Urban Yogi highlight yoga’s impact in criminal justice
October 30, 2020
Urban Yogis UK, which runs programmes in communities, schools, prisons and residentially, is using yoga to engage and divert 9-18 year olds away from crime, gangs and anti-social behaviour. Complementing its physical benefits, yoga's close links to mindfulness, meditation, self-awareness and emotional regulation are having a positive impact on those whose behaviour may be rooted in stress, trauma and dysfunction.
Co-founders Ben Eckett and Adam Ballard discovered yoga’s positive impact when they incorporated it alongside boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and fitness as part of programmes they run through their award-winning Gloves Not Gunz organisation. It prompted them to launch Urban Yogis in March 2020.
Alliance of Sport, which looks to build a better and safer society through the use of sport in the Criminal Justice System, while supporting the sport and development sector, recently spoke to Urban Yogis about the topic and the program. Read below for an excerpt:
Yoga as a vehicle for diversion or rehabilitation from crime or violence is an under-supported area compared to the use of traditional sports in such settings.
Mark Norman, a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, specialises in sport and physical recreation in prisons and youth custody facilities. He has recently begun studying the impact of yoga and its distinct effects.
“Yoga programmes tend to be more explicit about trying to develop skills that translate into anger control or capability to deal with tough situations – which can be especially useful at that critical time when people leave prisons and go back into the community.”
“From the research I’ve done talking to yoga teachers in prisons, they say it benefits from being a level playing field because most participants have never done it before. Sporty guys find it really challenging as it’s a very different way of moving their bodies."
Engaging at-risk young people in such an unfamiliar activity isn’t a problem, as staff are relatable: local, young and from similar backgrounds as the participants. Having been through similar issues, they act as role models. They have also built strong pre-existing relationships with many of the young people on Gloves Not Gunz programmes.
Classes are either open-access or targeted to young people referred by Youth Offending Teams and social care staff. Youth workers work alongside the yoga teachers and deliver workshops specific to the issues faced by the participants, such as education and violence.
Ben explains: “Yoga is an excellent tool for helping young people who have experienced trauma and might be living that experience daily. It has a great impact on them mentally and physically. It relaxes the heart rate and teaches techniques to slow and deepen breathing and regain control. It gives them time to rest the mind and not think about other things.”
Click here for the full piece from Alliance of Sport.
Urban Yogis is partly funded by Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund, money which was distributed by the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice to local delivery partners working on its Levelling the Playing Field project.