Contemplative Methods for University-Prison Writing Partnerships: Building Sangha through ‘The Om Exchange by Sarah Moseley

Community writing partnerships between university and incarcerated students typically focus on developing critical reading and writing skills through shared assignments, peer review exchanges, and group discussion. This article examines a prison-university writing partnership between two semester-long yoga classes, one at a maximum-security women’s prison and one at a competitive university, that privileges building community over building academic skills. The yoga students shared reflective writing on yogarelated topics – from philosophy, to tips and modifications for poses, to personal experience – in a monthly newsletter called “The Om Exchange.” The sound of “om” in yoga
symbolizes the universal “oneness” of all living beings. The purpose of the newsletter was two-fold: to support reflective writing for deeper engagement with class material and to connect with the larger yoga community beyond classroom walls.

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