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FAQ Attack!
About TogetherYoga
What is TogetherYoga?
TogetherYoga is a collective venture that promotes peace through wellness. Based on His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching that peace starts within, TogetherYoga offers yoga, bodywork, holistic healing, and meditation resources designed to focus attention on removing the mental pollution, physical pain, and energy blocks that contribute to inner and outer conflict.
What is TogetherYoga's purpose?
TogetherYoga exists to increase the kind of physical, emotional, and philosophical awareness that helps people connect with the love, truth, and goodness within.
Who founded TogetherYoga?
TogetherYoga grew out of the teaching and healing practice of certified yoga instructor and massage therapist Jason Amis.
How does TogetherYoga survive?
TogetherYoga is funded by donation-based classes and the patronage of Jason's longtime clients. While we would like to keep our resources free from advertising, we are always honored to accept donations and sponsorships from organizations and individuals who support our goals.
About Donation-Based Classes
Are donation-based classes free?
Yes. Donation-based classes are free and open to everyone. Donations are accepted but never required. Jason offers these classes as bhakti, a service to others, which is one of the main tenets of his yoga practice.
If the class is free, why does it say donation-based?
Donations serve three purposes in our yoga class. First, they allow Jason to continue to teach classes that are open to everyone. Many yogis in the TogetherYoga community purposely donate more so that Jason can continue his outreach and provide classes for students who cannot afford to pay conventional studios.
Second, donations are a karmic exchange between the student and teacher, a gesture of appreciation for the teacher's time and care.
Third, a donation is an investment in the yogi's own journey and practice. Money is a token of value and making an offering of something valuable signals one's commitment to a chosen course of action. This gesture is common in Eastern cultures, where an offering seals even the smallest ritual at a temple or shrine. While the money does go to someone else, it's left more for the benefit of the giver than the recipient.
How much should I donate?
As much as you like. There's really no answer, except to say that financial support ensures TogetherYoga's continued survival. If you like practicing with us and believe in our mission, then your donation keeps things going. In recent years, there's been a disappointing effort to commodify yoga, which has created a consumer mentality that strikes at the heart of yoga's spirit of service, connection, and exchange. All we ask is that you never think of donation-based classes as freebies, in the sense of being a steal or a deal. Our donation-based practices do not exist to undercut other yoga groups and studios. If you're looking for cheap yoga, there are other places to find it. TogetherYoga promotes a spirit of sharing and exchange, and those who practice with us share this ethos.
About Yoga Classes in General
Is it okay to come late or leave early?
Of course, but please try to join or leave the group discreetly to avoid disturbing others.
How many classes should I take each week?
As many as you like. It's great to practice everyday, so long as you listen to your body. Never practice just to check a box or earn a merit badge. Yoga is an extension of breathing and a gateway to meditation. No matter how great yoga is for improving the physique, it's not a weight-loss regime nor a fitness regimen. Forcing your way through yoga practices can strain muscles, stress joints, and feed negative thoughts based on external goals. It's important to think of yoga as a lifelong journey made up of daily explorations. Explore as needed. Do what feels good. Between classes, consider keeping up with a few sun salutations every day to focus the mind and keep the body strong and limber.
If I'm cross-training, is it better to run before or after yoga?
It's safer to run before yoga. It is possible for the muscles and connective tissue to become too loose after yoga, which can increase the risk of a running-related strain.
What should I do if I can't perform a pose?
It's usually a good idea to try a pose for a few breaths, just to give the body and mind a chance to experiment with finding their balance and redirecting the effort. However, if you can't perform a pose because of a physical condition, it's best to either ask for a modification before the class starts or to move into an alternative pose that's in the same sequence. For example, if you can't do high lunge because it strains your low back, you can always stay in low lunge or go into high lunge but drop your back knee to take some of the weight away from your hips.
