Instructor: Mary Tesoro
Community: Grades K-4, Enrichment Classroom Setting, 30-45 minutes
Plan Creation Date: February 12, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Props/Music Resources Required: Hoberman Sphere, Compliment (rope) Loop, Music Playlist: Listening
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 listen to your thoughts for 30 seconds.
- Pulse Count – Find your pulse and take a count for 10 seconds.
- Introduce Theme – Listening What does it mean to listen?…Are there different ways of listening?…What does it mean to listen to yourself?…Can you listen to your body? Mind? Heart? What does that mean?…What is a good listener? Is that important?
Activate
- Compliment Game – Take turns giving specific compliments to the students in the center of the Compliment Loop. Students also practice eye contact and saying thank you for the kind words.
- Back Drawing – Sit in a circle with everyone sitting in the same direction. Create imagery on backs progressing through a rain storm to flowers growing, ending with a secret message. Share your message with your friend.
- Trust Walk – “Surprise” guides lead students around the room without using their voices. After 3 to 5 minutes change guides.
- Child’s Pose – Let’s meet in child’s pose. Listen to your thoughts as they come. Listen to the sounds in the room around you. Listen to your body and how it feels in this pose.
- Downward Dog – Press into your hands and lift your tailbone to the sky. Breathe in and think, “I can listen to my body.” Exhale. Inhale, “I can listen to you mind and heart.” Exhale, “I can listen to the people around me.” Exhale.
- Forward Bend – Allow your body to relax in a forward bend. Tune into what your heart, mond, and body have to say right now.
- Mountain – Stand tall in Mountain. Send heart thoughts to a person who needs you to be a supportive listener.
- Warrior I – Step back with your left leg into Warrior I. Raise your arms to the sky and image laser beams shooting into the sky as you active the muscles in your body and become a strong warrior.
- Warrior II – Turn to the left with your body into Warrior II. With arms parallel to the ground look over your forward arm. Listen to your body. What does it want you to do? Can you stay in stillness, or do you need to adjust/shift? Repeat Warrior I and II on the alternate leg turning to the back of the mat.
- Mountain and Pulse Count – Return to Mountain and stillness. Take a 10 second pulse count.
Calm
- Child’s Pose – Think about how often you listen to your own body, mind, and heart. How does it make you feel to listen to yourself?
- Relaxation – Read Listen from Ready, Set, R.E.L.A.X. (I am a good listener.)