Instructor: Lana Urban
Community: Classroom Setting??, Middle School Students
Plan Creation Date: January 20, 2009
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Stillness
- Have a student lead the Hoberman Sphere Belly Breathing today and choose the number of breaths between 5 and 10.
Community
- After breathing, have students give 3 Compliments to the volunteer (start with the first one as a model). Discuss how compliments will be an integral part of our yoga sessions and how one must practice giving and receiving compliments. This will help to build trust, community, and compassion for one another.
Listening
- Do a Pulse Count feeling the drum beat of the heart beating in the chest.
- Standing, have students demonstrate Star, shooting out positive rays to their classmates. Then, have them do Activate/Relax Walk. Students should listen to both instructions and their bodies for what they feel like relaxed, versus activated. After, discuss when we might need to be relaxed as opposed to when we need to be activated.
- Explain the Archetype Game and ask students to be aware of what characters feel most natural to themselves. After the game, have a small discussion about which characters were their favorites and how each one can be used in different situations.
- Have students return to their mat and go into Child. Encourage students to go into Child’s pose when they are feeling challenged and need a rest.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, and bend at the hips into Forward Bend. Press four corners of the feet into the ground and let back, head, and hands fall forward to the ground like a waterfall. Breathe into your lower back and turn awareness inward and focus on a steady, calm breath.
Strength
- Review MAT 20 from the previous day. From Forward Bend, come up to Mountain. From Upward Mountain step back to Bent Knee Lunge with right leg back, and push back to Downward Dog. Do the opposite Bent Knee Lunge with right leg forward and push back to Downward Dog. Walk feet forward to Forward Bend and inhale back up to Mountain.
Grounding
- Lie down and bend knees and grab shins for Rock and Roll. Slowly rock forward and back on the spine. Finally, in place move the knees in small circles to calm down.
Stillness
- Have students lie back on the mat for a Guided Relaxation. Read the “Listen” (pg.116) relaxation exercise from Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X.