Find peace and community through mindful meditation in the heart of Berkeley.
The Berkeley Shambhala Meditation Center offers a welcoming space for individuals seeking inner peace and personal growth through meditation. Rooted in the Shambhala tradition, we provide guided meditation sessions, free instruction, and community events that blend mindfulness with social vision. Whether you're a beginner or experienced practitioner, our inclusive environment fosters calmness, wisdom, and connection. Established in 1975, we are dedicated to helping you awaken to your true self and live more fully in the present moment.
Beginner-friendly guidance offered on Wednesdays and Sundays to help you start or deepen your practice.
Regular group sittings that combine vipassana techniques with Shambhala principles for inner awareness.
Creative classes integrating meditation with artistic expression to explore mindfulness through art.
Structured programs and retreats focused on personal growth, patience, and living in the present.
Social events that foster connection and inclusivity among practitioners in a relaxed setting.
The best.
I live in Kathmandu, Nepal with my loving husband and two children. I started this meditation method at the main centre in South Korea two years ago. Since then, I have been continuing to meditate remotely with Berkeley Meditation. Meditating alone and remotely is not very easy but due to the constant guidance from Berkeley center and my determination for completion, I am now in level 5 of the meditation method. In the past two years, people around me have seen lots of changes in me. I have also seen many changes in myself- I feel like I can understand other people's perspective more and interact with them accordingly. I can prioritize what is more important to me. I am more patient and calmer now. I don't worry about my future as much and I try to live in the present and enjoy every moment. This meditation method has been an eye-opener for me to renew myself. The method is the key to awaken myself and make me aware of who I am. It is a hope for life and a recharger for me whenever I am frustrated, demotivated and demoralised. So I am very thankful to the meditation method.
Sanity and community served here since like... '75. Meditation instruction and practice, dharma Art!, tea, inclusivity, kindness, wisdom trainings.
Highly recommend if you have any interest in meditation. Wednesdays and Sundays offer free instruction, and everyone I have met here has been very welcoming
The name says it all: it combines the inward look of vipassana meditation ("Meditation"), with the social vision of a perfectible society ("Shambala"), it anchors the otherwise potential somnolence of meditation and the dreaminess of utopian ideals in a "working basis" - a "Center." And don't forget the "Berkeley" - you can be sure the unstated themes are "inclusiveness" and "freedom of expression." These people spend more time getting down to business on meditation cushions that anyplace outside a zen or vipassana center. Less chanting, more sitting. Less confusion, simpler to start. No sharp boards across the shoulders, no "what's next" when sitting meditation no longer seems to be enough.
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