If you ever feel tired or can't continue in a series, feel free to rest in child's pose. Going into child's pose promotes feelings of safety and well-being that will keep your body relaxed. It also signals to the instructor that you need assistance.
Are there risks associated with yoga?
Yes. Yoga, like all physical activity, presents some risk of injury. Balances carry the risk of falling. Strengthening series carry the risk of strains. Improper alignment carries the risk of misdirecting force away from the skeleton and into the joints and connective tissue. Private sessions are the best way to improve form and develop a personal practice that mitigates the risk of injury. Even just one private session can reduce the risks by adjusting postures and fine-tuning technique.
If you can't take a private session, pay close attention to the demonstration of the pose and the verbal instructions. Always engage your core muscles before moving into any asana, and remember to move from your center. Never force yourself into any pose. Never skip the intermediary poses in a progression just to reach a pose that looks "impressive." Always work on strengthening the muscles in the trunk; these muscles protect against most injuries. Pay close attention to all the sensations in your body, and back off immediately if you feel any sharp, sudden pains or throbbing discomfort.
About Yoga
Is yoga a religion?
No. Yoga is based on Hindu teachings, which formed the backbone of the Vedic philosophy that grounds yoga, but yoga itself is not a religion: it does not engage in the worship of any superhuman controlling power, require faith, or impose dogma. Rather, like the Vedic philosophy that runs through it, yoga encourages continual inquiry, subjective interpretation, and personal exploration.
If yoga isn't religious, what's all this talk about the Divine?
References to the Divine in yoga focus attention on the forces that shape the universe and the human experience. These forces are expressed physically and metaphorically in the many forms energy takes as it moves through the cosmos, such as light, heat, and current. The divine also represents all that is good and true and eternal in the human spirit and imagination. Here, it serves as an ideal that lives within ourselves and forms the part of us that transcends our insular instincts.
Do you have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga?
No, but choosing not to eat meat is a good way to live yoga's message of compassion and care for all creatures.
What is the purpose of yoga?
To find peace by achieving unity with all that is good, true, and eternal.
Can I practice yoga just for fitness?
Sure, but you're missing seven-eighths of the benefits. What we call yoga is just the asana practice, which is only one of the eight limbs of yoga, as outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The other eight limbs offer exercises in morality, personal observance, conscious breathing, sensory control, meditation, and transcendence. Taken together, they offer a healthy lifestyle and a stress-proof perspective.
What's the difference between Hatha, Iyengar, Kundalini, Vinyasa, and Power yoga?
The movements we refer to as yoga grew out of the physical exercises ancient Hindu ascetics performed to prepare their bodies for long periods of meditation. The word yoga, meaning union, was coined in the 2nd century BCE by Patanjali, who codified the practice into a system of movements, spiritual endeavors, and mental exercises designed to bridge the divide between the egoistic self and the transcendent self.
Building on the ideas of Patanjali, Hatha yoga created the idea of using physical movements to purify the mind and stoke the body's vital energy. Set down in the 15th century, Hatha yoga created many of the asana postures that people associate with yoga today. After the late 19th century revival of yoga in India, asana practice styles evolved into different systems of movement prescribed by various teachers and gurus. Though all yoga is rooted in the same ideas about the mind-body-spirit-universe connection, each style has its own distinctive focus and imagery. To grossly oversimplify things, here's a quick description of each:
Iyengar Yoga concentrates on refining hatha yoga poses through proper alignment.
Vinyasa Yoga emphasizes flowing through sequences of asanas by moving with the breath.
Power Yoga is vinyasa yoga with an emphasis on strengthening.
Kundalini Yoga focuses on using movement, breathing, and meditation to release the coil of energy that resides in the base of the spine.
How do I know which style of yoga is right for me?
Try them all. You might feel more comfortable or more inspired by one than another. Sometimes students settle for what's offered at the gym or the community center without taking the time to investigate the options. The style of yoga can make a big difference to the experience, as can the energetic exchange between the teacher and student. So, it's important to find the right fit.
