Our regular Group Meditation and Readings Services are held at Balwyn Evergreen Centre. Click here to view our calendar.
| Day of the Week | Type of Service | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Every Thursday | Group Meditation and Inspirational Reading | 8 pm to 9:30 pm |
| Sunday (First 3 Sundays only) | Group Meditation | 9 am to 11 am |
| Inspirational Reading | 11 am to 12 noon |
Thursday Inspirational Service
The Inspirational Service offers participants an opportunity to share in a fellowship of meditation and inspiration at the point in the week’s activities when they may most be in need of it. Paramahansa Yogananda considered Thursday evening an especially favourable time for holding devotional weekly services.
At the conclusion of all Inspirational services, participants join with the SRF Worldwide Prayer Circle in the practise of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Healing Technique. Paramahansaji taught that all things are possible through the power of prayer. During this part of the service, participants pray for world peace and those who have requested physical, mental and spiritual healing, as well as praying for loved ones and divine aid in overcoming personal difficulties.
Following most Thursday services, there is also a book-table operating which offers an opportunity for attendees to purchase from a range of the SRF books and recordings.
When devotees meditate together, they often discover they’re able to make greater spiritual effort, which helps them to achieve a greater state of stillness and to experience God’s presence in a more tangible way.
Sunday Long Meditation Service
First three (3) Sundays of the Month
Members often practice the SRF Energization Exercises just before this service.
Please note that entry to the Sunday Long Meditation Service is only permitted at 9am.
The service commences with a short devotional reading followed by a chant and a meditation of about 40 minutes.
This is followed by a chant and a final meditation of about 60 minutes.
Sunday Readings Service
First three (3) Sundays of the Month
The hour-long Sunday Readings Service includes passages from the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, Paramahansa Yogananda’s scripture interpretations and other writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. These readings, together with devotional chanting and meditation, is well suited to established members and to those who may be new to SRF.
At the conclusion of all Sunday Readings Services, participants join with the SRF Worldwide Prayer Circle in the practise of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Healing Technique. Paramahansaji taught that all things are possible through the power of prayer. During this part of the service, participants pray for world peace and those who have requested physical, mental and spiritual healing, as well as praying for loved ones and divine aid in overcoming personal difficulties.
SRF Meditation Techniques Practice
First Thursday of the Month only
When leading these group meditations, Paramahansa Yogananda would, on occasion, instruct members to practise together for a period of time each of the meditation techniques contained within the SRF Lessons. This practise is adopted in our Inspirational Services on the first Thursday of each month.
Special Commemorative Services for the Gurus of SRF
‘Mahasamadhi’ means the soul’s final conscious exit from the body. These services are primarily intended for those who are SRF lesson students or for devotees who regularly attend the SRF meetings. However, all are welcome who are well-enough acquainted with SRF teachings to appreciate the significance of the Guru-disciple relationship, and to participate in the service with sincerity and reverence.
Participants in these Commemoration Services are kindly asked to bring a small flower to be offered as a symbol of devotion to God & the SRF Gurus, as well as a donation in an envelope, as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness to the cause of SRF. This offering is sent to the SRF Mother Center to be used for sharing the sacred teachings of Yogananda with other truth-seeking souls.
Of these special services, Paramahansaji said, “Celebration of the birthday of a God-realised soul should not be belittled as a merely social ceremony. It is a deeply spiritual occasion on which the vibrations of blessing from an illumined master are stronger than on other days of the year, because in the astral world also, a celebration is taking place.
Devotees who attend these birthday ceremonies with the right attitude will reap spiritual benefits and will find their high resolutions strengthened.”