Instructor: Gayl Staver
Community: Individual therapy with a 14 year old boy with ADHD and Panic Disorder, Therapy office, 60 minutes
Plan Creation Date: July 14, 2013
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Props/Music Resources Required/Used: Hoberman sphere, Chimes, Mindful Moments Cards
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly breathing – with the Hoberman Sphere – We sat in front of each other and took turns using the sphere to follow our breath to calm our bodies and prepare for our session.
- Mindful Moments Cards – We started with a discussion about Listening and how that is important in mood management and calming the body and mind. We talked about how listening to his body and mind help him make better choices in his life. We read a few of the Listening Mindful Moment Cards and discussed the topics suggested.
- Chimes – I played the chimes and had him listen to the tone and pay attention to the tone as it slowly disappears.
Activate
- Volcano Breath– to activate the body and teaching active exhale through the nose. Explanation that this is a good pose to activate the body and mind to help him pay attention in class, prepare to take a test or to wake himself up if he is feeling sleepy or sluggish at school or at home.
- Alignment – I demonstrated good yoga alignment with the four squares on his hands and feet encouraged him to listen to his body when he is doing the poses to avoid injury and maximize the benefit of the pose.
- Mat 20 – We went over the poses in Mat 20. I emphasized listening to his body and to the instructions about how to do the pose.
- Tree – We focused on Tree to promote internal and external listening to his body and his environment. We discussed times when he had to listen from inside of himself and outside of himself and how that helps him follow the rules and make good life choices at school, home and with friends
- Tree Circle – We supported each other in our trees and we discussed how support from others helps up listen to ourselves and others.
Calm
- Child’s pose – I demonstrated the child pose with putting the head down on two stacked fists. “This pose is good to calm you down if you have too much energy for a situation or need to ground and listen to yourself. It is a good pose to do before starting a new task. You can calm yourself and be still as you mentally and physically prepare for a new task or consider what would be a good choice in life.”
- Chimes – I used the chimes again to see how his listening and deepened in our session. “This is a way to turn you attention inward to calm and soothe yourself and see what would help you manage your emotions and make health life choices.”
- Story Telling relaxation – I lead the boy in a relaxation session on his back with his eyes closed. I used vivid imagery to stimulate his imagination and give him positive feedback about himself and his ability to manage his mood and make positive choices in his life.