New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS): With a view to improving the mental and physical condition of prisoners, the Meditation Foundation has started free workshops in prisons in different parts of the country in association with the local authorities.

Meditation Foundation, a non-profit organisation, started a free yoga and meditation programme called “World-tour for prison inmates” in Chamba Jail in Himachal Pradesh last month.

It has also run a series of programmes in prison in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Meditation Foundation founder Swami Advait said the initiative is aimed at assisting prison authorities to turn prisons into “reform houses.”

He said the foundation plans to run similar programmes in prisons across the country and help in improving the physical and mental condition of the prisoners.

Swami Advait said hundreds of volunteers have joined the foundation to help in conducting the free workshops. The foundation also trains the prisoners to teach their fellow inmates.

“The plan is to make qualified prison inmates meditation teachers. After qualifying to be a meditation teacher they can teach their fellow inmates. They will be provided all support required in teaching including assistance from our foundation's teachers, simplified meditation techniques and music,” he said.

“In between my team and I are personally going to teach in prison, so they can learn more on how to conduct these courses live and continue teaching in prison,” Swami Advait said in a statement.

Assistant jail superintendent of Chamba Jagjeet Chaudhary said most of the prisoners appreciated the programme and the jail authorities were hopeful that it would help reform their thoughts and conduct.

“I am posted here from 2000 and I never saw them so stress-free. The stress-free methods which they have learnt are very different. Now inmates can also teach the methods to new persons who come in the prison,” Chaudhary said.