Instructor: Anna Hayek
Community: Middle School Ages, Student and Mentor Group, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: March 9, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Chime – Ring chime
- Belly Breathing – with the Breathing Ball, Student Led
- Ground Rules – Go over ground rules
- Pulse Count – find your pulse, then listen to the rhythm of your heart. Notice if your pulse is fast or slow. Notice how you are feeling.
- Roots – finding your balance and noticing where your center is. What in your life helps you to find balance? Where do you feel the most grounded and connected?
Activate
- Chair 15 – Active sequence:
- Mountain – stand behind your chair with your hands at your sides. Feel your feet rooted to the ground. Bring your shoulders back and down away from your ears.
- Upward Mountain – Reach your arms to the sky while continuing to feel your feet safe on the ground.
- Forward Bend – bring your forearms to the top of your chair. Rest your forehead on your arms.
- Lunge – standing tall with your hands on your chair, keep your left leg grounded and step your right leg back in a lunge. Activate your muscles.
- Upward Lunge – feel your feet grounded on the floor as you reach your arms up along your ears.
- Chair Dog – Reach your hands for the chair, keep your arms outstretched and bring your feet next to each other. Lengthen your arms and push your hips back.
- Lunge and Upward Lunge – same as above with right leg forward, left leg back.
- Forward Bend - bring your forearms to the top of your chair. Rest your forehead on your arms.
- Chair – With feet firmly grounded, inhale and reach your arms toward the sky, keeping your balance as you sit your hips back in an imaginary chair. Feel your strength!
- Upward Mountain – Reach your hands to the sky and straighten your legs.
- Mountain – bring your hands to your heart. Feel all four corners of your feet on the ground.
- Tree/Partner Tree/Trees in a Circle
Calm
- Twist – Sit in your chair. Inhale as you sit up nice and tall, imagining that you are a proud king or queen. Bring your right hand to the side of your chair and exhale to twist, looking out over your right shoulder. Sometimes in life you may feel pulled in twisted in many directions. Think about what you can do to keep your balance. What keeps you grounded? Twist to the left.
- Relaxation – 1 minute exploration with head on table. Stack your fists or just let your head rest on the table. Deepen your breath. Feel grounded in your chair. I want you to think of one person in your life who helps you find your balance or one activity you do to find balance. Imagine that person is with you or that you are doing that activity. Or imagine you are doing that activity with the person. Breathe deeply for one minute and relax.
- Belly Breathing – Student Led Belly breathing with the breathing ball.