Chakra Lesson Plan (ages 12+) AGE GROUP: 12+ MATERIALS Paper, pen or wipe board for scrambled pose, ipod, music, Visual Vignettes supplies (paper with crayons, markers, pens, paints or water colors) KEY ELEMENTS Bridge of Diamonds SHORT DESCRIPTION/TOPIC We will learn about the Chakras, connect to our energy and the energy of each other, and do a special yoga practice to balance all 7 Chakras. DISCUSSION POINTS The 7 Chakras are the energy centers in our body in which energy flows through. Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness, so it s important to understand what each Chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely. CONNECTING CIRCLE Energy Circle - Our bodies are full of electricity. Join hands and feel the energy we share. Left palm up (moon side - receiver), right palm down (sun side - giver). Squeeze your neighbor s hand when you feel the electricity to signal that the circuit has been made and the current is flowing. We are all connected. - Bridge of Diamonds POSES AS PATHWAYS/INTEGRATE THE ELEMENTS Neck Stretches - Begin to warm up the neck and shoulder muscles and allow any tension to release. - Quiet Quests Sun Salutations - Follow the leader In Sanskrit, sun salutations are called Surya Namaskara, and are a way to honor or salute the sun. Ancients viewed the sun as the visual representation of the Divine on the earth. Sun represents willpower, fame, vitality, courage, power and authority. Follow the leader and only do the pose once the person next to you does the pose, until it goes all the way around the circle. Then do the next pose in the salutation. Begin to move more quickly and flow with the salutation. We all Win
Ankle/Heel/Toe Walking For those of you who play sports, foot strength and flexibility is imperative in sports performance. If your base (feet) is not strong and flexible, it compromises your whole body. Did you know that your foot contains a whopping 250,000 sweat glands which produce ½ a pint of moisture a day? Awesome Anatomy 1. Root Chakra (Red - base of spine. Grounds you to the earth, helps you stand up for yourself, gives you strength, security, safety, independence: I am safe. ) Childs Pose - Imagine a giant zipper being unzipped on your back as you rest. Allow your body to completely relax and settle into the floor. - Quiet Quests L is for Left - The left side of the brain emphasizes language, logic, numbers, and math. Affirm I am smart, I am a good student, I can figure it out. - Affirmations 2. Sacral Chakra (Orange - low belly. Passion, what you desire (chocolate or veggies?) - How do you control your desires? I make healthy choices. ) PB & J - Name the muscles as we touch them (Deltoids, Biceps, Triceps, Intercostals, Rectus Abdominus, Obliques, Quadriceps, Adductors, Abductors, Tibialis Anterior). - Awesome Anatomy Bow and Arrow - The crossover movement of the bow arm, in tandem with the arrow leg, stimulates communication of the two hemispheres of the brain. - Brain Balance 3. Solar Plexus (Yellow - center of belly. Our energy comes from the sun. Be proud and confident in your abilities. I am proud of me. I can do it. ) Lizard - or plank pose is a great conditioning pose that uses all the muscles from our fingertips to our toes. Pull the belly button towards the spine to protect your back and feel your internal power. - Body Benefits Lizard Tongue - Make up fun tongue twisters and recite them as you take a lizard walk. The leathery laughing lizard laid lethargically by the legendary large lake. - Laughing Language 4. Heart Chakra (Green - heart center. Be kind and caring to yourself and others. I love myself and I share my love. )
Rocking Horse the back of the body caves in and makes a concave shape. The front of the body pushes out and makes a convex shape. Deepen your concave and convex shapes as you rock. - Math Medley Up Uppity Doggie Up - Dogs have superior hearing and can hear four times the distance of humans. Their sense of smell can be 10,000 to 100,000 more acute than humans, and they have a special membrane in their eyes which enables them to see in the dark. This makes them super helpers for humans. Service dog are trained and know that when their harness is on, they are working - so don t ever call or pet a working dog while harnessed. Once it comes off, they know it is time to play and receive some love! - Ecological Echoes 5. Throat Chakra (Blue throat. self control - faith - always being honest and truthful. I always speak the truth when talking to myself and others ) Bridge - The world s longest bridge is in China (Kunshan Grand Bridge). It opened in 2011 and spans 102.4 miles. The tallest bridge was built in 2004 in France (Millau Viaduct) and soars 343 meters above the ground - 19 meters (62 feet) taller than the Eiffel Tower. - Poses as Pathways Plough - Stretches the shoulders and spine, reduces stress, calms the brain and helps with headaches, insomnia, and backaches. - Body Benefits 6. Brow Chakra (Indigo - 3rd eye. Understanding yourself and your intuition. Your all-knowing knowledge. I listen to my intuition. ) Eyes Around the Clock - This pose links all the parts of our brains. It stimulates the corpus callosum, the brain s superhighway, which shuttles information back and forth. - Brain Balance 7. Crown Chakra (Violet or white light - crown of head. Inspire your wisdom and understanding. I am one with all the universe ) Headstand Going upside down can be scary. Try not to let fear get in your way. Handstand is just and upside down mountain pose - the hands are where the feet are and the feet where the head is. Tell yourself, I can do it. I can do it. Say it and believe it. - Affirmations Now let s take all that positive energy we created and share it with a friend in some partner poses!
