Lakshmi Barsel (LB): What inspired you to write this book?

Kristofer Ryan (KR): Buddhists say, “Those who know, teach. Those that know not, learn.” I’m always looking for someone to teach or to learn from. I help people with their diet, teach Yoga, the little Pilates I’m learning, exercise science and even politics. I struggled daily to get the Yoga sequence I created just right, and the benefits of practicing it were tremendous for me. The joy I receive from seeing others succeed is great, but I wanted to find more people to share this inspiration with. I hope my book will find people when they’re ready and that it will be the first step onto the path to discovering who they really are. The prison system is not designed for rehabilitation and prisoners themselves aren’t big on mental self-help; they need to be nudged a little and, with Yoga they won’t even know all the mental benefits they will receive. Just by pursuing the physical benefits, they get the mental benefits as well.

LB: This is so inspiring Kristofer. You’ve been a real example of what’s possible on the path of transformation.

KR: People are surprised that I’ve been in jail for twelve years, because all they know is the standard most people reach. I am not covered in tattoos, I don’t speak the prison slang, I care about mental and physical health and, when people see this, they know they can do it too, or at least begin the path.

LB: You landed in prison because of an argument over some women in a nightclub that turned deadly and you were ultimately convicted of murder. What was your mental state at that time?

KR: I was what is called a “second-hander” in some ways. I didn’t live to please others but I allowed others’ opinions that night to shape my thinking. I cared what a bully thought. I cared what the women thought. I didn’t understand then that self-esteem can never come from others but only from within us, when we live correctly through right action.

LB: What led you to Yoga and to embrace ahimsa, non-injury?

KR: When I first arrived in jail and the regular busyness of life was gone, I was left staring in the proverbial mirror, looking at all the choices I had made from whatever influences I had paid attention to growing up. I saw that the life I had lived was really a lie. Prison is filled with routine and you’re really only responsible for yourself. When the busyness of life goes away people only have themselves to deal with. Some hide from their truth and some meet it head on and grow. Thankfully, I followed the path of introspection and began my quest to know who I really am.
So, my journey on the path began and many of the
lies disappeared or weren’t followed.

When I first heard of Yoga, I thought it was some type of physical exercise. I knew nothing about any of the inner
benefits Yoga had to offer through practicing all the eight limbs. So, when I say that Yoga really transformed my
life, I’m not talking about a “placebo” effect of thinking something is going to help and then you feel better. The placebo effect was impossible because I really knew nothing about what Yoga was supposed to do; I knew nothing of its true transformative power. After practicing Yoga steadily, I saw and felt real results in my outlook, my attitude, my
values, and the changes that began to happen. I know Yoga was the catalyst because that was the only thing I did differently in my life.

LB: What other changes did you experience?

KR: I began to have more empathy, less negative thoughts when faced with annoying events. I began to feel calm, serene, happy. I was able to be less reactive, more able to be the witness and to laugh at the parts people play and think they have to play in life. All of this enabled me to truly embrace ahimsa and the deeper values that are at the foundation of Yoga and a spiritual path.

LB: One of the challenges for those convicted of any crime, especially of violent crime, is not to see others, as "other. " So, developing more empathy is so pivotal in that process.

KR: Absolutely. Without empathy there isn't much consideration regarding other people. The first time I noticed that I was developing more empathy was when I was watching a movie. For the first time in my life I really felt the drama going on in the film. I had this experience after practicing yoga daily for several months. I found myself really puzzled by why or how I could be affected by a movie. I felt upset, yet I had never experienced that before. Within a week of this incident someone that knew I practiced yoga gave me a print out about how yoga can increase one's ability to empathize; that was a revelation for me.

I want to add that there is a fine line between empathy versus being a doormat, and I have to constantly way them out. The users in prison usually get one chance from me. One of the lies I used to live by was condemning many over the actions of a few. I still have these  but I don't listen to them anymore. I recognize it as the past and decide not to follow the pattern. Yoga gave me much of this power. Deep down we all have the power to act, to choose not to be run by destructive thoughts. Once you realize this all that's left is to exercise them.

LB: while this kind of positive experience was happening, how did you deal with the day-to-day challenges that arise in prison?

KR: It's very easy to get into drug use, gang activity or sexual activities because you're faced with these types of escapes constantly. Daily, many choose these things to insulate themselves from themselves in the prison experience. This can crush your self-image and when your life circumstances veer out of your control, it's easy to feel, "This is what I deserve" and other statements that confirm the behavior.

The things that happen in prison go on outside too. People need to realize that poor choices are self-fulfilling in that only our judgments of what we deserve dictate what we hold onto in our daily experiences. Yoga will make almost anyone feel better about themselves. When the mind quiets down, we really hear the self-destructive nonsense repeating like a broken record. Recognizing the problem, feeling pride from right actions, getting stronger physically and mentally-this is a major part of the journey of self-improvement. Yoga's combination of strengthening the body and mind while opening the heart is an excellent recipe for living successfully no matter where you live.

LB: Is yoga taught in your prison?

KR: There are no yoga programs in the prison system in my state that I am aware of besides the Siddha Yoga people coming to my prison once a year. There are over 100 correctional centers in my state and over 2 million people in jail and prison in America. Unfortunately most states haven't realized the tremendous benefits Yoga brings.

Rehabilitation needs to be nationwide. Those in prison right now are going to get out and, to release them the way most of them are, is very irresponsible. I know of inmates that are too dangerous to be housed next to me in prison but will be released into the world after receiving zero help. Something has to be done to change this. You and I have tried to set up programs with inmate or volunteer teachers here in my state, but were only met with resistance. We did get malas and meditation rugs granted for inmate possession and even Yoga mats, though the mat can only be stored in the chaplains office and used when a volunteer comes. I usually practice yoga bymyself on a concrete floor that I clean beforehand. I fold a few towels or use my meditation rug for meditation or the Hero pose but everything else I do on the concrete.

LB: What about your diet? Are you able to be vegetarian?

KR: I want to be vegetarian and believe in it totally, though I'm not able to be as strict as I used to be. With all the budget cuts, food choice has become limited. Many of the main courses are stews, pot pies or stir fry meals. This means one of the vegetables that would be by itself now gets mixed with the meat. Since I won't eat the ground up meat or other patty sausage-type foods, I get shorted. A meat free tray for me is usually 8 ounces of beans, 4 ounces of greens, sweet or regular potatoes, or corn, two pieces of cornbread and either some cheese or peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes I get shorted and there seems to be no way around that.

LB: What do you hope will happen with the publication of your new book?

KR: I'd like to think that each prisoner that reads and practices my Yoga book will be an example for others and then these people will be examples, too. We don't have to become our environment: We aren't what happens to us, but what we think about what happens to us. Some people need to be shown this and not simply told.