: No class on April 4; course extends one week. Limit 30.

Terry Martin
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends April 11.
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Room 205
3525 Bee Cave Road (78746)

Do you love poetry? For many people, poetry provides a new means of seeing the world, speaking to and for us in a meaningful way. This is an opportunity to meet with other poetry lovers to share and talk about verse in a nonacademic setting, and encounter poems and poets that are new to you. This is not a poetry-writing class. Participants will bring one or two favorite published poems to read aloud and share with the group. Discussion will be along the lines of why a poem speaks to the person who brought it, or why this is a favorite poet. Prior to each meeting, participants will be notified how many will be in class so they can bring hard copies of their selections for those coming to that session, if possible (or at least one copy for the facilitator). The week after each meeting, everyone will receive digital copies of the poems. Limit 15.

Bronwyn Bowen, Facilitator
10:00 AM—12:00 PM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15. Ends April 4.
The Church at Highland Park, Burchette Room
5206 Balcones Drive (78731)       

This class works at the end of A1 beginning A2 level according to the CEFR. This means you can already apply quite a few standing phrases, but also start basic communication and write more complicated sentences. You already have a solid understanding of the cases (nominative, accusative and dative), can form the conversational past and start building dependent clauses. A lot of explanations can already be done in German. If you are not sure this class is right for you, try this placement test https://learngerman.dw.com/en/placement-test-a1/1-36696748 . Limit 16.

Henrike Belz
10:00 AM—11:30 AM Thursday
Starts Feb. 15 . Ends April 4.
Violet Crown City Church
1300 Morrow Street (78757)

This course has been canceled.