COURSE GOAL: Students will takes personal approach to identifying and managing stress by identifying and incorporating mindfulness, meditation and yoga techniques into their day-to-day (Health/Daily/Habits - HDH)
Unit | Timeframe | Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions) | Major Learning Experiences from Unit (what do you want kids to know and be able to do) |
|---|---|---|---|
Unit 1: Introduction | 3-4 Classes | - Create a foundation of the course - Go over and discuss class expectations and protocols with an emphasis on behavioral expectations, recommended attire, respect among your peers and safety - What is mindfulness? What is meditation? What is yoga? How does yoga help us in everyday life? What does it mean to you? Who can do yoga? Discuss what yoga is and branch out into group discussion about different types that students have tried/want to try/ what do they already know - Talk about goals and the intention of what will be covered - Allow students to learn and try out the equipment that will be used throughout the semester and go over expectations of how to properly put it back after sanitizing | - Students will know what is expected of them throughout the semester in relation to behavior, safety and respect to themselves and their classmates/ instructors - Students will have an understanding of what mindfulness, meditation and yoga is and the benefits it can have through regular practice while beginning to set personal goals for themselves - Students will be able to identify and safely use different equipment that will be used - Students will know how to properly sanitize and return equipment to its place after use |
Unit 2: Mindfulness/ Identifying Emotion | 5 Classes | -What is mindfulness? -Why Mindfulness? -Relevance -Identifying Emotion | Define Mindfulness Give benefits/Why’s/Relevance Identify Emotions (Self/Social Awareness) MINDFULNESS - A mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Benefits include: Helps regulate emotions, fight anxiety, and provide a better grasp on life’s stressors MINDFULNESS is paying attention to our experience in a way that allows us to respond rather than react. It is a quality of inner-stillness that is always available, even when our life or circumstances feel out of our control and chaotic. It is possible to be mindful/aware/pay attention to everything in our experience including anything we experience through our five sense doors, as well as our thoughts and emotions. MINDFULNESS - Paying attention to your present moment experiences with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is WHY MINDFULNESS? We spend a lot of time developing our intelligence in school, and strengthening our bodies through sports or exercise. But we give our mind very little attention. In fact, where do you think your mind even is? Most of us aren’t exactly sure. When we develop and strengthen our mind we are increasing our ability to focus, recognize and manage our emotions, make better decisions, and empathize in our relationships. |
Unit 3: Dhyana (Complete Meditation) | 5 Classes | - What is Dhyana? How do we achieve it in practice? - Benefits of Dhyana - Poses specific to Dhyana - Achieving Dhyana in 4 steps - The 3 elements of awareness | - Students will have an understanding of Dhyana - Students will apply the steps of Dhyana and achieve it through guided meditations - Students will be able to identify and demonstrate specific poses related to Dhyana - Students will have an understanding of the relationship between Dhyana and Dharana |
Unit 4: Stress | 5 Classes | - Stress - what is stress? What stressors do you face? How do you cope? - Good stress versus bad stress - what types of stress do you face on a daily basis? - Dealing with stress through different forms of yoga, mindfulness and meditation - Dealing with stress in a useful and productive way - Meditation for coping with stress - Breathing techniques for coping with stress | - Students will be able to define stress and understand the different types of stress they face in their own lives - Students will be able to describe the benefits of coping with stress through different practices of meditation and breathing - Students will be able to apply breathing and meditation skills learned in class and apply them to real life situations they face both in and out of the classroom |
Unit 5: Flexibility | 5 Classes | - General flexibility and flexibility and yoga - Poses that help to improve flexibility - Is it important to be flexible in your yoga practice? Why and why not? - Benefits of flexibility both in relation to yoga and real life | - Students will be able to identify poses that target specific areas of the body to improve overall flexibility - Students can demonstrate certain flexibility poses to the best of their individual ability and see improvements in their own flexibility throughout the course - Students will be able to demonstrate poses that relate to Flexibility - Students understand the differences and similarities between flexibility and flexibility in relation to yoga - Students will understand the importance of flexibility and learn ways to incorporate it into their own practices both in and out of the classroom/ studio |
Unit 6: Yoga: Pranayama (Breathing) The Power of Breath | 5 Classes | - Pranayama techniques to focus on all parts of breathing - What yoga poses are used when practicing Pranayama? Why are many of them in a seated position? - In class guided Pranayama practices and meditations (starting with beginner level and working through) - What are the 4 different parts of breathing? Inhalation (puraka), Internal retention (antara-khumbaka), Exhalation (rechaka), External retention (bahya-khumbaka) - Breathing techniques and activities | - Students will be able to practice breath awareness as well as have an understanding of the benefits of breath awareness - Students are able to identify and understand the different parts of the breath - Students will be able to identify and perform yoga poses specific to the practice of Pranayama such as Sukhasana / Cross-legged Pose, Virasana / Hero’s Pose (on props if needed) or Padmasana / Lotus Pose, etc. - Students can follow guided Pranayama practice ranging from beginner to moderate levels - Students will be able to demonstrate different breathing techniques learned in class that will carry over into their everyday practice |
Unit 7: Yoga Pratyahara (Control of the Senses) | 5 Classes | - What is Pratyahara? How do we achieve control of the senses? - Pratyahara is the foundation of meditation - The 4 types of Pratyahara that allow you to fully experience the benefits 1. Indriya pratyahara 2. Prana pratyahara 3. Karma pratyahara 4. Mano pratyahara - Sense withdrawal in comparison/ connection to sense control | - Students will practice both withdrawing and controlling their senses to achieve a state of Pratyahara - Students will be able to understand the importance of Pratyahara in their practice and develop ways to utilize its benefits both in and out of the classroom/ studio - Students will be able to breakdown the 4 different types of Pratyahara to fully understand and experience the benefits of Pratyahara |
Unit 8: Building/Doing Yoga Routines | 15 Classes | - Designing and creating yoga sequences- Where to start? What is included? How do I put it together? - Parts of a yoga sequence - Grounding, Warm Up/Integration, Sun/Moon Salutations, Standing/Balancing Postures, Seated/Supine Postures, Savasana - Individual break down of all parts of a yoga sequence - Yoga Poses - allow students to experience as many different poses possible and practice them | - Students will be able to follow guided yoga sequences while understanding the different parts and why they are crucial to successful routines - Students will be able to identify each phase of yoga sequences - Students will be able to put together effective yoga sequences that include theme, key actions, peak poses, warmup and cool down - Students will practice and become comfortable with numerous yoga poses that will be utilized through guided yoga sessions and their own individual sequences |