Instructor: Julie Patton
Community: Middle School Ages, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: May 1, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Theme Intro – Listening:
- To others
- To ourselves/voice within
- Our body
- To feelings
- Belly Breathing – Hoberman breathing ball—student led with compliments. As you go through this breathing exercise, try to listen to what your body is saying. Check in with your body.
Activate
- Mat 20 — teacher led.
- Mat 20 — student led/compliments.
- Mountain Pose – (inward and outward breath) – Feet hip width apart/ground feet. Shoulders back/activate body (firm muscles). Hands at heart center.
- Upward Mountain – Extend arms upward/palms toward each other. Extend fingers (activate).
- Forward Bend – (breathe) – Feet hip width apart/bend at hips & extend arms. Turn awareness inward and listen to your thoughts/What is your body telling you?
- Bent Knee Lunge (right knee down) – Left knee directly over left ankle/top of right foot to mat. Extend arms upward with palms facing each other
- Warrior I — added to mat 20 – Press hands to the floor and extend right leg (from bent knee position above). Check that left knee is still over left ankle. Extend arms overhead, palms facing each other, activate arms and fingers. Lift belly, head & heart
- Warrior II — added to mat 20 – Extend back leg 3-4 feet from front leg. Turn body so left foot is pointing towards the side wall. Breathe in so arms are extended out parallel to the ground, palms down. Shoulders back & down.
- Downward Dog – Place hands on the ground and bring right foot hip width beside left. Spread fingers and place the four corners of the hand on the mat/point forward. Activate & straighten arms. Press thighs and hips towards back wall.
- Plank – On all fours. Lift legs, hips, belly.
- Cobra – Lie on belly with tops of feet on floor. Palms of hands under shoulders/make a slow hissing sound as you lift your head.
- Downward Dog – Press through all four corners of hands/fingers pointed forward. Press hips towards back wall.
- Bent knee lunge (left knee down)
- Warrior I
- Warrior II
- Forward Bend
- Chair – Bend knees & reach fingertips towards ground. Knees should be over not in front of toes. Reach forward as if holding a ball/maintain bent knee position.
- Upward mountain
- Mountain
- Trust Walk — We will be using nonverbal communication today through this activity. You will need to listen as a participant and as a leader. The participant will listen for sounds to figure out who is leading them but also may listen in other ways to determine who they are with. The leader will be listening by watching their partner and their reaction to see if they are comfortable. Demonstrate the activity using a volunteer. The leader will use one index finger to move their partner around the room. Show moving backwards, forwards and turning. Participant will have eyes closed. Remember to move slowly, listen/watch the face of your partner for both verbal and nonverbal communication, and the leader is to make NO noise. Leader’s role is to make the participant feel safe. Assign partnerships for kids by pointing to who they will lead. Go 3-4 minutes then guess who was leading. Discuss as a group how they determined who was leading. Switch leaders and do again. Back to mats.
Calm
- Twist
- Child’s Pose
- Relaxation — Use the Mindful Moment’s cards around listening and read one of the cards to kids as they lie down for relaxation time.