Instructor: Megan Lyons
Community: Elementary Ages, School Setting, 30-40 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 28, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – Using beanie babies or beanbags , demonstrate belly breathing by placing one on belly while lying down. The group watches to see what happens to the beanie baby and then has an opportunity to practice belly breathing with a beanie baby/beanbag on their bellies.
Activate
- Mat 20 Flow – Lead students through Mat 20 flow 2-3 times. Use descriptive language in each pose such as “make your legs into one tail like a cobra, squeezing your leg muscles in tight. Push up off the floor like a cobra ready to attack. Make a hissing sound like a snake.” Have leaders lead the flow with assistance two more times. Practice giving and receiving compliments.
- Roots – Have children picture in their minds a large tree and its roots. Children will stand with feet hip width apart, rocking forward and back with feet firmly on the floor. Have children make rocking movements smaller, side to side, then big circles to the left. Children are grounding themselves into the earth.
- Tree – Have children stand with legs and feet together, shifting weight into the left foot. Bend right knee up, placing the sole of their foot as high as possible with strain. Bring palms together in front of heart, having children standing tall like trees. Shift to the other side and repeat.
- Archetype Game – Explain to children that they will be able to grow into statues and act out their statue while moving around the room. Have the children spread out and get into a squatting position. Count to 4 slowly and have children grow into a statue such as a kind or queen. With music playing, children will move around the room the way their statue or character would move. When children hear “Freeze”, they will stop and squat again. Start music over and repeat with a different archetype.
Calm
- Pulse Count – Take 2 fingers to side of mouth and draw line down to to the groove of neck. Press gently to find pulse. Count pulse silently to self.
- Child’s Pose – remind children this is a very calming pose that can be done on their own any time they are feeling tired, frustrated, stressed.
- Relaxation – Have students picture their favorite place. What does it look like? What does it sound like? Do you hear natural sounds such as water moving down a stream or do you hear people making sounds? What do you feel like while in your favorite place?