Southern Maine Women's Re-Entry Center: January 2023 Program Spotlight
"I am learning self love."
"I leave with a sense of calm."
“I wish we had class three times a week!”
These sentiments were shared by women participating in our yoga class at the Southern Maine Women’s Reentry Center (SMWRC), where we have been offering weekly yoga classes since 2016. SMWRC is Maine’s only reentry center for women who are preparing for the transition from correctional facilities back into their home communities. During their time at The Reentry Center, residents work towards educational degrees, participate in community service, receive counseling services for substance abuse and mental health, and have the opportunity to work in the community during the last three years of their sentence. Our weekly yoga class offers the women tools for emotional regulation, building self-confidence and empowerment, and mindfulness practices that they can bring with them as they transition out of the structure of the correctional system back into their home communities.
Many Sea Change teachers have been involved with this class over the years, including when the class moved online during the height of the pandemic. Our current teacher, Jess Fairclough, shares, “This group of students brings me so much joy! They are so engaged and connected to the class… They are all so supportive of each other.” Jess recently concluded a twelve-week series during which eleven women earned Certificates of Completion. Each week focused on a different theme, including radical acceptance, the sacred pause, and opening your heart to fear.
One student, Anita, shared, “Jess has a beautiful sense of inclusivity and kindness, so that I never feel ‘different’ or at odds from the group. A major part of the joy and peacefulness that I experience every Sunday morning comes from the loving and genuine way that Jess interacts with each one of us!”
Mary LaRoche is the Community Programs Coordinator at SMWRC and helps us keep the yoga class running. She has heard from the women that they were surprised by how much of the class they could participate in, and that they feel less stressed and sleep better after yoga.
Danielle is another resident at SMWRC, and has been a faithful yoga student for the last three years. “Because of Sea Change Yoga, I now use yoga every day because it gives me energy and helps me cope with any situation that may arise. Stretching, meditating, and using breathing techniques is simply satisfying. I am grateful that I have had the chance to experience yoga and interact with some amazing instructors. Yoga is now a part of my daily self-care.”
Danielle’s commitment to her practice earned her one of Sea Change’s YTT Scholarships in 2022. All of us at Sea Change are thrilled that Danielle will be soon be sharing her gifts as a yoga teacher!
We are grateful to the staff at SMWRC for providing the space and support for our yoga class. And we are especially grateful to all the women who have showed up for classes over the years with open hearts and a willingness to learn from this ancient practice of yoga. May we all learn from their courage!