Grade 3, School Setting, Strength Lesson Plan (Spahn)

Instructor: Karah Spahn

Community: Grade 3, School Setting, 30 minutes

Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2016

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength

Materials: Breathing Ball, Chime,  Photos or smart board images of elephant, bear, ox, gorilla, eagle, dung beetle

Lesson Plan:

Calm

• Chime – Begin by ringing the chime. Ask students to look at the photos displayed and think about these animals and how they represent strength.
• Belly Breathing – with Breathing Ball (with helper)- take five breaths together.  Feeling clean oxygen fill you up, making you stronger, and ready for the day ahead. (Give thanks and compliments)
• Discussion – Ask students how the animals depicted above show strength.  Were any surprising?  (An eagle can lift something four times its body weight during flight.  A dung beetle can pull something 1,141 times its body weight– that would be like a human pulling 6 double-decker busses full of people). Sometimes animals (and people) who are small or tiny are very strong.  Discuss other types of strength. (physical mental emotional).

Activate

• Spahn Stretch – Choose two helpers to lead Spahn Stretch: Mountain, Upward Mountain, Forward Fold, Arms out to sides & above, Crescent Moon (L, then R), Hands to heart. (Give thanks and compliments). Ask for two volunteers to help with yoga poses. Begin in tabletop, asking kids to feel their hands and knees pressing into the Earth, noticing strength in their arms, legs, and core.
• Yoga Sequence #1 – Tabletop, Down dog, Plank (hold pose– say or think “I am strong”), Tabletop, Child’s pose.
• Yoga Sequence #2 – Tabletop (extend opposite hand/foot– say or think “I can do this”), Down Dog, Plank Pose (I am strong), Tabletop, Child’s pose.
• Yoga Sequence #3 – Tabletop (extend opposite hand/foot–say or think “I can do this”), Down Dog, Plank Pose (hold pose–say or think “I am strong”), Side plank (Say or think “I keep trying”), Tabletop, Child’s pose.