As you can see, I've done some traveling since my last mailing.  I spent most of the year in WI, where it can get so cold sometimes that bubbles are really fun.  If it reaches minus 20 degrees, you can go outside, blow soap bubbles and they will freeze.  You can catch the ice bubble in your hand and in a few moments, it will pop with the tinkle of little bells.  Its just a little blessing I found in the cold weather.

I also spent a couple of months in New York and made it out just as three feet of snow hit the countryside.  Now I'm in Atlanta, where soap bubbles are no reason to go out in the chilly air.  It's much warmer here, I'm surrounded by nature, and close enough to Florida to do an occasional vigil.  An extra bonus is that I'm living with a 'comic book character' - Remember "Fat Freddie and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers"?  Well, my wonderful host is the copyrighted real life Fat Freddie.  (That's him in the picture on the back of this letter.) 

I really had to think about what to send you this year.  Penpals are out, doggone it.  I know it's still cold, you're still hungry, and medical sucks. It's hard to stay close to your spirit when conditions around you are so harsh, but these are the times when it's most important to get in touch with your better self.  That's why I was inspired when some people in New York told me how powerful meditation and Yoga can be.  Besides the mental strength you can get from daily practice, once you discover the true meditative state, physical factors don't have to affect you as much.  This is a gift you can give yourself that no one can take away. 

"In most cases the crime/crimes committed that resulted in imprisonment were due to distortions of the mind, inner stress, mental disharmony and unresolved tension. When there is imbalance in the relationship between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and incorrect hormonal distribution in the body, then any sort of behaviour can occur.

"Crime is a trait or tendency. Tendency means a wave arising in the mind. If this tendency is calmed down, the personality attains peace, then mental stress, emotional stress, agitated thoughts etc. also calm down and the suffering and sorrow ends. To reform the personality and to change the criminal tendencies, the best solution is to practise yoga.” -Swami Niranjan

"It is well known that these hormones can be balanced and regulated through yogic practices. The yoga practices discipline the physical and mental activities. When there is stability and control of mind and physical expressions, then one is less likely to commit a crime, compared to someone who has no control over their body, mind or emotions.

“Crime is a short cut to satisfy a craving, a short cut which goes beyond normal and legal means. Crime, delinquency and the different patterns of anti-social behaviour express tensions which arise from a deeply discontented mind, from a weak mind and from unbalanced emotions. A weak mind is one which lacks balance and a sense of proportion. No approach to the problem of delinquency and crime can be truly effective unless the basic weakness of mind is remedied.” -Sannyasi Janaki, Australia

Life is different now. You have to learn different ways of dealing with the prison environment and the other people who share your space, new ways of coping and surviving. Added to this is the trauma and stress of your trial, sentencing and subsequent imprisonment. The new labels – ‘criminal’, ‘prisoner’ and ‘convict’, will be there for the rest of your lives, the prefix ‘ex’ being added on release.

All these factors have a deep effect on psychological, emotional and physical layers, resulting in high levels of anxiety, stress, anger, fear, depression, frustration and insomnia, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, bowel disorders, ulcers, migraines, allergies, back problems etc. which are all common in prisoners.

All I can personally tell you about the practice of meditation is the method I use, which is totally focused on the act of conscious breathing: in through the nose, drawing it deep down so that your stomach rises instead of your chest, holding it gently, then out slowly through the mouth, relaxing and releasing.  It works for me, but there are many methods and so much more to learn.  Therefore, I am going to give you some resources to help you discover a place inside yourself where you are warm, full, well and safe.  I am not advocating any specific religion.  I feel that is between you and your spirit.  But I am suggesting that peace can be found through these methods and when you want the best method, you go to the experts. 

With a little information, you can put yoga and meditation to work in your life. Here are some quotes from prisoners who have found the quiet place of strength inside themselves: