Yoga for Worry and Anxiety

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Practice observing, slowing, and deepening their breath.
• Practice twisting and stretching their torso to bring their posture into a more upright and open position.
• Practice bringing their shoulders back and hearts up to project more self-confidence.
• Understand how yoga and physical movement can help with emotional management.

Resources:

Materials

For each student:

• Book or bean bag
• (Optional) Cushion, piece of carpet, or yoga mat

For the leader:

• Stopwatch or timer
• (Optional) Device for playing music

Resources:

Preparation

• Read the activity steps. Consider the minimum amount of explanation for achieving a quiet, serene experience. (A few simple rules are best.)
• Prepare to slow yourself down, and wait silently as others experience meditation.
• Practice using a gentle, relaxing voice to invite students through the steps of the meditation.
• Look at the space available and decide how it can best accommodate students.
• If you want to use a background tone or chant, set up the sound system (e.g., place your cell phone in the center of the room).
• Prepare yourself to be as permissive and tolerant as possible with the students. A very tricky thing about leading meditation is to allow each person to have their own experience, without limiting it too much by imposing unnecessary rules.
• Prepare yourself to be vigilant about your own language and to speak in heart-opening positive terms about what is allowed, rather than using mind-closing rules and "do not" statements. Keep your language positive to create the best meditation experience.
• Assess the temperature of the room. If it is too cold, make blankets available, or have students place their coats or sweaters nearby to easily and silently reach for if they would like them during the silent period.
• Have a timepiece such as a watch or clock available so that you can check the time with a minimum amount of movement. Cell phones may be difficult to monitor and may be noisy and disruptive, so try to use a more peaceful timer, if possible.

Resources:

Activity Steps

1. Ask youth how they think their posture impacts their emotions. 
   
   • How do you feel when you sit versus stand?
   • How do you feel when you have rounded shoulders versus a straight back?
   • If you stay in one position for a long time, does it impact your mood?
     
     Discuss some of the body language that shows that someone is feeling anxious. For example:
   • chewing fingernails or playing with their hands
   • holding head down, not meeting people's eyes
   • shoulders hunched
   • breathing very quickly
   • flushed face
     
     Discuss that good posture can help them have more self-confidence and less anxiety.
2. Tell youth that today, they will practice yoga techniques that can help them feel more confident and self-assured by training the body to have a more confident and relaxed posture. Explain that yoga is a combination of breathing and poses that started in India over 5,000 years ago to help connect our mind and bodies.
   
   If you'd like to share more about the history and intention of Yoga with your students, visit this Resources section.
3. Begin by having youth sit or lay in rows facing the front of the room or in a circle. Invite them to remove their shoes if they are comfortable.
4. Invite youth to close their eyes if they are comfortable and begin to quietly observe their own breath, paying attention as it goes in and out. Invite students to gently focus on a spot on the wall or the floor if they do not want to close their eyes.
5. Now tell them to start to take deeper and deeper breaths. Speaking in a gentle voice, encourage them to breathe out just as slowly. Instruct them to count up to 4 or 5 counts as they breathe in and try to hold it in for a few seconds. When they breathe out, breathe out slowly and silently through their nose for 4 to 5 counts.
6. Ask them to pay attention to how their shoulders rise up and down and spine straightens as they breathe more and more deeply.
7. As youth continue to breathe, tell them that often, when we are anxious or worried, it is our human instinct to hunch our shoulders forward. When we hunch our shoulders forward, we cannot breathe as deeply. If we stay hunched over for long periods of time, it can impact our physical and mental health as adults.
8. When we feel unsure, reminding ourselves to make some physical moves can help build our confidence back. Encourage youth to do the following steps as you say them. If possible, youth should do them slowly and with their eyes closed.
   
   • Breathe in deeply while counting to 4.
   • Lift your chin slightly so your airway is open.
   • Feel your chests rise as you breathe in.
   • Move your shoulders back and down from your ears. This can be done by thinking of pushing them backwards from the front, but also by thinking of drawing the shoulder blades together along the back toward the spine.
   • Lift your rib cage and lungs up away from your belly, lengthening your spine. Feel yourself get taller.
   • Breathe easily, while staying tall and long.
9. The next exercise is book breathing. While youth are on their backs, have them place a book or bean bag on their abdomen just below their rib cage. If youth don't have an object, they can place their hand on their belly.
   
   • Have them breathe in deeply, pushing the book up with their diaphragm (say "belly") as they inhale.
   • Tell them to pay attention to how the book moves down with their belly as they exhale. Let the book go as low as it will go, rest there for a moment, and then breathe in deeply again, pushing the book up as they inhale.
   • Lead youth through this for several minutes.
10. Next, begin the exercises to open the lungs and chest. Invite youth to sit on the floor or a chair. If you have limited space, youth can do this while standing up. The first one is a twist. Say out loud:
    
    • Sit (or stand) up as straight as you can. Take a long, slow breath as you grow taller and taller.
    • As you breathe out, turn your head toward your left shoulder. Staying tall and straight, twist your body gently toward the left while keeping your legs still.
    • With each breath in, think about how tall you are, as if someone on a cloud above you is pulling gently up on a string from the top of your head. With each breath out, twist a little bit more to the left.
    • Twist as far as feels comfortable. You can always return to facing forward if this feels uncomfortable.
11. Lead youth through 4 or 5 long, slow breaths, reminding them to be tall on each inhale, and twist farther on each exhale. Bring them gently back to the center. Then, slowly and easily, do the same exercise, twisting to the right.
12. The next exercise is a long body stretch. Have youth lie down on their backs. If space isn't available, youth can do this while standing. Say out loud:
    
    • Concentrate on having a long, straight spine. Reach your right arm above your head. Push your fingers as long as you can and let them come a little bit towards the left, so you feel the stretch all along your side, like a rainbow.
    • At the same time, stretch your legs long.
13. Lead youth through several counted breaths. Then repeat on the left side
14. (Optional) Practice the "Swimmer" pose. If there is a clean floor or if there are yoga mats for youth to lay on, have them lie on the floor face down with their head resting on their folded arms and their legs stretched behind them.
    
    • Invite them to breathe in and out and feel the movement of their bellies against the floor as they breathe slowly.
    • Then have them reach their arms forward, like a swimmer, and their legs backward, moving their arms and legs gently up and down as if swimming. This strengthens the back body and keeps our posture long and strong.
15. (Optional) Finish the session by having youth take the child's pose: From hands and knees, take the knees wide, toes touching, and then folding forward, bringing their head on or towards the floor with arms extended forward or lying by their side.
    
    Conclude the session by inviting youth to return to a comfortable sitting or standing position with their eyes closed (or focused in front of them). Take a few slow, collective breaths as a group. Invite youth to slowly open their eyes and start moving their fingers and toes. Thank them for participating in the yoga practice.

Resources:

What is Yoga? Yoga for Kids

Variations

1. Students might be interested in researching the power of positive affirmations for building strength and confidence in times of anxiety. By writing certain powerful, positive phrases each day, people can develop positive habits. It can help with goal setting and building success.
2. Youth may be interested in participating by following a meditation or yoga video. 

Resources:

Positive Daily Affirmations: Is There Science Behind It?

Standing Yoga for the Classroom

Classroom Meditation