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Volunteer Yvonne mentors people in prison through ‘sacred’ medium of letters and has done so for over 20 years.

The Prison Phoenix Trust (The PPT), which this year celebrates 35 years supporting the spiritual lives of people in prison, was founded by volunteers and continues to be powered by them.

This Volunteers’ Week, we are proud to celebrate our volunteers and their continuing support to provide many people in prison with hope and healing through meditation and yoga.

One of The PPT’s longest serving volunteers, Yvonne, a former Quaker chaplain at HMP Grendon, has been writing letters to people in prison for 20 years. This mentoring by correspondence is one of the core services offered to people in custody, along with yoga classes and specialist resources such as books, DVDs and newsletters.

Letter writers are not pen-friends; they write little about themselves and instead reflect back to the person writing from prison the insights they themselves are experiencing and allow the writers’ own sense of spirituality to emerge in its own way from encouragement in contemplative practice.

“The key,” says Yvonne, “is openness and being willing to welcome everyone as they are, to work with what they bring and what is making sense to them. I see my role as creating a space for them of quiet contemplation and compassion for them to turn within.” Continue Reading

 

Om Yoga Show in London, 13-15 October.

Come and meet former prisoners along with prison yoga teachers at our stall at the Om Yoga Yoga Show in London on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, 13, 14, 15 October. Hear what’s it’s like sharing the powerful practices of meditation and yoga with people serving a prison sentence, and how you can be part of this transformative work.

Buy Om Yoga Show Tickets here

Yoga teachers’ workshop, Fri 13 October, 3.15-4.45pm

This workshop in the Panorama Room at the Om Yoga Show is for yoga teachers interested in teaching in prisons, young offenders institutions, secure psychiatric hospitals or bail hostels. It is an introduction to teaching trauma-responsive yoga in prison, to see if you would like to register as a potential yoga teacher, with further opportunities for training and work in the future.

• The workshop will cover:
• A former prisoner’s experience of yoga and meditation inside
• Who is in prison – and how prisons work
• A 20-minute prison yoga taster practice
• Adapting your teaching for a secure environment
• Teaching meditation safely
• How the PPT can support you as a prison yoga teacher

Teachers who work in prisons often say it is the most fulfilling work they do. But it’s not for everyone. Prisons are challenging environments and it’s important that teachers going into prisons are prepared for all eventualities and equipped to deliver classes that are accessible and inclusive of a wide range of physical and mental needs.

Book workshop tickets here

 

 

The Prison Phoenix Trust annual event, 28 March 2023

Wisdom From Inside

An evening with inspirational speakers sharing their life changing experiences of meditation and yoga in prison. Director Selina Sasse and trustee Penny Boreham invite you to this, The Prison Phoenix Trust’s first major event since the pandemic, with panel discussion and Q&A.

Hear personal experiences of hope and healing in prisons:

• how rehabilitation is built on foundations of self-worth;

• how yoga can be a powerful catalyst for change;

• how non-judgemental spiritual guidance makes such a difference.

The insights offered are gifts to all as we encounter our own challenges and life changes.

Learn also about why The Prison Phoenix Trust is experiencing a surge in interest in meditation and yoga in prisons, and how we are responding and plan to meeting this growing demand.

There will be light refreshments and a warm welcome to all from the trust staff and volunteer team.

 

When: Tuesday 28th March at 7pm-9pm

Where: Kellogg College, Oxford 

Buy tickets here

The Prison Phoenix Trust and Novus will this Autumn launch specialist prison yoga and meditation DVDs to support the physical and mental health of people in prison.

The two organisations are responding to the UK Government’s 2021 Prisons Strategy White Paper, which proposes making better use of technological advances to support safer, healthier prisons in which prisoners are encouraged “to take ownership of their own care and wellbeing” with “opportunities for purposeful activity accessible to everyone”.

DVD-playing devices have been made more widely available across the prison estate since the Covid-19 pandemic has led to prisoners spending much longer periods in their cells. These two titles will help a wider range of people explore the benefits of yoga and meditation, including younger prisoners and those who struggle with reading.

The DVDs can been used by individuals in their cells or by prison staff and educators in a group setting. Each one features five yoga or meditation sessions, ranging in length from 7 to 38 minutes.

Prison staff can order free resources here.

As well as the DVD format, The Prison Phoenix Trust is also working with HMPPS Digital and other partners to make these short yoga and meditation films available digitally in-cell and in group settings.

Former Prison Governor and consultant to PPT Jamie Bennett said: “Over many years working in prisons, I have seen people benefit from yoga and meditation. It has helped them on their journey towards health, happiness and realising their potential. This DVD can help young people to learn or improve their practice of yoga and meditation, at a time and in a place that suits them. Whether you’re new to yoga and meditation or have tried it before, this film will be able to help you.”

