Don't want to meditate with us today? After the introduction, fast forward to 10:10! Join us for an illuminating conversation with Hari-kirtana das, a seasoned yoga teacher, philosopher, and advocate for non-sectarian spirituality. Together, we’ll explore how ancient yoga philosophy provides a framework for addressing modern social and political challenges, including the separation of church and state, systemic injustice, and the role of discernment in creating equitable policies and communities...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Join us for Prison Yoga Project’s End-of-Year Webinar, a powerful hour of reflection, connection, and celebration! Dive into the impact we've made across 11 countries with over 200 programs serving individuals impacted by incarceration. From expanding trauma-informed yoga programs, to launching innovative partnerships with Edovo, this event showcases the transformative power of our mission! This absolutely not to miss. Hear inspiring updates from many of our team members and Founding Director ex...
Dec 20, 2024•52 min•Season 2Ep. 7
“ Transformational and inspirational.” “ Wow, that was absolutely amazing and inspiring” are a few things we have heard about this week's episode so far! If you’re feeling defeated this week, this podcast might just be the healing salve you’re looking for. During our time together, we explored the possibilities within the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) to create a justice system that centers healing and community. We had the privilege of hearing Honorable Judge Dan Healy's story of how he bega...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Aging and dying in prison is a deeply underexplored issue, yet it's one that affects a growing number of incarcerated individuals. With over 186,000 people aged 55 or older currently behind bars, the U.S. prison system is struggling to meet the complex health needs of this population. By 2030, one-third of incarcerated people will be considered geriatric. In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into this important topic with two pioneers in the field, Lisa Deal and Laura Musselman of the Huma...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Don't want to meditate with us today? Listen to the intro + join us at 7:02 Join us for an insightful conversation with Shawandra Ford, a seasoned yoga instructor whose journey has been shaped by personal healing, community engagement, and a deep desire to make yoga accessible to all who need it. Shawandra will share her inspiring story of discovering yoga after grief and loss and how this practice transformed her life. From schools to juvenile detention centers, she has worked to bring the heal...
Oct 04, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Grief, Loss, and Systemic Change with Joyal Mulheron Don't want to meditate with us today? Fast forward to 6:35. In this deeply moving episode, we sit down with Joyal Mulheron, founder of Evermore, to explore the profound impact of grief and bereavement on families and communities. Together, we discuss how society, institutions, and systems often fail to support those who are grieving, and what needs to change to ensure that bereaved individuals receive the care and recognition they deserve. Joy...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 3
Don't want to meditate with us today? Fast forward to 9:44 In this episode, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Jacqueline Crockford, DHSc, a seasoned facilitator with the Prison Yoga Project (PYP), who has been working at Richard J. Donovan (RJD) Correctional Facility and the Las Colinas Detention Center for women for over seven years. Jacqueline shared her inspiring journey into yoga and what led her to become a part of the Prison Yoga Project. We delved into the valuable lessons she’s le...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Join us for the next installment of Prison Yoga Project’s webinar series, “ Taking Money Out of Justice: The Bail Project and the Fight to End Cash Bail ,” where we will explore the critical work of The Bail Project in addressing the injustices of the cash bail system. The Bail Project provides free bail assistance to individuals, helping them return to court and access supportive services while awaiting trial. From 2018 to 2023, they have assisted over 30,000 people, saved taxpayers $92 million...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Have you wanted to learn about transformative programming around the world? Listen to this inspiring conversation, where we’ll journey alongside Gillian, a chaplain-in-training working in Ireland’s prison system. We dive into chaplaincy, yoga, and transitions as Gillian shares unique steps Ireland takes to support people transitioning back into society after incarceration. Discover how holistic practices positively impact lives, creating a ripple effect of positive change. Gillian Hick, RYT 200,...
Nov 30, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 22
In this episode, we explored powerful aspects of personal growth, healing, and emotional resilience, guided by Sunil Joseph. Drawing upon years of experience and the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Sunil shared stories and insights that shed light on the transformative power of empathy and self-discovery. As we delved into the transformative power of empathy and emotional connection, we uncovered how it bridged gaps and fosters a healing and growth-inducing environment. We explored...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Our guest Kenneth Hartman is an award-winning writer and prison reform activist who serves as the Director of Advocacy for The Transformative In-Prison Workgroup (TPW). TPW, or The Transformative In-Prison Workgroup, is a statewide coalition of over 50 Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) dedicated to providing trauma-informed healing programs in California and New York prisons. Their mission is to ensure that all people living in prisons have access to meaningful, high quality programs, and to ...