Sit and Twist - Partner poses are designed to help two people achieve greater mobility than either could alone. Twists help to tone your belly and keep our spines flexible. - Body Benefits Seesaw Triangle - Gently lean backward and allow your friend to lean forward and stretch. Listen to your friend and communicate to find how far they are comfortable bending. Once your edges are determined, seesaw back and forth. - Bridge of Diamonds Rib-Splitting Seated Triangle - While holding onto your friend s hand and twisting, make eye contact with them and smile, maybe even wink! - Bridge of Diamonds Standing Partner Stretch - Discuss the concept of symmetry in this pose. Is your pose symmetrical? What variations of the pose can you do that will make the pose asymmetrical? - Math Medley Scrambled Poses - Have the students unscramble and perform the following pose: lorrel tscaoer (Roller Coaster) - Take turns riding at the front of the roller coaster. Follow the leader. Move together as one. Enjoy the ride! - Laughing Language Twist and Blow - The base of the spine is called the sacrum, the top of the head is called the cranium. This twisting pose stimulates the spine, the central nervous system and its control center, the brain. - Brain Balance Lemon Toes / Savasana - Introduce age appropriate relaxation music. - Musical Musings Chakra Guided Meditation, By Thy Grace - Snatam Kaur Breathe in for a count of three, breathe out for a count of three; close your eyes and look inside at the rainbow within you. Your breath is beginning to slow down as your body melts into the floor Imagine you are walking down a beautiful path, you hear birds singing, see the colorful flowers, flowers of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple and white...you feel the trees breathing, creating oxygen for you. You can smell the fresh air after a rain shower and feel the cool breeze on your skin as clouds float through the sky. The clouds part, and the blue sky appears, the sun is shining and you see a rainbow...red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. You are lying under the rainbow, allowing its light to fill you with happiness. You are connected to all of life. You are the rainbow, too You are red - strong and safe. You are orange - completely filled with happiness as all your desires are in perfect balance. You are yellow - proud and confident.
You are green - kind and caring. The blue in you is honest and truthful. You are indigo and see yourself in the future happy and creative. You are crystal white as you are one with all. VISUAL VIGNETTES On a piece of paper, color, draw or write about what surfaced during the guided relaxation. CLOSING CIRCLE NAMASTE 14 ELEMENTS INCORPORATED: Poses as Pathways (Kinesthetic) - Bridge Awesome Anatomy (Kinesthetic) - Ankle/Heel/Toe Walking, PBJ, Body Benefits (Kinesthetic) - Lizard, Plough, Sit and Twist Laughing Language (Verbal/Linguistic) - Lizard Tongue, Scrambled Poses Reading Comes Alive with Yoga (Verbal/Linguistic) - optional chakra book Brain Balance (Logical/Mathematical) - Bow and Arrow, Eyes Around the Clock, Twist and Blow, L is for Left Math Medley (Logical/Mathematical) - Rocking Horse, Standing Partner stretch Musical Musings (Musical) - Lemon Toes, Savasana Visual Vignette (Visual Spatial) - Chakra art Ecological Echoes (Naturalist) - Up Uppity Doggie Up Bridge of Diamonds (Interpersonal) - Electric Circle, Rib Splitting Seated Triangle, Seesaw Triangle We All Win (Interpersonal) - Sun Salutations, Roller Coaster Affirmations (Intrapersonal) - Headstand Quiet Quests (Intrapersonal) - Childs Pose, Neck Stretches