Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating non-judgmental awareness of what is happening moment by moment. We can be mindful of our own thoughts, emotions and experiences, as well as those of others and the environment around us. Mindfulness has been taught and practiced for thousands of years in cultures and traditions across the globe.

Freedom Project offers a non-religious, secular approach to mindfulness, drawing on the work of Fleet Maul and Kate Crisp’s Path of Freedom, The Mind Illumined by Culadasa, and Mindful Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer.

Weekly classes include a variety of active or silent meditation practices (sitting, walking, gently moving, or standing). Through mindfulness, we develop a capacity to continuously return to present moment awareness by practicing with focus and intention. Mindfulness can reduce the effects of PTSD, depression and anxiety. This helps us stay present and at-choice when we’re dealing with difficult situations and circumstances – a much-needed skill when navigating prison as well as reentry.

In developing Mindfulness, we become better able to:

  • Interact in positive ways with others
  • Focus our attention constructively
  • Clarify and wisely choose our intentions and motivations
  • Change limiting beliefs and attitudes
  • Reduce negative reactivity
  • Learn new skills and ideas

Freedom Project offers ongoing weekly mindfulness classes at:

  • Twin Rivers Unitat the Monroe Correctional Complex
  • Washington State Reformatory at the Monroe Correctional Complex