We are proud to welcome our 2026 Prison Yoga Teacher cohort — twenty‑two dedicated yoga teachers who have begun their specialist training to deliver trauma‑informed yoga and meditation inside prisons across the UK and Ireland.

This year’s group was selected from more than 60 applicants. Each trainee brings a powerful combination of compassion, teaching experience, and a commitment to making yoga accessible to people who are often excluded from wellbeing spaces. Many also bring lived experience of the care system or childhood adversity, giving them a deep understanding of the challenges faced by people in prison.

What the 2026 cohort will learn

Over the next six months, trainees will take part in an intensive programme designed to prepare them to teach safely and effectively in secure environments. Their training includes:

• trauma‑informed yoga and meditation
• supporting emotional regulation and nervous‑system health
• adapting practices for people with complex needs
• understanding the realities of prison life for both residents and staff
• creating calmer, more supportive environments inside

This pathway is more than a training course. It includes mentoring, community support, and real‑life teaching experience. Those who complete the full programme — including teaching a class inside a prison — will earn British Wheel of Yoga accreditation as Prison Yoga Teachers.

Why representation matters in prison yoga

We are committed to increasing representation among the teachers who deliver yoga in prisons. People in custody are disproportionately:

• men
• people of colour
• individuals with experience of state care
• people who have faced significant childhood adversity

For this reason, we prioritised recruiting teachers who share some of these life experiences. Of the 22 trainees in the 2026 cohort:

• 16 have at least one of these characteristics
• 8 have two or more

Representation strengthens trust, connection, and the impact of trauma‑informed yoga inside prisons. It ensures that people in custody see themselves reflected in the teachers who support them.

A year of growth, community, and impact

The 2026 cohort is beginning a powerful journey — one that will equip them to support wellbeing, emotional resilience, and positive change for people living and working in prisons.

We are excited to walk alongside them as they develop the skills, confidence, and insight needed to bring yoga into one of the most challenging environments in society.

The work starts now.