Yoga in jails make better fathers

A Washington State University researcher has found that yoga can help fathers in jail be better dads.

A study by WSU Extension educator Jennifer Crawford found that yoga, which can improve physical and mental health, may also help incarcerated fathers improve their parenting skills.

“We would have a class on a specific topic, like child development or setting limits,” Crawford said. “That would last about an hour, then a yoga instructor would come in and give a guided yoga class.”

The study, located at Chelan County Regional Jail in Wenatchee, took place over three years with 14 different groups of male inmates. The programme was advertised among the jail population; volunteers, who had to be parents of young children and pass a security screening, were recruited.

The results, published in the August edition of the California Journal of Health Promotion, showed that inmates demonstrated being more aware and accepting of their vulnerability and responsiveness to children, among other benefits.

The programme, called “Fit Fathers, Successful Families, Inside and Out”, had a goal of preventing child abuse and reducing recidivism by improving parents’ resilience.

“Yoga can be physically demanding, and the initial responses we got from the participants confirmed that,” Crawford said. “I believe the yoga practice helped participants become ready to learn and increased their willingness to try new ideas, absorb new information and begin to apply these in their lives.”