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Instructor: Blanca Raniolo
Community: Grades K-5, School Setting, 35-40 minutes
Plan Creation Date: February, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Intro
- Review Rules and Expectations – This class is completely Spanish immersed so that the students will learn new vocabulary about their body and mind. This class also provides the opportunity for the students to express their feelings, develop sensitivity, self- control and self- regulation. Before the start of the class, the teacher will review the ground rules as well as the positive self-talk posters. All the students will repeat “I am Strong, I am in control, I can do it and I can be responsible”. Following this, we discuss how these statements pertain to our lives as well as how they make us feel after saying them. For the environment (classroom) – the fluorescent lights are turned off, and the room is lit only with a lamp and some daylight coming through the windows. Quiet, soothing music is played during the lesson.
Calm
- Hoberman Sphere Belly Breathing – I have the students begin with some calm breathing after which, I turn on soothing music and dim the lights. The instructor demonstrates how to breathe in and out properly using the hover man sphere. The sphere is then passed along to all the students, so that everyone has the opportunity to breathe in and out, in unison with the sphere.
- Pulse Count – the student will take two fingers and place them on the side of the mouth. Tip head slightly back and draw a line down with their fingers into a groove along the neck. Press gently to find pulse. They then raise their other hand when pulse is found. Count pulse beats silently to self. Now count the pulse for 15 seconds. Ask the students what the count was (they must have their hands up to share).
- Volcano Breathing – tell the students to think of someone or something they would like to send their heart thoughts to. Get the image of that person, animal, or place strongly in mind. Students sit in chairs. Place palms together at the heart. Take slow, deep breath though the nose and pause when the lungs are full. Hold the pause and bring the arms up over the head. Exhale and slowly “explode the volcano”, moving arms out the side and then back together at heart.
Activate
- Chair 15 Poses – I put the poster “Yoga Calm chair 15 Sequence ” on the wall in front of the classroom so everybody can see it. The teacher will pick a leader. The leader will play two roles: 1) Pick one of the 15 yoga activities and showing the skills to the students and 2) Pick another student to play the drum. For every pose the leader is doing, the leader #2 will play the drum 10 beats. Ask the students to do the same and demonstrate their skills as well. The leader should inspire others to participate in the class.
Calm
- One Minute Exploration – Ask students to sit back in their chair, quiet and silent. Teacher asks students to think any special place in nature or at your home. Imagine yourself there and picture what you like to do there. Give students 3 minutes to think and then have them share with their friends.