Instructor: Anne Uphoff
Community: Grade 2, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: April 17, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – Use Hoberman sphere to have a student lead BELLY BREATHING, another student to count breaths. Give appreciations to each leader.
Activate
- Yoga Flow –
- Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips for ALTERNATE ARM/LEG KICKS. Stretch right leg straight back and point toes down, with hips and leg level with floor. Next lift and lengthen left arm, with thumb pointing up, keeping head up but looking slightly down. Hold for 5-10 seconds. Switch sides.
- Next go down to lay on your belly with arms stretched out in front of you, thumbs pointing up, preparing for SUPERMAN pose. Lengthen and lift one leg, opposite arm, chest and head. Repeat on other side. Then lift both arms and legs, head, chest away from the floor. Reach out strong like a superhero. Take a few deep breaths, then repeat.
- Come up to stand in WARRIOR II with legs wide apart. Turn right leg all the way to the front. Breathe in and lift arms up parallel to the floor, palms facing down. Exhale and bend the right knee until it is right over the ankle. Keep shoulders down and keep torso straight up and evenly balanced toward the center. Repeat with the other leg to the front. Have the students take a deep breath and say, “I am strong.”
- Move to DANCER MODIFIED with feet hip-width apart. Shift weight to the right foot. Lift the left food behind and hold it with left hand. When balanced, raise the right arm. Look straight ahead and focus on a spot far away to help balance. Have students take a deep breath an say, “I am balanced.” Repeat on other side.
- Archetype Game – Have students move according to the way different “roles” that are described, such as the Wise king/queen, monster, anger, clown, etc. Stop when the music stops, squat down and wait for a new “role” to emulate. Before playing, ask them to pay attention to which roles are easy/hard. Afterward, talk about which were their favorite. Also discuss when certain roles are helpful/harmful to use. Emphasize that the “roles” can be strong in different ways – strong in body, strong in mind (keep trying) and strong in heart (kindness/dealing with emotions.)
Calm
- Twist – to each side.
- Relaxation – Mindful Moment card on Strength. Have someone pick one out and read it out loud. Go around the room and invite each student to share what that means to them. (Or students could share a thought about when they felt they were strong in their heart, mind or body.)