Prison Yoga Project Virginia

Prison Yoga Project: A Chance For Healing And Rehabilitation

The statistics are alarming: today, 2.25 million men and women – 1 in 100 adults – are in U.S. prisons. 1 in 31 adults, or 7.3 million Americans, are under some sort of correctional supervision. And 60% of released prisoners will return to prison within 3 years. To truly help men and women in prison to turn their lives around, we need to do something different.

We’re helping incarcerated men and women to build a better life through the Prison Yoga Project’s program of trauma-informed yoga, taught as a mindfulness practice. The practice helps students to restore the connection between their mind, body and heart, experience self-compassion and empathy for others, and take responsibility for their actions. They can also begin to change trauma-induced unconscious behavioral patterns and develop skills for impulse control, reducing the likelihood that they will return to jail.