Chanya Wongsawad delights in displaying her awe-inspiring strength and flexibility in yoga to visitors at Ratchaburi Central Prison, where she is serving a 25-year term for selling drugs.
The 'Yoga in Prison' team in training.
The 35-year-old was excited to learn about yoga when it was first introduced to inmates four years ago. At first, she felt it was just another activity to keep her busy. Little did she know that it would eventually become a platform for her to not just perform at events graced by HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha, but also grab three silver medals at the 5th Asian Yoga Sports Championship which took place last month. Part of the "Yoga in Prison" team, today she coaches anyone who is interested in learning the practice.
Chanya thanks staff at Ratchaburi Central Prison and Teerawan Wathanotai, who spearheaded the "Yoga in Prison" project, for being the person she is today.
Competing among some of the best yoga practitioners was an experience that she loves to share with anyone who listens.
"We have been practicing yoga for long enough, so I knew I would be able to do well," she said. "An Indian yoga trainer came a couple of times to coach us, so I feel we had a good foundation. I had never heard of yoga before. Being in prison gives us all the time in the world to practice, so that helped. We felt a great sense of camaraderie while preparing for the event."
Chanya said prisoners have few opportunities to experience a sense of self worth, so competing at an international meet lifted the morale of the women.
Having her mother and younger sister in the audience during the competition gave her a lot of happiness. After the medals ceremony, Chanya jumped on her mother's lap and gave her a hug.
"My mum whispered in my ear that she was very proud of me," she said.
Chanya said yoga was the lifeline she needed to climb out of the pit of despair.
"I have never felt so good about myself," said the brown-eyed yoga expert. "I have always suffered from low self-esteem, and being in prison had broken my spirit. I have served seven years of my sentence.
"Not having tasted freedom for so many years has taken a toll on my emotional health, and missing my family has not helped. The fear of not being accepted into society when I am eventually released always makes me anxious.
"Yoga has helped me to manage my feelings better. In the past, I was sickly and suffered from a series of medical problems. Things have changed for the better now. Despite my circumstances, I have become more positive and relaxed. I have made peace with myself."
Chanya, who managed to complete a bachelor's degree through a long distance learning programme, hopes to become a yoga teacher when she is released.
At the recent 5th Asian Yoga Sports Championship, the remaining five contestants, who picked up four bronze medals and consolation prizes, were equally elated with their success.
Kanya Siripom, a self-confessed yoga freak who admits to dreaming about yoga poses in her sleep, said she hopes their success will help change public perceptions.
"I want society to accept us and know that we have talent," said the articulate 25-year-old, who is serving a 25-year sentence for drug related offences.
"I come from a family that sold drugs. As a young girl, I began delivering drugs to suppliers because no one would suspect me. Eventually I was caught and given a lengthy sentence. I carried a lot of bitterness because of my upbringing. Yoga has taught me to let go of a lot of ugliness in my life."
She also thanked the prison wardens for treating them well when they practised for the event. When she sprained her ankle, a guard came to massage oil on it and told her to rest, while others encouraged them to do their best.
Female prisoners from Ratchaburi Central Prison at the 5th Asian Yoga Sports Championships.
Pantipa Relf had a similar story to share. Admitting to having had a volatile personality in the past, she is now more laid back and accommodating.
"The 'Yoga in Prison' team is like family," she said. "We are there for each other through thick and thin. If one of us is hurting, the other one will lend a shoulder to cry on. We are more of a family to each other than our blood relatives."
As yoga is encouraged at Ratchaburi Central Prison, the girls use their time during the day to practice. Aranya Saonu, a feisty personality, said that even inmates that do not attend yoga classes are eager to help the women with body massages and offer moral support.
"As we do not have mirrors to train in front of, we had people explain to us how our poses looked from behind. The medals and consolation prizes do not belong to just us but all the inmates at Ratchaburi Central Prison," she said.
Pilak Sathapornchit, 35, who has been sentenced to 50 years for drug offences, is the only one who was not able to bring home a medal. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she told of the experience. Araya Kantee, her teammate, brought her a tissue to wipe away her tears.
"It is OK, you did your best. The medal I got from today belongs to you," said Araya. And with this, the girls gave Pilak a bear hug.
The gutsy 'Yoga in Prison' team hope to become yoga trainers once they complete their sentences. And one can only wish these talented ladies the best of luck.
Asst Prof Teerawan Wathanotai couldn't be more satisfied with the results of her brainchild project "Yoga in Prison", a programme under the patronage of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha's "Inspire Project", currently in use at Ratchaburi Central Prison and Udon Thani Central Prison.
The "Yoga in Prison" project was launched four years ago. As a yoga enthusiast, she has largely been the person who has trained the inmates.
Teerawan, who is both a researcher and dean at Faculty of Architecture, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, has seen a change for the better in the inmates since introducing them to yoga.
Last month she took her student inmates to compete at the 5th Asian Yoga Sports Championship at a plush five star hotel. They picked up seven medals: three silver and four bronze.
"My request to allow the 'Yoga in Prison' team to compete outside the prison walls was granted a couple of days prior to the competition," said Teerawan. "It was hectic to get everything prepared at the last moment, but we pulled through thanks to the support of prison officials and everyone involved in the preparations. Nobody knew who we were up until the last moment when the names of the teams were being announced.
"Organisers did not have a problem with our competing as long as we did everything by the book. Relatives of some of our girls were able to attend, and that really cheered them up. Inmates anyway have low self-esteem, so it was great to see them confidently showcasing their individual talents, demonstrating that despite their circumstances they are capable of bringing honour to their country."
Teerawan said she felt the desire to have the inmates, most of whom are serving between 25 and 50 year sentences for drug offences, participate at an international event so they would have the opportunity to compete with some of the best in Asia.
"I went through all this trouble in the hope society would accept them without bias," she added. "In taking them to compete, we have shown that like everyone else, when a person is given the opportunity to excel in something, they can achieve the unexpected.
"Society has to be more open towards prisoners and adopt a more caring attitude towards them. Everyone is entitled to opportunities in life to progress. Acceptance is the key."
Teerawan said it was while doing a research paper on the life of women in Thai jails that she realised that a number of inmates struggle with similar issues, such as a lack of self-acceptance, peace of mind and well-being.
The researcher said she was greatly influenced by Princess Bajrakitiyabha's concern for the welfare of these women.
Her Royal Highness had often remarked on the need for people in the criminal justice sphere to abide by the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).
Due to this, Princess Bajrakitiyabha granted permission to build a prototype prison that could create various reforming systems. Teerawan saw this as an opportunity to share with the inmates what she herself had encountered since practicing yoga: an overall boost in physical and emotional health.
As Ratchaburi Central Prison had already been selected as a pilot for Princess Bajrakitiyabha's "Inspire Project", she proposed her plan to introduce yoga.
"This is the first time yoga has been introduced to Thai prisons," said Teerawan. "There are over 900 inmates in the women's zone, most of whom have been sentenced for drug related offences. There was a lot of resentment and bitterness in their lives because they are the victims of circumstances beyond their control.
"We started at Ratchaburi four years ago and at Udon Thani prison three years ago. The results have been promising.
"One inmate, who is very good at yoga, told me that as she was going to be released soon, she wanted to teach people in her village to practice yoga. Others said that by practicing yoga, they suffer less from migraines, allergies, asthma and bad temper. Because they spend all their free time practicing yoga, they have also become more tolerant of each other.
"It is my desire to see those interested pursue a career as yoga instructors when they complete their sentences. Society should offer these unfortunate women an opportunity to assimilate back into society."
