Instructor: Michele Mayer
Community: Grades K-6, School Setting, 45 minutes
Plan Creation Date: May 15, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Volcano Breathing – Before beginning have student’s close their eyes and envision someone who has been strong in their life. Next instruct them to think send love out to this person or pet as they breathe out in volcano. Allow two volunteers to lead. Let student’s share who they thought of after if they would like. If this brings up feelings for students allow time to process as a group.
Activate
- Activate/Relax Walk – Have student’s demonstrate Mountain pose. Have student’s relax and walk around the room in a calm manner. Upon hearing the command “activate” students freeze in mountain pose. After several rounds ask if they can walk in an activated way and discuss what this communicates to others. Then ask if they can walk in a way that is both activated and relaxed and discuss what this communicates.
- Conflicting Feelings – Ask for a volunteer to come to the front of the room and describe the scenario in which someone asks them to do the eraser challenge. Have the group brainstorm two conflicting feelings the volunteer might have and write them on the board. Next write down what the feelings might say. Have two more volunteers come to the front and take turns reading from the board the phrases brainstormed. Afterword talk about who the group thinks won. Discuss other options that honor both feelings and help them save face.
Calm
- Relaxation – Have everyone share an animal they think of as strong that they like. Next instruct the group to close their eyes or gently look down and imagine the strength they see in that animal inside of themselves. How would they move differently in their life if they could hold on to this strength or call on it when they feel vulnerable?