Milestone contract for prison yoga classes

Milestone contract for prison yoga classes

The Prison Phoenix Trust has reached a milestone of 10 contracts providing yoga, meditation or mindfulness programmes to prisons throughout England.

People serving sentences in HMP Maidstone now have the chance to take care of their mental and physical health with regular yoga and meditation classes in the prison’s new sports hall.

The contract to deliver a year of yoga classes was awarded through the Ministry of Justice Dynamic Purchasing System and guarantees reliability and certainty for prison staff and students.

Courses lasting 6 weeks will run 7 times over the course of the year, allowing more than 200 prisoners to take part over the year.

Yoga is one of the activities included in the new National Regime Model in England and Wales, which is aimed at building into prisoners’ sentence plans activities that give people meaning and purpose during their time inside.

The PPT Director Selina Sasse took part in a 3rd sector special interest group that helped develop a regime model building a broader scope of rehabilitative interventions aimed to ensure ‘Time Well Spent’.

Selina said: “We are thrilled to be able to support rehabilitation at HMP Maidstone in this way. We know from surveys in a number of prisons that regularity and reliability are important for building students’ trust and confidence.

“In developing and delivering 10 contracted programmes since 2022 we’ve gained very useful insights into how to work effectively with prison staff, ease the logistical challenges and provide inclusive opportunities for prisoners to get involved.”

Overcrowded and understaffed prison conditions continue to present significant challenges to the rehabilitative purpose of prisons. In September the HMP Chief Inspector of Prisons reported “ongoing failings in purposeful activity with 30 out of 32 closed prisons inspected in 2023-24 being poor or not sufficiently good.”

UK HMP Maidstone YogaDuring 2023-24, inspectors found more than two thirds of prisoners were spending most of their days in their cells with little to occupy them.

While the general election and change of government led to a temporary pause in prison contract tenders, The Prison Phoenix Trust is looking forward to supporting more prisons in delivery programmes in the coming years.

In total the charity currently supports regular yoga classes in 51 prisons, young offenders institutions, secure hospitals and approved premises across the UK and Ireland, including contracted programmes in HMPs Exeter, Lewes and East Sutton Park.

With more than 35 years’ experience, The PPT is highly regarded for its expertise in trauma-responsive approaches that give learners a sense of agency.

Its yoga teachers are trained to teach in a way that meets diverse learning needs and cultural backgrounds to encourage engagement and a feeling of achievement.

Contracts also provide a structured way to evaluate the impact of yoga on learners, using the widely-respected WEMWBS measure of mental wellbeing. The combined results of 5 mindfulness courses delivered in two prisons in 2023-24 found 82% experienced meaningful improvement in mental wellbeing.

Participants reported:

“I’m beginning to be able to divorce my immediate ‘concerns’ from my ‘now’ and take a step back emotionally. Giving my ‘self’ time to calm.”

“I am generally feeling more hopeful and positive about how things are and trying to hope for change.”

“My reactions to situations are calmer. I’m calmer and my sleep quality has improved.”

The year-long contract at HMP Maidstone will deliver 3 yoga sessions each week, including 1 at weekends. Each hour-long session includes stretches and movements to build strength, flexibility and physical health. There is also breath-focused meditation, which helps people to find calm and focus in the stressful atmosphere of prison.

Comments from prisoners who attended a taster workshop held to launch the start of regular classes included:

“Beautiful, super, good vibes”;  “First time yoga. Enjoyed it”;  “It is very good for stress relief”; “I enjoyed a new experience. I would like to continue yoga”; “I found it very relaxing.”

Contact us to find out how The PPT can support yoga and meditation in your prison.