Yoga - The Key To A Shorter Jail Sentence In Maharashtra Prison

MUMBAI: Prisoners at a prison facility in Pune, Maharashtra have been offered a novel way to secure an early release: yoga!

AFP quotes officials at Yerwada central jail in Pune, near Mumbai saying that prisoners can cut up to 3 months on their jail time if they impress wardens with the knowledge and skills in the ancient practice.

“There’s a written and physical exam and those who excel will be given remission with respect to their performance,” Bhushankumar Upadhyay, the additional director general of the Maharashtra prison department, who is responsible for the scheme, told AFP. “We have started the written tests and the practical examination will commence in January. We are going to hold two exams a year and prisoners can get a maximum of three months early release.”

A sample of the kind of questions included in the test are -- “What is yoga?” and “How does it help you?” The prisoners will also be required to demonstrate their mastery of yoga postures.

“Yoga has been found to be very positive in harmonising our mental and physical energy. It has played a great role in the formation of the soul,” added Upadhyay.

Yoga has seen its place in the limelight since Narendra Modi was elected Prime Minister of India, with a long list of yogic initiatives being undertaken. This list includes International Yoga Day, which was observed on June 21 this year.

Yoga in prisoners, however, cannot be attributed solely to the influence of the Indian Prime Minister -- as the benefits of yoga have been applied to prisons previously both in India and internationally.

In fact, the Pune prison may be copying the idea from a prison in Madhya Pradesh, that in 2010 had said that for every three months spent practising posture, balance and breathing the inmates can cut their jail time by 15 days. The BBC at the time quoted the state's inspector general of prisons, Sanjay Mane, saying: "Yoga is good for maintaining fitness, calming the behaviour, controlling anger and reducing stress… When a prisoner attends yoga sessions and fulfils some other conditions, he will be considered for a remission if his jail superintendent recommends his case."

An inmate at Gwalior central jail, Narayan Sharma - who has now moved on to become an instructor - said yoga helps to banish the "angry thoughts" in his mind. "It was these thoughts that made me commit crimes," he said.

Art of Living features a story on the practice of Sudarshan Kriya in a central Mangalore jail. “Regular courses, where the Sudarshan Kriya and other practical techniques to relieve stress and handle negative emotions are taught to the inmates, have been taking place in the jail since 2008. Over 850 prisoners have participated in around 18 batches. Nav Chetna Shivirs (introductory programs highlighting the need for physical and mental hygiene), reaching out to over 1500 people, have also been conducted in the prison,” the article notes.

The same article quotes Sadashiv Kamath, a prison program teacher, saying, ““The Prison Programs help inmates join the mainstream when they are out of the prison. It inculcates self-confidence and helps them let go of the guilt that they develop during their term. The course also infuses an overall positive attitude and helps them stay away from any habits of substance abuse that they may develop… It brings in a whole shift in the attitude of the prisoners.”

On yoga day, 8000 inmates from the Tihar jail participated in New Delhi. The jail conducted a month-long yoga training session leading up to the event.

In the US, the Prison Yoga Project, notes: “Most prisoners suffer from Complex Trauma, chronic interpersonal trauma experienced early in life such as abandonment, hunger, homelessness, domestic violence, sexual abuse, bullying, discrimination, drug and alcohol abuse, and witnessing crime – including murder. We call this “original pain.” These experiences, imprinted by the terrifying emotions that accompany them, are held deeply in the mind, and perhaps more importantly, in the body, with the dissociative effects of impulsive/reactive behavior, and tendencies toward drug and alcohol addiction as well as violence. Carrying unresolved trauma into their lives impacts everything they do, often landing them in prison, where they experience even more trauma.

Yoga as a mindfulness practice is our tool for reengaging prisoners with their bodies to restore the connection between mind, heart and body. We use a yoga practice to develop the whole person, increase sensitivity toward oneself and empathy for others. By putting the men and women back in touch with their bodies, they begin to care more about themselves and understand the harm they have caused.”

The organisation is active in prisons and correctional facilities across the US. Testimonials from patients back up the claim that yoga has indeed helped with physical and emotional wellbeing. “I have a strengthened identity with self and a sense of something universal. It has given me the ability to affect my own well being and peace without dependency upon someone else or chemical substance,” says a prisoner identified as T.W. “I used drugs and alcohol for many years basically to kill the pain of my life. Yoga has helped clear my mind, deal with the pain, move into the present and just love myself and who I am,” adds J.B. “I truly believe I have found a process (in yoga) to deal with my personal struggles without medicating. I have found a path to calming myself when faced with adversity, and quieting my mind to see the world from a different perspective,” says P.U.

There are countless such stories and initiatives. “The great majority of our federal inmates have suffered abuse at some level, and healing the spirit does not come through vocational training, increased education, or even psychological and psychiatric counseling alone. This healing begins by looking within. When an inmate is released into our communities we want for them to be healthier people, in body, mind, and spirit,” says Perri van Rossem, founder of Living Yoga Studios, as quoted by the Huffington Post.

There is also the Transformation Yoga Project that uses yoga to reach out to people in drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, the criminal justice system, and veterans in the VA hospital system. “The criminal justice system fails to deal in any meaningful way with rehabilitation. The Judicial Council of California reports that approximately 65% of inmates will return to prison within the first three years of release. We need to do more to stop this destructive cycle. Inmates can themselves become agents for positive change, both inside the prison and upon their release. Many ex-offenders have turned their lives around through yoga, and by making a positive difference through work in their communities. It's hard to put a price on this activity, but we know that our communities are better for it,” said Mike Huggins in an interview with Rob Schware of the Give Back Yoga foundation.

There is not enough space to do justice to the many stories involving yoga in prison cells -- so let’s let the pictures speak for themselves. Reproduced here from an article in the Huffington Post, are images of prison inmates devoted to their yoga practice.