[currentuser role=”instructor_level”]
Instructor: Tanya Beard
Community: Upper Elementary Ages or Grades 6-8, School Setting?, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: May 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Harassment Prevention Activity – Intro – OR Strong Voice Activity
- Hoberman Breaths – with leader/counter. Compliments.
Activate
- Mat 20
- Archetype Game (if time allows) – with African animals – monkey, hyena, gazelle, lion, zebra, etc.
Calm
- Yoga Flow – Hands to heart; upward mountain; forward bend – head heavy like a bowling ball; down dog; plank; cobra; child’s pose. Comfortable position.
- Peace Spray
- Be a Lion Story (w/ or w/out questions) – Show picture of the African savanna.
Close your eyes. Imagine the sand of the savanna is under your feet. You can see a watering hole. There are trees. They look different than our trees. The sun is hot. You feel it beat down on you. There are animals, all around you. Gazelle, zebras, hyenas, birds, zebras, and so many others. You are a lion. High up on a grassy hill. You are laying in the tall grass, resting with your head up, the sun shining on you. You can see all of the animals drinking the water, eating the grass. They are not bothering one another, and they are not bothering you. You are big, and powerful. Your paws are enormous. You stretch and close your eyes for a moment. No one is going to bother you. You are a lion. Your voice can be heard for miles. You hear a sound. One of the hyenas is causing a commotion. You hear that it is loud. It doesn’t sound good, there is snarling and a little yelping. You feel confident, and safe from your spot on the grassy hill. You do not need to get involved. As quickly as it starts, it ends, and everything returns to normal. Some of the gazelle have moved further away. Some of the hyenas still have their hair up. But it is again quiet. It is of no interest to you. You again close your eyes. You again feel the sun. You are a lion. Lions are confident. Small fights and strife are not your business. The savanna offers a lot of space. You can remove yourself if you need to. There is safety here. Practice feeling safe, on your grassy hill, with the confidence and security of a lion. Take one more breath, in through your nose and out through your nose. Stretch your body long. Turn to your side. Sit up. Turn toward me. Questions: What was it like to be a lion? How do you feel? What if the hyenas were picking on the gazelle or other animals? How would you feel? Would you do something? What? What if you went down to the other animals and scared them to show them how strong you are? Would that have felt different? Better or worse? How can you use these ideas at school tomorrow? Where can you try to feel more like a lion? (cafeteria, recess, etc.)