Hands and Knees: Mindful Movement (Yoga) Practices K-5    Hands and Knees Pose A K-5 Mindful Movement Practice
      
   Subject    Type of Practice: Yoga Recommended Grade Levels: K-5
      
   Contexts    Audience: K-5 students Time: Any time of day Duration of Practice: 1 minute per session Space: Classroom Social context: Individual practice or group practice      
   Preparations and Resources    Materials One yoga mat per student. Enough floor space that students can spread out. 
Setup 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    Begin on your hands and knees with your fingers facing forward and your palms and the tops of your feet flat on the ground.  Check to see if your hands are directly underneath your shoulders. If not, move them so that they are.  Now look between your hands and see whether your knees are the same distance apart as your hands are. If not, move them so that your right knee is behind your right hand and your left knee is behind your left hand.  Wonderful. Now look between your hands again. This time check to see whether you can see your feet. If you can, move them so that they are behind your knees.  Great job.  Now straighten your back.   And now gently lower your chin just a little bit toward the mat. Check to see whether your neck feels different after moving it in this way.  Wonderful.  Pause here as you take slow breaths in and out.       
   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 explicit reference to breath 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.      
   Authorship & Provenance    Authors: Megan Downey and Anna Basile Adapted from: Compassionate Schools Project
      
   Associated Graphic    None