The Eugene Meditation Group (EMG) sprang from humble beginnings in the late 1960s. At that time an SRF member, Eleanore Wilson, placed an advertisement on the counter of a local health food store inviting others to form a meditation group based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The advertisement included a photo of Yogananda, which was noticed by an elderly woman while waiting in the grocery checkout line. While gazing at the photo an insistent question arose in her mind, which was- "Are you finally ready"? She called the phone number in the advertisement, met with Ms. Wilson, and immediately signed up for the SRF Lessons. The two women soon began meditating together in their homes, and this was the inception of the EMG.

During the 1970s the EMG expanded, and midway through the decade had to search for a larger and more public meeting place. The group soon found a home in the YMCA chapel, and remained there until the early 1980s. In exchange for the use of the chapel the group members cleaned locker rooms, washed windows, and performed other services for the YMCA on Sunday mornings.

When the YMCA converted the chapel into a multi-purpose recreation room, the EMG was forced to relocate. The next ten years found the group conducting meditation services in a variety of locales, including the Good Samaritan Nursing Home, the Eugene Center for the Healing Arts, and in the home of an SRF member.

In the early 1990s the EMG moved into our present location at 1610 Olive St., Eugene. Over the intervening years we have striven to improve and beautify the property so that it reflects the peacefulness and harmony of the SRF teachings. The property includes a chapel, bookroom, reading room, and ample space for practice of the SRF energization exercises.

As the worldwide mission of SRF continues to expand, the EMG has also grown. In addition to a core of local devoted members, the EMG has also introduced SRF to many other seekers who now reside in other parts of the world. Former members currently living or working in the SRF ashrams in California were introduced to SRF via the EMG. It is hoped that as we continue to faithfully serve the goals of SRF, we will continue to grow, prosper, and introduce the sacred teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda to an ever-growing audience.