Super welcoming, efficient and kind... Keep trying the various teachers and I find there's someone…read morefor everyone in terms of style and Dharma offerings with the various programs in wide variety of teachers... Improvement could be made with donating one portal easy like IMC Redwood City and I would really appreciate less aggressive dana talks and an easier portal /platform for donating going to each individual teachers platform and having to sign up with the platform is not a solution and I appreciate your kind attention and hope this can be made easier for all beings to donate to East Bay Meditation Center because basically I'm waiting until the teachers come to Insight Meditation Center Redwood City and donating to them at that venue because easier. Also another Meditation Center that even has an easier platform for donation is Flagstaff Meditation Center you go in pull down the teacher's name click in the donation arrives to the teacher and or Center....

I have been attending workshops at EBMC sporadically for close to 2 years now. I am not a regular…read moremeditator, despite my intentions, I accept what is for now lol. I value EBMC so much as a learning space. The workshops I have attended always provided information for me, whether about the nature of things or about my inner world that was right on time! I have definitely grown as a result and feel helped along through life's challenges & lessons. I love the gift economics model they use, I just wish we could venmo our donations or some other way online where eventbrite doesn't charge fees. I try to pay cash on site instead when I have it, but yea I hate the fees. Tip: scent free space, and they mean it! I actually love fabric softener (it was a luxury my family did not afford when I was a kid) and now I dump it enthusiastically all over my laundry, so attending events at EBMC requires some extra planning on my part, but I appreciate that they are serious to make it accessible for everyone and it's well worth my effort.

I came for a drop in class from out of town. The studio is a beautiful space, however the teacher,…read morewho opened the studio, did not arrive until about 4 minutes before the class started. It is considerate, professional and standard operating procedure to have the studio and space open for 15 minutes before class. Students need time to use the bathroom, settle in, grab props, and take a few quiet minutes to themselves before beginning practice. Instead, there were 7 of us standing outside by the door waiting in the sun and it was a very odd dynamic when the teacher parked and arrived to let us all in because the teacher should ALWAYS arrive before the students if there is no open door/front desk. The teacher did not mention specifically which props to have for practice, so every time we did a movement with a new prop, about half of the students had to get up and grab them from the prop room which is very disruptive to practice. Lastly, the teacher guided students into trying Handstand without making space for alternatives like Dolphin or Headstand, and more importantly without any of the basic energetic cues for hands, elbows, and shoulders that are strictly necessary to provide students for this posture in order to protect your neck and shoulders.

The energy of the studio is sweet and lovely. Aviva is an…read moreamazing instructor and the focus is on healing.

I've been practicing yoga for 16 years and have taken classes in studios across the country and…read moreother countries. SoulFlow truly stands out. Not only do they honor yogas roots instead of just offering "fitness classes" and are also committed to social justice, but they have also been able to create a true sense of community. Tuesday night classes with Jazzmin are the highlight of my week. She has an uncanny ability to read everyone's needs and create a class that leaves you with just what you needed.

If you're looking for a diverse, welcoming and inclusive healing space to practice, this is it…read more For days when you're feeling too tired to work out, but I still feel the need to center yourself and move the days events out of your body and mind try the Gentle Yoga class. By the end of class I'm feeling more myself, more grounded and nourished and better equipped to show up for myself and my community. In times like these, this is the perfect place to hold space for yourself, but not by yourself. Arrive early to secure metered street parking.

Enjoyed a wonderful evening of crystal bowls at Luminary Farms a few months ago. It was over way…read moretoo quickly but I was completely relaxed and refreshed. I am not good at meditating and this replaces meditation for me. After there was time to try the bowls and hear her stories. So interesting to learn about the bowls. Looking forward to attending another event soon.

I am constantly doing, going, working and find it hard to sit still. Yet, I was able to fully relax…read moreand feel present in the sound bath. It's really amazing how the sound envelopes and moves through you. Definitely something I would do again!

Mer is an amazing healer~Incredibly intuitive and musically gifted, she used the Tibetan singing…read morebowls to guide me on a journey of healing & love. The vibrations of that session left me feeling calm, grounded & energized! Highly recommended!

