Instructor: Mary Tesoro
Community: Grades K-4, Enrichment Classroom Setting, 45-60 minutes
Plan Creation Date: March 19, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Props/Music Resources Required: Hoberman Sphere, Mindful Moment Cards, Community Circle Worksheet, Ready, Set, R.E.L.A.X. Book, Board and Marker, Pencils, Music Playlist: Community
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – w/ Hoberman Sphere Ask for a student to lead breathing and someone to count breaths. Ask the class how many breaths they need to feel calm. After breathing, ask for compliments for our leaders. Close your eyes and think about the people who love you for 30 seconds.
- Pulse Count – Find your pulse and take a count for 10 seconds.
- Introduce Theme – Community What is community?…
- Community Circle – Complete the Community Circle Worksheet. Students share with a partner or discuss with the whole class.
Activate
- Activate/Relax Walk – As students Activate, ask them to think about…a person in their community who loves them, a good friend, someone who teaches, a person who supports them in difficult situations, someone fun to play with, someone who needs a good friend, a person who is difficult to like, someone they love…
- Mountain – Mindful Minute Card “Take a moment to remember the names of all the people in your family. Think of aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas, brothers and sisters. Imagine them making a circle around you to help you when you are in need.”
- Shoulder Clock – With your partner, place your hands together at 12:00. Breathe in and spread your fingers. Exhale and slowly take arms back to 1:00. Keep lifting your heart and top of head as you move your arms back together. Continue breathing and moving the arms of the clock until reaching 6:00. Switch sides.
- Tree – Stand tall as a tree on your own. Listen to your body as you stand as an individual connected to the earth.
- Tree Challenge – Face a partner and create two trees supporting each other. Does it feel different having the support of another person? How can you help each other feel supported?
- Tree Circle – Notice how the circle is supported by all of your friends. Your energy reaches all around the circle, touching each person in the community.
- Mountain and Pulse Count – Find stillness in mountain and take a 10 second pulse count.
- Exploring Feelings – Do this activity with the class starting with brainstorming a list of feelings. Students act out different feelings. Discuss ways for students to find out what a person is feeling rather than assuming how that person feels. Think of ideas to support different feelings in our friends.
Calm
- Relaxation – Read Drawer Full of Memories from Ready, Set, R.E.L.A.X. (I feel love and joy in my life.)