Instructor: Faith Schulze
Community: Grades K-1, School Setting, Self Control Group, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: January 4, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Mindful Listening Chime – Let kids know that today we are going to practice listening. Listening with our ears and listening to our body and emotions. Remind kids the expectation of being quiet so everyone can practice listening. Remind kids of expectation of keeping body still so they can focus on the sound. Ring Chime and have kids give a thumbs up when they can no longer hear the chime. Encourage kids to listen to their body. What is it telling them (hungry, tired, excited, sick, and nervous).
- Back Breathing – Ask for student volunteers to model back breathing. Talk them through getting into child pose with hands stacked and ask the other child kneel alongside them and place hands on lower back. Encourage student in child pose to breathe slowly and deeply into their partners hands. Assign partners for all students with the above directions. Have students continue back breathing for several breaths while listening to their breath and how their body feels. Encourage kneeling partner to listen to their own breath and inquire about what they heard. Did their breath pattern stay the same or change to be the same as their partners?
- Pulse Count – Use language to remind them that taking your pulse is listening to your heart. Paying attention helps you listen to how your body is doing inside.
Activate
- Yoga Calm Mat 20 – Starting in Active phase (Rock and Roll, Boat, Volcano Breath, mountain, upward mountain, forward bend, bent knee lunge (right leg back), downward dog, plank, cobra, downward dog, bent knee lunge (left leg back), Forward Bend, Chair, Upward Mountain, Mountain, Tree, Twist, Relaxation.
- Strong Voice Activity – (with worksheet from page 123 of Yoga Calm for Children) Have students lie on the floor and encourage them to close their eyes. Encourage them to turn their attention inside of their body and listen. Dim the lights and play quiet calming music.
Calm
- Compliment Game – Have students sit in a circle and have students take turns going into the middle receiving compliments from students in the circle. Encourage kids to listen to their heart. How does it feel when someone gives them a compliment? How does it feel to give a compliment?
- Pinwheel Breath – Walking around the room listening to slow, calming music while blowing on pinwheels. Encourage kids to listen to their breath and how it sounds on the pinwheel.