Instructor: Caroline Walkley
Community: Adolescent In-Patient Mental Health
Plan Creation Date: August 6, 2012
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Stillness
Lesson Plan:
Set the Room
- Lights dimmed, each mat has a battery tea light and a pinwheel
- “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
- Stillness: Choose a stillness word from the bowl (Words: calm, relaxed, at-ease, quiet, content, peace)
- Say to students, “Today we are going to talk about stillness. Stillness in your body and mind is a quality that you can draw on at any time to help you through difficult times and help you to focus. It is a feeling of inner peace. We can learn to still ourselves by our breathing and paying attention to slowing down our thoughts.”
Calm
- Pulse/raise hand: “Let’s see what is going on with your pulse today before we get started.” p. 83
- Belly Breathing: Through nose if possible, p. 63; explain chest vs belly breath on NS
- Glitter Ball: Coming into stillness after emotions are stirred up
Activate
- Repeat Cat/Cow to Child pose several times
- Forward Bend: From boat roll forward, press hands and feet in mat and come to a forward bend. Slowly come up to standing.
- Mountain: Feet parallel to each other (show pigeon/duck), #11 for feet, p. 79. Lift top of the head to the sky, I invite you to close your eyes and check in with the quiet within
- Crescent: p. 96
- Volcano: Volcano breath calms, centers, and releases tension; Language p. 97; shower yourself with your stillness word.
- SS from Mat Flow: Slowly and quietly (3x with different leaders), p. 158 from Mountain to Mountain – Place the stillness 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 stillness word into your body.
- Compliments for leaders
- WII: Heel to heel alignment, LT leg back first, p. 99; hold the pose in stillness for three breaths
- Rising moon: Front palm to sky, back hand to back thigh
- Side angle: p. 87
- Star: Hold this pose in stillness and check in with how your body feels; p. 88
- Pinwheel Breath: Begin with Hoberman sphere, pursed lips, pinwheel in back of throat too, no gasping, p. 81
- Tree: Cue gaze; RT foot standing, then LT, p. 91; imagine yourself still as a tree on a windless day, now use your pinwheel for a breeze
- Eagle: p. 72
- Dancer: p. 75
- Forward Bend: p. 76
- Breathing prone into belly– check in with your body – how does it feel now? Questions on stillness while on belly. Think back to a time when you experienced stillness? Where were you? What about that place or time helped you experience stillness? Was anyone with you? How did you feel? Do you feel stillness now? Invite you to say something to yourself about your participation that is positive.
- Cobra: Press into 4 corners of hands, p. 71; Language – feel the connection of your body on the mat. Lift head and heart
- Airplane: p. 89
- Child Pose: With side stretch, p. 70
- Bridge: p. 67
- Twist: With cactus arms – ask individually if they would like adjustments, p. 95
- Knees to chest: one leg at a time, feet flexed
Calm
- Relaxation Pose: Put the stillness word on your heart. You can infuse your stillness word into your body during the relaxation.
- Eye Covers with Lavender if they like the smell
- Progressive relaxation
- Guided Relaxation: Self-Portrait with emphasis on stillness – Rainforest Music, p. 116 in RELAX.calm
- Sharing: When we were on our bellies, what was a time when you felt stillness?
- Pulse Count at end