Peaceful Warriors

Today's Pose of the Day is Warrior 2.

We practiced different variations of this pose and each one makes our bodies feel strong.

Warrior 2 teaches us to be strong and positive in our life when faced with daily challenges. 

If you are feeling tired or unfocused Warrior 2 is a great pose to practice.

Eagle Pose

This week we have been practicing the standing balance, Eagle Pose. We learned it's difficult to balance in this pose if you're distracted so make sure to stare straight ahead when practicing at home. 

Step 1: Stand tall in mountain pose. 

Step 2: Wrap the right leg around the left leg. Next stretch the arms forward, cross them, bend the elbows and bring the palms together. 
 

Step 3: Balance for 5 deep breaths then try the other leg. 

Eagle Pose stretches the back and improves concentration. Try practicing it before sitting down to do your homework! 
 

SLEE yoga

The 2016-2017 school year is well underway and students at SLEE are enjoying their second year of yoga.

They're learning relaxation techniques and how to become strong, flexible and balanced!

Students are being encouraged this year to practice their favorite poses at home before they complete their class homework.

Making up a new pose is fun too! This will increase their concentration during their homework. 

Yoga and Mindfulness in Schools

Enjoy this slideshow of yoga pictures of a variety of students from grades 1-5. The progress these students have made in only 6 months of yoga class is incredible!

Try Everything Yoga Dance

Yoga teaches us to never give up because yoga poses can be tricky! Sometimes we fall over in balancing poses or we fall when trying crow pose (an arm balance), but we have learned in yoga class that if we continue to practice we get stronger and more focused! Second graders are featured in this yoga video showing off their wonderful yoga skills. Song is "Try Everything" by Shakira.

Eagle Dance

Check out how amazing these second graders are at yoga! They are all in control and kept their bodies safe on their yoga mat. Well done!

Sun Salutation for Kids

First grade students at SLEE have mastered a Sun Salutation in yoga. Sun Salutation's are fun and a great way to stretch your body and make you strong! The music played is Kira Willey's "Dance for the Sun" and makes learning a Sun Salutation easy by following along to the lyrics.

Tree Pose

Balance poses creates calmness, focus, and concentration and can easily be incorporated into the classroom. To begin, stand in mountain pose and stare straight ahead. Take a few deep breaths and lift your right leg and place it on your left leg for tree pose. Hold the balance posture for a couple breaths and then return to mountain pose. Repeat on the other side. Notice if one leg is easier to balance on than the other.

Count Down to Calm

A simple breathing exercise that can be done sitting or standing. Count down to calm is useful in calming the body and mind from nervous or stressful energy. To begin sit or stand tall in mountain pose. You can keep the eyes open or you may close them. Inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 5 seconds trying to even out the breath in and breath out. You can tap your fingers on your leg to keep the even count of 5. Complete as few as 3 rounds or as many as you need to feel calm and relaxed.

Singing Bowl Mindful Listening

Mindful listening activities helps us to become better listeners and brings us into the present moment. Before starting remove any distractions so you are completely focused on just listening. Strike the singing bowl three times slowly and listen until the vibration has finished. This is a beneficial activity for classroom transitions.

Seated stretches

A short seated sequence to warm up the spine and body to give us energy to learn. These stretches can be done seated on the class carpet or at the children's desks.

Breathing With a Sphere

The hoberman sphere is a useful visual tool to calm and focus individuals before teaching by taking long, slow breaths. Deep breaths can reduce stress, alert the brain that it’s time to learn, and aid students in controlling their actions and words.

Before starting, sit in mountain pose and look at the hoberman sphere. Now breathe in slowly as the hoberman sphere expands and breathe out as the sphere contracts. Continue this rhythm for 5-10 breaths or until you feel calm and centered.