Is yoga related to tantra?
Yes, but not in the way that you think. In the West, Tantra has become associated with sexual practices, but Tantric teachings are spiritual revelations from the 5th century that exhort us to embrace the divine in the mundane. While yoga is grounded in Vedic philosophy, many of the teachings in the Vedanta, the final part of the Vedic canon, touch on Tantric ideas that inspire yoga's embrace of everyday life as a vehicle for spiritual growth.
Is the word yoga at all derived from the word yogurt, or did I just blow your mind?
Now we're just being silly.
About Bodywork
Is bodywork different from massage?
TogetherYoga's bodywork combines deep tissue massage, connective tissue therapy, and neuromuscular therapy with passive stretching and reiki to promote holistic healing.
What is the purpose of bodywork?
Bodywork reduces inflammation, promotes cellular regeneration, and improves circulation. Bodywork can also redistribute fluids under the skin to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
How many sessions does it take to see results?
Many people enjoy benefits after one session, but studies that found measurable improvements had subjects undergo weekly sessions for a few weeks. One session is great for stress relief or to ease knots. Three sessions are recommended for addressing lower back pain, chronic muscle tightness, or IT band trouble.
How long do the benefits last?
Depends on the problem, but many clients experience long term improvements, especially if they continue the therapy on their own with a regular yoga practice. While tissue manipulation has many physiological benefits, massage often helps just by focusing attention on the body and encouraging other healthy practices, like paying more attention to posture and stretching, or learning to sense the early signs of discomfort before they lead to pain.
Do I have to take my clothing off?
No, there are many options for bodywork. Always discuss your preferences with your bodywork therapist.
Why is massage so expensive?
Massage certification, insurance, rent, supplies, and the physical demands of the work all combine to make bodywork resource-intensive, especially in New York City. Moreover, a good bodywork practitioner can only see a few clients each day without compromising the quality of the session or the health of his own body.
TogetherYoga strives to make bodywork as accessible as possible to people of all walks of life, but when you add up the expenses of maintaining a practice and divide by the number of clients Jason can see in a week, you arrive at the base price for a session. Jason offers packages to help make bodywork more affordable.
About Meditation
What is meditation?
Meditation is the practice of focusing the attention to quiet the mind and transcend the self.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Clarity, calm, inner peace, stillness, and release can all come from meditation.
How long do you have to meditate to get results?
It varies by individual, but ten minutes is a good starting point. Over time, with different techniques, it's possible to derive great benefits from 15-30 minutes of stillness.
I mean, seriously, what's the least amount of time I have to force myself to sit still to reap the benefits?
Who said you have to sit still? There are moving meditations, too. Any act can be a meditation, if you perform it mindfully and with the purpose of moving beyond the cloudy ceiling of thoughts that form the emotional weather systems in our lives.
Do I have to sit cross-legged to meditate?
No, you can meditate in any position that allows you to relax and clear your mind. Many people in the West find it more comfortable to sit in chairs or to sit on the floor with the back supported. People who have low back or hip injuries may prefer to sit in a reclined position or to lay on the floor. It's all good.
What if my mind wanders?
Not a problem; just acknowledge the wandering and return the focus to breathing.
What if I have diagnosed attention disorders?
Meditation can be very helpful for people who struggle with attention disorders. It's important not to put any pressure on yourself to "succeed" or "perform" with meditation, but with some regular effort, meditation can help extend the attention, improve mental clarity, and expand the powers of focus.
What if meditation makes me uneasy, emotional, or restless?
You may want to explore the underlying cause of the discomfort. Sometimes meditation can be a catalyst for revelations and emotional release. It's okay to feel a flood of emotions after a yoga or meditation session. It's also fine to feel uneasy or itchy or twitchy or unsettled. Sometimes these sensations are the tools we need to dig deeper and learn more about what unresolved feelings or energy blocks lie beneath the surface.
What is TogetherYoga?
