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Prison life can be quite stressful as, suddenly, one's freedom is curbed, cut off from friends and family, and put along a different lot of people whom an inmate may or may not like. Aiming to calm the nerves and imbue the prisoners with optimism, the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) has been running a unique programme called Prison Stress Management and Rehabilitation Training (Prison SMART), supported by the Dubai government's Community Development Authority (CDA).
Hundreds of inmates in Dubai have found new optimism to start afresh as they turn to Prison SMART healing methods such as yoga, pranayama, and other breathing techniques to get rid of stress.
Talking about how the programme was implemented in Al Awir Central Jail in Dubai, IAHV instructor Rajeev R. Veedu said: "We undertake a week-long programme in the prison where we teach batches of 40-50 inmates breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga asanas. The two-and-a-half-hour sessions are hosted by two IAHV teachers, along with a couple of volunteers, CDA officials as well as under the supervision of police supervisors. We use a three-pronged approach for the inmates, which helps them release their trauma through breathing exercises as our emotions are connected to our breath. We then teach them meditation and yoga for physical and mental well-being."
Talking about the marked difference he noticed in the inmates, Rajeev added: "By the end of the week-long programme, they become very sincere and disciplined. They feel happy and exhilarated and that's what brings us back to them repeatedly so we can revise and follow up the practice with them."
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of IAHV, said: "Inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. That person is also a victim of ignorance, small-mindedness, and lack of awareness. It's stress, lack of broad vision about life, lack of understanding, and bad communication that lead to violence in society."
Sausan Mahmood, specialist social worker at the CDA, said: "We have received great feedback from prisoners who have attended the Prison SMART programme. There is a significant change in attitudes of the inmates, especially those with longer sentences such as life imprisonment. There is a perceptible decrease in instances of violence and fighting and they have become more organised and responsible.
"With people from so many different nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds under the same roof, yoga and other breathing exercises help them to get along, maintain a sense of harmony and be nicer to one another," she added.
Over the next year, the IAHV aims to train at least 1,000 inmates in the Dubai with the skills that are part of Prison SMART. Globally, more than 700,000 prison inmates in 60 countries have benefited from the programme, helping end the repeated cycle of violence, abuse and return to prison.
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