An international prison perspective feasibility of incorporating yoga and meditation to female inmates

An international prison perspective feasibility of incorporating yoga and meditation to female inmates by ShareLove.Fund’s Rainbow Women Social Enterprise endeavor and sponsored by your generous donations.

Yoga is an art of healing that has been around for over 5,000 years. It has been practiced worldwide with a rising number of benefits which have is ascribed to it. Along with yoga, meditation has also been among popular practices for concentration and inward healing. To catalyse the process of rehabilitation, yoga and meditation have been accepted internationally in correctional facilities for the psychological and physiological well-being of female inmates. Data collected by prisonpolicy.org reveals, though only 4% of the women's population resides in the US, the United States accounts for about 30% of the total number of imprisoned women.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/women/

Let us look at the programs adopted by various prisons internationally that have helped incarcerated women recover. 

Techniques adopted by Countries Globally for helping women inmates
Rehabilitation can be a challenging process for incarcerated women, primarily because of their isolation from families. Mindfulness and yoga have positive impacts on the physiology of women. It also enables them to focus their energies inward and gain peace and tranquillity from these practices. Programs that have benefited prison inmates are as follows:

1. The Art of Living (India)– This project had been spearheaded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, by drawing inspiration from the Prison SMART (Stress Management and Rehabilitation Training). It had been started in Tihar jail in 1999. The inception of yoga can be traced back to Northern India. The program aims at stress reduction, relief from post-traumatic stress, better emotional management, and liberation of prisoners from their past lived experiences. 

2. Liberation Prison Yoga –This program is focused on trauma-sensitive yoga practice. Instructors are trained to work inside the prison systems. To associate with society after the period of incarceration, an individual must learn to connect with their mind and body.

3. The Prison Phoenix Trust –  This is a project offered in the UK that emphasizes the development of the spiritual health of prisoners through meditation and yoga. They extend their support to prisoners all over the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The instructors engage with prisoners, allowing them to gain control over their mental strength and help them in reducing aggression, and helps them develop a strong will and self-confidence. 

4. Prison Yoga Project - The program based in California, provides trauma-centred yoga, which is essential for prison inmates. Many incarcerated individuals have a history of traumatic experiences, raising their emotional vulnerability, which slows down the process of recovery. This project aims at developing self-awareness, positivity, and compassion, which instils positivity among individuals. They also assist prisons and government agencies, and individuals in educating them about practices of mindfulness.

Prisons all over the world should be well-equipped to handle the requirements of incarcerated women. Rather than isolating and segregating those based on their criminal records, state and federal prisons must prepare for the complete rehabilitation and recovery of the female inmates. The most crucial aim of prison administrators should be the prevention of recidivism. With a host of programs and projects, the task of teaching mindfulness and yoga to incarcerated females becomes a smooth process.