Instructor: Zila Phillips
Community: Ages 6-10, Kids Center, 60 minutes
Plan Creation Date: February 2, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Intro
- Name Toss – Students toss ball to each other while saying the person’s name.
Calm
- Standing Belly Breathing with Hoberman Sphere – Therapist models breaths before asking a participant to lead breaths for the group and another participant to count the breaths. Participants give compliments to both.
- 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.
Activate
- Plank – Participants come to all fours, with knees several inches behind hips. Point fingers ahead and spread them like rays of the sun. Press down through all four corners of each hand. Straighten one leg back, turn toes under, and place foot on floor. Do the same with the other leg and come into a push-up position with shoulders directly over or slightly behind the wrists. Lift legs, hips, belly and head until body is straight like a board, tailbone is tucked toward the floor. Press out through heels and top of head. Keep breathing.
- Superman – Participants lie on belly with arms stretched out in front, thumbs pointing up. Lengthen and lift right leg then left arm, chest and head. Switch sides. Now lift both arms, head and chest. Reach out strongly through arms and legs. In pose lean to left and right like Superman banking a turn. Take arms out to side like airplane wings.
- Arm Swings – From standing inhale and turn palms outward and raise arms out to the side and then overhead. Exhale and lower arms back to sides. See how slowly and smoothly participants can move, like a bird flying in slow motion.
- Shoulder Clock – Participants are paired by height and stand side by side. Lift inside arms straight up and place palms together in twelve o’clock position. Breathe into upper chest and spread fingers. Exhale and take arms back about a foot to one o’clock position. Keep chest and top of head lifting. Repeat breath cycle and clocking of the arms until they are down by sides at six o’clock. Repeat with other arm.
- Past, Present and Future – Participants come into Warrior II pose. As they hold the pose therapist tells them that the back hand represents the past and the front had represents the future. The explain that we want to be aware of the past and the effect it has on us, and also of future goals. Our eyes are looking in the direction of the future while we keep awareness of and respect for the past. We don’t want to be stuck in the past, or too far in the future, so we keep our weight balanced in the middle-the present moment. Participants then fill out Pat, Present, and Future worksheet and share their results. Participants are asked to think of a person who has helped them in the past through difficulties. With that person in mind participants pick a small stone from a bowl of stones. While holing Warrior II, participants hold the stone in their back hand as a reminder that they will always carry that person with them, inside them.
Calm
- One Minute Exploration – Choose strength mindful card for visualization.
- Mindful Snack – Students instructed to wait until everyone has their snack, open the wrappers together and eat slowly, savoring each bite