Former Prison Governor and PPT trustee Suzy Dymond-White said: “The Prison Phoenix Trust DVDs make yoga accessible in a straightforward and honest way. My experience as a prison governor and lifelong student of yoga leads me to conclude that they will help people who live and work in our prisons to explore the physical and mental benefits of yoga and meditation; helping with relaxation and emotional regulation. I thoroughly recommend them.”

‘Meditation and yoga are increasingly being recognised as valuable rehabilitative interventions in prisons.’

Jim King, former Head of Education, Scottish Prison Service

Director of the Prison Phoenix Trust Selina Sasse said: “Regular practice of simple breath-focused meditation and movement has been shown to reduce impulsiveness, anger and aggression; improve sleep, concentration and self-discipline; and importantly instil a sense of self-worth and hope – foundations that are essential to prisoners’ rehabilitation.”

Novus Digital Learning Manager Steve Grix said: “I know from my years as a teacher in prisons, how poor mental health is often an obstacle to learning,  even more so since the pandemic. Novus has collaborated with the Prison Phoenix Trust in producing these short filmed yoga and meditation sessions because we hope they could play an valuable role in helping people in prison be mentally and physically well enough to make use of educational and training opportunities.”

The Prison Phoenix Trust supports efforts to reduce reoffending by helping 4,500 prisoners to practise yoga and meditation during their sentence – around 4.6% of the prison populations of the UK and Ireland. It does this by providing resources such as books and CDs, a quarterly newsletter and personal correspondence. It also trains and supports yoga teachers to work safely and respectfully in secure environments.

Novus is a provider of education, skills and employability programmes which specialises in working with offenders distant from the labour market. As part of the LTE Group, a leading further education college group, Novus has over 30 years’ experience of pioneering digital innovation, collaboration and new ways of working. It is publicly funded and is committed to delivering the learning, skills and opportunity that offenders and other-hard-to-reach learners need to build positive futures for themselves, their families and communities.

By Victoria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first Tuesday morning meditation where we came together online began on April 28th 2020, I remember the nervousness of hosting, hoping the technology to work and wondering if anyone would attend.

I’m heartened and humbled by the continuous weekly presence of prison yoga friends, teachers, supporters and staff who steadfastly sit and have created a warm and supportive environment of peace and companionship. Together each week, by sitting in silence with the breath, we are in community with those who live and work in secure conditions around the country.

One of our regular sitters shared recently how they value the weekly gathering:

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The third online yoga classes being made available to all prison and probation staff takes place on Wednesday 17th November – with a focus on yoga for stability during changing times.

The sessions, which include yoga and meditation, are being provided free by the Prison Phoenix Trust. In 40 minutes, staff will learn some simple movements and breath practices that can be done sitting or standing – even at a desk.

“It’s yoga for everyone – you don’t need a yoga mat; you don’t need to be flexible or be able to touch your toes!” said The Prison Phoenix Trust director Selina Sasse.

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Mike writes about his long-distance run for the love of prisoners of anything in life that takes away our peace and for the great love-centred work of the Prison Phoenix Trust.

I left prison in 2018 after serving a total of three years and four months for financial related crimes. When I arrived home, whilst delighted to be out, there were many problems. My mother-in-law had moved in and her dementia had unfortunately advanced. I returned to a small island community where I was labelled by many as a criminal. I struggled to find meaningful work. My family had been scattered. The parole people were administrative – their principle concern was to restrict my travel and the places I could stay. It was a becoming a nightmare and I was trapped.

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Across British and Irish prisons, Covid restrictions are still having a big impact on life inside, with prisons cautiously relaxing regimes and almost all still operating some kind of ‘lockdown’.

The Prison Phoenix Trust is playing a part in helping to get prisoners out of their cells with the resumption of yoga and meditation classes. In the last month, numbers of class have grown by 32%. 

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Prison officers are taking yoga and meditation classes to help them cope with the stresses of work as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to put extra pressure on staff working in prisons.

A confidential survey of prison officers published in May (1) found high levels of anxiety and burn out. These feelings were exacerbated amongst those with caring responsibilities fearing their frontline work may put their families’ health at risk.

With staff shortages and illness affecting an already challenging work environment, the Prison Phoenix Trust is supporting yoga and meditation classes for staff in eight UK prisons (2) and is well placed to extend this to all interested prisons. The classes are currently held via Zoom, with yoga teachers ready to start face-to-face classes once Covid-19 restrictions allow.

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