Partnering with Yoga 4 Change to Support Second Chances

“In Yoga, we learn that every day, moment, and breath is an opportunity to begin again. Teaching at Operation New Hope lets me share that message and remind each participant that the journey isn’t over,” shared Sammie Torres. Sammie is one of the Yoga 4 Change instructors who leads weekly yoga classes for Ready4Work participants at Operation New Hope.

Yoga 4 Change and Operation New Hope have been partnering for over a year to provide on-site yoga classes for Ready4Work participants as part of the wrap-around services that help clients succeed at reentry. Yoga is another tool that people can use for coping and mindfulness, both of which are important during times of change. 

“Yoga found me when I needed it most,” Sammie added. “As I was transitioning from military service, I was in need of grounding. After spending over half my life in an organization that was always on the go with strict regulations; I needed to learn to let go, relax, listen to my breath, and learn to sit in silence. That is what yoga is to me; an opportunity to connect to what really matters most to me and listen to who I truly am inside.”

Many of our clients can relate to Sammie’s transition from a strictly regulated life, as they themselves are navigating a new way of living after incarceration or addiction. “Practicing yoga in prison was my escape. It was the only way for me to feel like I wasn’t behind walls,” one Ready4Work participant recently shared during a yoga class at Operation New Hope. “If I didn’t have yoga in prison, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably wouldn’t have made it.” 

Corrine Dean, one of the other Yoga 4 Changes teachers who leads classes at Operation New Hope, stated “I love how yoga connects my mind body and soul. It brings me back to a place of feeling grounded and present, on and off the mat. I have much gratitude for the practice as it has been a vital part of my own recovery and healing process.”