Community-Led Meditation Groups in the SF Bay Area

By Katharine Bierce

MARCH 2020 UPDATE: Many of these groups are now online, due to the coronavirus. Contact each organizer for details.

We all know the saying “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

With the advent of many meditation apps these days, it’s easier than ever to practice at home, alone.

But is that really the whole of the dharma?

The Buddha was once asked by his attendant, Ananda, if spiritual friendship was half of the spiritual life.

The Buddha famously said, no - good friends and noble companions are the whole of the spiritual life.

Sangha

The Buddha’s discourse on spiritual friendship

With that in mind, I’d like to share some meditation groups/dharma events that are specifically community-led. This is great if you want to meet like-minded people, have a space to connect and maybe chat over a meal, or otherwise practice meditation in a community context: not all by yourself.

After all, “This is the whole of the spiritual life,” as the Buddha said. Check out In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi, pages 240-241, for an excerpt of the discourse on sangha.

Every weekday morning with SF Dharma Collective
Morning peer-led sit every weekday
7:30 - 8:15 am
2701 Folsom St, San Francisco (near 24th St/Mission BART)
Notes: Come late or leave early as needed. There is hot water for tea before and after the sit. All classes and sits are open to all and no registration is necessary, but donations are welcome. Wheelchair accessible and they use fragrance-free cleaning products.
Contact for Zoom info and questions: sfdharmacollective@gmail.com 

Mondays 6:30-9:00 pm
"Neighborhood: North of the Panhandle, SF
Contact: Cecile Poyet, Cecile.laura.poyet AT gmail DOT com
Style: Vipassana (S.N. Goenka)
Format: Meet at 6:30 pm, meditate at 7 pm, and go out to dinner around 8:30 pm (optional) - also online

Tuesdays 7:00-9:00 pm
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Contact: Henrik Norberg, dharma AT henriknorberg DOT net
Style: Shamatha-vipassana
Format: 1 hour meditation, then Q&A
Participants tend to be intermediate/advanced practitioners (beyond stage 4 of The Mind Illuminated, have had a daily practice for several years, or been on multiple retreats). Also online.

First Tuesdays
Neighborhood: South Berkeley
6:30-8:30 pm
Contact: info@businesscasualyoga.com 
Style: Shamatha-vipassana, but also open to whomever leads
Format: Varies. 1 hour potluck, 45 min-ish group meditation. Not wheelchair accessible (on 2nd floor of a house with no elevator). On hold due to COVID.

Wednesdays: Awakin Circle Santa Clara
7:00 - 9:30ish
7 pm: Silent Sit
8 pm: Short Reading, followed by circle of sharing
9 pm: Vegetarian Meal
Location: Varies - see here for details: http://www.awakin.org/local/. 
Original in Santa Clara: http://www.awakin.org/local/city/santaclara.
Format: RSVP online; they'll email you details and exact address.

Thursdays at SF Shambhala/Peer Led Discussion
2nd and 4th Thursday nights
7:30- 9:00 PM
1231 Stevenson Street, San Francisco, CA
Contact: Eric and Bin, YoungMeditators@SFshambhala.org
Free, but donations are welcome

Thursdays with Berkeley Shambhala/"DIY Meditators"
Every Thursday, 6-9 pm
6 pm: BYO dinner (optional, prior to COVID)

6:30 Join the Zoom call and say hello
7 pm: sit, walk, sit
8 pm: discussion, or whatever the group decides
Contact: JoshuaRaen Thornberry, manager@berkeleyshambhala.org to get the Zoom dial-in, as it often changes week by week.

P.S. Bonus: I heard about this list of 2020 retreats from someone in a peer-led meditation group.