Instructor: Phoenix Ries
Community: Teenagers, High School Setting, 1 hour
Plan Creation Date: April 1, 2014
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Community
Props/Music Resources Required: Hoberman Sphere, mats, drum, lavender essence
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Belly Breathing – with Sphere to settle – feel your sits bones ground you on the earth and your spine lengthen upward. Breathe life into your every part of your body…
- Twist – Simple seated twists to both sides using breath to ground you. – imagine each twist is wringing out the stresses of the day so that you can be relaxed and full present: here and now.
Activate
- Stretches – Leg extensions, thread the needle, happy baby to warm up.
- Crescent Moon – and other upper body warm ups at the wall.
- Mountain Pose – Focus on grounding/rooting down to grow tall and strong. Hold for 1 minute to the beat of the drum.
- Discussion – Brief discussion following about what it takes to stay grounded and what it means/how it helps (in their lives)
- Mat 20 (variation) – x 3 or 4, depending on energy level on group. – Student leading asana while I beat the drum as students hold poses.
- Balance Poses – Tree, Eagle, Dancer, and other balance poses including harm-balance in L Pose at the wall.
- Discussion – function of dynamic resistance in yoga and life, commenting as we move through the poses about rooting, focus, lengthening, expanding. – discuss how it is to “root down” when we are upside down. Have you been in situations when your life was upside down and you needed to get grounded? What did you do? What can you do? Always your breath is available…and who are your grounding people?
Calm
- Bridge Pose – even now…rooting down to lift up.
- Twist – Legs in to chest and simple twists to both sides.
- Corpse Pose – feel your body touching the earth. Can you send a thought of gratitude to the earth for holding you here so strong and gentle?
- Visualization – Imagine yourself as a tree. Strong and flexible, well rooted. What do you need to continue to grow strong and healthy? Picture that you have all that you need to do so.
- Volcano Breath – Seated…send out a volcano breath of appreciation to someone who has helped you stay grounded.