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Tree: Mindful Movement (Yoga) Practices K-5

Tree

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

Begin by standing in mountain pose on your mat.  

Find a spot near the front of your mat that you can look at throughout the pose. This will help you keep your balance. 

Place your hands on your hips. 

Now turn your right foot to the side so that your right heel is touching your left ankle. 

As you breathe in, imagine sending roots down through your left foot to help anchor you into the ground. 

As you breathe out, lift your right foot up and press the bottom of your foot against your left calf. 

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

As you breathe out, raise your arms up over your head like branches. 

Excellent! This is tree pose. 

Let’s pause here for two breaths. 

As you breathe in, reach up through your fingertips, imagining that your tree is growing taller. 

As you breathe out, focus on the spot you chose near the front of the mat. Notice whether focusing on this spot helps you balance. 

As you breathe in, begin to sway gently, as though a light breeze is blowing through your branches. 

As you breathe out, press down through your left foot, noticing how strong your left leg is. 

Take one more breath in. 

And as you breathe out, slowly lower your right foot to the floor and lower your hands down to your sides. 

Now repeat on your left side. 

Place your hands on your hips. 

Now turn your left foot to the side so that your left heel is touching your right ankle. 

As you breathe in, imagine sending roots down through your right foot to help anchor you into the ground. 

As you breathe out, lift your left foot up and press the bottom of your foot against your right calf. 

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

As you breathe out, raise your arms up over your head like branches. 

Wonderful. 

Let’s pause here for two breaths. 

As you breathe in, reach up through your fingertips, imagining that your tree is growing taller. 

As you breathe out, focus on the spot you chose near the front of the mat. Notice whether focusing on this spot helps you balance. 

As you breathe in, begin to sway gently, as though a light breeze is blowing through your branches. 

As you breathe out, press down through your left foot, noticing how strong your right leg is. 

Take one more breath in. 

And as you breathe out, slowly lower your right foot to the floor and lower your hands 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.” 

Depending on the amount of space you have available, you may want to ask students to stagger themselves on their mats in case they fall out of the pose. 

Ensure the students do not place the sole of their foot onto their knee. This can cause injuries. Instead, invite them to place the sole of their foot onto their calf or their inner thigh.

If this pose is new to students, model it first, and demonstrate how they can rebuild the pose if they lose their balance. Tell students that falling out of this pose is normal, and that if they begin to feel unsteady, they should lower their foot to the mat in order to stay safe.

Variations/Extensions

If students begin to feel confident in this pose, invite them to place their lifted foot on the thigh of their planted leg. To protect their joints, ensure that they do not put their foot on their knee.  

Authors and Provenance

Authors: Megan Downey and Anna Basile

Adapted from: Compassionate Schools Project

Associated graphic

Tree: 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-61821
DOI