Instructor: Kelly Gorder
Community: School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: March 31, 2016
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Listening
Class Intention: To increase a student’s sense of self by listening to the messages that come from their hearts, minds and bodies in order to make healthy choices and happiness.
The students are in a small group, quiet classroom setting with minimal distractions and have been working on developing rapport with one another. There will be quiet music playing and the lights will be turned off to increase comfort levels. Challenging behaviors include anxiety, Autism, communication disorders and learning disorders. Students are all on Individualized Education Plans and receive a variety of special education services.
Lesson Plan:
Calm
Breathing Techniques
- Chime – We are going to start our class today by sitting or lying on your mat with our eyes closed. Everything will be still. Pay attention to your breath and mindful of the sounds around you. You will hear the chime. Your job is to listen as carefully as you can to the sound of the chime. When you can no longer hear the chime, show me a thumbs up being careful not to disturb others around you. Listen. Let’s try it one more time. This time, keeping your body as still as possible, pay attention to whether or not you can hear the sound for the same amount of time.
- Volcano Breath – Listen to your deep breath in through your nose and fill your body with strong, powerful air while raising your hands from your heart up over your head. Then listen as you exhale with a calm, relaxing, smooth breath out as your arms back down to your sides. Let go of any emotions that may be holding on to your heart, throat, head, teeth or tongue.
Activate
Yoga Based Movement Flow – Yoga Calm Chair 15 As we flow through these movements, I really want you to listen to your body and find what makes you feel good. What is your body telling your mind? What can your mind tell your body? Listen to your breath. Listen to the noises around you. Acknowledge those noises and let it go. You are strong. You are brave. You are in control of your body.
- Mountain – Stand with your feet hip width apart, pointing straight ahead, and press them down into the earth.. Hands can be down at your sides or palms together at your heart. Lift your belly, head and heart. Shoulders should be back and down. Look straight ahead. Your body is now activated. The top of your head should be reaching to the sky to feel the warmth of the sun and your feet should be pressed into the ground like a strong, heavy rock.
- Upward Mountain – Stand with your feet hip width apart and arms straight up overhead. Palms face each other and fingers extend up. Press feet down and lift belly, head and heart; shoulders back and down.
- Forward Bend – Feet remain hip width apart and pointed straight ahead. Bend at the hips and hang arms, head and spine toward the floor. Touch the floor with your fingers or rest them on the chair in front of you. Breathe into your back.
- Lunge – (right leg back) Stand up straight, reaching right leg back behind you and create a slight bend in your left leg while letting your hands rest lightly by your sides or on the chair in front of you. From here listen to your body as you move into
- Upward Lunge – slide your hands firmly up against the sides of body as if you were zipping up a coat, reaching your hands as high as you can up into the air. Can you touch the clouds?
- Chair Dog – Slide your left leg back to meet the right and bed over at your hips to Downward Dog or Chair Dog and notice your breath.
- Lunge – (right leg forward)Stand up straight, reaching left leg back behind you and create a slight bend in your right leg while letting your hands rest lightly by your sides or on the chair in front of you. From here listen to your body as you move into
- Upward Lunge – slide your hands firmly up against the sides of body as if you were zipping up a coat, reaching your hands as high as you can up into the air. Can you touch the clouds? Can your body reach further than before. Listen to what your body is telling you.
- Forward Bend – This time you will place your feet hip width apart and bend forward from the hips where you can either rest your head on your arms on the chair or let them hang down to your toes.
- Chair – Stand with legs hip width apart. Inhale and raise and straighten arms overhead, keeping arms parallel with palms facing each other. Exhale, bend knees and take thighs back like you are sitting in a chair. Keep your knees in alignment with feet and feet pointed straight ahead. Lift your belly, head and heart. Feel your strength. Listen to your body. To come out of this pose, breath in and press down through feet and reach up to the sky while lengthening and straightening legs.
- Upward Mountain – Feet are hip width apart and arms straight up overhead. Palms face each other and fingers extend up. Press feet down and lift belly, head and heart; shoulders back and down.
- Mountain – Return to Mountain remembering to listen to your body telling you that you are strong, grounded, calm.
Calm
- Twist – Sit in a chair with your with your feet on the floor, hip width apart. Press down through your feel and sit bones, and stretch up through the top of your head like you have a string pulling you up to the clouds. Take your left hand across to your right knee and place your right hand on the back of your chair. Smoothly and slowly, turn your belly, heart and head toward the back of the chair. Inhale and lengthen the spine, Exhale and twist. Shoulders stay back and down. Repeat on the other side.
- Pulse Count – We are going to count our pulse. Does anyone know how to check a pulse? Place your pointer finger and middle finger on your cheek, then slide your fingers down your face to your neck and stop right where it gets soft. Can you feel a beating in your neck? Show me a thumbs up when you found it. Let’s see how many beats we can count in 30 seconds. What did you get?
- Chime – We are going to end our class today by sitting or lying on your mat or chair with our eyes closed. Everything will be still. Pay attention to your breath and mindful of the sounds around you. You will hear the chime. Your job is to listen as carefully as you can to the sound of the chime. When you can no longer hear the chime, show me a thumbs up being careful not to disturb others around you. Listen.