Instructor: Petra Johnson
Community: Grade 1, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Resources: Chime, Hoberman Sphere
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Children enter the classroom and seat themselves silently on a yoga mat.
- Chime – The student who has the chime at his/her yoga mat will ring the chime once everyone is seated and there is stillness in the space. Students come to a standing position when they can hear the silence. (Invite everyone to come to a standing even if they can still hear the chime).
- Belly Breathing – The student who has the Hoberman Sphere (breathing ball) at his/her spot will select another student to count the breaths. Both will come to the front to lead us. We will complete 1-5 breaths (determined by student leader).
- A compliment from a classmate is given to each student leader.
Activate
- Roots – As you stand with your feet hip-width apart (two fists distance) and toes pointing forward (parallel like railroad tracks) imagine you are a strong and mature pine tree. As you press your feet into the ground you can feel your roots firmly planted in the earth beneath you. As your roots settle deeply into the cool soil below they connect with the roots of the other strong trees that stand in front of, beside and behind you. Now imagine a gentle breeze coming from behind you. With your feet firmly planted on the ground you begin to sway back and forth. As the breeze continues to blow you have control of your body. Try making the swaying movement smaller and smaller. Maybe your movement is so small that although you can feel the movement no one else can see it. Find stillness as you balance on the center of your feet. With deeply planted roots and the support of those around you your body stands securely in this space. Let’s try that again, however, this time the breeze is coming from beside you. Slowly rock from side to side as you feel the weight shifting from one foot to the other (keeping both feet firmly connected to the ground). Slowly return to center. Let’s begin making a big circle to the right. Do you notice how the muscles in your feet are working to keep you upright? Feel how the weight shifts to the edges of your foot as it maintains contact with the ground beneath you. Make the circle smaller and smaller coming back to center and finding stillness with your body. (Repeat circle exercise going to the left).
- Star – We are going to stretch our roots out and move our feet about 3-4 feet apart. Toes are pointing forward as we lift our arms out to the sides so they are parallel to the floor. We are going to activate our muscles and extend through our arms, legs, and head. This is called star pose. Invite students to share why they think this pose is called star pose. Encourage students to spread their fingers out like rays of sunshine. Invite students to think of something they would like to share with the world. Imagine that it is shinning out through your fingertips.
- Arm Swings – Let’s lower our arms and bring our feet back together about hip-width (two fists) apart. As we take a deep breathe in we are going to turn our palms outward and raise our arms out to the side and overhead. As you exhale lower your arms back to your sides. Let the movement of your arms flow with your breath. Let see if as a community we can lift and lower our arms together like a flock of birds on a journey together.
- Tree Pose – We need a place for our beautiful birds to land so we are going to transition into tree pose. Invite a few students to come to the front and demonstrate the pose. Ask the students to share what helps them to maintain balance in the pose.
- Tree Challenge I (pairs) – Students practice tree in pairs. They take turns with one person being the tree and the other creating a distraction. Ask a couple of partnerships to demonstrate for the class. Facilitate a discussion on what helped students to stay focused and balanced. (Record student responses – positive self-talk, visualization, close eyes, etc…)
Calm
- Students return to their own mat.
- Child’s Pose – Slowly come to a kneeling position on your mat. While the tops of your feet rest on the floor bring your big toes together so that they touch. Let your head, neck and back relax and be heavy. You might choose to rest your head on your hands (stacked like a pillow) or pull your arms alongside your body. Choose which position feels most comfortable for your body. Breathe into your back and let it puff up like a parachute.
- One-Minute Exploration – Think of a time when a friend showed you something new. Invite students to come to an upright seated position as I count backwards from five to zero.