The Prison Phoenix Trust

Most prisoners are tense and stressed. So, for that matter, are prison officers and management since prisons are stressful places. Yoga helps people learn how to release stress physically and, at the same time, let go of many of the mental tensions in their lives.

The Prison Service Health Care Directorate says in PSI 81/99:
“After taking advice from the Department of Health and reviewing our duty of care and the questions of security, order and control, Ministers have agreed that prison doctors may recommend the following complementary therapies... Acupuncture, Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Yoga and Meditation.”

• Yoga and meditation are excellent practices for physical and mental health.

• They are beneficial therapies in prison drug rehabilitation programmes.

• They are relatively inexpensive.

• Prisoners who are calmer, contribute to a less violent environment.

• When they are free from pain, prisoners’ tempers improve.

• Regular yoga and meditation discipline helps motivate prisoners to learn.

• Our research shows that prison yoga and meditation students reduce their medication,and tobacco intake.

• Prisoners who sleep better are less aggressive.

Independent research has been carried out on the work of the Phoenix Trust, and documents are available for download here:

• J Harrington (2004) The Effectiveness of Prison Yoga, document (128kb)

• M Nellis (2002) Yoga Teaching in HMP Eastwood Park, part 1 (7.4mb), part 2 (5.4mb), summary (512kb)

• M Walley (1998) An Evaluative Research Study, document (5mb)