London Buddhist Centre

This is a multi-​purpose rehearsal space /​events venue /​meeting place /​Buddhist centre. Laid out over about five floors off Roman Road in Bethnal Green, this building smacks of a run-​down council estate pub occupied by an odd selection of people, but climb the stairs and you find two very light and large rehearsal rooms. The top floor room is especially large and comes with a grand piano, and is available to hire for about 10 quid an hour. So if you’re after a good rehearsal or event venue and don’t mind running the gauntlet of Urban Bethnal, it’s well worth a look.

There are times living in London when you get so stressed and burnt out that you may end up doing something you regret. I used to be an estate agent so I know.
When things used to get on top of me I’d book in a phantom viewing and head down to the Buddhist Centre on Roman road in Bethnal Green.
For a small donation of your choosing (Most people drop in £1-£2) you can take part in a meditation class. The classes were fully explained throughout by a practising monk. The message of love and harmony is spread throughout the small group, and even if you do not know how to meditate you do feel better afterwards. What I found was the more I went the better I felt afterwards.
It is a great way to de-​stress, and a cost effective way of learning how to meditate in serene surroundings.
They often hold retreats, so if you want to take the teachings of the Buddha further you can.

Meditation is one of those things that a Londoner really, really ought to do but rarely has time for. There are numerous obstacles: a punishing working week that people still call a 9 to 5 when it’s actually and 8 to 7, a cacophony of bars, galleries, gigs and shows that threaten to engulf your entire evening and leave you stranded in central London with a liver full of vodka at 12am, fully cognizant of the fact you have a 9am client meeting the following morning.
Now obviously, if we did that every night we’d have grey hair by the time we were 25; so figured it would only make sense to recommend somewhere that I felt was relaxing and informal enough for your average social animal; and thankfully lacking the overtly crystal-​chakra ‘New Age-​ness’ that haunted venues I had visited in the past.
The centre, based in Bethnal Green is part of a larger group called the friends of the Western Buddhist Order, but don’t let the name leave you thinking you’ll be mobbed by zealots or urged to convert to a religious lifestyle. If anything, this centre is welcoming towards everyone — even fervent agnostics like myself — instead concentrating on its core strength: teaching people simple meditation techniques in ways that you can apply to your life, to help you feel significantly grounded in even the most chaotic situation. Like that 9am client meeting.
The tranquil, charming space has recently had an impressive makeover; with a crisp-​white minimalist looking new reception some new meditation rooms planned for the basement. Thankfully, the prices have stayed put: you can do an evening class starting at £5 (concs), although you’ll more than likely end up paying £7 if you are waged and work full time; or you can grab an hour of lunchtime serenity for less than a bag of chips (£1!)

After spending a few too many disappointing new year’s eves in noisy drunken pubs and restaurants, I decided to do something different last year and headed off to Sibford, Oxfordshire on a 5 day meditation retreat hosted by the LBC.
This is one of the retreats they host throughout the year and I am so glad I did it. It’s not necessary to get involved in and of the Buddhist rituals. I went for the meditation, the yoga, peaceful walks and being fed three good meals a day.
The LBC have a presence in Bethnal Green where they teach meditation and also have daily classes and specialised mediation practices for addictions and depression. Involvement in Buddhism is optional.

The LBC is an Excellent resource, getting better all the time.