A new movement studio, explicitly designed to support women’s healing from domestic, family and sexual violence through physical movement and connection, is set to be developed at the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre.
The space will provide a welcoming, safe, and empowering environment for women to rebuild strength – both physically and emotionally.
“Physical movement and exercise – are so important to our mental health,” says Alex Mlodziejewski, the Centre’s Social and Creative Expression Coordinator.
“Learning to connect with our bodies, listen to them, and feel safe in doing so, is vital to recovery.”
The studio will feature an array of specialised equipment designed to support balance, coordination, and strength.
The plan includes items like a balance beam, Bosu balls, sensory mats, a Pilates reformer, and resistance training tools.
These are carefully selected to help women re-establish a sense of bodily control and resilience, often disrupted by trauma.
Jean Alvisse, the movement and mobility coach at the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre, envisions the space as warm, inviting, and deeply supportive.
“It’ll be a safe movement space that any woman can access and feel safe, gain knowledge, and feel connected to other women,” she explains.
The Centre already runs several groups and workshops designed to support women physically and emotionally, including a bi-weekly walking group, a self-care group, and a mind, body, and connection group.
An eight-week trauma-sensitive Yoga class delivered by the Yoga Foundation began on May 30.
The new studio space will allow the Centre to grow its offering for women.
The studio will be free to access for clients of the Centre, removing financial barriers that often prevent women from engaging in healing physical activity.
In addition to individual movement practice, the studio may host group classes focused on both physical and emotional well-being.
The Centre is now developing plans to refurbish the space so that it will be ready for use in the coming months.
