Yoga and meditation in prisons
UK and Ireland
Impact Report 2025
“Movement saved me. Meditation saved me. Handwritten letters saved me.”
Lisa, now a recovery coach and PPT ambassador
Highlights – delivering in prisons
Help to all who reached out
- We responded to everyone who reached out for help in 2025 – more than 5,300 individuals, 5% of the prison population, receiving peer-support newsletters, CDs, DVDs or the offer of individual mentoring in yoga and meditation.
- Our support reached people in 197 prisons, young offenders institutions, secure hospitals and approved premises in the UK and Ireland.
Trauma-informed yoga
- In 61 prisons we supported regular yoga classes for prisoners and staff
- In 9 prisons we ran yoga taster workshops or wellbeing days
- 14 people completed their accreditation as trauma-informed prison yoga teacher
- A yoga course shown on laptops in cells was piloted in HMP Erlestoke
3 major awards
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Simon was recognised with a Hope and Fulfilment Award for his outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of others in prison by running a yoga and meditation programme for his peers.
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Emma won the British Wheel of Yoga Heart of Yoga Award for her work teaching young offenders.
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Yvonne was highly commended in the BBC Make a Difference Awards after 22 years of mentoring people in prison.
Impact statistics
Case studies
Addiction and recovery
“It really felt to me throughout my whole journey that The Prison Phoenix Trust had me held in the palm of their hand.” Sue
In 8 prisons The PPT has delivered regular yoga and meditation classes to help people develop the skills that will support their sobriety.
Mental health
“The yoga challenge helped me get rid of my depressed mood and feelings of worthlessness and helplessness.” Mohammed
We helped people in 124 prisons and justice organisations try yoga and meditation for 10 minutes each day during Mental Health Awareness Week, with a campaign called Give it 10.
Star power
“Guys, I have been there, but thankfully I had managed to overcome my issues and I am at that place that I had wanted to be with my body, mind and spirit. Yoga is an absolutely wonderful thing.” Levi Roots
The celebrity chef and businessman shared tips on practising yoga and meditation in prison through The PPT’s peer-support newsletter and as part of a yoga course on laptops in HMP Erlestoke.
Yoga goes digital
“I’ve really got into the yoga. I do it every day. I pull my mat our in the mornings, put the new session on and away I go.” ‘Nick’, HMP Erlestoke
As part of a 2-year research project with HMPPS, we co-created with men in prison a 12-week yoga course for people to follow in their cells on laptops during long periods of lock-up.
Seeing the person not the prisoner
As prisons became headline news in 2025, the toll on the wellbeing of people living and working in overcrowded conditions in under-resourced prisons has been grim. The need for a humane approach focused on rehabilitation and successful reintegration has never been greater.
The Prison Phoenix Trust is grounded in a very simple belief: every person has inherent worth, regardless of what they’ve done.
People in prison are human beings – many with histories of trauma, loss, addiction and mental ill-health. Prison takes away freedom, but it shouldn’t take away dignity or the opportunity to change. Chosing to support rehabilitation over punishment alone makes prisons safer, reduces reoffending, and helps break cycles of harm that affect families and communities for generations.
Find out more about the impact we had in 2025 by downloading PDFs of our Impact Report.