Chair Yoga Basics: A Mindful Approach

Transcription

1 Chair Yoga Basics: A Mindful Approach Part Four Cultivating Rest & Getting Creative Little Flower Yoga is a New York based organization dedicated to sharing yoga and mindfulness with children and youth regardless of circumstances. We offer direct service classes for schools in New York City and Westchester County, Staff Development Workshops, and a national Affiliate Program, as well as a Yoga Alliance certified Children s Yoga Teacher Training. This program was developed by School Yoga Project Director, Mayuri Gonzalez in To reach Mayuri, please mayuri@littlefloweryoga.com TEL (212) / info@littlefloweryoga.com / WEB LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!1

2 Table of Contents Chair Yoga Doesn t Always Mean Sitting 3 Taking Inspiration from the Mat 4 Relax Element: Constructive Rest 5 Postures for Relaxation 5 Relax Activities 6 Putting it All Together: Lesson Plans 8 Themes 8 5 Elements 8 Asana Experience 9 Sample Questions to Encourage Mindfulness 9 Opening and Closing Rituals 9 Sample Thematic Class: Do Words Have Power 12 Index of Activities: 5 Elements 13 Chair Session Class Planning Worksheet 16 Chair Session Class Planning Worksheet 17 LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!2

3 Chair Yoga Doesn t Always Mean Sitting STANDING LUNGE (PART 2) HAMSTRING AND CALF STRETCH (PART 2) POWERFUL CHAIR POSE Sit in your chair and bring your feet together; squeeze your knees together. Raise your arms overhead (choose an angle that doesn t cause your shoulders to tense). Push into your feet, drawing your low belly in and up as you lift your buttocks a few inches off the seat. Hold for 5 breaths, and lower back down. Repeat 3 times. TWISTED POWERFUL CHAIR POSE Sit in your chair and bring your feet together, squeezing your knees. Twist your upper body to the left, bringing either your right hand o the outside of your left knee or one the floor to the outside of our left foot. Extend your left arm up the the ceiling. Roll your left shoulder behind you and look down, to the side, or up (wherever is most comfortable) while breathing into your belly. Hold for 5 breaths, then return to sitting and fold over your legs to stretch your back. Repeat the pose on the other side. STANDING BALANCE Start standing behind your chair, hands resting lightly on the chair. Inhale standing tall, equal weight on each foot. Exhale as you lift the right leg behind you about 1 to 2 inches off the floor, keeping the knee straight. Maintain level hips and stay tall on the left leg. Breathe in and out for a count of 5. Repeat the sequence on the left leg. (Variations: Dancer Pose, Squatting Pigeon) STANDING TREE POSE Start standing behind your chair, hands resting lightly on the chair for balance. Focus on a spot on the wall and breathe easily as you lift your right foot and place it on the inside of your left leg as high as you comfortably can. Take a couple of slow, relaxed breaths here as you lengthen the body from the head through the torso, pelvis and left leg. When you feel steady, breathe in as you slowly raise your right arm overhead. If you feel comfortable, raise the left arm as well. Keep focusing on the spot on the wall. Breathe easily for a count of 5. Lower your arm(s) and leg. Repeat the sequence lifting the left foot. LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!3

4 Taking Inspiration from the Mat WARRIOR 1 WARRIOR II REVERSE WARRIOR SIDE ANGLE LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!4

