The Three Jewels

I LOVE this place! This incredible refuge in the heart of Manhattan has become my second home and my go to place for all things to do with my heart and mind! The community here, Instructors & students are so open & welcoming — it feels like family. Whenever there is a person seeking Meditation, Yoga, Dharma or Community I just bring them to The Three Jewels! Daily Meditation and Dharma talks are by donation! and their Yoga & workshops are very affordable or offer work study. It helped me soften the hard NYC edge and smile in the subway. Its a Gem!

I first learned about the three jewels when I was an undergraduate and I loved it very much. It was a center designed to teach and share meditation and Dharma. Everyone was welcomed. Over the the course of the years, the center has really changed. It has transformed from an open sharing Dharma center to what is now a commercialized yoga studio. The center normally holds evening meditation classes. I have not been there for awhile. Today, I decided to go there to meditate for a bit before their evening meditation class begins. I wasn’t aware that the center is on a holiday schedule and there weren’t mediation classes. The receptionist was very welcoming and helpful. She assumed that I was there for yoga. I told her that I want to use the space to meditate for a bit (which they used to allow). The receptionist informed me that they don’t really let people just come in and meditate. The yoga teacher overheard our conversation and spoke up. She said people have to rent the space if they want to use it. She told me that since I am already here, I can use the space to meditate. Her tone wasn’t particular friendly. So I proceeded to drop off my stuff in the changing room. Then I overheard the conversation between the yoga teacher and the receptionist. The yoga teacher wasn’t trying to be discreet about her conversation as well. The yoga teacher said that she has never had this happened before and told the receptionist to write something up. For everything that three jewels stands for, I thought that was so unnecessary. I thought this is a community mediation center??? So I packed up my stuff and left. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal at all. But this incident just showed me that the center has transformed into something quite different from what it was originally set up for, the focus is now on paid yoga, not meditation and Dharma.

This is a very special place for me, because it’s where I started really getting into mindfulness meditation.
The place welcomes everyone and makes no distinction of how much of can donate for the classes. I’ve attended a couple of meditation classes, all of them with different instructors, and they were all different an positive on their way. The decoration is very simple and it makes me feel out of NY for a while. It’s worth to check it out!

Great people; great space. I highly recommend morning meditation at 8am. Casual and low pressure setting. Most mornings only a small group (2 – 4 people) attend which makes it pretty intimate. Absolutely no experience required and there are zero expectations.

I love the space and the classes offered here. It’s like a little oasis in the middle of the city.

I was introduced to this unassuming studio, or should say community and gathering space by a friend last week as I finally decided to take a meditation class, I know what took me so long? Perhaps I was looking to be introduced in a way that would speak to me via a language I can understand. Well folks that is what happened here. I took a meditation class with Teddy on Thursday evening, one mishap is the schedule said it was starting at 7 pm but really was going to start at 730 pm which was fine as I was already at peace, and looking through their wonderful library of books and taking the 30 mins to be quiet and open to what will come next. I could not ask for a better instructor for my first meditation class. We had a chance to express our concerns and our ideas of what it takes to meditate after sitting for about 30 mins doing two kinds of meditation. So to Jovan and Teddy, thank you and i will be back.

The Three Jewels is an oasis of peace and quiet in the middle of downtown Gotham. It changed the life of myself and many people I know. The Friday night meditation program is led by a true meditation master, a monk named Venerable Puntsok. He is the real deal and has been humbly sharing his mastery with others for about twenty years. There are many other great programs there throughout the week; yoga, acupuncture, morning meditation, and more. The Asian Classics Institute leads unparalleled Buddhist philosophy courses regularly. These are priceless.
The doors of this place have been miraculously kept open for close to twenty years (almost nine at this location and another eight or so at it’s previous location on 5^th Street). When you consider how little it charges for programs, it is a miracle that The Three Jewels continues to remain open. Yet it does, bringing so many people together to learn the truths of the world. The Three Jewels is run on the Buddhist principal that no one should be denied learning spiritual truths because of money. For this reason The Three Jewels charges incredibly little for it’s programs. Part of the magic of this place happens when you begin volunteering there and relearning the art of Seva, or selfless service.
If you have a few thousand dollars or more and have been looking for a good organization to donate to, this would be the one. This little «Place of Refuge» has changed the lives of thousands.

I have volunteered at the Three Jewels for the past nine months and there is nowhere else where I feel so at peace. I absorb the serenity as soon as I cross over the threshold. Everyone is wonderful, and being a volunteer is a simple task. I buzz people in, answer phone calls, and run the bookstore. This is a wonderful place that everyone should come to explore!

