Parent/Child Class at Women’s Shelter, Community Lesson Plan (Happe)

Warm up activity 

• Mat Tag to music: “Move and Freeze”
• Second game cued by listening to mom’s voice give instruction

Calm

• Volcano Breaths: Ten breaths. Cue to connect to “heart thoughts” and continue for five more breaths. Shut your eyes and imagine you’re sitting with the person you sent heart thought to.

• Arm Swings: Notice how your body feels as we continue to keep that person in our mind…where do you notice that feeling in your body?

Activate

• Mountain: Forward Bend. Activate our legs by pulling our muscle to the bone….on the next exhale, expande your arms out to your sides as you bring your arms, head, neck and spine toward the floor. Now take all that love you’re feeling; notice how it feels in your body as you relax your head and neck down.
• Chair: Now inhale as your bring your arms back over head, palms facing each other; imagine you’re still holding on to all that love, and bend your knees as if you’re sitting in chair.
• Mountain: As you push back up into mountain, bring your hands together at your heart…bringing all that love with you and into your heart.
• Mountain-Forward Bend-Chair series: With gentle drumming, alternating drummer and leader; new leader and drummer compliment previous before shifting.
• Community Circle: Discussion
• Tree: Feel your community support you whether they are here or far away
• Tree Circle: Moms/adults on outside circle, children on inside

Calm

• Seated twist
• Seated Belly Breathing + Back drawing
• Story with child wrapped in blanket and in pose of choice; read the “The Twelve Gifts of Birth”