We are supporting The Prison Phoenix Trust (PPT) with a three-year funding programme.
The charity works with members of the prison community in the UK and Ireland to improve mental and physical health through the practice of yoga and meditation. Our funds are helping young offenders aged 18 to 24 manage stress, improve their mental health and deal better with life’s challenges after their release.
Life experiences
Two thirds of people serving prison sentences report mental health struggles, and according to a survey by the NHS the most common challenges are anxiety and depression. PPT yoga and meditation classes are led by qualified instructors who are supported by the charity to ensure lessons take into account the life experiences of young people in the class. These include trauma, neurodiversity and often negative experiences of education. Young offenders are also given the resources to follow guided yoga sessions in their cells such as DVDs, CDs and books. In addition, a quarterly newsletter gives inmates peer support through encouragement and advice written by other people in custody and ex-offenders. They can also choose to receive letters by trained writers for individual support.
Beacon of light
There is growing evidence that regular yoga and meditation have many mental and physical benefits, including calming the nervous system. This helps inmates sleep better, feel less angry and aggressive and be more likely to take up other educational and rehabilitation activities, all of which gives them more positive life choices outside of prison walls.
Richard was supported by PPT and described his yoga practice as a “beacon of light” for him in prison. “I knew my challenges on release were going to be massive,” he said. “Whenever my mind started worrying, yoga helped massively, kept me in my body.”
Photo credit: Prison Phoenix Trust
