Race and Yoga

Yoga programs have taken root, and in some cases flourished, in correctional institutions across the globe, yet few scholars have examined this phenomenon from critical theoretical and qualitative perspectives. The goals of this paper are to explicitly link scholarly discussions of yoga in prisons with theoretical developments in criminology, sociology, and human geography; and to use these diverse perspectives to develop a theoretical understanding of the possibilities and limits of yoga as a transformative spatial practice in carceral settings. Drawing on qualitative data collected on prison yoga, primarily in Canada, this paper considers three lines of theoretical inquiry. Firstly, it examines yoga classes as an “institutional display” that facilitates social interaction between prisoners and community members, yet also serves administrative interests. Secondly, it considers the possibilities for yoga spaces to enable forms of emotional expression that may not be permitted in other areas of the institution. And thirdly, it discusses the implications of yoga in carceral spaces beyond prisons. The paper draws heavily on the emergent field of carceral geography, as well as sociological and criminological research, to advance these arguments. In presenting these theoretical analyses, this paper advocates for a deeper theoretical exploration of the multiplicity of spatial meanings of yoga in carceral settings.