Oct 18, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 20
ATTENTION! A MUST LISTEN EPISODE! Join trauma-sensitive yoga practitioner and advocate Lara Land in an insightful webinar. Discover how trauma can arise from a single event, the absence of childhood needs, contributing factors, racial-based trauma, and the challenges of recovering from continuous daily traumas. Explore the impact of trauma on the brain and body, and how the stress response can keep individuals in a heightened state of alertness even after the traumatic event has passed. Lara wil...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this inspiring and uplifting webinar we sit down with Campbell Lillard, a fitness and non-profit professional who has been informed by his lived experience of our justice system with the decade he spent at Texas State Prison. In this webinar, Campbell discusses his childhood, how he became incarcerated, and the importance of mentors and how they guide and shape our lives during every season of life. He shares stories of his own experiences with the power of mentors and how they supported his ...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 18
TW: Frankly, any conversation about Prison, Mass Incarceration, and most other topics we cover on the Prison Yoga Project Podcast come with a trigger warning. In this episode, Nechi shares stories of family abuse, early death, and other difficult topics. We feel it is our duty to share this information with you. Listen to this heart-breaking turned beautiful story when you feel resourced. Embark on an extraordinary journey of resilience and personal transformation as we engage in a heartfelt con...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Join Author and Accessible Yoga Founder, Jivana Heyman and Prison Yoga Project Communications Manager, Blaire Embrey in this captivating conversation as they explore the depths of yoga and its profound impact on navigating life's challenges. From the transformative influence of Jivana's grandmother to his experiences during the AIDS epidemic, their discussion touches on themes of grief, impermanence, and the eternal essence within. Discover the power of spiritual practice to alleviate suffering ...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Welcome to the Prison Yoga Project Podcast! In this episode, we have a very special guest, Josefin Wikstrom, the Program Director and Training Coordinator for Prison Yoga Project, Europe. For over 16 years, Josefin has been at the forefront of introducing yoga and dance into Swedish prisons, focusing on trauma-exposed populations. Now, she's taking her expertise to the next level by leading clinical research studies with incarcerated individuals in special psychiatric care facilities, and recent...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Join us for a remarkable episode as we delve into the captivating stories of Terry Cortés-Vega and Mike Stanfield. These two extraordinary individuals share a profound connection built on shared values, love, and service. Get ready to be moved and inspired as you listen to their deeply insightful conversation for the very first time. Terry Cortés-Vega, a resident Dharma Teacher at Plum Blossom Sangha in Austin, Texas, has dedicated over two decades to teaching meditation, mindfulness, and yoga w...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this brief hour-and-a-half discussion, Linda and Priscilla cover the topics of race, childhood trauma (Linda being a two-year-old refugee from Vietnam to Australia), internalized whiteness, addiction, finding mindfulness, and self-healing. Linda shares her personal experiences with all of these topics that naturally led to intergenerational healing. From the connection with mindfulness and meditation, there comes the space for self-healing which in turns opens up space for compassionate curio...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode from March 2022, we are joined by Nicole Hellthaler, Assistant Director of the Prison Yoga Project. With years of experience working with incarcerated and system-impacted youth, Nicole will share her insights into offering "conscious discipline," mindfulness, and yoga as tools for the classroom and beyond. As a certified yoga teacher and passionate advocate for social justice and prison reform, Nicole understands the power of restorative and transformative justice as an alternati...
Apr 06, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Sara Schairer is a global leader in compassion cultivation and the founder of Compassion It®, a nonprofit organization promoting daily compassionate actions and attitudes. As a senior facilitator of the Compassion Cultivation Training® (CCT) course at Stanford University, Sara has trained audiences worldwide, from Big Tech leaders to incarcerated individuals, for nearly a decade. Sara also teaches mindfulness and compassion courses at San Diego State University and UCSD's Center for Mindfulness,...
