Instructor: Rachel Imholte
Community: High School Ages, Summer School Make-up Recovery, 30-45 minutes
Plan Creation Date: June 29, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – with Hoberman Sphere – Have a student lead this activity choosing between 5-7 breaths.
- One-Minute Exploration – Have the students think of someone they know (in real life or a character in a book) who they believe is strong both physically and mentally. Ask them to think about the qualities that make a person strong. What attributes would a physically/mentally strong person demonstrate?
Activate
Student-led
- Roots/Mountain Pose – Have students stand next to their desks and think about rooting their feet strongly to the Earth without tensing their bodies. Guide them to relax their faces (expressions) by thinking of a “hero” who is both compassionate and strong. Remind them to feel the Earth beneath their feet by spreading out their toes and pressing out evenly on all four corners of their feet. Keep the back straight, but not rigid. Hands should be at their sides-not hanging limply,but showing strength in both posture and character. Ask for examples of how this would look.
- Star – Students will move to Star pose and hold for 30-60 seconds making sure they are expanding their bodies through their arms, legs, head and tail. Fingers should be spread wide. Try not to hunch shoulders or lock knees.
- Chair – Ask students to demonstrate the physical and mental strength of the person they thought of during the One Minute Exploration by moving slowly and deliberately through the next few poses. In Chair pose, ask students to relax into Chair pose and breathe through the challenging feelings that are coming from both the physical and mental challenges of the pose. Feel the strength! Hold for 30-60 seconds.
- Eagle – Emphasize the importance of transitioning smoothly and deliberately into Eagle pose. Have students think of a positive outcome concerning a challenge they are currently facing. Hold the pose for 30 seconds. Breathe. Do not force the pose. Lift elbows high and stretch the fingers upward. Switch sides. Then ask students to continue thinking about strength by moving to Eagle on a Cliff. Focus on strength without “grunting” into it. Breathe. Change sides. How smoothly can you switch between the two poses? Is it possible to demonstrate grace while moving into the different poses?
- Warrior I and II – After moving between Eagle and Eagle on a Cliff (on both sides) a couple of times, ask the students to move to Warrior I-hold for 30 seconds then switch to Warrior II and hold for one minute. Lift your stomach, head and heart. Change sides. Go through a second time and remember the qualities of strength. Think about the inner strength you have both mentally and physically. How can you show your strength without ego? How do you show compassion? How do people you admire as heroes accomplish this?
Calm
- Strong Voice – Put on some quiet music, shut off lights, and ask students to close their eyes or look down at their desks. Read the questions on the Strong Voice worksheet and give the students time to process. Have students fill out the worksheet without talking. Those who would like to share can do so.