Instructor: Petra Johnson
Community: Grade 3, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
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
- Yoga Calm Top 10 – Woodchopper to Modified Dancer (repeat two times)
- Woodchopper – We have power over our thoughts. Sometimes a negative comment or thought may come into our mind and change how we see ourselves, our abilities and other people. We have the strength within to control these thoughts. Today as we do woodchopper we are going to release any negative thoughts we are holding inside. Encourage students to make the “Huh” sound from the deepest part of their belly. Complete woodchopper a couple of times. Contrast doing this with/without making the “huh” sound. What do you notice? Which way helps you to feel more powerful? Which way helps you to feel you have released anything that is negative?
Mountain – As you stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead, press your feet into the ground below you. Lift your shoulders up towards your ears and then roll them back and down. Feel you head, heart and belly lifting toward the sky as your eyes look straight ahead. You are standing as a strong and powerful mountain. Feel the strength and stability inside of you. Think of someone in your life who believes in you and helps you feel strong. - Modified Dancer – Imagine that the person who helps you feel strong is here holding your feet to the earth.
Calm
- Child’s Pose/One-Minute Exploration – 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.
- Invite students to come to an upright seated position as I count backwards from five to zero.
- Volcano Breath – Place your palms together at heart center. As you take a slow, deep breath in through your nose we are going to raise our arms overhead. We will pause when our lungs are full (at the top of our breath) and then slowly exhale bringing our arms out to the side and back to heart center. (Repeat 2 times). Ask students to close their eyes and visualize something that helps them to feel strong. As we take our final volcano breath we are going to breath that strength into the room and shower it all around as we exhale.
- Sharing – Invite students to share about a time they felt strong.