Instructor: LauraRose Hisrich
Community: Ages?, Community Housing School Aged Free class, 60 Minutes
Plan Creation Date: February 19, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Academic/Therapeutic/Other Goals: Continue to build community feeling. Do all Top 10 poses as a flow–but let student drum!–with strength focus. We will also practice our new poses from last week with student leaders and learn one more.
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–Strength 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 STRENGTH is. Be positive
about responses! If no one mentions be strong mentally/emotionally, try to draw it out. - Greeting – Hickity (Knees) Pickity (Shoulders) BumbleeBee (fist pounds), Won’t you say your name for me? Strong voice, Whisper voice, Clap LOUD with Strong voices (not yelling), Silent clap
- Grounding Mindful Moment Card – Back to mats – Mindful Moment Card: forest trail
- Ground Rules – HAVE VOLUNTEERS READ/ REVIEW ground rules and principles (on poster).
- Strength Mindful Moment Card – back to mats – Mindful Moment Card – imagine sport–share.
- 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 practice 3 NEW poses we learned last that go with an even longer flow, and learn one new one!
We will do only 4 of each thing, so should be able to do the whole thing in about 10-15 minutes! If someone who has come at least 3 times including last week wants to demonstrate, they may volunteer to lead. This week we will also try a student drummer–Don’t worry, I’ll tell you what to do from over here! - Belly Breathing – Min 15-20 – settle on bottoms – belling breathing with Hoberman Sphere: The oxygen in the air helps our bodies and brains be healthy and strong. Feel your strong body as you breathe in and out for 4.
- Pulse Count – Yoga and other exercise helps our heart muscle and all our muscles be strong and healthy. 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.
- 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 breathe out,send your heart thoughts out with a strong woosh out through your mouth. Do 3 more.
Activate
- Woodchopper – (pg. 100) – Min 20-30 – Before you chop, you are perfectly still. You have to have strong arms and legs to be a good wood chopper. When you breath out and chop, you drop down strongly towards your sturdy log.
- Mountain – (pg. 79) – ACTIVATED. Feel yourself as strong and firm and unmovable as a mountain.
- Roots – (pg 85) – Let’s trace those rectangles on our feet again and really press each of those bits of our feet down into the ground. Feel how strongly your roots are huging the ground 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 very strong and focused to do all the moves. How strong and activated can you make your left/right leg 4 beats each side.
- Twist – (pg 95) – Keep your shoulders strongly pressing on the ground as your legs fall to each side 4 drum beats on each side. Compliments to leader!
- Rock & Roll – (p84) – Min 30-40 – Student leaders, but I’ll drum so you all can feel them. About 8 counts each. Keep your belly pulled in and this will make your abdominal muscles very strong. BE CAREFUL NOT TO GO ON YOUR NECK!
- Forward Bend – (p76) – just hang like a rag doll–but keep your legs strong and activated. Activate your arms and stretch stongly towards the floor –ok If you can’t touch it! Relax vs activate.
- Downward Dog – (p74) – an all time favorite. Hands and Feet are both grounding into the mat/floor/earth. Strong, activated arms and legs. Try to straighten out your back–OK if you bend your knees.
- Tree (p74) – New One I lead, another all time favorite – not only do you need a strong leg, but you need a strong mind and focus for this one.
- Strength Mindful Moment Card – company of trees.
- Block Creek – (pg 64) – NO later than MIN 45 – New Game– set up–use positive self talk–that helps you be strong in yourself–Be positive to team mates–the goal is for everyone to get across safely–do a good job and we’ll make it more challenging with different ideas for how to go across.
Calm
- Pulse Count – Min 45-48 – sit back on bricks – Practice perfect stillness for 15 seconds while you feel your strong heart pulse–just know that it is always there, being strong in your core. Count if you feel to
- Belly Breathing – with Hoberman Sphere – student 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: Pillar of strength pg 129 – Gently sit up. Reactions? - 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!