Life can pull us in all directions, and often times feel out of our control. In the summer of 2009, I found myself in an unimaginable situation. Disoriented and grieving, I sat in a cell at the Boulder County Jail, trying to make sense of it all. I was in shock, processing the most tragic event of my life, and had no idea what my future would hold. After a few weeks, I signed up to try a yoga class being offered in the jail, and I found the most unlikely connection.

The practice transformed my life, and I felt a deeper sense of peace than I ever had before in my life. Thanks to Nancy Candea, and the other women who volunteered at the jail, I found the strength to face the traumas in my life and move forward through what was to come. Through my yoga practice, and with the support of Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence and other organizations, I began to process things much more deeply.

READ ARTICLE- Surprised by Peace- Yoga Therapy Today March 2011

I was released from jail in 2010, but navigating life afterwards held a whole different set of challenges. Nancy continued my Yoga journey, inviting me to join the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training through Yoga Impact. The continued guidance was a never-ending gift of compassion that helped me through deeper layers of trauma and struggles. Once I completed my certification, I reached out to the jail to see if I could offer the same gift that was given to me.

All Around Yoga came to fruition in late 2011.  The goal of All Around Yoga (DBA Yoga Impact) was to offer an open door to keep the connection to yoga after release. I was lucky enough to have Nancy Candea extend her hand to me after release, and later received the hand of Mary Taylor from The Yoga Workshop. All Around Yoga wanted to extend that hand to everyone who finds connection through yoga.

The classes became a Re-entry program, offering free community classes in the community. Several instructors volunteered to teach both in the jail and in the community to offer the familiarity that feels so necessary to keep the connection alive beyond release.

READ ARTICLE- Connecting to Life through Yoga- Yoga Therapy Today June 2013

As the program grew, we expanded to other counties, offered more classes & mentor-ship, and offered scholarships to Yoga Teacher Trainings! Those new Yoga Warriors marched back into the jail to continue the gift of connection!

In 2018 we completed a multi-year study that explored the benefits of short-term yoga classes within the jail system.  The results showed that women who attended a 5-class Yoga Workshop experienced significantly less depression... 5 Classes!!!

READ MORE ABOUT THE TRANSITIONAL YOGA PROGRAM AND RESEARCH ARTICLES IN THE COURSES TAB!

The layers are endless. There will always be more, and they are different for all of us. However, the path to navigating them, clearing them, releasing them can we found through the practices of yoga!