Instructor: Holly Hansen
Community: Grades 1-2, classroom, 20 minutes sitting at tables
Plan Creation Date: August 28, 2012
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Calm (sitting in chairs)
- Belly breathing with myself leading and standing with the Hoberman sphere and having student counting off number of breaths to a count of 10 while the children are sitting.
Activate (now standing)
- Upward Mountain – Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bring your arms straight up overhead. Make sure your palms are facing each other as you extend your fingers. Press down in your feet, relax shoulders, lift belly, heart and head. It looks a football touchdown!
- Crescent Moon – From Upward Mountain, breathe in, press feet down and stretch to the right slightly, curving into the shape of a crescent moon. Lengthen the side of your body. On the exhale, come back to center. Now let’s do the other side.
- Tree Pose – Stand with legs and feet together, shift your weight to your left foot and bend your right knee placing it as high up as you can on your inner leg. Feel strong like a tree to the earth. Press palms together in front of your heart to help balance. Then, stretch arms and head up like branches on a tree to the sky, while your leg feels strong and rooted to the earth. Now let’s repeat on the other leg.
- Eagle Pose – Take your right leg and cross it over your left and wrap your right arm under your left. Lift your elbows up and squeeze and spread your arms out wide like the wings of an eagle. If you are feeling balanced, go ahead and extend your leg back. Look down and notice the trees, water and animals. Feel what it feels like to fly! Now let’s do the other side.
- Warrior One Pose – Stand with your legs hip-width apart. Take your left leg back 3-4 feet with heel off of the floor and straighten your back leg. Move your hips forward and slide the back leg back until your front knee is right over the front ankle. Take your arms overhead, palms facing each other and finger extended. Lift belly, head and heart. Feel the strength of a Warrior! Now let’s do the other side.
- Volcano Breath – Stand with feet hip-width apart and place palms at center of heart together. Take a slow, deep breath through the nose and pause when the lungs are full, while bringing your arms to the top. Exhale and slowly “explode” your volcano with the lava spilling out of it as your arms move out to the side and back together at your heart.
- Forward Bend – Once again, let’s place feet hip-width apart and point them straight ahead and put your hands on the back of your chair. Bend at the hips and hang arms, head and spine toward the floor (like a rag doll). Touch the floor with your fingers. If they don’t reach, bend your knees. Imagine your back, head, and arms flowing down like a waterfall. Breathe into your back. To come out of the pose, bend knees, place hands on hips, look up and stand as in Chair.
Calm (sitting in chairs)
- Twist – While sitting in your chair, press down through your feet and sitting bones and stretch up through your head. Put your left hand across the right knee and right hand on back of the chair. Inhale and lengthen; exhale and twist. Let’s repeat on the other side.
- One Minute Exploration – Everyone rest your head down on your hands and close your eyes. Spring Break is about to begin and I want you all to think about a few things, but think inside your mind and please don’t speak out loud: Are you going somewhere new? Is it somewhere you have been before? Are you staying in beautiful Colorado? Who will you see (family, friends)? What will you do (play, eat, ride your bike, read, sleep)? How does that make you feel (happy, excited, relaxed)?