Instructor:  LauraRose Hisrich

Community: Ages?, Community Housing School Aged Free class, 60 Minutes

Plan Creation Date: February 12, 2014

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding

Academic/Therapeutic/Other Goals: Continue to build community feeling. Do all Top 10 poses as a flow–with grounding focus. Learn 4 new poses from Mat 20.

Props/Music Resources Required: Snack, Mats, Hoberman Sphere, Drum/Mallet, R.E.L.A.X. book, iPod & player (Have it playing as they enter), Mindful Moments–Grounding Cards

Before Class: Labels/markers for names. Set out snacks if available. Move tables. Dust mop/ vacuum floor. Mats & bricks set out with nametags for those here last week. Other props at front. On entry have kids remove shoes, color nametags if new this week/if time, get contact info from parents if available. If snack is available they can just eat it now at the table!

Lesson Plan:

Calm

  • Circle Up / Shining Star notes and stickers  – Min 0-10 – Point out the word on my board and ask kids what they think GROUNDING is. Be positive
    about responses!
  • Greeting – Hickity (Knees) Pickity (Shoulders) BumbleeBee (fist pounds), Won’t you say your name for me? Strong voice, Whisper voice, Clap syllables, Silent clap
  • Grounding Mindful Moment Card – Back to mats – Mindful Moment Card: forest trail
  • Ground Rules – Super Duper Quickly Review ground rules and principles (on poster).-HAVE VOLUNTEERS READ THEM–ask last week’s “experts” to expound.
  • Introduction – Min 10-20 – Just like last week we are going to FLOW all of our poses together. That means we’re just going to do them one after another without a lot of explaining. Then we will learn 3 NEW poses that go with an even longer flow! I’ll be the a counter and drummer one more time, because I want you all to be able to focus on feeling what it is like to do it and think about really grounding your body and thoughts to the Earth. We will do only 4 of each thing, so should be able to do the whole thing fairly quickly. If someone who has come at least 3 times including last week wants to demonstrate, they may volunteer to lead.
  • Belly Breathing – Min 15-20 – settle on bottoms – belling breathing with Hoberman Sphere: Ground your backside into your brick and feel the air comes and goes through your nose for 4 breaths.
  • Pulse Count – review Pulse Count: Feeling your pulse is a good way to really connect with how your body is feeling. Knowing your heart will always keep beating can help us feel grounded and safe. You can try counting in your head how many beats you feel if your ready for that yet–if you’re not ready for that yet, it’s just fine to just feel if it is fast or slow. If kids having trouble they can just feel their heartbeat in their chest!
  • Volcano Breath – (pg 97) – Let’s stand up and ground our feet strongly into the Earth and feel the strength that comes through you allowing you to really give your love out to someone else. Think of someone special to whom you want to send your Special Heart thoughts. PAUSE –do you have someone in mind? When you breath out, Listen to the sound of all our breath sending that love out into the world. Breathe in, be still and thoughtful, now let it woosh out through your mouth this time. Do 3 more.

Activate

  • Woodchopper – (pg. 100) – Min 20-30 – Before you chop, you are perfectly still. You feel the ground strong under your big work boots, The Ax is heavy in your hands. When you breath out and chop, you drop down strongly towards the ground and your woodpile.
  • Mountain – (pg. 79) – ACTIVATED. A mountain IS the ground isn’t it? Feel yourself as strong and firm and unmovable as a mountain.
  • Roots – (pg 85) – Roots keep us from falling over–they keep us grounded. Let’s trace those rectangles on our feet again and really press each of those bits of our feet down into the ground. Imagine you are on a beach in the warm sand sinking each point on your foot deeper and deeper into the grains of sand. on a 4 beats big then small each way.
  • Crescent Moon – (Pg 96) – 4 points of Listening-up, side, up, side–each place 4 drum. Feel your feet firmly grounded on earth as your arms and mid soar to the rocky moon!
  • Dancer – A dancer really needs to be able to focus on his or her body and even as he or she flies through the air/he or she needs to be looking for that moment when he or she connects with the ground! Practice grounding one leg now. 4 beats each side–strong activated leg/focus on one thing that doesn’t move.
  • Twist – (pg 95) – just relax and let your back stretch while you lie back imagine your shoulders pressed into the soft moss of the forest floor for 4 drum beats on each side.
  • Grounding Mindful Moment Card – tunnel room–share. COMPLIMENTS TO LEADER!
  • Rock & Roll – (p84) – Min 30-40 – new poses I lead this time.  Just stay on your back and roll up and down your back. Feel your back pressing into the squishy mat with the firm floor beneath you. BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO ON YOUR NECK!
  • Forward Bend – (p76) – just hang like a rag doll– rag dolls are very grounded –it just comes naturally for them. Feel the ground with you fingertips. Imagine you are outside in a favorite spot, what do you feel with your fingertips?
  • Downward Dog – (p???)–an all time favorite. Hands and Feet are both grounding into the mat/floor/earth. Try to straighten out you back–OK if you bend your knees.
  • Activate/Relax Walk – (pg 58) – NO later than MIN 45 – stay on mats just wandering around in a relaxed way–just walking–no-running–but be ready for me to call out ACTIVATE! Right then become perfectly still in whatever shape you like–try GROUNDING different body parts. Can you touch your knee to the ground? Elbow? Backside?

Calm

  • Grounding Mindful Moment Card – Min 45-48 – sit back on bricks – Mindful Moment Card – worked hard memory.
  • Pulse Count – Practice perfect stillness for 15 seconds while you feel your pulse–just know that it is always there and will keep on boomp-boomping along your whole life.
  • Belly Breathing – with Hoberman Sphere – Feel your backside firm on your brick–only your belly moves in and out as the air comes and goes through your nose, pick count-er and leader –do between 4-7 breaths. Compliments.
  • Relaxation – Min 48-55 – It’s important to let our bodies soak up the things it has learned, so we always end with a little relaxing time. Please close your eyes so you don’t get distracted by things around you, so your imagination can take over while your body resting in contact with your mat/the
    floor/the ground, then I’ll tell you a story – Story from RELAX book: Pleasant Dreams pg 152. Gently sit up.
  • Clean-up – Min 55-60 – Clean up mats and bricks, Say goodbye to each child by name and ask what their favorite part was. Tell them that you look forward to seeing them next week. Clean up room, turn off light, lock door etc!

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