I have been going to Mer for over a year and a half now and she has been a profound influence and…read moreimpact on my life. She caters her healing to the individual and there's no one size fits all on her approach. I can't rave enough about how she has helped me grow as a person, as well as face the challenges of my past. In my opinion, she creates a safe space for healing, the kind of healing we all need to do before truly being able to open fully to all life has to offer. What a gift she is!

Just finished my first class at Banana Yoga 10/10! Super cute space, lockers, nice bathroom w/a…read morebidet! I'm super out of practice but lots of options for modified poses. I will definitely be back!

I have been going regularly to banana for prenatal yoga with both Sybil and Hye and have gotten so…read moremuch benefit for my body, relaxation and emotions during pregnancy as a second time parent. I wanted to take the time to write a review because of the welcoming environment at banana - I've appreciated that they also hold community events in the space, offer sliding scale payment, and gathering opportunities for folks with different backgrounds and interests. I'm hoping to find time to check out more classes postpartum and would recommend banana yoga to anyone, especially for folks who appreciate the more approachable experience. For prenatal yoga specifically, I also want to mention that I tried a few different spots during my pregnancy this time, and banana was by far my favorite!

I love the meditation and connection meetups offered here. I am now going twice a week!read more

Super nice people, love that they host a space for the community and hope more people can get to…read moreknow their mission. Very lowkey and have a variety of community groups that meet during the week

A warm, welcoming, and inclusive community, ever-evolving while offering refreshing teachings and…read moreopportunities to reflectively cultivate engaged practice as applied to daily life. An oasis.

In 2007 I had the good fortune to attend a Qigong workship at the Berkeley Shambhala Center led by…read moreEva 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.

This Thai temple is such a hidden gem, was super grateful for friends who introduced us to it. It's…read morea legit Thai temple in Berkeley that has a Sunday morning/afternoon market. You trade in cash for tokens, and then trade the tokens for food that is worth different token amounts (I think that's how they get around the taxes and tip). You can always return the tokens at the end of your meal to get your cash back. My top hits were this pho-like soup with beef and I think bone broth? the Thai iced tea, and the kanom krok dessert (the coconut dessert pastries). CASH ONLY Pros: - the soup is delicious - my friend always brings a container to take the rest of the broth home if she doesn't finish it - all the food is super delicious, and all the workers are super nice - LOTS of options to choose from! Thai food everywhere. Decent prices for the amount of food you get - The temple is beautiful and the statues are gorgeous, even if you're not Buddhist it's a really cool environment to be in - They have covered and uncovered tables to sit and eat at, and you dump your leftovers and dirty dishes in a designated pile, the whole thing is a very well-run ship. Cons: - parking can be tricky - Food can run out if you come closer to noon - lines can be long because the food is so good, recommend you come early - can get loud and crowded - lots of dogs, families, kids, etc. this place is popular. an introvert's nightmare LOL I recommend coming with a party of 2-3 so that one of you can stake out a spot, one of you can stand in a longer line , etc.

The golden paint around the gates instantly demarcated an entrance to the Thai temple. I was…read moreinstantly met with a pleasant aroma of Thai spices. First checkpoint was to obtain tokens in order to purchase the Thai food. Well, I calculated that maybe I had enough stomach space for "two meals" at most, but the portions decent enough to satiate my appetite. I want to gate-keep this experience, however I believe that there is enough publicity that this place is no longer an obscure discovery. The roaming temple dog (maybe a lost but well-behaved dog) mad it an extra fun experience. The food is a great intro to what Thai food is! Pick your personal favorites, I believe each item wouldn't disappoint. I would come again with my friends to revisit this place for a relaxing Sunday breakfast.

I recently did an exploratory session with Shannon with the goal of finding some calm and focus…read morearound some personal and professional issues I was dealing with. It's so hard to describe in words the ways in which she was able to both steer the conversation towards getting at the heart of what was bubbling up, but also to, in very subtle ways, observe my posture/body language/breathing and allow that to inform what might be at the core of some of the feelings or emotions that were hanging out right alongside the stories I was telling myself. From there she had some lovely suggestions about how to gently shift tension and anxiety in my body. And I left the session with one really solid action step that I took the following week, and also feeling strongly grounded.

Beautiful practice in so many ways, the acupuncture is intuitive and potent, the offerings in the…read morecommunity space are healing and connecting in a spiritual sense and it's a beautiful space to be in with intention in every direction.