15 Philly-Area Studios Where You Can Take Meditation Classes
Take a moment to stop, breathe, and clear your mind.
Need to calm your racing mind? Check out these 15 Philly-area studios offering meditation classes. / Photograph of The Veda Den by Chloe Dawson Photography.
We live in a world and a city where it’s GO, GO, GO, and mental stimulation is constant. From Instagram-induced FOMO to all those dang push notifications, there’s hardly ever any peace and quiet in our lives. Unless you specifically seek it out, that is.
To that end, we recommend you check out this list of 15 local studios — each of which offers at least one meditation class per week — to give yourself a mental break while learning tactics to help manage stressful situations with ease. Whether you want to meditate in person or stream a session online, you’ll find a class here for you.
And if you’re looking for sound bath meditation specifically, check out our guide to local businesses that offer it here.
Black Lotus Holistic Health Collective
Where: 206 Lincoln Drive, Historic Rittenhouse Town
Classes offered: Join this collective of holistic-health practitioners for mindfulness meditation every Sunday at 11 a.m. The weekly session is part of Black Lotus’s Self-Care Sundays series, which features yoga, acupuncture, and rotating wellness workshops.
Formation Sauna + Wellness
Where: 305 Brown Street, Northern Liberties
Classes offered: In addition to their sauna and massage services, Formation offers private and group meditation sessions. Their Private Soundbath Immersion is a 90-minute meditative sonic journey that includes meditation breathwork, journaling, and aromatherapy, and their Ceremony to Self is a 2-hour fully immersive ceremony combining hands-on healing and guided meditation. For upcoming group events, check out their calendar.
Kadampa Meditation Center
Where: 47 North 2nd Street, Old City
Classes offered: As you can expect from the name, this center has a bunch of meditation classes that follow the Kadampa Buddhist tradition. Don’t worry if you’re not well-versed in the style, though; no experience is required for any of the sessions. Classes are currently held at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 12:15 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There’s also classes at branches in Ardmore and Collingswood.
Main Line Meditation
Where: 18 Ardmore Avenue, 2nd floor, Ardmore; online
Classes offered: Main Line Meditation is a membership-based organization that provides guided meditation both in-person and virtually. No matter if you opt for a one-month, three-month, or recurring membership, you’ll get unlimited small-group online meditation sessions, unlimited access to the Ardmore studio, and one-on-one guided meditation.
Monarch Yoga
Where: 171 West Berks Street, Kensington
Classes offered: Every Friday at 11 a.m., Monarch Yoga hosts 30-minute meditation that’s open to the public. The session is free, and operates as a silent, seated practice.
Nalandabodhi Philadelphia
Where: Online
Classes offered: Every Sunday morning, Nalandabodhi Philadelphia hosts free meditation over Zoom. The session begins with chanting, then continues with 20 minutes of sitting meditation. After a short break, you’ll end with a second round of meditation. It all starts at 9:45 a.m. and lasts for one hour; email the center for the Zoom link.
Shambhala Meditation Center of Philadelphia
Where: 2030 Sansom Street, Rittenhouse
Classes offered: Join this local chapter following Shambhala Buddhist teachings for free (although donations are welcome) public meditations from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 to 11 a.m. on Sundays. Check the calendar for a full list of introductory programs if you’re interested in more of a guided experience.
Siddha Yoga Meditation Center
Where: 88 West Johnson Street, West Mt. Airy
Classes offered: Welcoming all practitioners, Siddha hosts various forms of meditation, chanting, and sonic meditation on a rotating basis that are guided by meditation master and teacher Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. This community of seekers also hosts special events you can find on their updated calendar.
Soji Zen Center
Where: 2325 West Marshall Road, Lansdowne
Classes offered: This contemporary Buddhist center serves as a zendo (silent space for practicing seated meditation, zazen, with others) hosting virtual morning meditations on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7:00 a.m. and in-person meditations on Sunday mornings starting at 9:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Friday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. Their Introduction to Meditation workshops teach the fundamentals of zazen, the heart of the Zen Buddhist practice.
Uprising ACM
Where: 1839 East Passyunk Avenue, East Passyunk
Classes offered: This space for arts, culture, and movement (hence, ACM) offers $5 meditation every Monday and Wednesday morning starting at 8 a.m. You can expect 30 minutes of mindfulness meditation.
The Veda Den
Where: 1115 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill, NJ; online
Classes offered: This plant-filled meditation space feels like you’re on a retreat in the jungles of Costa Rica…when you’re actually in Cherry Hill. (No plane ticket necessary!) The Veda Den hosts a variety of meditation sessions throughout the week, plus special events and private bookings.
Visionary Movement
Where: 160 Essex Avenue, Sewell, NJ
Classes offered: Visionary Movement across the bridge in Sewell hosts 30-minute meditation classes multiple times per week. Catch a session aimed at training the mind and body to slow biorhythms such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and muscle conductivity, helping to heal the body.
The Well Studio
Where: 2620 Martha Street, 3rd floor, Fishtown
Classes offered: Ritual at The Well Studio is a 45-minute class dedicated to meditation and journaling. (Check the schedule for occurrences.) You’ll also receive guided meditation at the end of the yoga-inspired movement class, Process.
Yoga 4 Philly
Where: 4417 North Sixth Street, Kensington
Classes offered: The Philly chapter of nonprofit Yoga 4 the World offers gentle Vinyasa yoga paired with meditation every Monday at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The donation-based practice aims to provide a safe space for the QTBIPOC community. They also offer virtual meditations every second Monday of the month as part of their Mindful Mondays series and have meditations for download.
Zen Center of Philadelphia
Where: 4904 Cedar Avenue, West Philly; online
Classes offered: The Zen Center of Philadelphia holds weekly zazen (meditation stemming from the Zen Buddhist tradition) on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays from 7 to 8 p.m., and every weekday morning except Tuesday from 7 to 8 a.m. (online only). Sessions are free, with donations encouraged.
