PRESS RELEASE: Yoga Calms and Challenges Even the Most Skeptical Youth within the Juvenile Justice Center
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—April 21, 2009—On a crisp San Francisco morning, the young men on the Maximum Security Unit at the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC) begin their day with a series of sun salutations. What begins with complaints and protests of a "girly sport," finishes with mindful meditation and feelings of relaxation. The 45-minute class challenges the youth to breath, focus, and stretch. The class encourages the youth to be flexible and patient with their bodies as they learn tools of self-control and self-awareness.
While the young men detained on the Maximum Security Unit in San Francisco come from different backgrounds, they share feelings of emotional distress, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, depression, and anger as they await the courts decision for their next placement. Yoga is known to reduce such feelings and build personal awareness that is not only beneficial for one's well-being but is also critical in behavioral and emotional rehabilitation. Many of the young men detained at the JJC have experienced physical or substance abuse, neglect, and/or violence. The practice of yoga draws the young men back inside of themselves and breaks the pattern of disassociation inherent in people with such backgrounds empowering them to develop new patterns of self-awareness and control.
If you are a certified yoga instructor who is interested in facilitating yoga classes for the young men detained at the Juvenile Justice Center, please contact Brittany Jarabek at 415-753-7576 or via email at brittany@cityyouthnow.org.
About City Youth Now:
City Youth Now supports youth in the San Francisco foster care and juvenile justice systems by providing funds for services and programs that promote stability and personal growth. www.cityyouthnow.org
###
Press Contact:
Brittany Jarabek
Executive Director
City Youth Now
brittany@cityyouthnow.org
