Freeing The Prisoner Inside

Thank you for supporting the Prison Yoga Project.

Your purchase supports our mission to bring yoga and mindfulness to prisoners throughout the US and internationally.

Send a book to a prisoner.

James Fox originally wrote Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery to provide a resource for prisoners to continue their practices upon release. It has become something much more than that. The book often becomes a prized possession for prisoners and many requests we receive are inspired by fellow prisoner recommendations.

Send Now

Most prisoners suffer chronic trauma early in life.

Chronic interpersonal trauma including abandonment, hunger, homelessness, racism, domestic violence, sexual abuse, bullying, discrimination, drug and alcohol abuse, and witnessing violent crime. These emotional experiences profoundly stress the nervous system and without help, they don't grow out of it, they grow into it.

Unresolved Trauma Can Cause Harmful Behavior.

Unresolved trauma can twist and ruin the rest of your life. Whether you're a child or a combat vet, trauma creates the bad behavior that lands most prisoners in jail. Once in prison they're met with with violence and medical issues often treated with gross indifference, locked inside a system that delivers far more punishment than rehabilitation.

We Help Prisoners Survive Prison.

By uniting mind and body we help resolve the underlying trauma that has usually led a prisoner to offend. Yoga creates an attitude of respect. Committed students move from reactionary to responsible behavior, picking up basic social tools that make life outside possible. Yoga is about empathy which produces improved relationships and offers a path to dignity and respect, and making better choices.

We Train Prisoners For Release.

95% of all prisoners are released. Our work fosters humane living conditions in prison while it creates among the prisoners a greater sense of self-worth, purpose, and even the desire to help others. These are sensations many have never felt and that changes everything, especially the rate of re-offense.