Faraji on King5
"You Gave Me Something They Can Never Take From Me": Faraji Blakeney on Yoga, Freedom, and Representation
When a young person in juvenile detention told Faraji Blakeney, "You gave me something that they can never take from me," Faraji knew exactly what that meant.
Because when you're inside, they can take your visits. They can take your TV. They can take your clothes. But the practice—the breath, the awareness, the connection to your own body and mind—that stays with you no matter where they place you or what they take.
That's the power of trauma-informed yoga. And it's the power that Faraji brings to his work with Yoga Behind Bars every single day.
From Inside to Instructor: A Journey of Liberation
Faraji did 14 years in prison. And when he says "yoga saved my life," he doesn't mean the stretching.
"I had a colonized brain," he shares. "And I'm still working to decolonize some of the agreements that I have in my head that do not serve my humanity."
The transformation started with the stretching of his mind and heart—his capacity to love and think again. To think freely. Uncolonized thoughts.
He learned how to breathe. He learned how to meditate. He learned how to focus and still all the chatter. And when Yoga Behind Bars came into his life, anything that had yoga in it became something to explore with curiosity, not trepidation.
"I wasn't trepidacious," he says. "I didn't feel like, 'Oh, you're gonna get it wrong.' I was curiously exploring how I could get it right."
What Trauma-Informed Yoga Actually Means
When most people hear "yoga," they think of zen studios, skinny white people, or exercise. But trauma-informed yoga is something entirely different.
First, it's an invitation. You do not have to do anything. You do not have to perform. It's not scope yoga. It's not hot yoga. It's trauma-informed.
Second, your autonomy and agency are highly valued. Every choice matters. Every moment of consent matters.
Third, inclusion is built into the language itself. Different body types. Different genders. "Hey, what's your pronouns? What's your access needs?" These check-ins happen before anyone even moves.
This isn't about perfect poses or Instagram-worthy flexibility. As Faraji puts it: "I do not steward yoga for people to have the best down dog. I steward yoga so folks can wake up off that shavasana more self-aware."
The Gift of Self-Awareness
Self-awareness might sound simple. But when you've spent years in survival mode, disconnected from your own needs, self-awareness becomes revolutionary.
"A lot of folks are having access needs not met, but they don't even know how to speak to what they need met," Faraji explains. "Self-awareness prepares an individual to be able to advocate for themselves about their access needs so they could show up. They could show up in their humanity."
His Triple H: Honoring Humanity Holistically.
It's not about fixing people or rescuing them. It's about creating space where people can remember who they are beyond the system's labels. Where they can practice speaking their truth. Where they can feel safe enough to explore what their body and mind actually need.
The Impact of Representation
The first time Faraji walked into a prison as a yoga instructor—after doing 14 years inside himself—he saw something that changed everything.
The impact of representation.
"There's really no words for it," he reflects. "They're having a bigger experience. I'm living this life as a new being. I'm not the same person that went to prison, but they're still in there. And they're seeing light as I continue to show up purposeful."
He calls out to his "systemic siblings" who are still incarcerated, watching, feeling some of their freedom through his presence on screen, in the community, showing up every day.
"I don't do it for me," he says. "It's not for me. It's so much bigger than that."
Every day is a purposeful day. There are no weekends when it comes to this work.
Shifting Culture from Punishment to Healing
Yoga Behind Bars started in 2008 when a couple of yogis said, "Hey, we should bring yoga into the King County jail."
From there, it's grown. Now operating in over five or six prisons, juvenile facilities, the women's prison. Bringing trained trauma-informed yoga instructors to help people have experiences of a regulated body. A regulated nervous system. A moment of choice in a system designed to remove choice.
This is about shifting the culture of prison from punishment to healing and wellness for the community. Because when people inside heal, the whole community benefits. When they learn to regulate their nervous systems, to advocate for their needs, to show up in their full humanity, everyone wins.
Join Us: A Night of Art, Poetry, and Community
On November 22nd, Yoga Behind Bars is hosting a community event at Benaroya Hall's recital stage. It's going to be a powerful evening.
Live jazz. Poetry. Paintings from Ghana. Artwork and beadwork from incarcerated individuals. Incarcerated individuals calling in and doing poetry over the phone, sharing their voices directly with the community.
The event is November 22nd, 7-10 PM at Benaroya Hall.
And here's something beautiful: If you're a liberated individual (formerly incarcerated) and you want to attend, Faraji has arranged for 50% off your ticket. Because this community belongs to everyone.
Get your tickets on the website and join us for a night that honors the full humanity of everyone in our community—inside and outside the walls.
The Work Continues
This work isn't simple. It's never simple. And yet, it's essential.
Every breath practiced inside becomes a tool for navigating life outside. Every moment of self-awareness becomes a foundation for advocacy. Every class becomes a space where someone can remember: "I am more than what they say I am. I have something they can never take from me."
That something? It's the practice. It's the awareness. It's the connection to your own humanity that no system can strip away.
Faraji shows up every day—purposeful, present, representing possibility for his systemic siblings still inside. And Yoga Behind Bars continues to create spaces where healing becomes possible, where transformation becomes visible, where freedom starts from the inside out.
Join us November 22nd at Benaroya Hall for an evening of art, poetry, music, and community. Get your tickets here.
Interested in supporting this work? Make a donation to help us bring trauma-informed yoga to more facilities.
This blog post is based on Faraji Blakeney's interview on King5's New Day show. Story shared with permission. To learn more about Yoga Behind Bars' programs and impact, visit our website.
Meta Information
Meta Description (159 characters): Faraji Blakeney shares how trauma-informed yoga creates freedom that can't be taken away. Join us November 22nd at Benaroya Hall for a night of art, poetry, and community.
Primary Keywords: trauma-informed yoga, incarcerated individuals, Yoga Behind Bars, prison reform, healing justice, Faraji Blakeney
URL Suggestion: /blog/faraji-blakeney-yoga-freedom-representation