Yoga stirs tempers in Norway prison

[roguevalley]

(AP) OSLO, Norway A Norwegian prison has stopped giving yoga sessions to inmates after finding that some of the prisoners became more aggressive and agitated, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

The yoga classes were introduced on at trial basis earlier this year at Ringerike prison, which holds some of Norway's most dangerous criminals.

Prison officials had hoped mediation and breathing exercises would help inmates contain their anger, but it appeared to have the opposite effect.

Some inmates became more agitated and aggressive, while others developed sleeping problems as a result of the yoga sessions, prison warden Sigbjoern Hagen told newspaper Ringerikes Blad. Hagen said that deep breathing exercises could make the inmates more dangerous, by unblocking their psychological barriers.

http://wcco.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_215144040.html

[Sanity Claws]

1. This is hard to believe

Somehow I have the feeling this is not the full story.

[Moochy]

2. Well my first yoga class hurt

At first yoga hurts! I bet they were sore and cranky :)

[soothsayer]

3. yup, breathing DOES release all that anger and stuff. It's amazing.

They'd get past it eventually if they kept it up, and of course it would be cathartic and therapeutic in the long-term, but in the short-term, woah. Scary.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Wow isn't yoga and deep breathing suppose to relax?