IMPACT: FREEDOM IN THE WORDS OF THE PEOPLE
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” -Antoine de Saint Exupery
Let the words below take you to a place invisible to the eyes.
“Last year I was in a bad place. I wasn’t eating. I wouldn’t leave my cell… a bad place. Now (after this class), I wake up and I’m thankful. I’ve taken so many classes (in prison), but this class is the one class that really helped. This is rehabilitation.
I am forever grateful for the opportunity to learn how to free myself from my mental slavery. I am technically in prison, but I never felt more free from things I have been carrying around for years. Thank you, truly.”
“Before Mohalu, I thought life was inevitably a constant struggle with no sense of freedom – freedom in spirit, soul, and my mind. I thought I knew what was comfortable, thought I knew what was real, thought I knew… but I wasn’t right.
This class has given me a safe space in this jungle of wolves. At first, it took time for me to open up. Rasta’s vibe, his sense of reality, open-mindedness, and him being genuine & real, has allowed me to respect him and the brothers in this class, even people I don’t know or have not met. I appreciate everything and for always keeping it real 100%. I wish we had safe spaces like this for everyone, where we can be ourselves free from judgment, free from hate, only love. Thank you.”
THE NUMBERS
80%
of participants, across all facilities in 2025, self-assessed a growth of 2 or more on a 7 point scale after a 3-month program. Participants met once a week for 2 hour sessions.
“Before Mohalu, I was a very mad and ugly person inside and out. I was in my head about everything. I didn’t know how to be free (and I don’t mean free from physical prison), free from my mind. I was an overthinker and a prisoner in my head. People said that I’m a very unapproachable person. I didn’t know how to live happy. I woke up everyday wanting to be right, not happy. Now that I took this class, I know how to be free. I look at things different, I treat people different, I learned how to be free and happy. Thank you so much.”
“Things have changed. I’ve realized that life is a precious gift and that without me or you, it wouldn’t be complete. I’ve also learned that the happiness and freedom I’ve longed for is within me. This class gives me reassurance that I have a special purpose in this life that only I can fulfill. I had my ups and downs attending this class, but I know I didn’t walk away with nothing. It felt like a spiritual awakening every time I sat down and simply was present.”
“I realize that I’ve been giving power to meaningless things in my life. I made myself a slave to toxicity and misguided lies. I was tired, so sick and tired, of not being able to meet society’s standards. I lived as a victim and went through life with anger, resentment, and pride. I see how enslaved I was to my delusions. I’m in prison right now, but I’ve never felt more free.”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to come to terms with the truth within me: [to] become one with the truth and watch truth become one with life. The truth is love. Everything I look at is a reflection of me, and, everything I see is nothing but love and aloha. Because I’m constantly looking and I’m aware of my now – which is filled with gratitude, forgiveness, and love – then the truth is loving and treating everything the way you want to be treated, because brah, I’m tired of being an asshole to myself. Much love and aloha. P.S. It’s okay. ”