Instructor: Renee Combs
Community: Ages/Grades?, Setting?
Plan Creation Date: January 14, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Goal: Examine what grounding looks like and feels like. The intention, or goal, of this lesson is to learn grounding techniques and when and why we would use this.
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Volcano Breath
- Cat/Cow
- Opening Remarks – It is important to feel grounded so that we have a place to go when we need to find balance, strength, and focus. Practicing grounding skills will help us physically and emotionally.
Activate
- Child’s Pose – “Relax your mind and feel yourself connect with the earth under you”
- Downward Dog
- Mountain – “As you feel yourself grounding with your feet, close your eyes and feel yourself standing tall and strong in mountain”
- Roots
- Woodchopper
- Arm Swings
- Chair
- Dancer
- Archetype Game – Social Emotional Activity – “How did you feel when the drum stopped and you grounded into your pose?” “Which character pose was your favorite – why?” Have students show some of their favorite “freeze” poses, can be from game or personal favorites.
Calm
- Discussion – How can we use grounding in our personal life at home, at school, in sports, with friends?
- Progressive Relaxation – “While standing, close your eyes , and feel your center of balance. Lift your toes up and place them down one at a time feeling the connection to the earth. Rock back and forth and come back to center. Tighten your leg muscles, Clench your fists and squeeze. Take a deep breath in and hold… slowly release your breath, (do this 2 or 3 times) slowly open up your hands and relax your legs. Lastly open up your eyes, make a big circle up with your arms and bring down to heart center, go out into the new day feeling renewed and grounded.”