Instructor:  Alyson Johnson

Community: Ages/Grades?, Sanctuary Setting, 1 hour

Plan Creation Date: December 20, 2013

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Stillness

Academic Goal: Find calm before the holiday break/ Gravity for astronomy

Props: 3 fake tea lights surrounding a vase of agates in water.

Music: Deuter Reiki CD, play out of laptop with speakers.

Lesson Plan:

Calm

  • Belly Breathing – Meet on the mat. Sit in cobbler’s pose. Breathe, hands on the belly for 1 minute. Notice the stillness in your body. Quiet your body, words, and thoughts (this is a much more talkative class).
  • Volcano Breaths – Bring hands to heart center. 5 volcano breathes.
  • Child’s Pose – Bring yourself to child’s pose.

Activate

  • Table – Bring body to table
  • Cat Cow
  • Down Dog –Feel stillness in your strongly planted hands, using all four corners of each hand to root down. Stable feet and legs, solid core. Think of a time you felt really strong and hold that image in your head now. Now lift the right leg straight back. Feel this stillness and strength in your core. Opposite leg.
  • Plank – Slow plank to the floor. Feel the steady position of the earth under your body. Up-dog.
  • Lunge – >forward fold (focus on drawing attention inward)- > Stand in mountain.
  • Roots – Ground in mountain, move side to side, then move in small, and gradually larger circles, then reverse, coming to a stable center. Stand as still as you can in mountain. Now try with eyes closed. Notice gravity pulling you into your roots. Stand in mountain.
  • Volcano Breaths – Take 3 standing volcano breathes.
  • Forward Fold – Swoop arms forward into chair – > forward fold, hands pushing legs to straighten. – > Chair – Stand
  • Eagle – Root down your right leg, lift left off of the floor, cross into eagle. Arms wide, cross, bend into Eagle (or hug self). Find a focus point. Sink into pose. Hold. Stand up controlled into star, then forward into flying Eagle (Warrior III). Keeping your roots strong, bring yourself back to stillness, both feet planted. Opposite side.
  • Forward fold – > Lunge -> Down Dog – > Plank – > Up-dog – > Child’s pose.

Calm

  • Twist – Come to laying for twist. On each side, do 5 deep belly breathes. Opposite side.
  • Stretch – Hug body into a tiny ball, then extend flat for full body stretch on back.
  • Come to relaxation pose.
  • Belly Breathing – Take 5 more belly breaths together.
  • Relaxation – Find stillness in your body. Notice how with stillness comes control, comes awareness, comes a sense of self. Close your eyes (eye pillows if small class). Notice what is on your mind. Gain awareness of this. You are on mat- island. It is you and your mind, and nothing else. I want to you picture something in your mind. When I change the channel to a new setting, try to have your mind follow. We will be switching through various channels, so keep your mind still and flexible.  Snowy day, 25 F, sun shine behind the snow.  Indoors, drinking cocoa/coffee on the couch.  Baking cookies in the kitchen, warm and delicious smelling.  Sitting by a stream in spring, toes in the water.  Pick flowers.  Riding a bike.  Holding a small pet calmly in your hands.  Walking on a summer’s day.  Go to your favorite place.
  • Chime – Listen for the bell. Slowly roll to the right. Come to seated. Peace in our thoughts, peace in our words, and peace in our actions.
  •  Debrief – was channels were easy? What was difficult? How can this apply to balance poses? Did this make you more observant? Why is it helpful to be able to switch you mind?

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