Should Prisoners Practice Yoga?

Published on June 1, 2011

Most people who are sent to prison are eventually released back into society with very little “rehabilitation.” What if we were able to send them back into the world with tools for dealing with stress, and an improved sense of self?  Programs offering yoga and meditation classes in prison facilities are attempting to do just that.  Yet some oppose the idea, believing these are undeserved benefits and constitute a “warped priority”.

The prison system is big business in the U.S. In 2007, local, state, and federal governments spent 74 billion dollars on “corrections.” “The United States has the highest incarceration rate amongst any country in the world.”  More than 50% have committed non-violent crimes, and the recidivism rate jumped more than 5% between 1983-94

Nancy Candea is trying to change those statistics.  "Yoga isn’t just about physical exercise, it’s about what’s going on in your mind.”  She believes the practice can strengthen those most in need of it and help them resist the negative forces around them, in and out of the system.

The Prison Yoga Project is another program trying to rehabilitate prisoners from the inside out.  The goal of the program is to “help people to shift unconscious behavioral patterns of reacting into conscious ways of responding by teaching individuals the skill of clearly witnessing their moment-to-moment experience.”  They point out that “learning this fundamental behavioral shift can make the difference between a person committing a crime or not.”   The program furthers it mission by offering specialized trainings for teachers interested in serving this population.

Evidence to support yoga as a rehabilitative tool was found in a 2008 study that “followed 190 inmates who attended yoga, meditation and philosophy classes, accompanied by a vegetarian meal. Those who attended four or more classes had a re-incarceration rate of 8.5 percent compared to a statewide re-incarceration rate as high as 41 percent.”

Senator Zaun of Iowa, where a progressive prison, offering butterfly gardens and yoga spaces in addition to chain link and razor wire, is being planned, believes these programs are “pampering” criminals. He will vote against funding this type of facility, stating, "Prison should not be pleasant. They’re there because they committed a crime against society and they have a debt to pay.”  The warden of the proposed prison argues that prisoners “still need to be treated like human beings…we need to send them out better than they came in. And the environment will make a big difference on whether they go out better or whether they go back out worse.” 

Yoga and meditation classes will never make being in prison enjoyable, the time spent there is still punishment.  (Just visit one for a day if you doubt this.)  Instead of teaching people how to be better criminals, what if the experience could begin to teach them how to find peace and make better choices in a chaotic world?

Share with

Friends

Our Latest

Yoga Articles
  • Best Time to Meditate

    Finding the Best Time to Meditate: Tips and Advice on When to Sit

  • Purusharthas

    Purusharthas: The Four Goals of Life

  • Trimurti

    Trimurti: The Hindu Trinity of Brahma Vishnu Shiva

  • Brahman

    Brahman: Definition, Meaning, and Philosophy

  • Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra: Meaning, Benefits, Videos and Tips

  • Living Like a Yogi

    17 Rules for Living Like a Yogi

  • heart opening yoga poses

    The Best 16 Heart Opening Yoga Poses

  • Negative Energy in a Person

    18 Clear Signs of Negative Energy in a Person

Remove Ads with a

Premium Membership

Viewing ads supports YogaBasics, which allows us to continue bringing you quality yoga content. Sign up for a premium membership to remove all ads and enjoy uninterrupted access to the best yoga resources on the web.

Explore More

Yoga TipsAdviceArticlesPracticesBasicsTechniques

  • best time to practice yoga

    When Is the Perfect Time to Practice Yoga?

  • evening yoga

    6 Benefits of Practicing Yoga Before Bedtime

  • Equilibrium Tranquility Yoga Pose

    8 Ways to Create Equilibrium and Tranquility in Yoga

  • practicing a yoga lifestyle

    13 Key Tips for Creating a Successful Yoga Lifestyle

  • morning yoga

    The 10 Best Benefits of Practicing Yoga in the Morning

  • wrist pain in yoga

    Wrist Pain in Yoga? 12 Tips to Prevent Sore Wrists

  • Restarting a yoga practice

    11 Ways to Reboot Your Yoga Practice

  • Home Yoga Studio

    15 Tips for Creating an Amazing Home Yoga Studio

  • yoga stretching exercise

    Yoga vs. Stretching: What’s the Difference?

3 responses to “Should Prisoners Practice Yoga?”

  1. mbcyoga Avatar
    mbcyoga

    I have worked in Corrections for more than 25 years…..anything we can offer inmates to help them function in the prison environment or prepare them for release just simply makes sense. Every bit of positive impact makes a huge difference ….

  2. StudioLiveTV Avatar
    StudioLiveTV

    I couldn’t agree more. It seems so important to give inmates an outlet that affords them the opportunity to find peace, clarity, tranquility… I can’t imagine what the prison system is like; but I do believe that we all deserve to find inner happiness and peace. I hope yoga can help them, if only a little bit.

  3. clcroswell Avatar
    clcroswell

    I have worked with juvenile delinquents for years. Most prisoners are people who have experienced huge trauma and have made bad choices as the result. Yoga can be a tool to break the cycle of violence.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Amber Baker Avatar
About the author
Amber completed an eclectic 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2007, and considers herself an eternal student. She has a Master of Arts in Health Education and Promotion, and is inspired by empowering others to take control of their health and well-being. After teaching gentle and slow flow yoga for many years, she is taking a break from teaching and is currently learning another side of yoga through her desk job. In this new challenge, her core tools for maintaining balance include her home practice, family, friends and being in nature. Creative expression, engaging with current yogic thought, trends, philosophy and exploring health and wellness through plants (as food, medicine and nourishment) are her passions.
Yoga Basics