Mindful Movement Yoga for K-5: Cobra

Type of Practice: Yoga

Recommended Grade Levels: K-5

Individual/Partner/Group Practice: Individual

Time: 2 minutes

Materials:

• One yoga mat per student.
• Enough floor space that students can spread out.

Set Up:

• Arrange the yoga mats, ensuring that students have enough space to move without bumping into one another.
• If you have enough space, consider arranging the yoga mats in a circle so that you can see each student from your own mat.

Script:

Now we’re going to practice cobra pose.

Begin by laying on your stomach with your forehead on the mat.

Bend your elbows and put your palms on the mat near your shoulders.

Gently press down through your hands.

As you breathe in, lift your head and chest off the mat just a little bit.

Look straight ahead instead of looking up to protect your neck.

Do you feel a gentle stretch in your back?

Take one small breath in here.

As you breathe out, gentle lower your chest back down on the mat.

Great job!

Tips:

• You do not need to read the included script verbatim. Adapt the language so that it is appropriate for your students in particular.

• It is perfectly appropriate to simplify the breathing cues, particularly when you first introduce the pose to your students. You might invite students to simply count several breaths in the pose, or you might opt to omit them altogether.

• It is not important for students to get the pose “exactly right.” Instead, focus on helping them build mind-body awareness each time you practice.

• Offer students positive reinforcements throughout each practice. Focus on qualities and behaviors they can control, like their focus, effort, or persistence. Be specific whenever possible. This will help your students develop a “growth mindset.”

• Confirm students are using the strength of their backs to lift their chests, rather than using their arms to lift themselves off the mat. To check, invite students to gently lift their hands off the floor to ensure that they are using their back muscles in this pose.

• It’s important to counter this backbend with poses that help release the back. Child’s pose and dog pose are commonly chosen for this purpose.

Variations/Extensions:

• None

Authors: Megan Downey and Anna Basile

Adapted from: Compassionate Schools Project