Yoga classes are so popular at San Quentin that some prisoners improvise to find a place to practice.
One of those prisoners is Bruce “Rahsaan” Banks, who leads a small group of inmates in yoga in the gym on Saturday and Sunday mornings, which are the only days it is open.
“I caught people’s interest, who noticed I knew exactly what I was doing. That led to teaching, which is very rewarding because it helps me give back to my community,” Banks said.
James Fox, founder and director of the Prison Yoga Project, has instructed San Quentin inmates in yoga for 12 years. He teaches yoga to a military veteran class as well as two different groups of regular inmates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which has a waiting list of 20-25 inmates.
The waiting list led prisoners to improvise. “I have been on the waiting list for over a year. I really want to participate because yoga can help me deal with my stress,” said prisoner Noah Wright.
“I’m in the veteran class, but I’m looking for as many opportunities to practice as I can get,” said inmate Leroy Williams Jr. He is trying to get into another class, and goes to the gym to practice moves he has seen on television and in Fox’s book, Yoga: A Path for Healing and Recovery.
Yoga is like a medication that many need to help maintain their peace.
A recent Oxford University study found prisoners who went through a 10-week yoga program had a more positive mood, were less stressed and performed better on a computer test of their impulse control, according to a Sept. 20, 2013 PostMedia News article written by Douglas Quan.
“Yoga has all kinds of proven benefits, especially for trauma-impacted people. It’s the mind-body connection; it’s the glue to the cognitive and emotional work the guys do in their groups. It helps relieve stress, PTSD, ADHD, hypertension, chronic pain and keeps one calm. Ideally, it should be practiced every other day,” Fox said.
“Yoga is important to me because it provides peace and tranquility, as well as mental and physical wellness. It’s poetry in motion,” commented Banks. “That’s why I take the opportunity to practice whenever the gym is open or room in a class is available.”
Roger Brown, who recently paroled, first introduced and instructed Banks in yoga at California Men’s Colony-East. Now Banks can do yoga positions like the “open wing eagle.”
Fox says he would teach another class if there were available spaces. In the meantime, he gives out copies of his instructional book and recommends moves prisoners can do in their cells. The focus is always on breathing.