Instructor: Jane Hulett

Community: Grades 5-7, Summer School Setting, 85 minutes

Plan Creation Date: November 1, 2016

Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength

Lesson Plan:

Calm

  • Belly Breathing
  • Discussion – On the whiteboard, write definitions of the 3 kinds of strengths, leaving their name spots blank.  3 Kinds of Strengths:  _____________________ = muscle power, _____________________ = using positive self­talk/Ground Rules, _____________________ = showing courage to express your emotions, ability to think about feelings that come up.  Discuss what kind of strength each one might be. Help with words as needed. Talk about examples of each.
  • Changing Channels­ – Do 4 channels, ask if someone wants to add another one. Discuss how this mental exercise could help them when they are sad, mad, scared etc.. to think about other things and change their mood or help them relax.

Activate

  • Activate/Relax Walk – Play Activate/Relax to warm up and review poses. Students can call out ideas for activating poses they have chosen.
  • Yoga Poses – Have a list of new poses on the board and allow students to pick the next one to learn. (P lank, Dolphin/Dolphin Plank, Cobra, Bow, Superman) Do a few, noting the physical strength needed for them. Allow for breathing exercises and rest/child’s pose between them. Notice their body and if it feels different. Compliment them for positive self­talk for a harder pose like Dolphin or Bow.
  • Yoga Flow – Together create a yoga flow sequence using previously learned (and possibly new) poses. Note the helpfulness of having poses that flow fairly easily from standing to seated or back to front. Go through the sequence.

Calm

  • Relaxation ­- Talk them down to resting their muscles from head to toes, and add a 1 min. Exploration. Ask them to think of a time when a friend was very upset and you were able to listen to them and support them. Later talk about what kind of strength you would have been using with them.
  • Yoga Journals ­ – Ask them to include feelings about today’s class, what you learned, or draw poses or Memory Game ­- Have cards with simple pose drawings and matching words. They play the game Concentration/Memory, taking turns to find matches.

Leave a Reply