TogetherYoga is a collective venture that promotes peace through wellness. Based on His Holiness the Dalai Lama's teaching that peace starts within, TogetherYoga offers yoga, bodywork, holistic healing, and meditation resources designed to focus attention on removing the mental pollution, physical pain, and energy blocks that contribute to inner and outer conflict.
What is TogetherYoga's purpose?
TogetherYoga exists to increase the kind of physical, emotional, and philosophical awareness that helps people connect with the love, truth, and goodness within.
Who founded TogetherYoga?
TogetherYoga grew out of the teaching and healing practice of certified yoga instructor and massage therapist Jason Amis.
How does TogetherYoga survive?
TogetherYoga is funded by donation-based classes and the patronage of Jason's longtime clients. While we would like to keep our resources free from advertising, we are always honored to accept donations and sponsorships from organizations and individuals who support our goals.
About Donation-Based Classes
Are donation-based classes free?
Yes. Donation-based classes are free and open to everyone. Donations are accepted but never required. Jason offers these classes as bhakti, a service to others, which is one of the main tenets of his yoga practice.
If the class is free, why does it say donation-based?
Donations serve three purposes in our yoga class. First, they allow Jason to continue to teach classes that are open to everyone. Many yogis in the TogetherYoga community purposely donate more so that Jason can continue his outreach and provide classes for students who cannot afford to pay conventional studios.
Second, donations are a karmic exchange between the student and teacher, a gesture of appreciation for the teacher's time and care.
Third, a donation is an investment in the yogi's own journey and practice. Money is a token of value and making an offering of something valuable signals one's commitment to a chosen course of action. This gesture is common in Eastern cultures, where an offering seals even the smallest ritual at a temple or shrine. While the money does go to someone else, it's left more for the benefit of the giver than the recipient.
How much should I donate?
As much as you like. There's really no answer, except to say that financial support ensures TogetherYoga's continued survival. If you like practicing with us and believe in our mission, then your donation keeps things going. In recent years, there's been a disappointing effort to commodify yoga, which has created a consumer mentality that strikes at the heart of yoga's spirit of service, connection, and exchange. All we ask is that you never think of donation-based classes as freebies, in the sense of being a steal or a deal. Our donation-based practices do not exist to undercut other yoga groups and studios. If you're looking for cheap yoga, there are other places to find it. TogetherYoga promotes a spirit of sharing and exchange, and those who practice with us share this ethos.
About Yoga Classes in General
Is it okay to come late or leave early?
Of course, but please try to join or leave the group discreetly to avoid disturbing others.
How many classes should I take each week?
As many as you like. It's great to practice everyday, so long as you listen to your body. Never practice just to check a box or earn a merit badge. Yoga is an extension of breathing and a gateway to meditation. No matter how great yoga is for improving the physique, it's not a weight-loss regime nor a fitness regimen. Forcing your way through yoga practices can strain muscles, stress joints, and feed negative thoughts based on external goals. It's important to think of yoga as a lifelong journey made up of daily explorations. Explore as needed. Do what feels good. Between classes, consider keeping up with a few sun salutations every day to focus the mind and keep the body strong and limber.
If I'm cross-training, is it better to run before or after yoga?
It's safer to run before yoga. It is possible for the muscles and connective tissue to become too loose after yoga, which can increase the risk of a running-related strain.
What should I do if I can't perform a pose?
It's usually a good idea to try a pose for a few breaths, just to give the body and mind a chance to experiment with finding their balance and redirecting the effort. However, if you can't perform a pose because of a physical condition, it's best to either ask for a modification before the class starts or to move into an alternative pose that's in the same sequence. For example, if you can't do high lunge because it strains your low back, you can always stay in low lunge or go into high lunge but drop your back knee to take some of the weight away from your hips.
If you ever feel tired or can't continue in a series, feel free to rest in child's pose. Going into child's pose promotes feelings of safety and well-being that will keep your body relaxed. It also signals to the instructor that you need assistance.
