Instructor: Katie Thune
Community: Ages 6-9
Plan Creation Date: July 13, 2011
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community (Focus on making friends, team building, getting to know each other)
Lesson Plan:
Setting the tone/creating a therapeutic environment:
- Turn on yoga lamp – other lights are off
- Have soft music playing
- Students can make name tents for their mats as they are coming into the room
- Go through Yoga Calm rules
Breath work:
Begin with pinwheels – let students walk around the room to the drum beat using their breath to blow the pinwheel. Remind them to not run into anyone. When the drum beat stops they should find way back to mat. Eight to ten breaths with the Hoberman sphere. Let one student use the sphere and ask others to give two compliments after the breathing is done.
Opening remarks:
Explain to the students that we will be using this yoga session to learn a little bit about each other and to begin building a community among ourselves.
Yoga-Based Activities:
– Trust Walk: Demonstrate with one volunteer how this is done before having them do it on their own. Demonstrate how to move slowly and how the guide’s role is to make the person feel safe. Demonstrate how to back the student up, turning in different directions, etc. Split class in half. Half closes eyes and holds out index finger (explain to them that it’s like they are reaching out to ring a doorbell). The other half then quietly finds a person to guide. Play the drum as they walk around for about three minutes. Those being led then have to guess who they think was guiding them. Switch roles – students have to find another person to guide.
– Mat 20: Belly breathing, pulse count (do this sitting cross legged). Then move to volcano – have them think about a person who they can trust. Send out peaceful thoughts to that person in volcano. Rock and roll, boat, mountain, upward mountain, forward bend, warrior, downward dog, plank, cobra, downward dog, warrior other side, forward bend, chair, upward mountain, mountain, tree. After tree on own, try circle tree as a group. Then twist.
– Compliment Game: At the end of the Mat 20, students form a circle by grasping a large Hoberman Sphere. Each student takes a turn coming into the center of the sphere. The others take turns giving the student a compliment. Practice making eye contact, using names, and giving specific compliments. The person in the middle practices saying “thank you”.
Relaxation:
While lying on mats, walk the students through a relaxation using all of the new names of the students in the class. Before the relaxation, ask for ideas on where they should go in the story and what they might see. Make sure to use all of the student names in the class.
Social Emotional Guidance:
Trust Walk – Have a quick discussion afterwards to talk about what it felt like for them. Ask which role was easier for them. What was difficult about each role?
Compliment Game – If students are nervous, holding onto the sphere while they wait might help them focus that nervous energy on something else.