Instructor: Abby Bracke
Community: ???
Plan Creation Date: July 15, 2011
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Grounding — Transitions: To help students feel confident and comfortable with change and transitions.
Setting the tone/creating a therapeutic environment: I will turn off the overhead lights and have the room lit by the natural light of the window. I will put soothing music on the classroom speaker system. I will place a sign on the door that states “Yoga Calm in progress. Please do not disturb.” I will have a visual schedule (photos of poses) displayed in the room. I will give lots of cues throughout the lesson to let students know how long each pose will be held. I will cue upcoming poses.
Lesson Plan:
Opening remarks: “Today we will work through this sequence of poses that I have displayed on the board. We will be focused on connecting to the ground and knowing what is coming next.”
Breath Work: Chime x3 — “Listen for the silence after the tone disappears.”
Belly breathing with Hoberman Sphere for eight breaths (student-led).
Yoga-Based Activities:
Mountain — “Be a solid, unmoving mountain made out of rock. Feel how safe you feel with your strong base beneath you.”
Roots — “On top of your mountain, a seed of a tree begins to take root and grow. Test out your roots as you slowly rock side to side, forward and back, then in little circles. After two more breaths, your tree will grow taller.”
Tree — “Feel your connection to the ground through your strong roots. They will not let your tree fall down.”
Windy Tree — “The top of the mountain is windy, so your tree branches sway from side to side, but your connection to the ground is still strong.”
Forward Fold — “Take three breaths in this pose while you answer these questions silently in your mind: What things exist in your life that makes it feel like you are swaying off balance, like the branches of a tree?”
Table — “Prepare for some animals to seek the protection of your strong tree. Hold this pose for two breaths.”
Cat/Cow — “Match your movement to your breath for six breaths.”
Downward Dog — “Stay in this position for three breaths. Does life look any different in this pose?”
Child’s Pose — “Let all of your hard work soak back into your roots. Feel your connection to the Earth once more. Notice your breath getting slower and deeper. After three more breaths, sit back up onto your heels.”
Social Emotional Activities: After Child’s pose, have students sit back on their heels and discuss or write about what kind of tree they are (e.g., tall, short, etc.) or what has happened to sway or test their tree. Allow a couple to share.
Relaxation: Relaxation Pose & One-Minute Exploration
“Imagine a tree. It starts off as a small little seed, then grows roots, and finally sprouts through the Earth. The sun and rain provide nourishment to allow the tree to grow tall and strong. How tall is your tree? What grows on your tree? What color are the leaves? What color is the bark? What animals take shelter in the tree?”
After One-Minute Exploration, inform students that you will be going around and grounding students’ shoulders into the floor. Ask for students to raise a hand if they do not want this to happen for them.
“Begin to breathe more deeply. Take two more breaths and then roll to your right side and lay in Fetal Pose for three breaths. Use this time to remember your connection to the Earth and the safety to provides for you. Slowly work yourself up to a sitted position.”
“I want to thank you for your confidence in your connection to the Earth today and knowing what to expect next. Your confidence will help you have Peaceful Thoughts, Peaceful Words, and Peaceful Actions.”