Welcome to Max
On September 12, 2023, I walked into a maximum-security prison. I traveled with just one guard, although in the prison system I teach yoga at, the term is CO – corrections officer. I followed the CO through an open area to the classroom where I would teach yoga. The area that we walked through has civilians (me and anyone that works at the prison) as well as incarcerated women.
This was not the first time I had taught yoga inside a prison, just the first time I had been inside the maximum-security unit. I am accustomed to, and comfortable, walking around an area that inmates have access to. Making this very clear, I am walking next to/with women who are incarcerated.
As this was my first time in maximum security, I was curious and glanced around to see what was different here than in the other units I’ve worked in. Truly, the only difference I saw was more barbed wire.
Once I was directed to the room where I would teach yoga, I was left alone with about 10 women, all of them residents of the prison. As a yoga teacher, I have struggled with what to call my students. Inmate is correct, yet to me, these are simply my students. Women who, for whatever reason, have found themselves spending a portion of their lives inside the walls of a state prison.
Almost as soon as I began teaching my yoga class I realized that I had neglected to pick up a radio. When I, or any of the yoga teachers I work with, come to the prison we are given a radio as we enter each unit. This is my only means of communication as I’m not able to bring my phone into the prison with me. Upon realizing I had neglected to get a radio, I took a deep breath and kept teaching. A huge part of teaching yoga in a prison is having faith that everything will be okay. And in my experience – it has been.
Part way through the class the CO returned and handed me a radio. As I teach, I cannot help but look at my students and wonder what brought them to prison. I’ve made it a practice to not ask them, although sometimes they do tell me why they are incarcerated. I also do not look up the public records of my students.
My students in maximum have an age range from quite young into their early 60’s. Again, if they don’t offer their age, I don’t ask. One of my youngest students looked so beautiful in a yoga shape that I complimented her by name. I think she actually blushed. This struck me as funny – here we are in maximum security and I made a student blush with a compliment.
When the class ended I walked with my students as we took the yoga mats back to where the mats are stored. And with that – I was off to the medium security unit.
I live and work in Arizona. September in Arizona is still very much summer. Upon arriving to the medium security unit I was directed to visitation, where I would be teaching my class. Visitation was packed – not for my class, but because the visitation room was being used by the residents of the medium security unit as a cooling station. Many parts of the prison, including some areas where inmates are housed, are not air-conditioned. To help alleviate this, cooling stations, such as the visitation area, are set up.
I felt bad that I was taking over an air-conditioned room, which meant that all the women currently in the room had to leave and head back out into the heat. However, this was the solution determined by the staff. Once the room was cleared, we set up the mats and did our yoga.
When this class was over, I had one more class to teach. The prison is 40 miles from my house – I need to maximize my time there! My last stop that day was in the minimum-security unit. This is the group of women I’ve worked with for over a year and I always love to see them. It had been a few months since I had been in the minimum-security unit. We spent some time catching up, did our class, and with that I headed back to my car.
I understand that entering a prison to teach yoga to inmates is not everyone’s idea of a reasonable use of their time. And yet, for me, I am grateful everyday for the opportunity to make a difference in this way.