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Stork: Mindful Movement (Yoga) Practices K-5

Stork

A K-5 Mindful Movement Practice

Subject

Type of Practice: Yoga

Recommended Grade Levels: 3-5

Contexts

Social Context: Individual

Duration of Practice: 4 minutes

Preparations and Resources

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

Today we’re going to practice stork pose, which is a balancing pose. We’re going to need to concentrate in order to stay balanced! 

Begin by standing comfortably near the back of your mat. 

Find a spot near the front of the mat that you can look at during the pose to help you stay balanced. 

As you breathe in, place your hands on your hips and shift your weight to your left foot. 

As you breathe out, imagine sending roots down from your left foot into the ground to help you stay anchored throughout the pose. 

As you breathe in, lift your right leg, bend your knee, and place your right hand on your right knee. 

Wonderful! If this feels comfortable for you, feel free to pause right here. 

If you want an extra challenge, as you breathe out, use your right hand to shift your right knee out to your right side.

That’s it! 

Let’s pause here for two breaths. 

As you breathe in, press down through your left foot, rooting into the earth. 

As you breathe out, gently lift your head toward the sky, noticing the stretch in your back. 

As you breathe in, focus on the spot at the front of you mat. Notice how this helps you stay balanced.

As you breathe out, gently lift your chest, noticing how the sensations in the front of your body change as you do so. 

If you start to lose your balance, place your right foot down to stay safe. You can always build the pose again, starting with the first step.

Wonderful! Now gently lower your hands to your sides and lower your right foot to the floor.

Excellent. Let’s repeat this on the other side. 

Find a spot near the front of the mat again that you can look at to help keep you balanced. 

As you breathe in, place your hands on your hips and shift your weight to your right foot. 

As you breathe out, imagine sending roots down from your right foot into the ground to help you stay anchored throughout the pose. 

As you breathe in, lift your left leg, bend your knee, and place your left hand on your left knee. 

Wonderful! If this feels comfortable for you, feel free to pause right here. 

If you want an extra challenge, as you breathe out, use your left hand to shift your knee out to your left side.

That’s it! 

Let’s pause here for two breaths. 

As you breathe in, press down through your right foot, rooting into the earth. 

As you breathe out, gently lift your head toward the sky, noticing the stretch in your back. 

As you breathe in, focus on the spot at the front of you mat. Notice how this helps you stay balanced.

As you breathe out, gently lift your chest, noticing how the sensations in the front of your body change as you do so. 

If you start to lose your balance, place your left foot down to stay safe. You can always build the pose again, starting with the first step.

Wonderful! Now gently lower your left foot to the mat, and bring your arms down to your sides.

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.” 

If this pose is new to your students, demonstrate the pose before inviting students to try it. Model catching yourself off balance and rebuilding the pose. 

Variations/Extensions

If students begin to feel competent in this pose and would like an additional challenge, invite them to grasp the big toe on their right foot with their right hand while they are in the pose and begin to extend their leg out to the side. If they try this variation on the right side, encourage them to try it on the left as well. 

Authorship and Provenance

Authors: Megan Downey and Anna Basile

Adapted from: Compassionate Schools Project

Associated Graphic

Stork: Mindful Movement (Yoga) Practices K-5
Collection Practices: K-12
Visibility Public - accessible to all site users (default)
Author Megan Downey, Anna Basile
Year published 2019
UID mandala-texts-61621
DOI