Are there risks associated with yoga?
Yes. Yoga, like all physical activity, presents some risk of injury. Balances carry the risk of falling. Strengthening series carry the risk of strains. Improper alignment carries the risk of misdirecting force away from the skeleton and into the joints and connective tissue. Private sessions are the best way to improve form and develop a personal practice that mitigates the risk of injury. Even just one private session can reduce the risks by adjusting postures and fine-tuning technique.
If you can't take a private session, pay close attention to the demonstration of the pose and the verbal instructions. Always engage your core muscles before moving into any asana, and remember to move from your center. Never force yourself into any pose. Never skip the intermediary poses in a progression just to reach a pose that looks "impressive." Always work on strengthening the muscles in the trunk; these muscles protect against most injuries. Pay close attention to all the sensations in your body, and back off immediately if you feel any sharp, sudden pains or throbbing discomfort.
About Yoga
Is yoga a religion?
No. Yoga is based on Hindu teachings, which formed the backbone of the Vedic philosophy that grounds yoga, but yoga itself is not a religion: it does not engage in the worship of any superhuman controlling power, require faith, or impose dogma. Rather, like the Vedic philosophy that runs through it, yoga encourages continual inquiry, subjective interpretation, and personal exploration.
If yoga isn't religious, what's all this talk about the Divine?
References to the Divine in yoga focus attention on the forces that shape the universe and the human experience. These forces are expressed physically and metaphorically in the many forms energy takes as it moves through the cosmos, such as light, heat, and current. The divine also represents all that is good and true and eternal in the human spirit and imagination. Here, it serves as an ideal that lives within ourselves and forms the part of us that transcends our insular instincts.
Do you have to be a vegetarian to practice yoga?
No, but choosing not to eat meat is a good way to live yoga's message of compassion and care for all creatures.
What is the purpose of yoga?
To find peace by achieving unity with all that is good, true, and eternal.
Can I practice yoga just for fitness?
Sure, but you're missing seven-eighths of the benefits. What we call yoga is just the asana practice, which is only one of the eight limbs of yoga, as outlined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. The other eight limbs offer exercises in morality, personal observance, conscious breathing, sensory control, meditation, and transcendence. Taken together, they offer a healthy lifestyle and a stress-proof perspective.
What's the difference between Hatha, Iyengar, Kundalini, Vinyasa, and Power yoga?
The movements we refer to as yoga grew out of the physical exercises ancient Hindu ascetics performed to prepare their bodies for long periods of meditation. The word yoga, meaning union, was coined in the 2nd century BCE by Patanjali, who codified the practice into a system of movements, spiritual endeavors, and mental exercises designed to bridge the divide between the egoistic self and the transcendent self.
Building on the ideas of Patanjali, Hatha yoga created the idea of using physical movements to purify the mind and stoke the body's vital energy. Set down in the 15th century, Hatha yoga created many of the asana postures that people associate with yoga today. After the late 19th century revival of yoga in India, asana practice styles evolved into different systems of movement prescribed by various teachers and gurus. Though all yoga is rooted in the same ideas about the mind-body-spirit-universe connection, each style has its own distinctive focus and imagery. To grossly oversimplify things, here's a quick description of each:
Iyengar Yoga concentrates on refining hatha yoga poses through proper alignment.
Vinyasa Yoga emphasizes flowing through sequences of asanas by moving with the breath.
Power Yoga is vinyasa yoga with an emphasis on strengthening.
Kundalini Yoga focuses on using movement, breathing, and meditation to release the coil of energy that resides in the base of the spine.
How do I know which style of yoga is right for me?
Try them all. You might feel more comfortable or more inspired by one than another. Sometimes students settle for what's offered at the gym or the community center without taking the time to investigate the options. The style of yoga can make a big difference to the experience, as can the energetic exchange between the teacher and student. So, it's important to find the right fit.
