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Yoga for convicts

Maybe it’s just me, but when I think of yoga the thought of a hardened criminal doing the “downward dog”…

By Anna Fong , in Blogs Health and wellness , on January 26, 2008

Maybe it’s just me, but when I think of yoga the thought of a hardened criminal doing the “downward dog” or resting in “child’s pose” does not readily come to mind.

That’s why an article in the New York Times caught my attention. It was about a group of yoga teachers who were providing classes to people in homeless shelters, prisons and juvenile detention centres.The teachers were from the Western part of the United States and they wanted to promote the benefits of yoga to those who normally would not sign-up for classes or could not afford expensive memberships.

Often people take yoga classes to reduce stress, so maybe yoga could help reduce prison riots? In the article there was a teacher “who fondly recalls the sociopath who never missed a class.”

Also, there are studies to support that yoga reduces stress and can help people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Current studies are looking at the effects of yoga on addictions, but results are not conclusive.

With the many styles of yoga, there is bound to be one you will enjoy and it just might be what you need after a stressful day at work or school.

Blogs about Yoga:

The accidental yogist

Everthing yoga