Introducing the Southern Arizona Prison Project Teachers

Deborah Bye

Deborah Bye is the founder and cordinator of the Southern Arizona Prison Project. Deborah is a barrister from Melbourne, Australia, and discovered Tibetan Buddhism in her twenties, while traveling in India. Her background includes hatha yoga, vipassana meditation, and Kashmir Shaivism, as well as classic Buddhist Scriptures.

Lisa Schrempp

Lisa began her studies of yoga in 1985. She has teaching certificates from Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram in Kerala, South India 1990; and a Yoga Therapy Certificate from B.K.S. Iyengar in Rishikesh, India 1996. She has practiced Ashtanga Yoga since 1991 and has completed primary and intermediate series with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. Lisa is a certified Jivamukti teacher, having also served as a mentor and educator in the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training Program. She has been involved with the Southern Arizona Prison Project since 2002.

Earle Birney

Earle is from British Colombia. He moved to AZ in 2003 to continue his Buddhist studies and yoga at the Diamond Mountain University. He works with youth at risk across Cochise County delivering the Straight Edge Youth Leadership Program and has been involved with the Southern Arizona Prison Project since 2003, teaching dharma and yoga in three Arizona prisons.

John Yates

John Yates began his study of Vipassana meditation over 30 years ago. He has been teaching meditation at the Douglas State Prison on a regular basis since 2004 and conducts one day vipassana retreats weekly at his retreat centre in southern Arizona.