Hello.
Welcome to your breath,
To this chance to inhale and be filled with life,
To exhale and center.
Inhale and be filled,
Exhale and center.
Welcome to a hit of hope.
One would think that if a person committed a crime,
Got caught,
And went to prison,
Then they would do everything they could not to commit another crime and repeat that pattern,
Right?
However many of us are probably familiar with the term recidivism,
Which is a repeated or habitual relapse and it often refers to crime.
According to a report by the Pew Center on the States,
The recidivism rate for released prisoners in the U.
S.
Is 44%.
So when they get out,
Almost half of all prisoners commit a crime and return to prison before their first year out.
There are a number of factors to explain why this number is so high and that's a discussion that we as a country need to have,
But for our purposes here,
I want us to think about our prisons and how often we return to them.
We also might notice it's easy to sit in judgment of the folks who go back to actual prisons.
Well,
If they only worked harder,
Did better,
But again,
How many of us return to the things that are holding us back,
That are unhealthy for us or that might actually harm us?
How often do we return to our prisons?
It's easy to go back to the prisons you know.
A friend of mine says that sometimes you have to give up a future you could imagine for the one you can't imagine.
In other words,
You know your prison.
It's often very familiar and even comfortable,
Even if it is causing you harm or holding you back from living your best and freest life.
So sometimes you return to your prison because you know it and you can't imagine what it's like out of that prison.
It's hard to step out into the wide open world,
Not knowing what might happen next.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Our prisons are as particular and unique as we are.
It might be a moment in our history.
It might be a person we loved,
A job we lost,
An addiction that pulls.
It might be a need for protection or control that is not only inhuman,
But inhumane to ourselves and those around us.
You know what happens in your prison and that's why you get pulled back to it again and again.
You can choose to stay in that pattern.
It often takes the least amount of effort and provides the greatest amount of certainty.
But ask yourself,
What are the impacts of that choice?
Well,
One impact is that if you fall back into your particular prison,
You probably know exactly what's going to happen.
But is that enough?
Do you want to live in that familiar prison,
Even if and when it is hurting you and your spirit?
What are the costs on you and those you love if you stay there?
Because if you want to step free from your prison,
You have to be able to honestly look at your situation and then decide.
Is an unknown future a better choice than a certain present?
Put it this way,
It is not only tempting,
But it is easy to fall back,
To fall back into old patterns and habits.
It takes courage and pluck to fall forward.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Are you ready to be brave?
If you are,
Take a moment to name your prison.
And there might be some emotions that arise as you do so.
That's okay.
Let's sit with those emotions.
They might be scary,
But they are necessary.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Do you want to stay inside your prison walls?
They are tempting.
Believe me,
I know.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Oh,
Beautiful spirit.
What happens if you step outside of your prison walls?
What happens if you step into the wide open field of,
I don't know,
But I can't wait to see what happens next.
Inhale,
Exhale.
Step out of your prison.
Fall forward with courage and pluck.
Namaste.
