Embody Freedom: “Inside”

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RJF pof something happensEmbody Freedom: “Inside” presently lives as a vision & philosophy rather than a stand alone offering. The tenets & practices of Embody Freedom naturally weave their way into all of Rebecca’s work, including her work “inside” the Men’s & Women’s Medium Security Correctional Facilities in Rhode Island.

RJF pof meditating 2Rebecca is a Lead Facilitator & Mentor for the Prison Mindfulness Institute (PMI) which offers courses in Mindfulness Based Emotional Intelligence (MBEI) for people who are incarcerated around the world. PMI’s flagship course, The Path of Freedom, explores themes such as presence, self awareness, self regulation, empowerment and internal freedomRJF pof smiling down2. The 12 week curriculum integrates meditation with mindful movement, class discussion and community building exercises, which together offer ample room for peppered invitations to “embody freedom” through laughter, movement, stillness and play. The result is a powerful blend of deep transformative inquiry with the cultivation of heart-felt and light-hearted aliveness. The distinctly unexpected sounds of joy emanating from Rebecca’s classroom offer a sharp and blessed contrast to the overwhelming negativity and conflict of everyday prison life.

“(Rebecca’s) joy is contagious. I walk out of here with a skip in my step and then it carries with me as I go back into the yard with everyone I run into.”  –MBEI Participant

To learn more about the Prison Mindfulness Institute’s programming and/or to make a tax deductible donation please visit PMI’s website. RJF pof close shot smileTo reach out to Rebecca regarding her vision & philosophy for Embody Freedom: “Inside” visit Contact / Connect.

Here’s a few related tidbits to check out:

On Mindfulness in Prison:

  • “The Mind Explained: Mindfulness” (Season 1, Episode 4), Screen Shot 2022-08-11 at 3.14.54 PMis a 20 minute episode of the 2019 Netflix series that explores the power of mindfulness and includes glimpses of Rebecca’s “Path of Freedom” classroom at the Men’s Medium Security facility in Rhode Island.
  • Screen Shot 2022-05-13 at 11.52.13 AM“Path of Freedom” is a video about the Prison Mindfulness Institute’s MBEI program and the case for offering Mindfulness to incarcerated men & women.

On Laughing in Prison:

  • Screen Shot 2022-05-02 at 7.31.11 PMLaughing for No Reason in Prison is a “Pecha Kucha” presentation (20 slides, 20 seconds each) from 2010 in which Rebecca explores Laughter Yoga within the prison setting as a means of cultivating connection, relaxation and inner-joy.

On Dancing in Prison:

  • Dancing our Victims is a blog post written by Rebecca in 2011 about a dance in the women’s prison that focussed on meeting and transforming internal victim energy (the key driving force of Karpman’s “Drama Triangle” and a core concept in PMI’s “Path of Freedom” curriculum).