This initiative provides weekly yoga sessions for adolescents receiving inpatient mental health care at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH). Integrated into the unit's therapeutic group program, the sessions offer young people a safe, supportive way to regulate emotions, reduce anxiety and develop lifelong coping strategies as part of their treatment. 

By combining movement, breathing and mindfulness, while prioritising personal choice and nervous system regulation over physical perfection or complex poses, the program aims to strengthen wellbeing and complement the clinical care provided by the unit’s multidisciplinary team. 

Adolescence is a critical period of emotional, social and psychological development. For young people experiencing acute mental illness, a hospital admission can be overwhelming, leaving them feeling disconnected from themselves, others and the activities that support wellbeing. 

While clinical treatment is essential, recovery also depends on helping young people develop practical skills they can continue to use after leaving hospital. Yoga offers a gentle, evidence-informed approach that supports emotional regulation, mindfulness, body awareness and stress management - all skills that align with the unit's Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)-informed model of care. 

Delivered by an experienced instructor with expertise in working with vulnerable young people, the sessions provide a structured opportunity for adolescents to build resilience, practise healthy coping strategies and experience moments of calm during a difficult period in their lives. 

The program is expected to benefit around 250 young people admitted to the Adolescent Mental Health Unit each year, improving wellbeing, encouraging engagement in treatment and equipping patients with practical skills they can carry into everyday life.