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 11
A fantastic throwback! Originally Recorded on 9-16-2022 On this special episode, Prison Yoga Project's Executive Director Bill Brown hosts Chris Spallina, the Program Manager and Meditation instructor for The Phoenix in New Jersey. Chris is a person in sustained recovery since May 24, 2018. Chris found The Phoenix while in treatment and transitioned from a member/volunteer to a full-time team member. The Phoenix, a unique recovery community that helps those affected by substance use disorder lea...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Jared Seide is the Executive Director of Center for Council. He has designed, piloted and coordinated council-based programs in prisons, assisted living facilities, youth groups, non-profits, faith-based organizations, social services, law enforcement agencies and more. Several of these programs include the "Co-Mentoring Project,” for emancipated foster youth, the "Organizational Wellness Project,” for community-based organizations, “Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy and Resilience” - or POWER - T...
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This episode was recorded 7/8/2022 Dr. Sará Yafah King titles and range of study extend beautifully and with great depth. A neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, medical anthropologist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, a mother, and more. At the cross-section of her meditation study and social justice, she joins us to speak of her journey of redefining social justice. Dr. Sará King's spiritual journey began when she was six years old. She watched her brother be arrested, sentence...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
This week on our interview-based podcast, we welcome Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois, a professor of Criminal Justice and a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Justice Research. She is also a facilitator for Prison Yoga Project! We were so lucky to sit down with Dr. Jenn and learn more about her work and incredible commitment to study she has dedicated over the past decade. Dr. Bourgeois has made it part of her mission to bring yoga and trauma-informed care to incarcerated and justice-involved mothers....
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Do we have a special episode for you. Sonia Brown-Diaz joined us from Brisbane, Australia, on October 28th, 2022. She shares her purpose, heart-work, and journey working with incarcerated populations throughout Australia. We witness the story of her path unfolding through chapters of navigating grief, PTSD, and finding yoga. She speaks so eloquently of how yoga helped her reconnect to her body and more. As with most of the conversations we host, we speak of sensitive topics. We invite you to joi...
Feb 01, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 6
We're throwing it back today to June 2021 because this episode needs to be heard. In this episode, you will witness moving stories about the life and work of Retired Judge Victor Reyes, a Prison Yoga Project facilitator. Retired Judge Victor Reyes spent most of his legal career working in the Colorado Criminal Justice System, first as a public defender and then 15 years as a judge for the 10th Judicial District in Southern Colorado. In that time, he developed a deep understanding of the people h...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Title: Youth, Addiction, and Cultivating Emotional Safety Featured Guest: Dr. Sam Himelstein Host: Blaire Embrey Recorded on: 1/13/2023 In this first episode of our 2023 season, Dr. Sam Himelstein starts by sharing his mindfulness journey, being incarcerated on and off as a youth, and the root of addiction. From here, we flow into a potent conversation, sharing the impact of working at the local level of our justice system and practical tools for showing up in a place of leadership that will cul...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Susan Shannon, the Buddhist Chaplin practicing on Death Row in San Quentin State Prison, joins us to share stories of devotion and dedication from her long-time students and Sangha on death row. We will be learning practices for energetic protection, becoming aware of intergenerational trauma, and practicing boundaries while still meeting individual and collective needs. We are honored to witness and be in conversation with Susan! Susan Shannon, M. Div., BCC is a seeker, teacher, earth and anima...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The Leap of Beginning with Kristin Varner Featured Guest Kristin Varner Host Blaire Embrey Recorded on 9/24/21 In this episode, we speak with Kristin Varner, yoga facilitator and lawyer, about the unpredictability of facilitating in a post-pandemic world and how our personal practice supports all aspects of our lives and facilitation. If you’re looking to become a facilitator or offer programming in incarcerated settings, this is a must-listen interview. Personal Statement: Kristin loves yoga an...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Collective liberation is at the heart of Michelle Cassandra Johnson’s work and our work at Prison Yoga Project. We explore what it means to be a leader as facilitators of yoga, living by moral codes offered to us through the yamas and niyamas and leaning into truth and discomfort while allowing resistance and love to be our teachers. Please join us as we host this incredible guest! Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an activist, social justice warrior, author, anti-racism consultant and trainer, intu...
Oct 27, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 1