5 Relax Element: Constructive Rest Provide Time for Stillness and Rest We live in an overstimulating world and many children and adults are finding it increasingly challenging to rest or pause, without being entertained or doing something. Use one of the activities below, or another relaxation technique to prepare students for a few moments of silent peace and quiet. It provides the time and space for deep relaxation and integration of all of the work that has been done in the chair yoga session while encourage students to slow down and pause. Consider offering a mildly energizing activity at the end of your class if your students have another activity right after your session so they can be more alert and engaged. Postures for Relaxation SEATED RELAXATION POSE Lean back, resting your spine on the chair, and put your hands in your lap. Close your eyes, breathe easily and relax your whole body as it were floating down into a soft cloud. LEGS ON A CHAIR Allow your lower legs to rest on chair seat. If available, place a folded blanket under your lower back and hips. Relax your muscles and allow your bones to sink heavily into the ground, creating an effortless body. CHILD S POSE IN A CHAIR Hinge forward at the hips and bring your elbows onto your knees, thighs or desk. Make a little shelf with the heals of your hands and allow your forehead to drop down into your hands, completely releasing the weight of your skull. RESTORATIVE WIDE LEG FOLD Sit on the floor with your legs separated to the outside of the chair legs. Hinge forward at your hips and bring your upper body forward, resting your head on your hands, or fists. Close your eyes and relax your shoulders, and stay here for as long as you would like letting your head completely drop. Other Variations: Cross your legs or sit on your heels before folding forward and resting your head. LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!5

6 Relax Activities BREATH RELAXATION For a few moments we are going to see if we can use the breath inside of our body to help us to relax more deeply. Begin by just finding the feeling of the breath inside of your body. Feel how your body moves with each and every breath. (pause) See if you can feel how each inhalation creates more room and more space inside of your body, allowing your body to expand in all directions. Each exhalation helps you to sink, relax, and become heavier. For a few moments explore how you can use your breath to create space and release tension. Each time you breathe in, you create more space, and each time your breathe out, you relax. TENSE AND LET GO After students find a comfortable place to settle and rest, talk them through each part of the body from the toes up to the head, tensing all of their muscles and then letting it go. Use as much detail as your students can stay with so that they finish feeling refreshed and not anxious. Spend a few moments paying attention to your breath and getting settled. Now you are going to bring your attention to each part of your body, starting with your toes and moving all the way up to your head. As you think about each part of your body, tense the muscles in that body part, and then let them relax, until you have invited your whole body to relax. First think about your toes. Scrunch them up as tight as you can, hold them there for a second or two, and then let them rest. Now tense up both of your feet, and when you let them relax, imagine that they are very, very heavy. Now tighten the muscles in your calves and around your knees. Try counting to five before letting them relax. Next squeeze all of the muscles in your legs. You might find yourself squeezing so hard that your legs lift off of the ground a tiny bit. After a few seconds, let all of the muscles in your legs relax, and feel your legs settle comfortably into the ground. Next pull your belly button in for a few seconds, and then let your belly get very soft. Relax your back into the floor. Scrunch your shoulders up to your ears, then after a few seconds relax them down. Make your hands into very tight fists, and squeeze all of the muscles in your arms. Just like your legs, you may find that your arms come off of the ground a little, and that is great. Now relax your arms and your hands, letting them rest by your sides with your palms facing up. Close your eyes tightly, scrunch your nose, and squeeze your lips together. Hold your face in this tensed position for a few seconds, and then let your whole face relax. Take a breath in and, when you exhale, let out a sigh through your mouth. Take a minute to pay attention to your whole body. If you notice any part that still feels uncomfortable or isn t very relaxed, tense it up, then let go, until you ve relaxed each part of you. Rest for as long as you d like. LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!6

