Instructor: Ilga Paul
Community: Grade Three classroom, preparation for standardized testing
Plan Creation Date: May 4, 2010
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
OT Frame of Reference/Goals: Compliment students on their transition from PE to finding personal space, help students find personal space
Lesson Plan:
Calm:
Select two students to lead Volcano breath, one to move sphere, other to count, student who moves sphere selects number of breaths (7-10). Compliment students
Select a different student to lead pulse count, compliment student
Activate:
- Deep forward bend, flexing each vertebrae, arms and neck relaxed. Feel your arms dangling, your neck is like a rag doll. Feel your cranky feelings slide down your arms and into the floor.
- Woodchopper: Before we begin Woodchopper, take a moment to see the log at your feet that you will be chopping up. The log may be worries, things that make you angry, worries about doing well on your tests. We will be chopping up the log at our feet. Complete woodchopper with 10 or more repetitions, with the intent to raise heart rate.
- Stand in Mountain Pose immediately upon finishing Woodchopper, students complete pulse count, then stand quietly until heart rate returns to normal. As we go through the next poses, we will be warriors: strong, brave and able to do the right thing f or the right reasons. Picture yourself as the warrior who is strong, confident of what you know and confident to complete the tests the best that you can.
- Chair 15, complete once to review poses and correct positioning.
Repeat sequence a second time, focusing on breathing matching movements (pair inhale and exhale with a pose or transition). Hold the warrior pose for an extra breath or two. See yourself as the warrior: confident, strong, brave.
Calm:
Review mountain pose, encourage students to have eyes closed, instruct them to listen to outer sounds and also sounds inside body. Be still and quiet for 30 seconds. Ask students to state what they heard, then ask them to state what they heard inside themselves. Talk about inner voice, ask if they heard their inner voice. Talk about keeping the voice still — practice that for 15 seconds. Ask if students could keep their inner voice still, how long. Then talk about how it can be useful or harmful (negative messages) and talk about this taking practice to quiet inner voice.
Ending: Volcano breath, with messages of using mind and body for best effort at school, being a kind friend, being proud of accomplishments and happy with self. The last breath message is: use your mind and body together to do your best effort on the test, all that you have learned and practiced will easily and confidently be written on the pages.