[currentuser role=”instructor_level”]
Instructor: Donna Markell
Community: Grade 6-11, School Setting, 30-40 minutes
Plan Creation Date: December 23, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Chime – Ring Chime and have them sit for 30 seconds to a minute and then read the inquiry. Think of a time when you felt frightened or unstable and you needed to ground yourself? What did you do? Did you seek someone else’s help? Can you reflect on three times when you needed to ground yourself and name some places words and actions that you used to enable you to achieve this? After several minutes, pair share their vocabulary with the person next to them.
- Pulse Count – find your pulse and hold on to that number or take a moment to write it down.
- Belly Breathing – in chair with the sphere for 6 counts.
- Repeat Pulse Count – take a minute to notice if there are changes in pulse from before to after belly breathing. Reflect on how that might serve you in your need to be grounded.
Activate
- Mountain Pose – Stand tall in Mountain Pose and feel yourself connected to the earth. Try with your feet hip width apart. Then move the feet close together. Try pressing each others’ shoulders from side to side rotating between the two positions of the feet. Observe the difference in your in your sense of groundedness in activated mountain pose versus the less grounded mountain pose.
- Volcano Breath – As you breathe in, think of what makes you feel grounded, breath in those thoughts and tell yourself about those positive feelings. As you exhale, exhale the sensations that interfere with your feelings of groundedness. Repeat these breaths and thought processes six times.
- Roots – Place feet on all four corners of the feet and stand tall then try rocking on the fronts, then backs then sides of feet. Make circles on the edges of your feet. Notice the changes of stability in your body. Shift back until you feel rooted. Think about what you do in sports or other activities that require you to feel centered share out loud what it means to you to be centered.
- Downward Dog – Come into down dog feeling the connection to the earth.
- Arm Swings – Inhale turn palms out and raise over your head. Use your breath. Using positive self-talk, “I’m strong, I’m in control, I am responsible.” Combine with shoulder clock to affirm each other in grounding. Do 3 breaths each side.
- Warrior I – alternating with Mountain – as the teacher reads the strong voice work sheet. Think of how these affirmations can serve you when you need to feel grounded. (teacher can read the questions to the students while they are in the pose- they can whisper the thoughts , keep them to themselves- just as long as they are thinking them). As the teacher reads one question the students will stand in mountain pose, as they think about that strong voice they will move into warrior. Then back to mountain for another question and to warrior on the other side as they consider their strong voice, etc.
Calm
- Forward Bend
- Back Breathing – returning to ground- Remember the vocabulary that you were using when you were thinking of your strong voice and your feeling of connection to the earth. Think of how these can serve you in feeling grounded all by yourself.