Instructor: Zila Phillips
Community: Ages 6-10, Kids Center, 60 minutes
Plan Creation Date: February 9, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Lesson Plan:
Intro
- Name Toss – Students toss ball to each other while saying the person’s name.
Calm
- Mountain Pose – Participants activate body, feel feet strong into the ground, feel strong as a mountain.
- Volcano Breath – Participants stand and perform three volcano breaths after modeling by therapist.
- Seated Belly Breathing with Hoberman Sphere – Therapist models breaths before asking participant to lead breaths for the group and another participant to count the breaths. Participants give compliments to both.
Activate
- Cobra – Participants lie on belly with tops of feet and legs close together. Place palms flat on floor and under shoulders. Fingers point straight ahead. Press four corners of hands down. Make a slow hissing sound and lift head, heart and belly. Keep shoulders back and down, elbows close to body, tops of feet on floor. Lower and repeat two more times.
- Partner Pull – Participants pair up and hold each others’ right wrist with right hand. Step back about 1-2 feet, bend knees, and sit back until thighs are almost parallel to the floor and the back is flat. Gently pull the right hip back, striving the right side body from shoulder to hip. Breathe in and fan the ribs out to the right in a side-bending action. Come up together. Repeat on the other side. Before starting discuss asking permission for touching, being responsible, gentle and aware of each participants’ use of force.
- Tree Challenge – In pairs, participants stand and face each other, one standing in Tree pose and the other challenging the balance of the one in the pose by jumping up and down, waving and so on. Touching or blowing is not allowed. Switch legs then roles. Repeat with both students facing each other with their right legs up in tree, their right hands touching, and their left hands on their hips. At first, press hands gently toward each other for support. Then slowly begin to challenge each other by gently pressing back and forth, out to the sides and so on without falling off balance. Switch arms then legs. Grabbing, pulling the other person’s hand, and pushing hand into other person’s body is not allowed. Discuss what helps to stay in balance (following each others’ cues, focusing, helping/respecting each other…)
- Personal Space – Have two volunteers come to front of the room. Have them stand about 10 to 12 feet apart, facing each other. Ask participant 1 to begin walking slowly toward participant 2. As participant 1 nears, participant 2 raises a hand to show the boundary of his or her personal space. Switch roles and repeat with several participants. Then divide group into two lines, facing each others. Have one line walk toward the other until each participant comes to the boundary of another’s personal space. Notice the differences in people. Alter the lines and repeat. Have participants notice the differences in each other personal spaces. Have a participant walk right into another’s personal space and notice nonverbal cues. Brainstorm a list of things that can affect a persons’ need for personal space (E.g. how well people know each other, personal hygiene, gender, how a person feels that day, height, family and culture, profession…)
Calm
- Calm Voice – Students lie on the floor while therapist reads Calm Voice Worksheet. After the visualization students draw a picture of themselves feeling calm, write down what the voice says and share with the group.
- Mindful Snack – Students instructed to wait until everyone has their snack, open the wrappers together and eat slowly, savoring each bite.