7 MINI MASSAGE: THERAPEUTIC SELF-TOUCH (TRY ONE OR A FEW) Soothe Your Scalp: Park your thumbs behind your ears and spread your fingers over the top of your head. Gently move your scalp by making circles with your fingertips. About 15 to 20 seconds of this feels great. Skiing Your Sinuses: Place your fingertips along the bridge of your nose. Slowly slide your fingers down the sides of your nose, across the top of your cheekbones, to the outside of the eyes. Eye Ease: With your eyes closed, place your ring fingers near the bridge of your nose, directly under each eyebrow. Press with your ring fingers to increase pressure for five to 10 seconds and then release. Repeat. Ear Ease: Massage your ears, one at a time or together. Start at the top and slowly massage your way down to the lobe. Face Warmer: Rub your hands together vigorously until they feel very warm, then very gently massage your face with open hands using a circular motion from the center of the face out (left hand massages the left side of face; right hand the right side of the face) SOMATIC HOLDS (adapted from Healing Trauma by Peter Levine 2005) This series of poses can help you to calm down after being aroused, uncomfortable, or stressed. They can help us to connect and settle into our body and into the present moment. You can put the postures together into a sequence or hold one individual posture. Hold each pose for as long as it is comfortable. After each pose allow some time for settling and notice any changes in your body, your heart rate, breathing, or emotional state. MUSIC RELAXATION The soothing power of music is well-established. It has a unique link to our emotions, so can be an extremely effective stress management tool. Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet, classical or ambient music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones. As music can absorb our attention, it acts as a distraction at the same time it helps to explore emotions. This means it can be a great aid to meditation, helping to prevent the mind wandering. Allow students to listen to a piece of music and allow themselves to get lost in the melody or inspirational words, before resting for a few moments of silence. LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!7

8 Putting it All Together: Lesson Plans While it is vital to be responsive to your students and able to adapt to what is going on in your classroom, it is also very helpful to have ideas about what activities fit together well, and options for how to address particular topics. Spending a little bit of time developing lesson plans will make you a more intentional teacher and make classes even more beneficial, as learning is focused and each session can build upon the last. Think of your yoga classes as a gentle energetic bell curve. You will start off in a grounded, centered place, work up to a point of movement and high energy, and then slowly move back towards a place of calm ending in relaxation. Most classes will follow the Connect, Breath, Move, Focus, Relax sequence, and all classes should include ample time for silent and spacious rest. Themes Using a theme can be a useful way to keep a class focused and cohesive (although it shouldn t be allowed to limit creative exploration and discussion). Class topics or themes can range from a class centered on energy level or for younger students, to a class focusing on balance or cooperation for older students. Often the topic or theme of the class emerges from the goal that you have set for class on that particular day. Every class should have a purpose or an essential set of questions that is being explored. When choosing a theme, be sure that it is broad enough to include a wide array of activities. Quick Brainstorm: (List 5 Potential Themes/ Essential Questions) 5 Elements The five elements of the Little Flower Yoga methodology ensure that we provide a robust and well-balanced experience of yoga and mindfulness for students, even in the chair. In our chair-based approach, it is common for us to offers shorter sessions ranging from 15 to 30 minutes often making it impossible to teach an activity LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!8

9 in each of the 5 areas without rushing and diluting the experience itself. Here are few ways to approach the 5 elements in shorter sessions: Incorporate activities that can explore multiple elements (ex: anchor breath (breathe, move, focus), or mindful movements (connect, breathe, move). Remember the main skills intended to be cultivated with each element and provide opportunities to explore these areas through the questions you ask and the cues you offer. Provide a balanced experience of the 5 elements over the duration of your program. Some classes may be missing certain elements, but overall students are exploring all 5 areas throughout the program. Asana Experience Make a classic sequence more child or chair friendly Turn one pose or related poses into a full experience Slow down a simple movement, or several movement patterns and sync it to the breath. Combine poses to target an area of the body Explore thoughts feelings and sensations while in the postures or activities. Sample Questions to Encourage Mindfulness What part of your body is working? resting? stretching? tensing? warm? cool? soft? How are you feeling? (examples: at ease, distracted, joyful, present, agitated, tired, energized) What is your energy level? (examples: energy meter 1-10, low, high, unknown) Does your energy level change throughout the practice? Do you need your energy level to change to help you meet this moment? What is your body telling you? How is your body communicating? What do you need? Opening and Closing Rituals These serve to create a container for your classes, grounding students in routine and offering a sense of predictability. In many adult classes these are om and namaste, but we encourage you to consider LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!9

