The aim of the presentation is to provide evidence and experience in support of the beneficial effect of yoga practice with prison inmates as well as to put this activity into a theoretical range of restorative and rehabilitative approach in correctional institutions.

The purpose of the presentation is to point out the importance of yoga & mindfulness and restorative justice in our prisons in order to achieve a meaningful and successful reintegration.

Yoga and mindfulness practice in correctional institutions seems to have considerable therapeutic and self-educational as well as rehabilitative potential and is therefore considered an activity which should be included to treatment programs as it principally corresponds with a restorative approach to incarcerated people. There is a huge potential of yoga & mindfulness practice for an inner transformation, for the self-concept change and for the motivation to adopt an active approach to oneself, to the life and its direction, to find own value and to gain self-confidence and self-esteem: by practicing yoga & mindfulness the inmates may be motivated to work on themselves and may be led to cultivate agency, which significantly supports their rehabilitation. As prison inmates may be able to achieve self-reflection and inner change with yoga & mindfulness, this activity is considered an appropriate therapeutic intervention that fulfills the reintegrative ideas and has considerable transformative, rehabilitative and preventive potential. In summary, yoga & mindfulness practice increases a human capital, it supports people to identify their life pathway, which implies taking responsibility for their life, taking an active and agentic approach to it and being motivated to change it. By such inner transformation the true rehabilitation and desistance can be achieved. The prison yoga is therefore a highly potential tool to fulfill the desired goal of penitentiary treatment programs – the successful rehabilitation and reduced recidivism or desistance.