Instructor: Galina Weber
Community: Ages 7-11, “Parent Works” group for children taken out of home by social services, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: January 10, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Breathing with Pinwheel – Each student would have a pin wheel to practice breathing. I would use nature images (waterfalls, meadows, mountains) and sounds to create the environment for grounding. Ask children to pay attention to the support from the ground while sitting on the mats and breathing.
- Pulse Counting – Help students find their pulse by drawing a line with two fingers from the corner of the mouth to the pulse. After everyone finds their pulse, they count the beats for 30 seconds.
- Roots – Ask children to stay tall and proud like trees and feel the support from Earth. Imagine being glued to the ground. Ask children to find their center and slowly start moving back and forward, side to side and back to the center. Repeat two times.
Activate
- Volcano Breath – Use an image of the mountain. Ask children to send a love thoughts and feeling towards the people that support them.
- Harassment Prevention – Ask children to stand in the Mountain Pose tall and proud and practice Strong Voice. Ask a volunteer to chase me. Discuss with children what it means to send a “double message”.
- Warrior 1 and 2 – In Warrior 1 pose ask children to ground themselves with legs hip-width apart and imagine extending laser beams from their fingertips. While in Warrior 2 pose imagine that back hand represent the past, which makes us stronger; the front hand represent future, which is our goals and find the balance in the center which is the present moment.
- Rock and Roll – Feel the floor support and massage your back muscles.
Calm
- Back Breathing – In pairs let the children breath 5-7 times with hands of the partner on their back. Ask to feel the support and warmth from the touch of the hands.
- Back Drawing – Ask children to sit in the circle. Ask them draw their favorite foods, animals, shapes and let the person being drawn on to guess what it is.
- Child’s Pose – Ask children to stack their hands like a pillow or put them along their body. Close your eyes, ground your head on the floor, relax and breathe.