MBA's on KRON4 News
KRON 4 News interviews Noah Levine – Watch the video or read the transcript…
Mark Mullen: Welcome back. One of the measures on this November’s ballot aims at reducing youth violence through after school programs. But our next guest is taking another approach. He is helping rehabilitate young offenders through a groundbreaking new program – he is the co-founder and President of The Mind Body Awareness Project, we welcome Noah Levine.
Mark: Good morning.
Noah Levine: Good morning.
Mark: Explain what it is.
Noah:The MBA Project is a program that is based on rehabilitation, on teaching mindfulness based awareness practices.
Mark: Okay, this sounds sort of ethereal and lofty, but basically what you’re talking about is meditation and yoga, right?
Noah: We’re talking about mindfulness meditation, movement, yoga, tai chi, some creative arts.
Mark: How does this go over when you first approached the prison system about how yoga and meditation might go over with youthful offenders behind bars?
Noah: Well originally we began teaching in the same institution where I had, many years earlier, learned meditation. So I knew the people – they had seen me go through the system, turn my life around and then come back. So they were very welcoming.
Mark: You had gone through the system.
Noah: Yes
Mark: Did you just sort of figure this out on your own?
Noah: No, I was, in 1988, seventeen years old, in juvenile hall – and in a lot of pain and confusion. My father, who is a meditation teacher, gave me the meditation instructions. And for the first time I said “Okay, I’ll try it”.
Mark: So, how many facilities are you in right now? How many people are you working with?
Noah: Our program, MBA, is in Alameda County and San Francisco. I also teach up in San Quentin. The fellow that I started the whole juvenile hall work with moved to New York, and all through the boroughs of Manhattan – Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, there’s now programs.
Mark: Is it working?
Noah: I think it’s working very well.
Mark: In what ways?
Noah: We’re giving these kids a tool. You know, not only does this tool give a period of relaxation for these youth in a difficult time in their lives, but also a tool which, if utilized, will help bring them insight into the addictions, or aggression or violence that is causing them to get locked up.
Mark: This is something which is, probably, wrongly associated with wealthier, affluent, sort of new-agey type people and it may not be at first blush, something that people think would work. But you probably remind all of your ‘clients’ behind bars that is something that has worked for many years, long before this country was even established.
Noah: Somewhat, and also I just speak from direct experience. This is something that completely allowed me to not get institutionalized again, to turn my life around. To Turn towards understanding the roots of the problem. And then they see me and say “Oh wow, if this guy can do it, maybe I can do it too”
Mark: This is not just about making prison time a little bit easier. This is about, sort of about getting whole for release, are you heartened by some of the success stories you’ve had?
Noah: Definitely. I recently got a letter from a man whose actually still doing time – but he’s saying, ‘this is helping me do my time so much – and I know this will transform my life when I get out. I know what got me in here now, and I never did before.’
Mark: Is this a hard sell once you first approach these offenders and say “hey, would you like to meditate”. I’m picturing some really tough customers.
Noah: Yeah, you would think so, but surprisingly not. There really interested. They’re like ‘I’m in enough pain here; something has to change … maybe this will work’ And there’s a lot of interest, and a great response.
Mark: You mentioned you’re old partner moving to New York. Are you seeing this spread around the country outside of the Bay Area?
Noah: Loosely, different organizations in the juvenile halls, in the prisons – I’m working up in San Quentin with The Insight Prison Project now and it’s spreading it seems.
Mark: Listen, thanks so much for the visit, what a fascinating program. Also, you can look out for Noah’s new book “Dharma Punx” coming out in May. Or if you want to find out more information about The Mind Body Awareness Project, you can log onto our website at kron4.com and click on the morning news page. Noah, thanks very much for coming in and have a great day.
Noah: Thank you very much.
