Instructor: Stephanie Rohwer
Community: Grades 3-5, Special Ed, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: March 15, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Group: self-regulation/social skills
Materials: Yoga Mats, Hoberman Sphere, Calm music (computer), journal, pencil
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Partner Pull – Pair up each student with a partner for “Partner Pull.” Hold each others’ right wrist with right hand. Step back about 1 to 2 feet, bend knees, and sit back until thighs are almost parallel to the floor and the back is flat. Gently pull the right hip back, stretching the right side body from shoulder to hip. Breathe in and fan the ribs out to the right in a side-bending action. Come up together. Repeat on the other side. Give your partner a compliment.
Activate
- Trust Walk – Line the students up into two even lines facing each other for the “Trust Walk.” Explain that one side will be the guides whose job is to make the other line of students feel safe. Explain that half of the group will get up, find a place to stand in the room, close their eyes, and hold out their index fingers. The other half (the guides) will quietly find a person to guide. It is important that the person guiding does not talk or laugh, because that would spoil the surprise at the end. Also mention that the students leading the activity will have to direct traffic in the room without talking. They will have to do with a hand gesture or other body language. Demonstrate how this might look. After the students have led one another for 3-5 minutes, ask them to stop moving. Those being led should keep their eyes shut while they guess out loud who has been guiding them. They can then open their eyes.
- Tree – Stand with legs and feet together as we enter into “Tree Pose.” Shift your weight onto the left foot. Slowly bend right knee and draw the right foot up, placing the sole as high as possible on the inner leg (i.e. ankle, shin, or thigh) without strain. Activate your body and press standing leg down, rooting yourself like a tree to the earth. Press palms together in front of heart to help with balance. Then, stretch arms and head up like branches to the sky, while rooting your standing let. Repeat on the other leg.
- Tree Circle – Have students spread out into a circle, facing in and standing about 3 feet apart for “Tree Circle.” Raise both arms and stretch them out, fingers pointing up. Place hands together with the person on each side and lift right leg up in “Tree Pose.” Press into each others’ hands and use each other for support. Switch legs. Talk about the importance of community and helping each other when things are challenging.
Calm
- Belly Breathing – Have 2 student leaders come to the center of the circle to help lead their classmates in belly breathing with the Hoberman Sphere. One student will count while the other student slowly opens the sphere to indicate to the class to breath in deeply through their nose and closes the sphere to indicate to the class to exhale out through their mouth. After students have helped lead the class- classmates can offer up compliments encouraging their community (classroom) leaders.
- Relaxation – Social/Emotional Component – Think about ways you can help your friends, family, or people around the community out. You can help out in simple ways such as helping pick up trash in your neighborhood or helping your family out around the house. Write down 2 ways you can personally help out a family member, friend, or community member.