In an effort to reach out to an often-forgotten segment of humanity, Sadhguru conducted a Yoga program in Coimbatore Central Prison for the first time in 1992. Since then, Isha has conducted free Yoga programs in Central Prisons all over Tamil Nadu for prisoners and police.
Sadhguru recounts a particularly poignant moment with a prisoner.
Sadhguru: There was this man who had committed three murders and had been sentenced to three life-terms. Because he had nothing to lose anyway, he was very violent inside the prison. There was a fear and insecurity in him that as he is aging, somebody else may come and take over his dominance in the prison. So, he was unnecessarily violent. He told me his strategy was, at least once a week he simply picked on somebody and beat them up – just so that everybody knows who the boss is there.
When we conducted the program, we put him through a certain process of meditativeness and contemplation within himself. Then he happened to be on the playground and three other convicts attacked him and kicked him. But he did not react. He was just lying there being kicked even in the face. Then, after they were finished with him, he got up and walked off.
Later on, when we met him, he shared something with us that brought tears to almost everyone in the hall. He said, “Till now I thought my power was to beat people up. Now I have realized a new kind of power. If somebody beats me, I have no need to beat them. I have no need to react.” I think this is a true face of dignity. Dignity does not come because of poverty or riches or affluence. It comes because the way you are is not disturbed by what is happening around you.
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