Prison Yoga Chicago

08/14/2025

We’re deeply grateful to the Young Leaders Fund at The Chicago Community Trust for awarding us a grant that strengthens our work at the intersection of healing, justice, and community care. Their investment helps us expand access to trauma-informed yoga for individuals navigating the criminal legal system.

Thank you, at , for recognizing the importance of wellness and equity in spaces too often defined by harm. Your support helps us continue sustaining restorative, human-centered approaches to justice—grounded in healing, humanity, and care for those most impacted.

08/13/2025

Service is a powerful form of solidarity.

We’re thrilled to welcome our newest cohort of volunteer yoga teachers to Prison Yoga Chicago ✨

Each of these dedicated individuals has completed our trauma-informed yoga training, deepening their commitment to supporting individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. Through breath work, mindfulness, and intention-setting, they’ll offer tools that nurture healing, resilience, and agency—on and off the mat.

A heartfelt thank you to the studios that made this training possible by generously opening their doors to us: Zen Yoga Garage and The Apartment—your support held the space for connection, learning, and community.

Together, we’re moving toward a more just and healing future.

To know the truth is to see the humanity in every person.

To speak the truth is to challenge the systems that stand in the way of healing.

To be the truth is to show up—fully, compassionately, and consistently.

08/12/2025

We are honored to receive a grant from Crossroads Fund, whose support empowers our mission of bringing trauma-informed yoga to individuals incarcerated in Cook County Jail. This practice opens a powerful pathway to healing, inner stillness, strength, resilience, and transformation amid profound adversity.

Thank you, Crossroads Fund, for believing in the transformative power of healing justice. Your partnership fuels our commitment to support a reformed vision for correctional facilities—one centered around rehabilitation, safety, and equitable treatment for all.

06/11/2025

Apply to teach with PYC! Our annual recruitment cycle is now open. Application linked in comments, with requirements included. Submit by 6/18. 🗓️

Please email [email protected] or send us a message with any questions! We look forward to working with you. 🩶

04/17/2025

Looking to get involved? Join us: We are looking for volunteers to join our Marketing Committee at , our nonprofit org committed to bringing the transformative power of trauma-informed yoga to incarcerated individuals.

Whether you’re a creative spirit, a strategic mind, or just looking for a meaningful way to give back—we’d love to have you! ✨

Some of the exciting opportunities include:

* Content creation: Write compelling content (website, newsletter, social media, etc.) to promote our message and engage with our community.
* Event planning: Assist in organizing impactful fundraising and community events that support our mission, from concept to ex*****on.
* Fundraising: Help develop creative fundraising initiatives, connect with donors, and support grant-writing efforts to sustain and grow our programs.
* Partnership outreach: Build relationships with like-minded organizations, businesses, and community leaders to expand our reach and impact.
* Photography and/or Videography: Capture the powerful stories and moments that make our work at Cook County Jail meaningful.
* Social media: Help spread our message and build our online presence.

Join us: Make an impact, grow your skills, and connect with an amazing community. Interested? DM us or click the link in our bio to fill out a committee interest form. And if you know someone who’d love this, send it their way!

09/30/2024

✔️

09/25/2024

The Criminal “Justice” System

08/13/2024

Yoga post incarceration. We’ll pay for it. Email [email protected], or fill out the form on our website. 🤎

05/03/2024

TODAY is the last day our 2024 application to teach with Prison Yoga Chicago is open! 📥

Reach out if any questions. We’re thrilled to see so many interested in offering yoga to those behind bars.

For those of you who applied early, we know you’re anxious, we are too. We’ll be reaching out shortly with next steps, and thank you for your patience.

📷

04/04/2024

03/20/2024

Nearly 200,000 women are incarcerated in the US. About half in pretrial detention. Half. Pretrial.

📷

03/09/2024

The Women of PYC — that keep it strong and stable, amidst constant flux and flow.

What can’t we say about our Treasurer, . She is fierce, passionate, credible, reliable, and activated. Erica leads Monday nights in CCJ, a rotating Book Club, our Activism channel, and is simply indispensable to PYC’s Board of Directors.

More in her bio below, and on our website. Thanks to all the womxn we work with. More of them next week. 🖤

Erica Bentley (she/they) sought 200hr teacher certification specifically to facilitate yoga in jails, and has been with PYC since moving to Chicago in 2018. Now an IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, Erica is dedicated to working with currently & formerly incarcerated people and their families. Erica is a passionate community activist whose practices are deeply rooted in interdependence, collective liberation, and building a world in which every person has the opportunity to feel valued and whole. She is the weekly facilitator for PYC’s Monday night offering in CCJ Div 11, and currently serves on the board as Treasurer.