Shambhala Meditation Center of San Francisco

My team held an offsite/​brainstorm session here. It was a perfect place for our group of about 25 to come in and have a larger session and even break down into smaller groups, but the place is so spacious it would also work for a larger group. We started with a meditation session which was a uniquely wonderful experience. Alex, the Center’s director, was responsive and so kind, especially with all my questions. I looked at our email chain after all was arranged and he really was very patient with me! Our host for the day, Jaime, was amazing helping me coordinate the day and lunch for the team while I was still in the office and even hosting our end-​of-​the-​day drinks at the Center. I was able to hire her to buy the wine and make Sangria as well as some non-​alcoholic Sangria and they were delicious. They both worked with our group to make sure we had all we needed and were comfortable all day and made it so easy for me to arrange. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to host our off-​site!

Mindfulness is gaining ground. It’s in corporations, schools, magazines, politics, babies, probably unicorns, definitely dragons, and YOU.
Seeking its benefits, I stumbled upon the SF Shambhala Center in the same haphazard way that many people bump into their destiny. It was the first time I visited a meditation center and felt swept up into the arms and hearts of the people there. WIthin weeks, I was attending programs — because the generosity policy at SFSC allowed me to. I got to know people. I got to love people. I got involved. Now I spend many weekends at SFSC singing karaōke or putting on dance parties or being inspired by hearing people talk about their life work. And I get to meditate there as well!
The San Francisco Shambhala Center is unique and precious in its ability to offer basic and advanced meditation practice at affordable cost, yet also provide a community space in which people can simply relax and enjoy each other’s company, all the while knowing that they are in a healthy, uplifted space.
But don’t take my word for it. Don’t take any words. Just bring yourself there and see if it’s as good a fit for you as it has been for me.

Very professional and a comfortable environment where you don’t have to talk to someone through bullet proof glass.

Kind and wonderful people, both young and old. Great place to meditate and great cultural center! Lots of interesting classes as well. The leadership here really care about what goes on with the center.

Tuesdays is a free class. It has become a great way for me to reset myself. Being in the moment.
I have to say sometimes these places feel a little too «peace love» for me and if you are not at the same pace you kinda feel out place.
I feel pretty accepted here though, for the most part.
Learning to be Zen in such a fast paced world is not easy!
Rik who is one of the founders, and the only person I have been led by, is so nice. Calm and seems caring.
I have no clue how anyone can meditate for more than an hour. It sounds ludicrous to me, but these people do it somehow.
I do feel like I may be too much of a City girl for this spot, but it is not supposed to be easy to learn to be centered so I will keep coming back. ;)

Ok. I came back and had a pleasant experience. I would give it 5 stars, but I’m not sure if things have changed completely here, but the person I spoke with upstairs was extremely welcoming and hospitable

Amazing resource. I come here sometimes on Sunday mornings with my young daughter. They have fun activities with social time for the kids, so the adults can meditate. I wish I had my act together to come here more regularly and often.

Amazing community found here!

first place i learned to meditate now im a pro
great for beginners or expirenced
free.
nice people
clean
win win win

I’ve been coming to the SF Shambhala center off-​and-​on for a couple years. Overall it’s been a really great experience. I’ve been taking the various Way of Shambhala classes and they’ve had a major, positive impact on my life. I’ve learned a lot of tools that apply to my meditation impact and in practical life.
I came to Shambhala with an existing practice, but was feeling sort of ‘stuck’ in my life. Many of the classes deal with awareness of emotions and physical tension which I found I was repressing. I’ve since learned how to feel — actually feel — these things directly and it’s really changed my life for the better.
I’ve generally found the people to be friendly and non-​pretentious. I sat at a few centers before coming to Shambhala and felt most comfortable here. The Wednesday night ‘dharma night’ is really popular, and people often bring food or drink to share. I rarely, if ever, have found anyone to take to excess. But generally, Wednesdays are lots of talking and direct interaction. If you’re more shy or reserved, the Sunday and Tuesday sessions are more low-​key.
There is a lot of pressure, eventually, to start donating or become a member but I typically ignore that. I feel if I’m taking (paid) classes, or donating when I come to free sits, then leave me alone. I gather this particular center is expensive to operate due to the location and size.
My only real criticism is in the time since I started coming here, many of the sitting opportunities have decreased in ‘sit time’ and increased in ‘talk time.’ For example, Tuesday nights used to be straight-​up meditation for about 90 minutes. Now it’s an hour sit, and 30 minutes talk. I’ve seen this trend across most of the regular sits.
I read some of the negative reviews and wonder if the center was short-​staffed on those nights. I understand why one may want the center to be freely accessible at all times, but please consider that the area around the center has an extremely high homeless and addict population. I think restricting the practice room to scheduled times is less a matter of ‘drinking the kool aid’ and more about keeping the center safe with a limited number of staff.

I had been wanting to have a regular meditation practice for over 15 years, but I had never made the time to learn. I finally did learn by attending a few of the open sits at the SF Shambhala Center. Although I am still relatively new to meditation and to the SFSC, it is one of the places in SF that I love being, and is the first place I have felt a real sense of community. I felt welcome from the first time I dropped in for meditation instruction (that night I literally slept better than I had in my entire adult life) and even after two years, I continue to feel a warm welcome each time I set foot in the Center.
The courses I have taken at the SFSC, combined with my meditation practice have helped me to embrace my humanness, and to become a more compassionate, thoughtful person. Through my involvement with the Center, I have learned a great deal about the human experience, basic goodness, and the kindness and genuineness of my fellow Center members. I can’t believe I’ve lived in SF this long, and I’ve only just now discovered it. I would recommend SFSC to anyone who has an interest in learning more about mediation, mindfulness-​based practices, and/​or Buddhism.

I love the SF Shambhala Center! As soon as you walk through the doors, you feel welcomed into a warm, spacious refuge of sanity in the middle of our busy city. They have such wonderful teachers, and in general the feeling of community that has formed there just feels really positive and inspired. The Wednesday Dharma Night event is my favorite of their regular/​weekly programs.

Nice space — nice people — nice format — Buddhism is all good.

Really enjoyed my visit here. Peaceful and relaxing. Very nice space for meditation.

I first found this center when it was on Taraval near my home. I started going to meditate a few times a week. I found the place and the people welcoming and warm. I loved the talks after the open house meditation very stimulating. Over time I began to take classes and attend weekend retreats. I can see how my life is changing as a result of the meditation practice I have developed since I started attending.

I love this place because there are a lot of free opportunities to sit/​meditate in a beautiful venue. There is also free no-​pressure meditation instruction and they offer a series of weekend trainings that are inspiring, can be life changing and very accessible to us westeners. There is not a lot of buddhist jargon. There are some really great teachers there. Fees for programs are not fixed, and can be adjusted according to a person’s financial situation so the programs can be affordable for all incomes.
All kinds, and all ages of people go there, from student, worker, singles, parent or retiree. They have recently moved to a much larger space and there are new programs and opportunities happening all the time.
I guess I like it most of all because it is a good place to go to learn how to help yourself and the world, and you get to be around people who want the same.