Meditation and Yoga behind Bars in Scotland
by Sam Settle from the Prison Phoenix Trust
The opportunity for personal growth exists in a prison cell. The Prison Phoenix
Trust encourages prisoners in
their spiritual lives through the practices of yoga and meditation, working with
silence and the breath. We offer individual support to prisoners through
teaching, workshops, correspondence, books and newsletters - and to prison staff
too.
The Scottish Link of The Prison Phoenix Trust was established
in 1996 to establish and maintain meditation and yoga classes in Scottish
prisons. Currently there are 18 classes in 12 prisons and in Carstairs State
Hospital.
Three of these are for prison officers and staff. The Scottish Link is supported
entirely by Scottish contributions and is run by a Scottish Co-ordinator in
Glasgow.
The Prison Phoenix Trust holds an annual training day to
support qualified yoga teachers in Scotland who are
teaching or considering teaching in prison. We also hold workshops in four or
five Scottish prisons each year to
raise interest in yoga and to try to establish a weekly class. One of the places
Sandy Chubb and I visited this year was HMP Barlinnie. This is what it was like
when we visited:
Barlinnie prison is on the outskirts of Glasgow near to
Scotland's busiest court. The day we arrived to hold the
workshops, the Governor was just finishing his shift as night Duty Officer,
responsible for everything in the
prison during the night, and heading into another full and unpredictable day. He
told us there were 1585 men
in the prison and that it only has an official holding capacity of 1000 -
overcrowded like so many other prisons.
In his office he introduced us to the manager of the Day Care
Centre (Mental Health) who informed us that
80% of people in U.K. prisons have mental health problems; luckily Barlinnie has
accessed funds earmarked for reducing suicide in Scotland, which has the fourth
highest rate in the world.
The first yoga and meditation workshop took place in the Day
Care Centre which was clean and well lit with mats, chairs and firm pillows.
Pat, aged 76, arrived in a wheelchair, fresh from hospital the previous night,
exhibiting severe breathing problems. George, a man of at least 22 stone, was
his helper. We heard from staff that prison is the only place George feels cared
for. When he is released into the community, he rings the police when he is
lonely at night.
Ombram had lost his sight in prison after a brain tumour, although he said he
could see some shapes partially. In prison he had had no counselling and he was
distressed and nervous.
Ten other men arrived, all suffering from varying degrees of anxiety. One was a
care-worker with a back injured from his work.
They all responded well to the yoga session, which Sandy led.
It was humbling to see them all in full bridge poses at the end, and to see the
blind inmate doing stand-alone poses quite confidently, while I coaxed the
inmate with breathing problems to relax between breaths. At the end, as they
prepared to sit for meditation, we had to work with the men a bit: their
confidence was eroded to such a degree that they had real trouble sitting with
straight backs at first, although they were determined to be still and centred
for this quiet finale. They all asked for the books and CD which we make
available for free to prisoners and prison staff who want to begin a practice
for themselves.
In the second class with me teaching, we switched rooms to
the Old Gym. Twenty-five men signed up for the
class including Pete, who said he always wanted to try it. Martin reported no
injuries; he is a recovering alcoholic
and drug addict - 3 years clean. Harry had back problems and his friend had
frozen left shoulder. It was a cold gym, especially with a window wide open on a
chilly day. There were two disruptive young men who may have been using drugs
just before the class but I checked them when they were too unruly and Sandy
stood between them to keep them apart and insist they took part. I offered a
3-stage breathing technique which led successfully to a quiet and still
two-minute meditation.
A yoga teacher is likely to begin classes at Barlinnie soon.
To find out more about yoga in Scottish prisons, please write to The PPT
Scottish Link, PO Box 7285, Glasgow, G46 6YF or
e-mail: prison.phoenixtrust@ntlworld.com.
From Yoga Scotland Issue 24 Page 10 - Reformatted to suite the web page.
