Celebrating The First International Day of Yoga
Yoga_Life_Winter_2015_WEB
Yoga_Life_Winter_2015_WEB
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PRISON YOGA OUTREACH PROJECT<br />
Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta to prepare them for the final test.<br />
He passed the microphone to me and I introduced myself and<br />
told them that I was here so that I could write about this<br />
ground-breaking prison programme. I couldn’t help but say how<br />
yogic they all appeared, how impressed I was by their great<br />
accomplishment, how it showed in their faces and in the<br />
respect they had for the teaching. <strong>The</strong>y had clearly absorbed<br />
the spirit <strong>of</strong> yoga like sponges absorbed water and were clearly<br />
eager to learn.<br />
I passed the microphone back to Mahadev Chaitanya who<br />
began to chant Om and we all joined in. We meditated for<br />
about 20 minutes in silence except for the loud humming <strong>of</strong><br />
fans, the clanking <strong>of</strong> the weight-lifting machines from a nearby<br />
room and the occasional, incomprehensible (to me at least)<br />
announcement over the PA system. A couple <strong>of</strong> times I opened<br />
my eyes a tiny bit to see how they were sitting. <strong>The</strong>y were<br />
sitting very still with eyes closed, straight backs, relaxed faces<br />
and full concentration as far as I could tell.<br />
After the meditation we chanted Jaya Ganesha which is the<br />
same whether it is sung in an ashram or in a prison. When<br />
I was passed the microphone, I chanted Vande Gurudev. <strong>The</strong>n<br />
Mahadev Chaitanya asked if anyone else wanted to lead<br />
a chant. At first there were no takers, but soon a long-haired<br />
inmate, who introduced himself as “Dog”, came up and sang<br />
one <strong>of</strong> my favourites, written in English by Swami Sivananda.<br />
“Serve. Love. Give. Purify. Meditate. Realize. Be good. Do good.<br />
Be kind. Be compassionate. Inquire who am I. Know thyself and<br />
be free. You will soon attain immortality.” Dog had a great<br />
smile and a nice voice for this song <strong>of</strong> freedom. We broke into<br />
four groups and migrated to the corners <strong>of</strong> the gym.<br />
My group was taught by an enthusiastic and serious inmate<br />
named Cliff who really knew his stuff. It was hard to imagine<br />
him ever committing a felony. That was true <strong>of</strong> most <strong>of</strong> the<br />
inmates, but especially him. His face was unmarked. He looked<br />
“... he could have been teaching at any<br />
Sivananda Centre or Ashram, and you<br />
would think, ‘Wow, this guy is good.’<br />
His tone was very relaxing and I soon<br />
forgot I was in prison.”<br />
young and focused. He could have been teaching at any<br />
Sivananda Centre, or Ashram, and you would think, “Wow,<br />
this guy is good.” His tone was very relaxing and I soon forgot<br />
I was in prison. My awareness was focused on the postures,<br />
and another kind <strong>of</strong> freedom showed itself to me in Otisville.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n it was over and it was time to go. Mahadev Chaitanya<br />
and I passed through the heavy doors on our way out. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
slammed shut behind us with the same heavy sound as when<br />
we entered. Lucky us, we could leave.<br />
But I knew the answer to the question I had asked. <strong>The</strong><br />
answer was “yes” there is freedom in prison and <strong>Yoga</strong> shows<br />
the way. n<br />
Mahadev Chaitanya is manager <strong>of</strong> the Sivananda <strong>Yoga</strong> Ranch and<br />
teaches in the TTC and ATTC worldwide. email: sivanandayogaranch.org<br />
YOGALife |Autumn/Winter 2015<br />
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