Teen girl Retreat

In April 2023 we took eight teenage girls on a 2-night, 3-day Retreat. The girls are supported by and live together at the Lillian Howell Project (Lillians), a specialist homelessness service. They provide medium to long term 24-hour, on- site gender specific supported housing for up to 13 young women and girls from 13 to 17 years of age. Lillian’s aim is to provide young women who have experienced complex trauma with a stable environment offering care that is reparative and empowering, and that builds the capacity of the young women through modelling reliable and consistent. Lillians’ model of care is very much aligned with The Yoga Foundation’s values and we felt confident this retreat would be very beneficial for the girls in multiple ways.

Our April 2021 Retreat, also with Lillians, went very well and we built on that success, applying our knowledge and experience with this cohort as well as applying current research. The Retreat program was designed by The Yoga Foundation and Natalie Haider who was selected to be the yoga teacher on this Retreat. Natalie is a Registered Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist and a Registered Psychologist. The entire experience was created to be trauma informed, meet diverse needs and introduce the girls to yoga-based activities to self- soothe, regulate the nervous system, educate and have fun.

Our aim was to ensure they felt safe and supported and could enjoy a retreat from their day-to-day routines, be refreshed by a new environment in nature and connect to themselves and others. Lillians’ Manager, Vivian, and caseworker, Ruby, also attended the Retreat to support the girls also participate.

On arrival the girls were excited to explore and raced around the property. Their energy and smiles were great to see. They rarely, if ever, have holidays and they expressed sheer delight at being out of the city and at the beautiful Yanada, St Albans, NSW. All attended a Welcome
Circle and enjoyed a gentle movement practice after the car journey. After a delicious vegetarian dinner prepared by the chef at Yanada the girls had free time or could join us for a movie.

Day 2

We started our second day with a bush walk through the property and Natalie invited everyone to take part in a Five Senses Nature Scavenger Hunt. Most of the girls enthusiastically called out when they spotted mushrooms, flowers, a fallen bird’s nest and spiders in their huge webs. At the top of a hill we paused to rest and Natalie offered the group some gentle breathing exercises. Everyone enjoyed being outside in the beautiful bush, the peace and the sunshine.

After our walk we had a yoga session with the theme of Balance. Natalie provided useful psychoeducation about finding balance in our lives, as well as fun and challenging balancing poses to take us out of our heads and into our bodies.

After lunch it was time to get messy! Natalie led a session to create a DIY sensory self-soothe pack and we all made slime and stress balls. The girls really appreciated this relaxing, playful experience, learning the many ways the nervous system can be soothed and emotions can be regulated.

A restorative yoga session was our final activity of the day and this was the most popular of the yoga sessions. Natalie skilfully showed the girls how to use bolsters and blankets to support their bodies and invite deep relaxation.

In the late afternoon and evening the girls, enjoyed being in the cold swimming pool and warm outdoor spa, built a fire and toasted marshmallows.

There was something for everyone to enjoy and the smiles, laughter and conversation was testament to their engagement and open hearts and minds.

DAY 3

For our final morning we basked in the sunshine on the deck as Natalie led a sensory activity using Dialectal Behavioural Therapy TIPP skills that integrate yoga tools. This included temperature changes and paced breathing.

We experienced what an ice cube on the back of our necks could do, learnt how using a straw to regulate our breath could calm us and how a sour sweet could shift you out of distress or overwhelm. Our final yoga session invited everyone to partner up and support one another through movement. A closing circle and gratitude practice showed how much everyone had appreciated this Retreat and all that it had to offer.

Impact

The feedback from the teenage girl participants was beyond our expectations. All indicated they would use the techniques and practices taught back at home.

7 out of the 8 girls rated the whole experience “Excellent” and one asked “can we do it every year?”. We would love to. The girls return to their lives nourished, rested and restored, equipped with new strategies and techniques to support their recovery and healing from complex trauma, anxiety and depression and build their confidence and agency.

Key comments from the girls:

“I learnt to surrender to my emotions.”
“It was all relevant and amazing. Thank you!”
“Very helpful and relaxing. I loved the workshops”.
“What did you learn during this Retreat? Gratitude and joy.”