Is yoga related to tantra?
Yes, but not in the way that you think. In the West, Tantra has become associated with sexual practices, but Tantric teachings are spiritual revelations from the 5th century that exhort us to embrace the divine in the mundane. While yoga is grounded in Vedic philosophy, many of the teachings in the Vedanta, the final part of the Vedic canon, touch on Tantric ideas that inspire yoga's embrace of everyday life as a vehicle for spiritual growth.
Is the word yoga at all derived from the word yogurt, or did I just blow your mind?
Now we're just being silly.
About Bodywork
Is bodywork different from massage?
TogetherYoga's bodywork combines deep tissue massage, connective tissue therapy, and neuromuscular therapy with passive stretching and reiki to promote holistic healing.
What is the purpose of bodywork?
Bodywork reduces inflammation, promotes cellular regeneration, and improves circulation. Bodywork can also redistribute fluids under the skin to reduce the appearance of cellulite.
How many sessions does it take to see results?
Many people enjoy benefits after one session, but studies that found measurable improvements had subjects undergo weekly sessions for a few weeks. One session is great for stress relief or to ease knots. Three sessions are recommended for addressing lower back pain, chronic muscle tightness, or IT band trouble.
How long do the benefits last?
Depends on the problem, but many clients experience long term improvements, especially if they continue the therapy on their own with a regular yoga practice. While tissue manipulation has many physiological benefits, massage often helps just by focusing attention on the body and encouraging other healthy practices, like paying more attention to posture and stretching, or learning to sense the early signs of discomfort before they lead to pain.
Do I have to take my clothing off?
No, there are many options for bodywork. Always discuss your preferences with your bodywork therapist.
Why is massage so expensive?
Massage certification, insurance, rent, supplies, and the physical demands of the work all combine to make bodywork resource-intensive, especially in New York City. Moreover, a good bodywork practitioner can only see a few clients each day without compromising the quality of the session or the health of his own body.
TogetherYoga strives to make bodywork as accessible as possible to people of all walks of life, but when you add up the expenses of maintaining a practice and divide by the number of clients Jason can see in a week, you arrive at the base price for a session. Jason offers packages to help make bodywork more affordable.
About Meditation
What is meditation?
Meditation is the practice of focusing the attention to quiet the mind and transcend the self.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Clarity, calm, inner peace, stillness, and release can all come from meditation.
How long do you have to meditate to get results?
It varies by individual, but ten minutes is a good starting point. Over time, with different techniques, it's possible to derive great benefits from 15-30 minutes of stillness.
I mean, seriously, what's the least amount of time I have to force myself to sit still to reap the benefits?
Who said you have to sit still? There are moving meditations, too. Any act can be a meditation, if you perform it mindfully and with the purpose of moving beyond the cloudy ceiling of thoughts that form the emotional weather systems in our lives.
Do I have to sit cross-legged to meditate?
No, you can meditate in any position that allows you to relax and clear your mind. Many people in the West find it more comfortable to sit in chairs or to sit on the floor with the back supported. People who have low back or hip injuries may prefer to sit in a reclined position or to lay on the floor. It's all good.
What if my mind wanders?
Not a problem; just acknowledge the wandering and return the focus to breathing.
What if I have diagnosed attention disorders?
Meditation can be very helpful for people who struggle with attention disorders. It's important not to put any pressure on yourself to "succeed" or "perform" with meditation, but with some regular effort, meditation can help extend the attention, improve mental clarity, and expand the powers of focus.
What if meditation makes me uneasy, emotional, or restless?
You may want to explore the underlying cause of the discomfort. Sometimes meditation can be a catalyst for revelations and emotional release. It's okay to feel a flood of emotions after a yoga or meditation session. It's also fine to feel uneasy or itchy or twitchy or unsettled. Sometimes these sensations are the tools we need to dig deeper and learn more about what unresolved feelings or energy blocks lie beneath the surface.
