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Instructor: Elliot Witherspoon
Community: Ages 5-10, Mixed Age Group, Setting?, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: April 30, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Ground Rules
1. Treat yourself like royalty.
2. Respect each others’ space.
3. Use positive self-talk: I am strong. I am in control. I can do it. I can be responsible.
4. If you are struggling, instead of saying “I can’t”, say I’m not ready for that” or “I haven’t learned that yet”.
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breaths – with hands on belly: Be aware of your breaths as you expand your body.
- Volcano Breaths – with kindness thoughts: Think of someone who could use some extra kindness right now. As you exhale, send out those thoughts of kindness to those people. Invite participants to share to whom they sent out their kind thoughts.
Activate
- Tree – Imagine your leg being held stable to the ground by people who love you. As you begin to lift your foot, imagine your community boosting their support of you. Lift your arms and expand your breath as you activate your branches.
- Tree Circle – Now move in to touch hands with your community here. Notice how your community supports you, physically. Now think about how else you’re supported by your friends.
- Block Creek – Set up to challenge balance as well as support if they want it. When it is the turn of the “creek crosser” they get to choose how they will be supported… silently, with clapping (with noise or sign clapping), words of encouragement.
Calm
- Compliments – Share out how it felt to be supported by your community and compliment each other specifically on their participation and support.
- Back Drawing – Each child is encouraged to draw a picture. Start with some squiggles, straight lines, and prepping the canvas before drawing a gift for the receiver. At the end of the drawing, the child can lean forward and whisper what that gift is. The recipient can say thank you.
- Song – Group song, chosen by a child.