Instructor: Sara Keller
Community: Elementary Ages, School Setting, 30-45 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – with the Hoberman Sphere. Instruct students to set an intention for this practice by choosing something or someone that grounds them to think of during the practice. Give examples like parents, nature, a pet – something or someone that makes you feel grounded and safe. Think of that person throughout the practice while we do something fun and challenging, and you keep your feet (or at least one foot) grounded throughout the entire practice!
Activate
- Roots – ground feet into the floor as if the roots pulling you into the ground. Sway from right to left, then settle back in the center and experience the pull of the roots. Sway front to back and let the body naturally settle back into the center and experience the pull of the roots.
- Tree – Maintaining the idea of grounding, move into tree pose. Once you have balance, try to stay grounded through just one foot and raise arms up, at heart center, or on the hips – whatever is comfortable and grounded. Stay here for a few breaths and then switch to the other side.
- Crescent Moon – With both feet on the ground, raise arms up for upward mountain, then maintaining grounding through the feet, crescent moon on both sides.
- Forward Fold – Come back to Mountain pose and forward fold through center.
- Chair – Bend the knees and shoot the arms up towards the sky. Keeping the feet grounded in place, airplane the arms back, then shoot the arms all the way up to the sky while straightening the legs and staying grounded to the earth. Repeat.
- Dancer – Come back to Mountain pose, and maintaining grounding through the left foot, bend the right knee back and grab your right shoe laces with your right hand while extending your left hand forward. Wobbles are okay! Stay grounded through your left foot. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Bridge – Next – slowly bend your knees until you’re sitting on the ground, keeping your feet planted. Roll slowly down to your back, keeping your feet planted, you knees bent pointing upwards. Press your hips up towards the ceiling, keeping your feet planted. Hold for a few breaths, then slowly lower down. Repeat.
- Table – Now, press your hands into the ground, fingers pointed towards your feet, and keeping your feet grounded, press up your whole body for table pose.
Calm
- Lower down slowly, and now, you can release your grounding to the earth and lay flat on your back.
- Relaxation – Lay flat on your back and think about how you maintained grounding during the practice today. Who or what did you think about that, and how did that help you stay focused (even if you wobbled and fell out!)