Elementary Ages, School Setting, Grounding Lesson Plan (Broich)

Instructor: Amy Broich

Community: Elementary Ages, School Setting, 30-45 minutes

Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2016

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding

Lesson Plan:

Calm

• Belly Breathing – Student led: Seated Belly Breathing with one hand on heart and one on belly. Compliments from group. “Today we are going to focus on grounding our bodies. Do you know what that means? [allow students to answer]. That means we are going to feel a connection to the earth by balancing and using our bodies.”
• Rock and Roll – for 15-30 seconds. (5-10 times).
• Boat – Then ground into a Boat pose, take 3 deep breaths there. Release, Rock and roll and try Boat pose again (3 deep breaths).

Activate

• Bridge Pose – Lay back on the mat. Feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Pull elbows in close to ribs and point fingers up toward the sky. Ground down to the earth with your elbows and upper back, lift your belly and heart and press your shoulders into the earth. Bridge pose for 3 breaths, release and repeat 2 more times.
• Leg Extensions/Foot Circles – Stretch right leg into the air, interlace hands behind thigh, left leg flat on the floor. Draw circles with your foot in one direction then the other, switch legs.
• Cat/Cow – Roll over onto belly, come onto all fours- Cat and Cow for 4-8 breaths.
• Downward Dog – for 3 breaths.
• Plank – Come back to all fours, pint fingers straight ahead and spread them out like starfish. Ground down through the four corners of the hand and straighten your legs, like you are in a push up. We are going to hold here for a count of 3.
• Child’s Pose – for 3. Repeat Plank and Childs pose 2 more times.
• Downward Dog – for 3 breaths. Walk feet forward to hands [Forward fold] and hold for 3 breaths. Rise up, reaching arms high, breathing in. Exhale and bring hands to heart. Ground your feet down to the earth in Mountain Pose.
• Shoulder Clock – with a partner. “Stand side by side, ground down through your feet, lift arms straight up and place palms together in 12 o’clock position. Breathe in, exhale and take arms back to 1 o’clock, breath in, exhale 2 o’clock”…until you reach 6. Switch sides.
• Woodchopper – Step back onto your own mat, ground down through your feet like the roots of a tree, raise both hands above your head and hook your hands together like you are holding an axe. Imagine a piece of wood in front of you. On the count of three, swing hands down and chop the wood. Make a loud “huh” sound as you hit the wood. Let children take turns counting down.