Instructor: Caroline Walkley
Community: Adolescent In-Patient Mental Health
Plan Creation Date: August 6, 2012
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Set the Room
- Lights dimmed, each mat has a small rock and a battery tea light
- “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
Introduction
- Grounding – Choose a grounding word from the bowl. (Words: Stable, Supported, Strength, Earth, Beauty, Nature, Art, Safe, Secure)
- Say to students, “Grounding is the ability to connect to the earth, to be physically aware in your body, to develop a sense of confidence in what you are doing, to feel physically safe and secure. A rock is grounded. It is from the earth. It is here to remind you to ground yourself.
Calm
- Pulse/raise hand – p 83 Ask, “What might be going on for you if your pulse is high? (exercise and also mention when you are anxious or angry)
- Glitter Ball when you are not grounded and your mind is stirred up like the glitter ball
- Belly Breathing – p 63 through nose if possible, explain chest vs belly breath on NS, to settle your mind (glitter ball)
Activate
- Cat/cow – p 68
- Alternate Arm/Leg Kicks – p 59
- Child’s Pose – p 70 – with relaxation point on forehead pressed into the earth. Press up to seated on your heals with hands remaining pressed into the mat and come into 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, yet you are grounded to the earth, in Mountain show 4 Corners of feet and hands, press hands together, Language: You are solid, strong and unmovable.
- Roots – p 85 – centered as you rock, palms together at heart
- Crescent – p 96
- SS from Mat Flow (3x with different leaders) – p 158 from Mountain to Mountain – Place the grounding 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 intention into your body and make it your own. Also, feel your feet grounded into the mat in all poses.
- Compliments for leaders
- WII – p 99 – heel to heel alignment – LT leg back first
- Past, present, future activity with rock in hand p 119
- Rising moon – front palm to sky, back hand to back thigh
- Side angle – p 87
- Star – p 88
- Wood chopper – p 100 – feet wider than hip width apart, “Huh” from deepest part of belly when hit the imaginary wood
- Tree – p 91 – cue gaze – RT foot standing, then LT, Feel as if your standing leg is as strong and steady as the trunk of a tree rooted into the earth.
- Dancer – p 72
- Forward Bend – p 76
- Breathing prone into belly– Grounding Reading, Invite you to say something to yourself about your participation that is positive.
- Cobra – p71 – press into 4 corners of hands, Language – feel the connection of your body on the mat, lift head and heart
- 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 grounding word on your heart and your rock on your belly. You can infuse your grounding word into your body during the relaxation.
- Now, breathe into your belly having the rock rise and fall.
- Eye Covers with Lavender if they like the smell
- Feel the connections of your body on the earth – the back of your head, your shoulders, your hands, the backs of your heels.
- Progressive relaxation – p 133
- Guided Relaxation – p 94 Stepping Stones in RELAX.calm adding grounding words and mentioning all the senses (use Rainforest music)
- Pulse Count at end