The American Justice Department has recently approved the power of yoga and meditation in a recent judgement in the American courts for a better family life.

"Man Who Slapped Wife Sentenced to Yoga, First there was house arrest. Now there's yoga!”

A judge ordered a man convicted of slapping his wife to take a yoga class as part of his one-year probation. "It's part of anger management," County Criminal Court at Law Judge Larry Standley said of the ancient Hindu philosophy of exercise and well-being. "For people who are into it, it really calms them down. " Standley, a former prosecutor, said the case of James Lee Cross was unique. Cross, a 53-year-old car salesman from Tomball, explained that his wife was struggling with a substance abuse problem and that he had struck her on New Year's Eve during an argument connected to her drinking. "He was trying to get a hold of her because she has a problem," Standley said after the court hearing. "I thought this would help him realize that he only has control over himself." The sentence came as a surprise to Cross, who was told to enrol in a class and report back to Standley on his progress. "I'm not very familiar with Yoga," Cross said. "From what I understand, it may help in a couple ways, not only as far as mentally settling, but maybe a little weight loss." Darla Magee, an instructor at Yoga Body, Houston, River Oaks, said she would recommend that Cross take a basic yoga class emphasising breathing and including a variety of postures ― forward bends, back bends and twists. "Yoga can help us to get rid of many emotional issues we might have," she said. "It's a spiritual cleanse." Prosecutor Lincoln Goodwin agreed to a sentence of probation without jail time because Cross had no significant criminal history. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2365341

Yoga, which is one of the greatest Indian contributions to the world, offers us all vast human potential and can be applied in various fields. In Tihar jail, New Delhi, India, the practice of yoga is being offered to the prisoners as an experiment, and has been found to be very successful modifying the criminal mentality of the prisoners. This study aimed at investigating the effect of Vipassana Meditation (VM) on Quality of Life (QOL), Subjective Well-Being (SWB), and Criminal Propensity (CP) among the inmates of Tihar Jail, Delhi. To this effect the following hypotheses were formulated.

1.       There was a significant positive effect of VM on the QOL of inmates of Tihar jail.

2.       VM has a positive and significant effect on SWB of inmates.

3.       Criminal propensity (CP) of inmates decreased significantly after attending the VM course.

4.       There was a significant difference in the SWB and CP of experimental (Vipassana) group and control (non-Vipassana) group. 

5.       Male and female inmates differed significantly in SWB and CP, as a result of VM.

In Time magazine, it has been noted, that the importance of meditation and yoga  ― the ancient Indian mind and spirit-enhancing art ― is becoming increasingly popular and gaining medical legitimacy. It is today a multi - billion dollar business in the US and is an accepted subject included in the syllabus of many universities. In his latest book, "Inspire! What Great Leaders Do" - recently published by John Wiley, Lance Secretan  writes that the benefit of meditation is good for corporate governance. By practising transcendental meditation, or TM, many people have found relief from back pain, neck pain and depression. The mind becomes calm and quiet. What thoughts one has during meditation become clearer, more focused, and anger, anxiety and worries give way to a state of mindful peace. In the world of exorbitant medical expenses one can definitely find a place for the practice of meditation. Maharshi Mahesh Yogi and Sri Ravi Sankar are popularising the practice of meditiation and pranayama – breathing techniques ― and the Iyengar Yoga institute in US and worldwide, is today very famous.

In The Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna inspires Arjuna to rise from his depression by preaching the Gita to his men in the battlefield, and Arjuna thus rises from his depression to fulfil his duties. Today’s Executives take lessons in yoga, meditation and learn how to deal with human resources equations in an enlightened manner. This physical/philosophical/psychological/spiritual discipline is being studied today by groups of educated people seeking answers to deeply personal but universally asked questions. Individuals from every walk of life can receive information on how to be better human beings, more balanced and less stressed out. Medical studies continue to show regular meditation working magic in reducing blood pressure and stress-related illnesses, including heart disease. Brain images show that regular meditation helps calm the most active sensory-assaulted parts of the brain. In the classic Yoga Sutras, the ancient Hindu sage Patanjali, who had mastered the secrets of the human mind writes  how higher powers can be achieved by meditation, which has both cosmic relevance and cosmic resonance. In spite of its universal appeal, for most people, control of the mind remains an elusive goal and a daunting task. From time immemorial, there have been many attempts to unlock the mysteries of the mind and to achieve total control through a variety of techniques. One of the most powerful of these techniques is meditation. Many spiritual leaders, sages, saints, and holy people such as Sri. Buddha, Sri Ramakrishna, Madam Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda have practised meditation. It is said that in the periods when the Lord Jesus Christ was unavailable, He was practising meditation.