Yoga
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4th Grade Study Synopsis
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Yoga Ed.™
Overview
Think of the system
of yoga as structures in a playground and invite children
to try on and play with the activities offered below in
order to discover their value for themselves. Encourage
kids to have fun with the activities from Yoga Ed. Playground
and even see how these tips or exercises might help them
in their lives – with sports performance, focus, calm
or building physical strength, endurance or balance.
Remember that children, unlike adults, do not come to yoga
to fix or improve themselves. Their job is to discover
and develop themselves through playful exploration and the
sequential mastering of skills. Those skills are most
easily learned when they make sense to the child as applicable
to what is important to them. Children do not want
what someone else thinks is good for them;
they want what feels helpful, fun and creative to them.
Imagine
the space around you as alive; relate to the air you breath
as energy, color or sparkly light. Move through
it slowly and smoothly as though it had texture like you
would if you were under water.
- Raise
arms out, up and open to the sky; breathe in and say:
All good things rain down on me.
- Scoop
the energy in toward yourself with both hands and press
it down gently (palms facing down) in front of your
body at your mid-line and then into the earth as you
exhale.
- Breathe
in and scoop the energy back up from the earth to your
center (palms facing up) and say: All good things
grow up through me.
- Exhale
and spread the energy out from your center (palms facing
out) to all around your body and say: All good
things surround me.
- Stand
with your feet apart, a little wider than your hips.
Inhale
- Open
your arms wide and bend your elbows. Exhale
- Inhale
on a slow count of 2 or 3 and, balancing on right leg,
bring your right elbow and your left knee to touch in
front of you. Exhale on a count of 2 or 3 and return
to standing. Keep movements smooth. Repeat on
both sides 3 times.
- Chant with movement:
Fly like a butterfly (lift left knee and to touch right elbow in front of
body)
Sting like a bee (place left foot back down, open elbow out wide)
I can balance (lift right knee to touch left elbow)
Look at me
(place right foot down and open left elbow)
Open like a flower (repeat left knee- right elbow)
Close like a lock (return to starting position)
Put your foot down (repeat right knee – left elbow)
It’s time to stop!
(return to starting
position)
We recommend learning by
doing and finding out for one self so here are some interesting
experiments kids can try. Be sure to hypothesize what you
think the outcome will be before you begin. Then compare
what you thought to what actually happened and expand your
understanding of the natural world!
Find a friend and get two
balloons apiece. Blow up one balloon just a little
and the other really full while your friend holds his/her
hands lightly on your sides or back over your ribs to feel
them expand and compress as you inhale and blow. Take
turns.
Hold the little balloon
in one hand and the big balloon in the other as high up
as you can. Before letting them fall, make a hypothesis
about which one will touch the ground first? Then,
let them both go at the same time and observe what happens.
Interpret your findings. Extrapolate what you discovered
about the balloons to yourself. When you breathe deeply
in yoga are you lighter or heavier? Does it help you
to be more smooth and graceful and even or more floppy,
soft and heavy?
Practice
some of your favorite balance or standing poses such a Tree,
Bug, Crow or Airplane or Warrior 2 filling yourself breathing
fully and then shallowly. What are the differences?
Wisdom pose connects the
circuits of your head or your thinking and your heart or
your feelings. It’s a valuable pose to do when
you are losing your cool or wanting to have a tantrum or
hurt somebody. Generally, when we experience fear,
anger, sadness or hopelessness, we act out.
Wisdom pose takes us in and helps us reconnect with our whole selves so we
can make choices we don’t regret and resolve problems
without making a big drama of it.
This pose is an adaptation
of Eagle pose. Eagles are known for their acute vision.
They are able to see from great heights. From up high, there
is the perspective of the whole picture, which gives you
more information and insight. You are able to choose more
wisely and act more effectively. .
You can do this pose sitting,
standing or even lying down. Cross your legs or feet at
your ankles. Cross your arms in front of you at your
wrists, then turn your thumbs down so your palms face each
other. Clasp hands by interlacing your fingers and
then fold hands under and bring them to rest on your chest
at your heart. Touch the tip of your tongue to roof of mouth.
Close your eyes, breathe as slowly as you can into your
heart and either focus on your heart and breath or remember
someone or something you love. Try it next time you’re
feeling out of control or out of your mind or overwhelmed
with feelings. Your wisdom is always there, sometimes
you just have to find it again.
