Instructor: Caroline Walkley
Community: Adolescent In-Patient Mental Health
Plan Creation Date: August 6, 2012
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Lesson Plan:
Set the Room
- Lights dimmed, each mat has a battery tea light, National Geographic cards out in front of room
- “Yoga is” – Mind/body connection through the breath
- Not a competition
Expectations
- Your mat is your personal space.
- This is your class – honor your body and also challenge it.
- Non-judgmental
- We are going to do some partner poses today so we will have some talking and interaction. I will ring the bell three times and on the third time, I need you quiet so we can move onto the next pose.
Introduction
- Community – choose a community word from the bowl (Words: Family, friendships, laughter, play, fun, sports, art, joy, love, music, dance, kindness, happiness)
- Say to students, “Today we are going to talk about community. We all have different kinds of communities that make up our lives. You may be part of a sports, dance or art community. The people in our postcard pictures come from different communities. Communities give and receive support and they can also be a challenge for us too. While you are in the hospital, the other people on the unit are your community. For some of the poses today, we are going to use the community in this room to have some fun with poses.
Calm
- Pulse/raise hand – p 83 Ask, “Let’s see what is going on with your pulse today before we get started?”
- Belly Breathing – p 63 through nose if possible, explain chest vs belly breath on NS
Activate
- Rock and Roll – p 84 – If it is a group that has been together or works well together, have every other student face the back of the room and rock and roll and greet each other when your heads come up (What’s up? How’s it going? Hello.) ☺
- Forward Bend – from boat roll forward, press hands and feet in mat and come to a forward bend. Slowly come up to standing.
- Mountain – p 79 – feet parallel to each other (show pigeon/duck), #11 for feet, lift top of the head to the sky, in Mountain show 4 Corners of feet and hands, press hands together
- Partner Poses – Shoulder Press with feet together and feet apart
- Outstretched Arm Press – arm is strong when you say your name and weak when you say something false
- Crescent – p 96
- Volcano – p 97 – Language : Volcano breath calms, centers, and releases tension. Think of someone you would like to send positive thoughts out to. It may be someone in the hospital with you or someone outside of the hospital. Get the image of that person in your mind. On your next volcano breath, send your thoughts out to that person.
- Sharing
- SS from Mat Flow (3x with different leaders) – p 158 from Mountain to Mountain – Place the community word you chose on the front of your mat. Every time you come to the front of your mat in your Sun Salute, say your word to yourself, bring that community or word into your body.
- Compliments for leaders
- WII – p 99 – heel to heel alignment – LT leg back first
- Past, present, future activity – p 119 – Your back hand represents the past. Think of a person who has been there for you in a difficult time in the past. In your front hand, imagine that there are people who will help you in the future.
- Rising moon – front palm to sky, back hand to back thigh
- Side angle – p 87
- Star – p 88
- Tree – p 91 – cue gaze – RT foot standing, then LT, imagine that someone who you trust holds your standing leg and supports you
- Tree Circle – p 92
- Flying Eagle – to Touching Toes in the Middle (low five with the feet)
- Partner Pull – p 80
- Forward Bend – p 76
- Breathing prone into belly– Talk about choosing members of your community to be your support system. Invite you to say something to yourself about your participation that is positive.
- Cobra – p71 – press into 4 corners of hands
- Airplane – p 89
- Bow – p 66
- Child’s Pose – with side stretch – p 70
- Bridge – p 67
- Twist – p 95 – with cactus arms – ask individually if they would like adjustments
- Knees to chest – one leg at a time, feet flexed
Calm
- Relaxation Pose
- Put the community word on your heart. You can infuse your community word into your body during the relaxation.
- Eye Covers with Lavender if they like the smell
- Progressive relaxation Language: Strongly contract your muscles
- Guided Relaxation – p 162 RELAX.calm – V is for Victory – Fife Music
- Share why you chose your National Geographic card
- Pulse Count at end