By Janice Aliar
The practice of yoga has become very popular in the Netherlands, with yoga schools and studios in almost every city. All forms of yoga, including Vinyasa, Power Yoga, have become popular, with most common attendees being women in their twenties and forties. Yoga has proven to be beneficial for everyone, including prisoners. I currently teach yoga classes in a prison, with each class having around 15 male students, and a waiting list of many more waiting to join.
As yoga is meant to calm the fluctuations of the mind, a yoga workout can help the prisoners to stress less and to get some peace of mind. The practice of teaching yoga classes in prison is certainly different than giving yoga classes elsewhere.
My day as a teacher
I start by checking into the prison and getting my entry pass. I have to go through a full security check and I also I get a beeper to carry with me all the time for safety. Mobile phones are strictly prohibited.
After walking through a set of long corridors, I finally reach the hall where I roll out the yoga mats and prepare myself to welcome the students to the yoga class. The avoid any prejudice, I am not told about any of the crimes of the prisoners, and additionally, as a yoga teacher, I do not judge anyone. There is no room for fear in my class, all that is required is to be alert to my teachings.
Benefits of Yoga
A lot of people have preconceived notions about the practice of Yoga and think it is boring. Due to this, I was very nervous before giving my first class in prison last year. I was unsure about how the men would react, however, the participation and feedback I have received has been overwhelming.
Several of the prisoners have shared the benefits they have received from the practice. A lot of them have sleeping problems in prison due to having to share the room with another inmate, the hard and uncomfortable mattresses, and a lot of my students have said that by practising yoga, they feel like they can sleep better.
Additionally, a lot of prisoners suffer from back and other forms of physical pain which are reduced significantly by the regular practice of yoga. It is no surprise that being in prison brings a lot of worries, about the legal procedure, their sentence, families, returning to normal life after serving their sentence. However, during the one hour of my class, they focus on their breathing and balance and forget about any other worries. Attending the classes gives them peace of mind.
In fact, prison guards have also told me that they notice a huge difference in the behaviour of inmates after they leave my class. The prisoners make jokes, smile and are at ease, even some of the men who normally are usually aggressive and angry are much more relaxed after the class. The doctors and psychologists at the prison have even started to prescribe yoga classes to prisoners.
The benefits of yoga are not limited to the mind, and we do some intense physical poses in which I challenge the men to execute different yoga poses. Most of the participants have shared with me that they are surprised at how much they sweat during the class and use muscles they didnt even know they had.
‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’ (May all beings everywhere be happy and free. And may the thoughts, words & actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all)
The above quote describes how I feel about the effect of yoga on society. In the short term, I hope yoga helps the prisoners by giving them some tools to experience peace of mind and reduced stress in the difficult environment of a prison. One of the inmates once told me, “the yoga class is the only hour of the week that I feel like a human being again.” I hope in the long run, yoga helps establish a society with less aggression, violence and crime, leading to lesser convictions. Yoga has the capability of inspiring peacefulness, which will eventually lead to less recidivism and less criminal behaviour.
Janice Aliar is a social worker, traveller, yoga practitioner, social entrepreneur, and the founder and director of the Sapna foundation.