Instructor: Kim Davies
Community: Grades 3 – 5, After School Group, Girls group
Plan Creation Date: February 27, 2013
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Goals: Demonstrate different ways to develop physical, mental and emotional strength
Props/Music Resources required: Hoberman Sphere, Drum, Mats, MP3 player, Mindful Moment Cards, Positive Self-Talk poster, Strong Voice Worksheet, pencils, Gwinna
Intro: Mat Tag – Walk like a queen, a turtle, the first woman president
Calm
- Belly Breathing – Choose student to lead between 5 and 10 breaths. Compliments are given to the leader and the counter.
- Mindful Moments – Strength: Remember a time when you stood up for yourself or someone else. Where were you, and what did you stand up for? Think of the things in your life that are important to you and how you stand up for your beliefs. Use mindful moment cards to match up kids. Share what you came up with. Discuss how strength can be about our bodies being strong (physical) which helps us feel safe, strong heart- courage to stand up for what we want or for someone else (emotional) and strong mind by using positive self-talk like on our poster (mental).
Activate
- Leg Stretch – Write the name of someone that helps you feel strong with your foot. Write a word for strength that can help you when you are challenged
- Rock-n-Roll
- Boat – What are we strengthening when we hold boat pose?
- Sun Salutation – Student is chosen to lead Sun Salutation while another student drums that had led previously. Compliments are given; the leader compliments the drummer. Mountain Pose- Mountains are strong in nature. Warrior- takes body and heart strength to be a warrior. A warrior fights for those we love. Like a momma bear protecting her cub. Warriors use their strength to stand up for what they believe in. Feel your own strength as you go from plank to downward dog.
- Wood Chopper – Help students find their personal power using their deep voice from their belly while they do the woodchopper move. Ask, how can doing this help you feel stronger? In what way?
- Pass the blocks with feet in a circle – Using the strength of our bodies as well as the support of each other to work together to pass a yoga block around the circle. Use 2 yoga blocks going different directions.
Social Emotional Activity
- Strong Voice Worksheet – Students lie down on their mats with their eyes closed. Take 3 belly breaths imagining a balloon filling up with air inside your belly. Read the sentences on the worksheet. Students fill out the sheet. Discuss as a group the student’s answers. Our strong voice is our wise voice that can challenge us when we need to do something that is what is best for us, to warn us when we shouldn’t do something, or help us when we are angry or afraid for example.
Calm
- Relaxation – Gwinna chapter 7 – The Voice. Darken room. Students either lay down on their mats or sit in a circle and do back drawing of what is happening in the story. Spray magic fairy dust over those that raise their hands.
- Discussion – How did the wind support Gwinna? What was the voice she heard? Remember how you heard your strong voice on the worksheet, how was that similar or different to the voice Gwinna heard?