Instructor: Lana Urban
Community: Classroom Setting??, Middle School Students
Plan Creation Date: January 13, 2009
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Stillness
Lesson Plan:
Community
- Discuss Yoga Calm, the benefits of yoga and why students chose to be in the class. Review ground rules and get a few suggestions as to other rules that students feel are necessary. Make a poster with additional ground rules.
Stillness
- Speak about proper breathing techniques in yoga and practice with Belly Breathing. Practice regular breathing through the mouth versus inhaling through the nostrils. Have students predict why inhaling through the nose may be beneficial. Then, talk about proper posture while breathing and speak to inhaling deep into the diaphragm. Have students hunch over and try to take deep breaths compared to sitting with straight backs and shoulders pulled up and back. Encourage students to pay attention to their breath during yoga practice and think about filling up a balloon slowly and steadily and then slowing letting the air out through their mouth.
Listening
- Present Pulse Count and discuss importance of counting the pulse, and how our daily activities and stresses can impact our heart rate. Next, seated cross-legged on the floor, have students take 2 fingers to the side of their mouth, and with their head slightly up, draw a line into the groove of their neck. Ask students to raise their other hand once their fingers have found the beat of their pulse. Have students count their pulse for 30 seconds. Ask for volunteers to share their count.
Grounding
- Introduce seated Volcano Breath, sitting cross legged on mat, place palms at heart-center. On the inhale, reach hands high to the sky pressed together and then exhaling explode the volcano outward sending out positive thoughts to those around us.
- Move to Roots and stand up with feet hip-width apart and four corners of feet planted on the ground. Rock forward-to-back and then side-to-side with four corners of feet firmly planted on the ground. Have students practice standing up tall with their body activated, like a strong tree, and their feet as the roots.
Stillness
- Have students lie back on the mat for a Guided Relaxation. Read the “Exploration” (pg.110) relaxation exercise from Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X.