Prison Officer. Space Holder. Healer.
By Nicole Hellthaler, Executive Director, Prison Yoga Project Author’s note: I usually use the term “incarcerated people” when referring to those behind bars, as it centers their humanity. In this piece, you’ll also see the word “prisoner,” which reflects the language more commonly used in the UK and in my conversation with Oana. Language, like […]
What Prison Taught Me About Hope
By Jacque Crockford, PYP Facilitator Where Do You Find Hope? I have been teaching trauma-informed yoga with Prison Yoga Project (PYP) at Richard J. Donovan (RJD) Correctional Facility for the past eight years. Week after week, since 2017, I’ve sat in circles, stood in yards, moved through breath, and shared stillness alongside men who are […]
Bringing Yoga to Parliament: Emma Smallman on Centering Hidden Voices
Hi, I’m Emma Smallman, based in Birmingham, UK—originally from the Lake District, where my journey began in very different surroundings. For 14 years, I worked with Geese Theatre Company, using drama in prisons and recovery settings to help people explore change and personal responsibility. It was deep, transformative work—and it led me to places I […]
Showing Up Matters: Reflections from RISE25
By Nicole Hellthaler, Executive Director, Prison Yoga Project From May 28th through June 1st, I had the privilege of representing Prison Yoga Project (PYP) at the RISE25 Conference in Kissimmee, Florida. Hosted by All Rise—a national training, membership, and advocacy organization focused on improving justice system responses to substance use and mental health disorders—this conference […]
Prison Yoga Project at the 36th Annual Trauma Research Foundation Conference
By James Fox, Founding Director On May 14, Prison Yoga Project had the honor of presenting at the 36th Annual International Trauma Conference, hosted by the Trauma Research Foundation (TRF) in Boston. As a proud therapeutic alliance partner of TRF—founded by world-renowned trauma expert Dr. Bessel van der Kolk—we were invited to offer a workshop […]
How Yoga Connects Us: Highlights from Ananda Yoga Festival
By Bill Brown, Director of Programming, Publishing, and Advocacy This past weekend, I had the honor of attending and speaking at the Ananda Yoga Festival in Riverside, California. It was a weekend filled with heart, healing, and transformation—a powerful gathering of people committed to the shared journey of inner growth and community care. One […]
From the Inside Out: How Yoga Teacher Training is Transforming Lives Behind Bars
Inside a correctional facility in New Hampshire, a group of women came together each week from June to December 2024—not just to stretch, breathe, or learn how to guide a yoga class, but to take part in something far more profound: a process of self-reclamation. Fourteen women completed the Yoga, Social Justice, and Leadership 200-Hour […]
Sign the #EndTheException Petition to Finally Abolish Slavery in the US
A recent article from the Guardian, ‘Slavery by any name is wrong’: the push to end unpaid labor in prisons, talks about the injustice of incarcerated people’s forced/coerced, unpaid labor. It buries the call to action, so we thought we’d highlight that here. Please consider signing this petition to the US Congress to consider legislation […]
Reflecting on 2021’s achievements as I look forward with hope to a New Year
Before I get into our plans for 2022, I want to acknowledge some of our accomplishments from 2021. While we’re all too aware that the global situation remains challenging, we feel it’s a vital practice to choose to put your attention on the positive as well. In 2021, Prison Yoga Project: Restarted more than 65 […]
