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.
Help Someone in Prison Take Their First Breath Toward Change
He says: “I was claiming back a little bit of personal space and creating three inches of air around myself. It gave me armour. My anxiety would go; that fight-or-flight tension just dissipated. It gave me the breathing room to carry me through the week.”
Congratulations to Yvonne, who has been highly commended in the BBC Make a Difference Awards for her voluntary service supporting people in prison to practise yoga and meditation for 22 years.