Can I Become a Yoga Teacher While I’m Here in Prison?

I am a Prison Yoga Teacher

            The last two times I taught yoga in prison I also spent some time talking to one student that wants to become a yoga teacher. She will leave the prison next year and has been teaching herself with the resources she has. This student told me that when she began seriously studying yoga, she saw that yoga is not just about the physical practice. She mentioned that when she teaches yoga in the prison yard, she works to convey some of what she has learned to her students.

            I love these conversations! First, for someone to understand that yoga is more than simply the physical practice shows me that this student is seriously studying yoga. Second, she is sharing what she learns with others. And finally, she wants to become an instructor. I am learning as much from these women as they learn from me. The joy of bringing yoga into a prison, and seeing how well it is received, reminds me of why I am on this planet.

            In four days I will back at the prison to teach yoga. Each visit is an opportunity to connect with this amazing group of women. They are challenging me to learn new shapes, and in the process I find my own practice changing. Together we laugh, learn, move and teach each other.

This year I will turn 60 and I’m going to focus on raising money to continue to bring yoga into the prison system.  I’m asking everyone I know to donate any amount - $1 can make a difference. The company that sends me to teach in the prison is Yoga’s Arc Foundation. I’m attaching their donation link below. They also accept donations through Venmo @yogasarc Please specify that the monies are for the prison yoga program!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more stories from my adventures teaching yoga.. Click here to donate.

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Originally published on LinkedIn May 20, 2022