Inmates say yoga makes them feel new and free

JUVENILE inmates in Bomana prison outside Port Moresby are looking forward to new beginnings once they are released.
A group of juveniles revealed this in an interview with The National  on Friday at Bomana.
The inmates have occasional visits from ministries and groups from outside the city who give them a sense of hope and eagerness to start a new life.
Juvenile inmate, Manai Awi, said a yoga group also visit them.
“When visitors come and mingle with us and talk to us, we feel that we are also living outside like any other person,” Awi said.
“The yoga programme gives us a new look on life and we are happy.”
Another juvenile inmate, Simon Minai, said the programme has benefitted them a lot since it started in 2015.
Minai said the programme kept them healthy as the physical exercises were aimed at reducing emotional stress and promoting healthy living.
“The programme makes us feel new again,” Minai said.
“We feel healthy and active and ready to roll in whatever activities that are introduced.”
He said they thought yoga was all about the physical exercise but when they got into the programme with deep concentration, they realised that it was something that could help boost their thinking capability, mental flexibility and morale.
“Once we got into the programme, we gradually changed the way we used to act and eventually, our minds were settled from having the feeling that we were prisoners,” he said.