Instructor: Katie Diez
Community: Grades 2-6, School Setting, 30-40 minutes
Plan Creation Date: December 30, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Diffuse in essential oil diffuser: Peppermint
Calm
- Intro – “Today, we are going to practice listening. There are so many things that we don’t pay attention to that makes noise around us. We will also practice listening to our bodies”.
- Belly Breathing – “With mouths and eyes closed, breathing in through your nose, pay attention to the sound of your breath going in and out of your nose”. Play soft music or Ocean waves during this lesson.
- Listening – “Let’s take a minute and see how many different sounds we can hear for one minute. Close your eyes, and for the next minute pay attention to the sounds you hear in the room.”
Activate
- Activate Relax Walk – “We are going to practice activating and relaxing our bodies. Let’s pretend we’re alone on a mountain trail. We’ve heard that there are cougars in the area. All of a sudden, we hear a sound in the bushes. Show me how your body may be activated by this. Now we’re walking around the school with our friends and are totally relaxed. Show me relaxed walking. When I say “activate” show me your body freezing and activated as if you are listening for a cougar. When I say “relax” show me how you would walk around the school with your friends.”
- Warrior I – “Now come to your seat and stand behind your chair. We are going to practice tow active poses. We are going to be warriors ready to fight that mountain lion.” Lead Warrior I pose. “Send lasers from your belly out through your fingers.
- Warrior II – “Now turn your back foot in slightly and bring your heel to the ground. Breathe in and move arms so they are parallel to the floor. Bend that forward knee until it is right over the ankle. Keep your body long. Shoot those laser beams out your fingers.”
Calm
- Forward Bend – “Now is a time to turn your awareness inward and listen to what your body is telling you. Stand with legs hip-width apart and point them straight ahead. Bend at the hips and hang arms, head and spine toward the floor like a rag doll. Touch your fingers to the floor and breathe into your back. Think about those people, places or things in your life that make you feel happy as you breathe in and out.”
- Volcano Breaths – “Slowly come all the way up to standing and place palms together at the heart. Take a slow, deep breath through the nose and pause when your lungs are full. Hold the pause and bring the arms up over the head. Exhale and slowly explode the volcano, moving arms out to the side and then back together at the heart. Let’s do three with sound effects and three without, just breathing”.
- Happiness Recipe Worksheet – Take a seat.“Now is a time to take a moment and list those things that make you happy. There will be no talking so you can listen to what your mind is telling you. Afterward we will share a few of our responses. Then will be a time to practice listening to your classmates.”