Amma's Centers in North America
Thirteen centers across the United States and Canada — homes for meditation, satsang and selfless service, open to everyone.
Amma's Centers in North America
Amma in North America
- 1987 Amma's first visit to North America
- 1989 the first ashram, in San Ramon
- 13 centers in the U.S. and Canada
- 69 local satsang groups
Our Centers
San Ramon
Castro Valley, California
North America's first ashram (1989), with Saturday satsang, a working farm and a guest program.
Los Angeles
Redondo Beach, California
A refurbished art-deco landmark, inaugurated in 2014, with weekly satsang and archana.
Pacific Northwest
Seattle, Washington
Inaugurated in May 2024 with a temple and home; Seattle's Mother's Kitchen has cooked for shelters since 1997.
New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Rooted in Amma's first visit in 1987; the Santa Fe ashram (1996) hosts weekly satsang and feeds the city every Sunday.
Dallas
Aubrey, Texas
Inaugurated in September 2016, with satsang and seva on the center grounds.
Iowa
Fairfield, Iowa
Blessed by Amma in December 2024 — a sanctuary for seekers and a hub for community service in downtown Fairfield.
Chicago
Elburn, Illinois
A 142-acre campus and the Midwest hub since 2012, with a farm, an orchard and places to stay.
Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
54 acres near Ann Arbor (1997); delivering Meals on Wheels since 2004.
Atlanta
Cumming, Georgia
Founded in December 2016, with Mother's Kitchen, GreenFriends and children's classes.
Washington DC
Potomac, Maryland
A 12,000-square-foot center on 7.5 acres (2009); volunteers have cooked at DC Central Kitchen every September since 2013.
New York and New Jersey
New Rochelle, New York
An ashram in New Rochelle (about 2018) whose garden grows vegetables for a local food bank.
New England
Concord, Massachusetts
Satsang in Concord and seva across the region — including a record 1,182 pairs of socks for the unhoused in one winter.
Toronto
Georgetown, Ontario
The Amma Canada Centre — an organic farm since 2008 and an orchard of more than 200 fruit trees.
How the centers grew
From a single visit in 1987 to thirteen centers today.
1987
Amma's first visit
Amma's first world tour reached North America in May 1987. That summer in Santa Fe, a gathering of 35 people planted the seed of what became the Amma Center of New Mexico.
1989
San Ramon, California
The first ashram in North America, and one of only a few established in Amma's name outside India at the time. Today it is also home to the GreenFriends Farm and Amma's Pantry.
1996
New Mexico
In Santa Fe, a temple was built to host Amma's programs, and the ashram was inaugurated in June 1996.
1997
Michigan
M.A. Center Michigan was inaugurated on a 54-acre property five miles from Ann Arbor.
2008
Toronto, Ontario
The Amma Canada Centre in Georgetown, Ontario, whose farm has been grown organically since 2008 and whose orchard now holds more than 200 fruit trees.
2009
Washington DC
A 12,000-square-foot facility on 7.5 acres in Potomac, Maryland.
2012
Chicago
Inaugurated in July 2012 on a 142-acre campus in Elburn, Illinois — the Midwest hub for Amma's charitable, educational and spiritual work.
2013
New England
M.A. Center New England opened in Boylston, Massachusetts, on more than 30 acres, after the property was purchased in 2012. The community now gathers for satsang in Concord.
2014
Los Angeles
Inaugurated on January 21, 2014, in a newly refurbished art-deco landmark in Redondo Beach.
2016
Dallas
M.A. Center Dallas was inaugurated on September 5, 2016, in Aubrey, Texas, by Amma's senior disciples.
2016
Atlanta
M.A. Center Atlanta was founded on December 3, 2016, in Cumming, Georgia — the second new center that year.
2018
New York and New Jersey
M.A. Center NY/NJ opened in New Rochelle, New York, where the ashram garden has grown vegetables for a local food bank.
2024
Pacific Northwest
Inaugurated in May 2024 near Seattle, with a temple and a home — the newest center on the West Coast.
2024
Iowa
In December 2024, Amma blessed an M.A. Center in the heart of downtown Fairfield, Iowa — a sanctuary for spiritual seekers and a hub for community service.
Life at a Center
Satsang and bhajans
Most centers hold weekly satsang: the chanting of Amma's 108 names, a spiritual talk, devotional singing (bhajans), meditation and, often, a shared vegetarian meal. Everyone is welcome — no experience is needed.
Selfless service
Centers are hubs of seva. Volunteers cook Mother's Kitchen meals for shelters, plant trees and tend gardens with GreenFriends, and run youth, children's and outreach projects in their communities.
Retreats and stays
Several centers welcome guests for retreats and short stays — among them Chicago, San Ramon and Washington DC — and host Amma's senior disciples for programs throughout the year.
Stay connected
Find a center or satsang near you
What I cherish about Amma is that she not only talks the talk and is the embodiment of unconditional love, but she expresses that love in action. She walks the talk. Mahatma Gandhi urged us to 'be the change we wish to see in the world.' Amma is the change she wants to see in our world. She is a profound living example for all of us.
Yolanda King
Daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Former director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centre for Non-violent Social Change