10 alternatives, particularly in a school environment, in order to adhere to the spirit of secularism and reduce misunderstanding. Here are two options. What other possibilities can you envision? OPENING RITUAL: SINGING BOWL AND HEART AND BELLY BREATHING 1. Enter your classroom with a relaxed, happy attitude. Smile at your students and allow them to adjust to your presence in the room before asking them to do anything at all. 2. Go to where you are setting up your space. Put your things down in a slow and deliberate manner, keeping any clutter to a minimum. Place a singing bowl next to you. Always, always handle the singing bowl with gentle respect. You want to create a sense in the children that the singing bowl is something very special and something to be treated with care. This naturally makes it more interesting to them. 3. Settle onto your mat and model a grounded and mindful seat for the children. Take a few deep breaths. Pick up the singing bowl, and hold it at heart height. Make sure you are treating the bowl with reverence and that you are directing your gaze and energy at it, rather then looking around at the kids. As the students notice what you are doing, they will look where you look. 4. After a few moments and a few breaths, gently ring the singing bowl. Keep your gaze fixed on the bowl until the sound completely dies away. 5. After the sound of the bowl is gone, look around at your students and make eye contact. If many of the kids are still not with you after the sound of the bowl is finished, take several breaths and then ring it again. Be careful not to show any frustration or annoyance. This ringing of the bowl is an invitation to your students, not a command or a reprimand. 6. There will be a moment of quiet after the sound finishes, when the children s attention is turned to the bowl and to you. Take advantage of that moment (and it may not last long) to draw them in. Depending on whether the children are still up and about or they are on their mats, say good morning, ask a question, give them an interesting piece of information, or move directly into an activity. This is your opportunity to start class from a place of engagement. Try not to be overly concerned if every single student is not completely silent or still when the bell finishes ringing. As long as the general orientation of the class is toward you, you have a space to begin your teaching. 7. Consider following this opening with Heart and Belly Breathing to start each session. This method of beginning gets more and more effective as you use it. The children will learn the routine, and many will begin to get themselves set up for class just by watching you take the singing bowl into your hands. Remember that the singing bowl must always be treated as something special. Don t ring it in anger, frustration, or desperation or it will lose it s meaning. Your attention to the attitude you convey at the beginning of class will make a tremendous difference in LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!10

11 the attitude of the children. Become a model of patience, grace, and loving acceptance. Invite your students on a journey, and you may be surprised at how willing they are to participate. CLOSING RITUAL: HEART CENTER SENDOUT This meditative activity ends class with a sense of gratitude, kindness, and love. After coming up from final relaxation, students bring their hands over their heart, close their eyes, and imagine filling their hands with love until they are overflowing. Then they bring their hands into a cup shape in front of them, and with a breath (or a single chime from the singing bowl) they send that love out wherever they want it to go. They can send it to a family member or friend or pet or someone they have never met before. LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!11

12 Sample Thematic Class: Do Words Have Power Objectives: Class length: minutes Explore how words we may speak out loud or in our minds can change how we feel Provide experiences where students can mindfully play with words in activities and notice their impact on their experiences. OPENING CONNECT Singing Bowl and Heart and Belly Breath Introduce the theme: Do Words Have Power. Playfully explore the words tired and vacation. Ask students to check-in and notice what happens when they hear each of these words. Have a conversation exploring their reactions and observations. Continue to return to this class theme throughout the activities to bring mindful attention to words we speak or think. BREATHE Heart and Belly Breath (several more rounds) MOVE Activity Focus Seated Mountain Pose Cat/ Cow into Balloon Breath add affirmation at the end, I love myself (Transition to standing) Power Poses How does it feel to hold our body in these shapes? How did it feel to say the words in the shapes? Chair Pigeon Explore the difference of repeating this feels awful and this feels awesome. Did your thoughts change your experience? FOCUS Finger Affirmations 1,2,3,4 & I can do this Play with volume & words RELAX CLOSING Childs Pose in a Char Kind Wishes LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!12

