Instructor: Sara Keller
Community: Elementary Ages, School Setting, 30-45 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – with Hoberman Sphere
- Volcano Breath – Instruct students to inhale and exhale with the strength of a volcano while extending their hands upwards, out, and around.
Activate
Yoga-Based Activities: Setting an intention for this practice – think of something that makes you strong, or someone strong that has characteristics that you see in yourself. I feel strong when I am playing soccer, or I feel strong when I do well on a test, or I feel like superman when I help people. Think about when you feel strong throughout this practice. We’ll be doing some poses to help you feel strong.
- Mountain – Let’s begin to build strength and energy. Start at the top of your mat with feet about hip distance apart, standing tall. Point both hands toward the ground, bend your knees and touch your fingers to the ground like you’re Spiderman and your fingers shot webs to the ground pulling you there.
- Chair – Then, keeping your knees bent, shoot your webs out in front of you or towards the sky for a strong chair pose. Airplane your arms back like you’re flying through the air like superman! Then shoot your arms up towards the sky, pulling your legs straight at the same time for upward mountain pose. Let’s repeat that same series again… Bend the knees fingers towards the ground. Then hand point up or out in front of you. Airplane the arms back, then extend arms up and stand all the way up for a strong mountain.
- Forward Fold – Now, bring your hands through heart center, and fold forward. Halfway lift your upper body to flatten out your back, then fold forward completely.
- Plank – Plant both hands and step both feet back for a high plank.
- Cobra – Lower all the way down to the belly, then press into the ground using your strong arm muscles and push your chest up halfway, with bent elbows for cobra. Hold here like a strong cobra snake.
- Downward Dog – Then use your strong body to tuck your toes under, press your hips back, and straighten out your arms for downward dog pose. Take a breath or two here to prepare.
- Warrior 1 – From downward dog, step your right foot forward for a low lunge.
Shoot both arms towards the ceiling, keeping your right knee bent for a strong warrior pose. Then extend your right arm forward and your left arm back for another strong warrior pose. Take your right hand and turn your palm up. Then raise that hand toward the sky while your back hand lowers down your back leg, keeping your front knee bent. - Plank – Plant both hands and step both feet back for a high plank.
- Cobra – Lower all the way down to the belly, then press into the ground using your strong arm muscles and push your chest up halfway, with bent elbows for cobra. Hold here like a strong cobra snake.
- Downward Dog – Then use your strong body to tuck your toes under, press your hips back, and straighten out your arms for downward dog pose. Take a breath or two here to prepare.
- Warrior 1 – From downward dog, step your left foot forward for a low lunge.
Shoot both arms towards the ceiling, keeping your right knee bent for a strong warrior pose. Then extend your left arm forward and your right arm back for another strong warrior pose. Take your left hand and turn your palm up. Then raise that hand toward the sky while your back hand lowers down your back leg, keeping your front knee bent. - Plank – Plant both hands on the ground, step both feet back and hold high plank.
- Side Plank – Put your knees on the ground and put your weight on your right hand, while you raise your left hand towards the ceiling and extend your left leg out to the side for side plank. Come back to center and do the same on your left side.
- Superman – Come back to center and lower all the way down to your belly. Rest for a couple breaths. Extend and lift up your right hand, then your left leg. Hold, then rest. Extend and lift up your left hand, then your right leg. Hold, then rest. Extend and lift up both hands, then both legs. Soar like superman! Then lower down and rest.
Calm
- Relaxation – You can choose to stay on your belly, tuck your knees under for child’s pose, or roll to your back for final relaxation.