11/11/2025
Stillness in Singapore
Recently, on a soccer trip to Singapore with 13 and 14-year-old girls, the coach asked if anyone could offer yoga or meditation. I volunteered — though my daughter, Matilda, was a little bit embarrassed.
I’d never led a group of teenage girls before. Adults, yes.
I was a little apprehensive and wondered:
How do I get sixteen teenage girls to be quiet for even a few seconds?
Their systems were overstimulated — dopamine, cortisol, hormones, blue light toxicity, the buzz of shopping. I wasn’t sure how I would guide them into stillness.
We gathered on the rooftop deck of the hotel, lying under the moon in the warm Singapore sky.
I offered 20 minutes of gentle yoga followed by 10 minutes of Yoga Nidra.
As I began, I quickly realised it was going to be harder than I thought to hold their energy. So I guided them into a short visualization — inviting them to imagine how they’d like to feel on the field when playing their next game. Calm, focused, proud, in their bodies.
I reminded them where they were.
That they were in Singapore. That this was special. That they are special.
So often we focus only on what we did wrong. I wanted them to feel how truly gifted they are — in their own unique way. To feel proud.
To offer themselves some self-love.
Because most of them have never been taught to breathe properly.
Not taught what it feels like to feel safe in their bodies or access their hearts.
Not taught they are not their thoughts — or how to come home to themselves.
During the session, I noticed different levels of presence.
Some tuned in. Some drifted.
But I thought — if I reached even a few of them, that would be enough.
A few came up afterward and said, “That was really relaxing.”
I could see the shift in their faces.
On the second night, it felt harder — more shopping, more distraction, more noise.
By the end of the session, I simply asked them to lie down and spend just ten seconds in silence — with themselves, and as a group.
At the end, I waited to see if they’d start moving.
And I waited another ten seconds.
Still — completely still.
Sixteen teenage girls lying quietly under the warm Singapore sky.
I felt the energy shift.
I felt their presence.
I felt their group coherence.
Afterward, a few told me they had nearly fallen asleep.
On the third day — we were finished, as girls had dropped out of the competition.
The coach told me that after dinner, a few of the girls had gone up to the rooftop…
to do yoga on their own.
My heart felt happy.
Because now, maybe they have a reference point —
Of what it’s like to be still.
To be quiet.
To listen.
To lie on the floor.
To feel their bodies.
And to take a deep breath. 💗
