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.

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!)

The LBC is an Excellent resource, getting better all the time.
http://communicatingmeditation.wordpress.com