Yoga Unit
Why I think high school kids need to experience Yoga before leaving high school.
I remember the day in college... "Hey Tom would you like to come to a yoga class with us tonight at 6:30?" "Ugh... I've never done yoga... Will I be the only guy? How long are the classes? What do I wear? Do I need any prior knowledge?"
These are the questions and anxiety I was feeling before I went to my first yoga class with friends in College. I did not try yoga until my senior year at Winona State University. Chances are if you have not experienced yoga before, you will not feel comfortable just jumping into a yoga class filled with what seems to be experts who come each week. This is why I feel it is essential to expose kids to yoga before they leave high school.
I teach a Yoga Unit at Lincoln High School. This all started due to limited space for a period of time, a terrible stretch of Spring weather, and the idea that high school PE needs to be focused more on giving students the knowledge and skills to be able to find something active that they can enjoy doing for the rest of their lives. It was a challenge for me, but I got creative and let them take ownership of their learning by having a yoga presentation project.
Attached below are the assignments I use for the students to work on with their iPads, and in groups. One is creating an iMovie and one is a live presentation to the entire class.
iMovie Yoga Project Handout
Yoga Video Rubric
Here is a list of the yoga poses I use. I try to pump the kids up and have a "Yoga Draft", where I will play the NFL themed draft sound and each group is able to go down the line and draft which yoga poses they want!
Yoga Poses
Downward facing dog, Half Moon, Bow pose, Pigeon pose, Low Lunge, Crescent pose, Table Top to child pose, Knee to nose, knee to elbow, Happy Baby, Warrior 1, Warrior II, Warrior III, Dancer Pose, Reverse Swan Dive, Childs pose, Cobra pose, Revolved Triangle pose, Side Angle Pose, Yoga Plank Pose, Standing foreword fold, Yoga Boat Pose, Chaturanga, Chair Pose, Upward facing dog, Cat-Cow sequence, Reverse Warrior, Tree Pose, Threading the needle, How to breathe in yoga, Eagle Pose, Crane Pose, Crow Pose, Bridge Pose, Boat Pose, Corpse Pose, Side Plank Pose.
I remember the day in college... "Hey Tom would you like to come to a yoga class with us tonight at 6:30?" "Ugh... I've never done yoga... Will I be the only guy? How long are the classes? What do I wear? Do I need any prior knowledge?"
These are the questions and anxiety I was feeling before I went to my first yoga class with friends in College. I did not try yoga until my senior year at Winona State University. Chances are if you have not experienced yoga before, you will not feel comfortable just jumping into a yoga class filled with what seems to be experts who come each week. This is why I feel it is essential to expose kids to yoga before they leave high school.
I teach a Yoga Unit at Lincoln High School. This all started due to limited space for a period of time, a terrible stretch of Spring weather, and the idea that high school PE needs to be focused more on giving students the knowledge and skills to be able to find something active that they can enjoy doing for the rest of their lives. It was a challenge for me, but I got creative and let them take ownership of their learning by having a yoga presentation project.
Attached below are the assignments I use for the students to work on with their iPads, and in groups. One is creating an iMovie and one is a live presentation to the entire class.
iMovie Yoga Project Handout
Yoga Video Rubric
Here is a list of the yoga poses I use. I try to pump the kids up and have a "Yoga Draft", where I will play the NFL themed draft sound and each group is able to go down the line and draft which yoga poses they want!
Yoga Poses
Downward facing dog, Half Moon, Bow pose, Pigeon pose, Low Lunge, Crescent pose, Table Top to child pose, Knee to nose, knee to elbow, Happy Baby, Warrior 1, Warrior II, Warrior III, Dancer Pose, Reverse Swan Dive, Childs pose, Cobra pose, Revolved Triangle pose, Side Angle Pose, Yoga Plank Pose, Standing foreword fold, Yoga Boat Pose, Chaturanga, Chair Pose, Upward facing dog, Cat-Cow sequence, Reverse Warrior, Tree Pose, Threading the needle, How to breathe in yoga, Eagle Pose, Crane Pose, Crow Pose, Bridge Pose, Boat Pose, Corpse Pose, Side Plank Pose.