Shambhala Meditation Center of NY

I visited Shambhala for their Intro to Meditation class. For anyone interested in learning how to meditate, this is a good starting point. The teacher was very personable, provided very good instructions, and made sure to communicate with her students to answer all questions that people had about this ancient practice. I would add that if you are interested in learning meditation, understand that there are many different types of meditation. Go to Shambhala for their intro class, and then go to other facilities throughout the city and compare different styles of meditation until you find the style that works best for you.

Incredible staff, outstanding teachers, and an OVER ALL amazing community to be a part of.
If you need a little break from the craziness that is NYC, the Shambhala Center is a great and local escape. There’s also weekly dharma gatherings that are wonderful and can change your life in a matter of seconds, I promise!

The Shambhala center happens to be one of my favorite places and favorite shrine rooms in the city! It is a wonderful place to practice, deepen your understanding of the dharma through classes and weekend programs, but also a great place to get to know yourself and others better.
I love this place! Always have and always will.

life-​changing! Great people, incredible teachers

This is an unexpected oasis on the 6^th floor of a commercial building. I attended two intro classes on two separate Sundays. The teachers were very, very different in their approaches. I really liked this because for me it emphasized that there is not one way to meditate but we all come to the practice in our own way.

I love the center! I have been attending the weekly dharma gatherings for the past 6 weeks and I can see a huge change in my life and the way I see things. The people are warm, the speakers are really good, and there are plent of opportunities to drop in and get a quick meditation.
My only suggestion: I’d love to see the talks online or published on their podcast more frequently so we could share the talks with friends who are not in the city or able to attend. Get on it ‘peeps!!! :P

What I love about this place is that they have a free public sitting room for meditation almost every day during after work hours. They also have a guided «Introduction to Meditation» on Wednesdays held in a separate room which would be helpful for beginners for a suggested donation of $ 10, but their most impressive feat is that they offer a space complete with much needed cushions and quiet to help stressed out New Yorkers — for no fee, too. Lovely idea and execution.

This place is really a gem. I’d never been to a meditation center or done any group meditations, as I always practiced solo. I came with a friend to the Tuesday night weekly dharma meeting just to check it out, and I’m definitely making this a part of my weekly routine.
There are different speakers every Tuesday night who focus on different topics (which are listed on the website). The speaker when I went was Joe Mauricio on «Living Meditation: The Ground of Wakeful Living». I loved it, he really connected with the audience and there was something in his talk for everyone to learn. It was very interactive, and I feel like I gained a lot of depth and insight within those two short hours. While I went with a friend, many people went alone, and everyone is super friendly and down to earth so don’t shy away if you can’t find anyone to go with you.
They also hold brief meditation instruction before the 30 minute meditation session for those who are new to practice or who just want a refresher, so very beginner friendly! For a suggested donation of $ 5 – 10, Shambhala is worth way more than the nominal fee, but if you don’t have it they also offer free meditation periods nearly every day.

Took the Wednesday ‘Beginners Meditation’ class. I really liked the space and the teacher (and its hard to beat the price, which is suggested donation of $ 10). Everyone there seemed genuine and there for a good reason, I could definitely see taking more classes here and doing some meditating on my own. Even after just one class I feel noticeably more relaxed.

I absolutely loved it here.
I went for a 6-​week course with Joe Mauricio and I will be back. I went with a friend too just to try it out, and I learned a lot about myself, about meditation, and many other helpful hints to breath.
Thanks for such a wonderful place smack dab in the middle of Manhattan!

I found this place when I took a mindfulness-​based stress reduction class held there. Since then, I have taken the Shambhala Level 1 training, The Art of Being Human, and am now taking a five-​week class called Meditation in Everyday Life. In the three months or so that I have been attending classes and workshops, I’ve found the people to be warm and inviting, the atmosphere friendly and the instruction first-​rate. They routinely draw large numbers of people who want to learn and practice Buddhist mindfulness, so it seems they have a good reputation with spiritually-​minded New Yorkers. I highly recommend to those looking for a mature spiritual community with which to practice.

Such a special, warm, welcoming safe space where there is emphasis on respecting one’s self and others. I especially love the workshops and the open house nights. The sangha is really a gift. I had been studying meditation and Buddhism for years, but here, I feel at home. The teachers are very approachable, and the classes are organized and informative.

This is a warm and welcoming center where anyone can learn the basics of meditation and Buddhist philosophy.
The Tuesday night gatherings are outstanding, in content and turn-​out. For anyone curious about meditation — this is the perfect place to get started.

A tranquil and wholesome space dedicated to Buddhist philosophy, the practice of meditation, and all-​around «goodness.»
On Tuesdays, you can come for free meditation instruction, or a half-​hour group meditation session (the newbies go away for instruction, while the oldies just do their thing in the main room), followed by a dharma lecture (each time I’ve gone, I’ve found something relevant and interesting to think about and much needed inspiration), followed by a reception to meet and greet fellow goodness-​seekers. There is a suggested donation of $ 5 and all this begins around 7pm, lasting until around 9pm.
The meditation room, which is very serene, is open for meditators from 5−7pm. On weekends and other days, there are lectures and classes for a fee. I believe they also organize retreats.
You don’t have to be Buddhist or religious to appreciate what this organization tries to do — which is clear the mind and inspire doing good and spreading good. Don’t be afraid that you aren’t a total hippie either — there are all kinds here (race, generations, gender, religion), and you won’t feel put off, I promise. Further, I think the best aspect of this organization and its practice is that they acknowledge there is no strict one way of doing anything.