Instructor: Diane Ames
Community: Grades 3-5, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 5, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Atmosphere: quiet background music playing
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – standing with hands on stomach, Hoberman sphere 5 breaths
in/out through nose, become aware of own breathing & anchor feet to the floor hip width apart. - Volcano Breaths – start with hands at heart (INHALE), extend arms overhead on pause, arms lower out to sides (EXHALE)…4x.
Activate
- Roots – stand in mountain pose with feet hip-width apart pressing down into the earth & head held high. Feel your weight balanced evenly throughout your feet while rocking gently from heels to toes (movements become smaller as you feel centered). Repeat with side-side & circular motion, paying close attention to feet muscles & body position while coming to balance. Hold your position while a couple students come around with me to test your balance. Share compliments on tested “roots” and how it felt to be challenged..
- Yoga Flow – Teach sequence (keep each pose for 2-3 breaths): reach overhead in Mountain pose, lengthen arms & shoot laser beams toward the sky leaning over for Crescent Moon (come back to center & repeat on other side), on exhale split arms & step out to side to Star pose (feet pointing forward) shine star light out through arms/fingertips…radiating up through floor-feet-legs-torso-neck-heat (shine out in all directions), slide over into Warrior 2 rotating front foot, on inhale arch body over stretching out from fingertips to foot for Side Angle (lengthen body…shoot laser beams from finger tips…or like a “shooting star across the sky”). Step back in to Mountain pose & repeat sequence in other direction. OPTION for 5th graders: add drum beats (hold each pose for 8 beats), assign each pose to different students to cue/show when it’s time for that pose.
Calm
- Child’s Pose – Kneel down into Child’s pose, feel your breath expand your back & relax into position.
- Relaxation – Finish with relaxation story Pillar of Strength on page 129 in the book Ready, Set, Relax.