A lot of words has already been used for prisoners, and along with this, many hurtful words have also been used to describe a prison. Definitely, being peaceful has never been one of them. Every one deserves a second chance at life, and for these people in prison, doing yoga as they return to the society that once had turned its backs at them, can help them to find their inner peace before they are released.
At San Quentin State Prison, a well known prison cell on the San Francisco Bay, is where Danny Plunkett had been staying for 26 years because of robbery and murder. But beyond what most of us think, this is not the place you thought it is. For Plunkett, this is where he has been doing his yoga practice for quite some time already.
According to an interview by CBS News with Plunkett, he said that as he spends a number of years in some of the toughest prisons, he believes that he carries this violence with him, for the rest of his life, actually.
A yoga instructor named James Fox makes his way through the prison yard twice a week in order to lead a packed class. However, he adds, it's really not easy to arrange a schedule for him to enter the place since he always needs to consider the wait list.
Named as The Prison Yoga Project at San Quentin in 2002, this non-profit organization was initiated by Fox, which primarily aims to help rehabilitate offenders through various alternative means. Since it started, a lot of prisons and jails across the country are also adapting the said project having the same objective in mind.
The benefits of practicing yoga has been beyond imagination for Plunkett when asked, as he may be released early next year. He claims that because of yoga, a second chance at life has been bestowed upon him that could eventually help him live a better life on the outside world.
