Instructor: Katie Thune
Community: Ages 11-14
Plan Creation Date: July 13, 2011
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding (Focus on anxiety)
Lesson Plan:
Setting the tone/creating a therapeutic environment:
- Turn down lights
- Have soft music playing
- Candle in middle of mats
Breath work:
Ten breaths with the Hoberman sphere. One student can lead. Two compliments to the leader after breaths.
Opening remarks:
Ask students about the word “anxiety”. Does anyone know what it means? Ask them about times when they get nervous or feel anxious. What does that feel like? Why do they think those types of things make them feel that way? Explain that it is very normal to feel anxiety. We are going to focus on different ways to help the body relax when it is feeling anxious. Different things that we can do to help when we feel that anxiety.
Yoga-Based Activities:
– Volcano breath – Think about a time that you felt anxiety. Think about a person that helped you in that situation. Send out peaceful thoughts to that person that made you feel calm.
– Roots – Stand with feet hip-width apart, pointing straight ahead. Rock forward and back with body activated and feet firmly on ground. Make movements smaller and smaller until you balance on the center of your feet. Now rock side to side and do the same, making movements smaller until you balance on the center of your feet.
– Mat 20 – Go through mat 20. Focus on breath. Play calming music. Go through salutation three times.
– Back drawing – Sit in a circle with everyone facing the same direction and sitting very close to one another in order to draw on backs. Talk them through a story where they have to draw different things with their fingers and hands on the persons back. Encourage them to use different movements with their hands and to try different things, but to also enjoy the back drawing on their own back as well.
Relaxation:
In relaxation go through the calm voice worksheet questions. Give sample answers so they can start thinking about finding their calm voice during relaxation. Play quiet music while reading the questions to them very slowly so they have time to think about the answers in their head.
Social Emotional Guidance:
Back drawing – Students are practicing helping each other to be calm.
Calm voice worksheet in relaxation will help them to start thinking about the questions to find their calm voice so they can fill out the worksheet at a later time.