Instructor: Mary Tesoro
Community: Ages 5-8, Aikido Gym Setting
Plan Creation Date: January 14, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Academic/Therapeutic/Other Goals: Physical Strength helps prevent injury and disease and develops capability, confidence, and self-esteem. Mental Strength is the use of positive self-talk, respecting boundaries, & monitoring what’s taken into the mind & body. Emotional strength is the ability to feel, identify, and express feelings without harming oneself or others.
Props/Music Resources Required: Hoberman Sphere /Music & Player/ Drum / Signs (Ground Rules & Positive Self Talk)
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – with Hoberman Sphere – Student Leader. Choose Breaths, Leader, Counter. Compliments.
Activate
- Woodchopper
- Yoga Flow – Mountain—Upward Mountain—Crescent Moon—Upward Mountain—Mountain—Forward Bend
- Roots
- Warrior I and Warrior II – Use Strength Images and Positive Self Talk
- Archetype Game – Variation asking students to be strong self (differentiate strength and aggression)
- Strong Voice
- Woodchopper #2 – “Super Strong” Woodchopper, with “Super Strong” Voice and Roots. After Group does 3-5 chops, have each student demo or lead one “super” chop for group.
- Harassment Prevention 1 – As in Yoga Calm Book
- Harassment Prevention 2 – De-Escalation Variation
- Power Stance – Pivoting, Verbal/Non-Verbal Cohesion, Peaceful Power
- De-Escalation – (Grounding, Roots, Breath, Eyes, Gestures, Voice, Words, Movement)
- Circling Bully Challenge – (similar to tree challenge but focused on remaining calm and grounded, maintaining eye contact, and delivering assertive, cohesive messages to circling or boundary crossing bully)
- Discussion and Sharing – Design sharing topic in-the-moment to address what has been coming up in the group during the Harassment Prevention activities. Provide emotional guidance and integration opportunities for issues of strength, power, safety, and wellbeing.)
Calm
- Relaxation – Guided Relaxation on Peaceful Power. End Guided Relaxation by having students create their “Power Channel” (as in Changing Channels activity) that they can switch on anytime they need to feel their strength. Incorporate Positive Statements.
- Sharing – Students share about their Power Channel