Instructor: Kristine Hatfield
Community: High School ages, Life Skills Class
Plan Creation Date: November 7, 2012
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Props: CD, Goose Story
Calm -play quiet music, turn down the lights
- Belly Breathing – with Hoberman – Have one volunteer use the sphere while another counts the breaths students selected – Ask for a compliment for the leader, leader compliment counter
- Pulse Count – Check pulse
- Remind students about why we’re doing Yoga
- Mindful Moment – Read a Mindful Moments card about Strength
Activate
- Chair – Review Chair pose -talking about strength -keep feet pointed forward like on railroad tracks, pressing into all four corners of feet -bend knees and take thighs back as if sitting in a chair -lift your belly, head, and heart -reach arms toward the sky straight at lasers with palms facing each other -when you feel your strength, lift one leg and practice one-legged chair -say “I am strong”
- Have students take turns demonstrating different poses, reminding them of alignment
- Chair 15 – Go through Yoga Calm Chair 15 with crescent pose each side with a student leader -remind students about being strong and holding each pose for three breaths – Ask for a compliment for the student leader
- Pulse Count – Do a pulse check to compare
- Conflicting Feelings – Do the Conflicting Feelings activity – List the two conflicting feelings on the whiteboard – Have a volunteer come to the front – Write student responses on the board – Have 2 more volunteers play the parts of the different voices standing on either side of 1st volunteer – Ask class if it’s possible to listen to both feelings. Remember feelings are not bad, -they are warning systems from the body – Talk about how being brave/strong without information isn’t brave it’s foolish – It shows bravery and strength to get the information and then take appropriate risks – Talk about what life would be like if we only listened to certain feelings, i.e. fear
Calm
- Sit with feet planted on the floor
- Breathing – Rest head on hands and take three deep breaths
- Relaxation – Tell the Goose Story about how geese are strong for each other when one is sick or injured
- Discussion – Have students share a time when they had to be strong for themselves or someone else