13 Index of Activities: 5 Elements Activity Name Course Part Elements(s) Alternating Single Knee Hugs 2 Move Anchor Breath 3 Connect, Breathe, Focus Arm Sweeps 1 Move Back and Shoulder Wall Angels 2 Move Balloon Breath 1 Breathe, Move Belly Breath 3 Breathe Boat Pose (Half and Full) 1 Move Body Scan 2 Connect, Focus Breath Relaxation 4 Relax, Breathe Calming Breath 3 Breathe Cat/ Cow (Spinal Flexes) 3 Move Checking In with My Body 3 Connect Chest Openers 2 Move Child s Pose in a Chair 4 Relax Counting Breaths 3 Focus, Breathe Eagle 2 Move Energy Level Check In 3 Connect Extended Leg Stretch 2 Move Feel my Feet Focus 1 Focus Finger Affirmations: Be Here Right Now 3 Focus, Connect Hamstring and Calf Stretch 2 Move Heart and Belly Breath 2 Breathe Hip Flexor Stretch 2 Move Kind Wishes 3 Connect, Focus Layers of Sound 3 Connect Legs on the Chair 4 Relax Letting Go Breaths 3 Breathe Mindful Check In- 1 Word 3 Connect LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!13

14 Activity Name Course Part Elements(s) Mindful Inquiry: Gratitude 3 Connect Mindful Movement: Blooming Flower Arms Move, Connect, Breathe Mindful Movement: Full Arms Circles 1 Move, Connect, Breathe Mindful Movement: Overhead Arm Lift 1 Move, Connect, Breathe Mindful Movement: Shoulder-Level Arm Lift 1 Move, Connect, Breathe Mindful Movement: Touch the Sky, Touch the Earth 1 Move, Connect, Breathe Mindful Movement: Upper Body Circles 1 Move, Connect, Breathe Mini Massage: Therapeutic Self Touch 4 Relax, Connect Moving Forward Folds 3 Move Music Relaxation 4 Relax Neck and Head Alignment 2 Move Neck Flexion, Rotation & Lateral Flexion 2 Move Overhead Stretch & Site Stretch 2 Move Pigeon & Twisted Pigeon 2 Move Power Poses 4 Move Powerful Chair Pose 4 Move Releasing Twists 3 Move Restorative Forward Folds 4 Relax Reverse Warrior 4 Move Seated Core Activities 2 Move Seated Grounded Posture 2 Focus, Connect Seated Mountain Pose 1 Move Seated Sun Salutation 3 Move Segmented Energizing Breath 3 Breathe Shoulder Blade Squeeze 2 Move Shoulder Release Kriya 3 Move, Breathe Side Angle 4 Move Somatic Holds 4 Relax Standing Balance 4 Move LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!14

15 Activity Name Course Part Elements(s) Standing Forward Bend 1 Move Standing Tree Pose 4 Move Take 10 Breaths 1 Connect, Breathe, Focus Tense and Let Go 4 Relax Thigh Stretch 2 Move Waking up the Body: Tapping 3 Connect Warrior 1 4 Move Warrior 2 4 Move Wide Legged Forward Bend 2 Move, Relax LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!15

16 Chair Session Class Planning Worksheet Theme/ Essential Question: Class length: Objectives: OPENING RITUAL CONNECT BREATHE MOVE Asana/ Asana Experiences Mindful Focus FOCUS RELAX CLOSING RITUAL NOTES/ KEY REMINDERS LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!16

17 Chair Session Class Planning Worksheet Theme/ Essential Question: Class length: Objectives: OPENING RITUAL CONNECT BREATHE MOVE Asana/ Asana Experiences Mindful Focus FOCUS RELAX CLOSING RITUAL NOTES/ KEY REMINDERS LFY Training Manual: Chair Yoga 2018 Little Flower Yoga. All rights reserved. May not be copied without written permission!17