Ep.8 Teaching Mindfulness in Israeli Prisons & Rehab Centers with Michal Warshavsky

In this episode, Michal Warshavsky speaks with Vita Pires, about her work bringing mindfulness practices to Israeli prisons and rehab centers through "The Quiet Within".

• Working within a deeply divided society with Israeli/Palestinian prisoners
• Developing paths for more prisoners to be actively involved in class presentations
• The power of a bi-lingual meditation book to be an anchor for change

MICHAL WARSHAVSKY I’m Michal Warshavsky, a social activist, living in Tel Aviv. I have worked with single mothers on public housing issues, and with Beduins fighting for land rights. However, my work’s focus is in prisons. 16 years ago, I founded “The Quiet Within”, that offers meditation for current and former inmates. The project was motivated by my strong desire to effect change in the world, rather than just practice compassion on the meditation cushion. We offer inmates tools to create their own quiet within, by leading 29 weekly meditation groups for Jewish and Arab current and former inmates, who live in difficult conditions. Very few successfully rehabilitate oneself. • Volunteers perform all the organization’s activities. After 6 years of working, last year we published a meditation book for prisoners in Hebrew and in Arabic. The book is given as a gift to every group participant.

To Learn More About the Prison Mindfulness Institute, please visit www.prisonmindfulness.org