Instructor: Lana Urban
Community: Classroom Setting??, Middle School Students
Plan Creation Date: January 15, 2009
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Community
- Ask a volunteer to count number of breaths in Belly Breathing, between 5 and 10. Using the Hoberman Sphere, inhale as the sphere expands, pause, and slowly exhale as the sphere comes together. Remind students of their proper posture when breathing.
Listening
- Lead pulse count and compare to the previous class. Discuss.
Grounding
- Do Cat/Cow, warming the body slowly and focusing on four corners with the hands. Good practice for breathing, exhaling as head is lowered and tucking tail in like a cat, and inhaling as looking up and lifting head with flat back like a cow.
- Continue to warm the body and work on balance with Alternate Arm/Leg Kicks. Stretch one leg straight back with toes pointed, and the opposite arm forward with thumb up. Look slightly down and reach the body like a rope is being pulled from both directions. Hold for 5 seconds and switch. Remind students of four corners and slow, steady breathing.
- Come to standing and practice Star. Have students activate their muscles by spreading their feet 3-4 feet apart with four corners of the feet firmly planted on the ground. Then, have students stretch out their arms parallel to the ground like a star, imagining shooting out positive sparks from their spread fingertips to one another in the room.
- Present Chair by instructing students to stand with feet hip-width apart. Inhale arms overhead shooting their energy towards the sky. On exhale, bend knees back to sit in imaginary chair. Feel the strength and power radiating out of fingertips.
Strength
- Now we have warmed up for MAT 20. Introduce only about half of the flow in MAT 20, starting from standing with Volcano Breath 3 times. Then, move into Mountain, Upward Mountain and Forward Bend. Do this a few times until students get the flow. Remind students that they are strong and powerful. Once they have the flow down, try Bent Knee Lunge with both the right and left knee back. Do not have the knee beyond the forward foot. Then push back to Downward Dog. Watch for proper alignment and posture. Breathe through the exercises.
Stillness
- Have students lie back on the mat for a Guided Relaxation. Read the “Fish Story” (pg.154) relaxation exercise from Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X.