Three Jewels is such a charming, warm space filled with compassionate people. I mostly go here for guided and personal meditation. This little jewel has really helped me deepen my meditation practice. Definitely worth checking out!

I normally go to YTTP which is a high action packed hour of yoga that is more of a workout than anything. Three Jewels though was an hour and twenty minutes of deeper practice. The extra time and attention were put towards holding the pose and deeper breathing as well has more focus on meditation. It was a great change of pace to YTTP which I can get tired of very quickly.

been going here for half a year now and gotta say i love it even more! i take the vinyasa class at 6 pm on tuesdays with amy and it is the perfect mix of meditation+ physically challenging+ relaxing. i am obviously, healthily addicted.

I’m so grateful to have found The Three Jewels! I’ve been coming here over three years, and have taken courses in Buddhist philosophy, yoga, and meditation. I’ve even participated in some fun special events like social mixers and yoga classes with guest teachers. The daily yoga classes are always small and intimate, so you get a lot of personalized attention from the teachers. And the best part? Everything is by donation, which makes all of these things accessible for everyone. Highly recommended!

I love this little «Jewel Box» of a studio as it was so aptly described by my teacher, Maura Nolan, who teaches a class there on Thursday evenings at 6 PM. It’s a warm and welcoming and unpretentious and uncompetetive environment (something tough to find in NYC yoga studios — having tried at least ten!) that really allows for an actual yogic experience of aligning mental, physical and spiritual bodies into one collective whole. I especially reccomend Maura’s class. She’s the best yoga teacher I’ve ever had and I’ve followed her from place to place to take classes with her especially for going on 7 years. Her classes are interesting, spiritual, physical and however many students she has, she tailors the practice to each individual’s needs and abilities at the moment. You leave her classes feeling calmed, lightened and enlightened and beautiful. What more could you ask for?

I went to a morning meditation here and it was incredible! the vibe is great and the donation only policy is magnificent.

in the eye of the hurricane that is union square, astor place and the east village is this absolute gift of a dharma refuge. volunteer run and supported solely by donations and karmic ripenings, the three jewels offers everything from great donation-​based yoga classes and workshops taught by conquering lion yoga teachers and others, free dharma teachings and workshops, massage and accupuncture, and free morning meditation mon-​fri. plus there’s a great little buddhist bookstore. a total spiritual oasis waiting for you to find it.

Three Jewels is one of those places where you walk into and it feels like home. The vibe is very casual, open, community oriented, it is the kind of place where after a yoga class people often order thai food to the studio and hang out and talk philosophy, life etc… and the yoga, meditation and dharma teachers are among the most qualified in the city if not the country.
if you have 1 night free a week you can volunteer at the front desk where you will be surrounded by Buddhist scholars, cool yoga teachers, artists, dancers, CEO’s etc… there is no 1 type that goes to the 3 jewels yet everyone is united in wanting to lead a better more compassionate life.
there are always special workshops that include bollywood dancing, nutrition, aryuveda, reiki, Buddhism for women
dont miss Venerable Phuntsock’s friday night meditation classses… or morning meditation mon-​fri at 8am or the amazing yoga classes in the evening
Three Jewels really is like nothing else in the city… and it is true all the classes are by donation…

I LOVE this yoga studio! The instructors are some of the best I’ve ever had and the small classes allow for the instructors to provide individual attention to each student. They are not only trained to help align your physical body to the proper form and breathing technique, they all demonstrate a true understanding of the mental and emotional aspects of yoga and help you develop both your physical and mental growth in a gentle and compassionate way.
I walk out of each class with a new perspective and a sense of calm and peace that I have yet to find with any other studios I have tried. If you are even slightly considering adding yoga to your life, I highly recommend giving this place a try.

Three Jewels is a hidden gem in the city! Smack dab near Union Square and Astor Place, this intimate oasis offers yoga classes taught by highly qualified instructors who are serious yet playful, and know how to teach both the physical nuts and bolts of yoga as well the philosophy behind it all. In addition to yoga, they have a daily meditation sitting at 8am and evening dharma classes. Since it’s a non-​profit center, everything is by donation. If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend signing up for the mailing list – that’s the best source of information about upcoming events. And you want to use this link for the most up to date yoga schedule:
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This is truly a ‘jewel’ of a community center. I wouldn’t exactly call it a religious organization however I could not figure out how to properly categorize it. It is really a community center, offering guided meditation, a space for personal mediation, yoga classes, as well as a bookstore and various other classes.
I personally have attended meditation classes (guided and personal) and think its a peaceful space to practice or learn, beginners are encouraged and just as welcome as long time practitioners