Berkeley Shambhala Meditation Center

Review for Oakland Shambhala but Unilocal doesn’t seem to want to accept it with the Oakland address and has lumped it in with Berkeley reviews:
I really wanted to love this offering as I have been going to the Berkeley Shambhala but this is much closer to me.
I felt quite out of the loop when I arrived though as if it was only for those in the clique. They sat in a circle which was just weird. When I walked in, I felt totally out of place. No one acknowledged me and I arrived early so I just stood around waiting to see what happened next. Such a weird vibe. If you are young, cute and scream hipster you might just fit in. If not, you might just get totally blanked and never want to go back.

I have been coming to the Berkeley Shambhala Center for 3 years now, and it has transformed my life. In fact, since a year or so ago, I have started volunteering at the center. I think the wednsday night open house is especially good for new comers. There is mediation instruction at 6:30, followed by some sitting, then discussion and finally some snacks or light dinner– and it is all DONATION BASED–
There is also a similar schedule on Sunday mornings… different vibe than wednsday evenings though.
I am really happy to be part of a community that opens its door to the community for free mediation instruction and sits.

I love this center for its history (been there for over 25 years!) and for the great space it offers in which to meditate! The people are very kind and willing to help. Classes are interesting and diverse.

Having participated in most of the different types of programs offered (including: weekend retreats, weekday meditations, weeklong retreats, and workshops) I am comfortable saying I love the Berkeley Shambala Center and highly recommend it to anyone. I like the new director Rees Sweeney-​Taylor, and I look forward to seeing what programs will be held in the future!

Very nice place.

Loved, loved, loved it here.
Great people and so welcoming to a new meditator.
The reading and group discussion post meditation was great and helped keep me on my path.
I will definitely return.

we just moved into the area and after unpacking and multiple ikea trips, we were in need of some meditation. the center was very quiet and it was a small group of us for the friday night service. we had two sitting meditation sessions, a walking meditation session (my favorite part) and some evening chants. the leader was very nice and insightful and another devotee talked to me afterward about the various programs they offer for understanding meditation more fully.
i will definitely be coming back to this center. what a great place to have in the neighborhood!

In 2007 I had the good fortune to attend a Qigong workship at the Berkeley Shambhala Center led by Eva Wong. I was somewhat apprehensive about the physical demands of such a practice since I was 60 years old, overweight, and not in good physical condition. I found that the qigong was taught in a gentle way with great sensitivity to participants’ physical infirmities. I was quite surprised to find that I felt better after six hours of Qigong than I did before I started and that I was not sore at all the next day. I was even more surprised to find that the second day of instruction was also invigorating and pain free.
I have continued to practice this Qigong and have taken additional classes from Eva. My wife and I both have found that this Qigong practice has made us stronger, healthier, and more flexible. It has truly improved our lives at a time when we needed it.
Why am I telling you about this old news? Because Eva Wong is returning to teach again at the Berkeley Shambhala Center on December 5 – 6, 2009. I hope that others can learn to improve their lives as my wife and I were able to.

My experience with the Shambhala Center has been through their Practice Night meditation on Wednesdays.
I’d tried meditation once before as a stressed out grad student in LA. I remember being so anxious I was shaking while sitting on the floor. The gruff yoga instructor didn’t help things either. It felt like I was being yelled at in the most calming voice ever. So I’m all, forget this, and never tried it again while I was in LA.
So when I moved to SF, Brian S, who was attending UCB at the time, suggested we try out this beginner’s meditation session. I was so afraid the same thing would happen that I put it off for months. But I finally went, and I’m so glad I did.
First off, for those unfamiliar with meditation can receive some instruction on sitting meditation before the actual session. Things like posture, what to focus on, all of that. The actual session is divided into three parts: a 20 minute sitting meditation, a 5 minute walking meditation, and another 20 minutes sitting meditation. Afterwards, there’s a reading (from like Pema Chodron or another Buddhist teacher) and a discussion on the text, or on the techniques in sitting meditation.
For me, having this Practice Night helped ease the anxiety of sitting with my thoughts for like an hour or so. Not to mention the actual act of meditation has helped with my anxiety in general. But I needed to start small, and this Practice Night is so great with that. Plus the discussion at the end, where everyone can comment on the reading or give their insights or worries about their life, or their practice, or what have you, is just so nice and wonderful.
The Practice Night takes place in the studio to the side of the main entrance on Fulton. This space also includes literature, incense, and other things you can peruse or buy. The website includes more information on the Practice Night as well as the other offerings at the center.
If I lived in the East Bay I’d probably check it out more often. However, I have received the confidence to check out other Buddhist/​meditation offerings here in SF because of the Shambhala Center. This is a calm space to help get to your calm place.