Instructor: Jocelyn Van Hee
Community: Grades 2-3, Classroom Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: January 7, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Intro – Begin class with the ring of the bell to note the start of class. Introduction of the grounding theme. Brief Class discussion of the benefits of feeling grounded.
- Belly Breathing – with use of Hoberman sphere for five breaths. Ask for student volunteer. Focus on filling the belly with air and breathing slow long breaths. Asked for compliments for the person modeling belly breathing.
Activate
- Activate/Relax Activity – with addition of Mountain, Warrior 1, and Warrior 2 when stopping to activate muscles. Before beginning activity, go over yoga poses and alignment cues such as; strong rooted feet and strong leg muscles with front log bent with knee not passing over the front ankle. Challenge students to feel grounded in their poses as they activate. Go through several rounds of the game.
- Star/Galaxy Community Activity – Have students spread out in a large circle and show them how to go into Star pose. What can they shine out into the world? Strong grounded legs and arms extending out. Then have the students step closer and press into each others’ hands forming a galaxy. Comment on how the students can support each other on and off the mat.
- Community Tree with Distractors – Ask for a few volunteers who would like to try to distract and throw people off their concentration. Have the distractors go around the inside of the circle and make silly faces as the participants try to stay focused and stay in the pose. After activity process reactions. Remember to give the distractors some ground rules for personal space.
Calm
- Progressive Relaxation – Sometimes our bodies have a hard time relaxing and winding down. We can feel tense and have trouble falling asleep. We can try this relaxation technique anytime we feel tense. Have the class lay on their backs on the floor and have the class tighten and then relax different body parts until you finally have their whole bodies tense and then relax like a bowl full of jello on the ground.