Project Report
| Sep 17, 2012
Bring the Transformational Value of Yoga to Prison
By Rob Schware | Executive Director
Since early 2010, Prison Yoga Project's illustrated manual for prisoners, Yoga A Path for Healing and Recovery, has been sent at no cost to more than 6,500 prisoners. It costs on average $5 to print and send a book. We could easily increase demand for 3,000-4,000 books in the next year alone. Send a prisoner a book, buy one for yourself, or do both.
"What I received from the yoga classes is an avenue to live a life that is, well, so much more alive. I've learned that I can live in the present with an awareness I never felt possible and lead a life that is health, grounded and true." -Prison Yoga Project Incarcerated Student
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Apr 13, 2012
Teaching Yoga to Prisoners Spreads!
By Rob Schware | Executive Director
From James Fox: A colleague and I are introducing mindfulness programs to several state prisons near the [San Francisco] Bay Area. I want to train yoga teachers and establish PYP chapters in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles to connect with prisons and different drug rehab and re-entry programs. I want to provide scholarships for a select few prisoners I work with who show promise in becoming yoga teachers themselves.
With the increasing evidence-based support of how yoga and meditation can effectively address anxiety disorders, impulsive behavior, and aid in addiction recovery, it’s an opportune time to advocate for these practices for prisoner rehabilitation. With economic hardships facing federal and state budgets, we have a practical and cost-effective way of providing programs for the incarcerated. It’s an honor and privilege to bring healing where it is so dramatically needed.
James’ book, Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery, is a practical instruction manual that contains the basics of yogic philosophy, breathing instructions to calm the nervous system, and many pages of illustrated postures and artwork by San Quentin students. Purchasing the book will also ship a free copy to a prisoner that has requested it. (More information can be found at www.prisonyoga.com.)
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Dec 13, 2011
Prison Yoga Spreads!
By Prisoner, Mule Creek Prison, CA | Prisoner
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Why Yoga in Prison? "The truth is we are not getting the rehabilitation we need to make it in the free world. Some of us see that we need to take our rehabilitation into our own hands if we're going to make it." Prisoner, Mule Creek Prison, California.
There is growing evidence to support the teaching of spiritual practices, such as Yoga and meditation, in prisons. A Minnesota-based consensus panel observed that spirtual approaches may be quite valuable in substance-abuse treatment for offenders, and recommended providing a time and suitable place for individual meditation, reflection, or prayer. A study at Seattle's North Rehabilitation Facility found that the recidivism rate for inmates who took a 10-day Vipassana mediation retreat was 56%, a 25% improvement over recidivism rates in the general inmate population. A follow-up study by the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington found that drug use, drug and alchol-related consequences, and self-reported levels among those who took the course, compared to those who did not.
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