[currentuser role=”instructor_level”]
Instructor: Susan Dannen
Community: Older Elementary/Middle School Ages, School Setting, 45-60 minutes
Plan Creation Date: November 4, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Start sounds of crashing waves and dim lights in room
- Belly Breathing – with the Hoberman sphere – Refer to how Breathe helps us feel calm and grounded – ask students to notice how they feel in their body when they breathe deeply for 7 breathes with student leader. Compliments to leader.
- Synergy Chime – student will lead, focus on students listening to when they can no longer hear the chime – raise hands when no longer hear chime – repeat 2 times. Compliments to the leader.
- Review Yoga Calm Rules
Active
- 15 Minute Chair Flow – Emphasize Grounding with poses
- Student leader for flow in front of room, with crashing waves in background – comment on students noticing how they feel in their body today
- Volcano Breath – Standing by chair – feel breath rising up – think of someone and send your thoughts out to them
- Roots – stand with feet hip-width and feet facing forward – as you rock back and forth feel the four corners of your feet, as your rocking getting smaller feel yourself becoming centered and grounded in your feet
- Mountain Pose – feel your feet grounded strongly on the four corners as you hug your body in – Continue to feel centered and grounded
- Chair Pose – Notice how strong your legs are, hug your legs in, and notice how grounded and strong you feel in your legs and feet
- Continue rest of Chair Flow – emphasize grounding with rest of poses
- Compliments to leader
- After flow – have students move to front of room to create a “circle” for story and game time. Read “My Many Colored Days” from Dr. Seuss and have them guess the feelings through the colors and make faces representing the feelings – talk about how we experience feelings through colors, sounds, touch, smells – and how we are going to work today on noticing our feelings in our bodies and how we ground ourselves when we have “big feelings”.
- Play Exploring Feelings Game and end with entire group act out being “scared”
- Read “Coyote and Rabbit” story from Peter Levine’s “Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes” – have the students act out the story “in their body”, noticing how they are able to go from “scared to grounded” in their bodies and discuss after
Calm
- Belly Breathing – Return to sitting in chairs for Repeat of Chime and Belly Breathing with Hoberman sphere
- 1 Minute Relaxation – rest head on desk on top of hands – listen to sounds of crashing waves – have students imagine high waves crashing into the sand, gradually becoming gentle rolling waves slipping across the sand