Youngsters’ Programme

How to use these models

The following class descriptions are meant to be just a pattern anyone can fill up according to the group of students, to their own experience and to any particular circumstances that may occur. Teachers can follow the pattern proposed or change it, they can choose among the list of asanas, pranayama and meditation techniques they can find in the “Organize your own class” Section, add any they know from different yoga methods, styles and traditions.

Class I: Meeting and knowing peers

a) Presentation

b) Setting the rules in order to work together respecting each other and getting the best from working together

Some rules
– do not eat or drink before class (why; timing) 
– leave phones outside the yoga room (be present, one thing at a moment): when phone is on, yoga is off!
– dress comfy; wash feet before starting the class;
– behave: respect the place, the teachers and peers
– try to keep silence while entering the class, during the activities (questions, doubts, etc. allowed); Ask to try to be silent all the way to the changing room (at least) 

c) Pranayama

  • Breath awareness; observing the breath
  • breathing in pairs, synchronizing the breath: sitting one in front of the other; back to back; 
  • a short rebound

d) Asana section

  • Warm up: sun salutations (bring the attention to the importance of breathing and synchronizing breath with movement – gasp/pant versus smooth/clear breath and the effect on mind and body)
  • Standing asanas: finding alignments, legs strength and stretch
  • Working on padmasana (mostly it is how people «define» yoga; challenging, shows differences, limits, variability)
  • Inverted posture go for simple variations, consider to use supports
  • shavasana led as introduction to mindfulness and awareness (5-10 min)

e) Concluding the lesson

  • After shavasana, sitting in silence; salute; 
  • Ask if anyone wants to share something/give a sheet of paper where to write impressions, comments (anonymus)

Class II: Trusting the other

a) Present the class activities: what does it mean working with peers, friends, adults? What should we take care of? …

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: to refresh names and rules; to choose a partner for the class activities

c) Pranayama

  • breathing activities in pairs
  • a short rebound

d) Asana section: Partner Yoga
(For these activities we referred to the book “The Joy of Partner Yoga” by Mishabae, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc, New York, 2003.)

  • Warm up: sun salutations 
  • Standing asanas: finding a way to sort out the asana
  • Forward bends: testing and respecting each other limits
  •  Backbends: trusting and supporting each other
  • Shavasana: in pairs

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Sit down with cross legs, one in front of the other, bring hands in namaste in front of the heart, salute and thank the partner
  • Ask if anyone wants to share something/give a sheet of paper where to write impressions, comments (anonymus)

Class III: Let’s go silent

Before Starting: Some rules to enjoy the silence during and after class

DURING CLASS

  1. phones off
  2. do not talk
  3. do not whisper 
  4. do not look at each other

NB: Try to not have any sort of communication with peers

Only the teacher will speak, simply follow the instructions by listening or watching

  • If it’s not strictly necessary, do not ask questions during the class; teacher will understand if the asana is correct, or if it needs to be adjusted some how
  • Move slowly, accurately and try to be as less noisy as you can

AFTER CLASS

  1. There won’t be any reciprocation/follow up after class, write down or keep in mind anything you’d love to share or ask.
  2. Try to be silent as you exit the class, if it possible keep it until you get to your car/bicycle… the best would be until you get home (no music allowed, no IG, FB etc). Just be with the experience
  1. Present the class activities: why working on silence; what’s silence; cultural aspect of silence…. 
  • Exercise: 
  • Listen: when we listen to somebody how often do we simply listen? How often are we thinking how we should reply, what we should say? How many times are we caught in thoughts which bring us far away, instead of bringing full awareness to the person who’s talking to us?
  • Talk: when we talk, do we leave «space» in between words? Do take a pause? Do you leave your words flow arising from hastiness and confusion?
  • Silence: when nobody is talking, can you leave it like this? Or do you feel like raise the conversation again? What could it happen if you leave it in silence?

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: consider to do activities which will lead to silence: observing the breath; expanding attention to body and mind

c) Pranayama

  • Observing the movement of breath up and down the spine
  • Observing the length and the path of breath inside the body
  • Introducing short pause at the end of the inhale and exhale to observe the “silence” of breath

d) Asana section: Yin Yoga

  • Spine flexion
  • Spine extension
  • Hip opening
  • Front of the legs
  • Spinal twist
  • Shavasana

e) Concluding the lesson

*Leave the room in silence


Class IV: Uncertainty

a) Present the class activities: 

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: working certainty and uncertainty

c) Pranayama

– Observing the breath; breath is always there, always with us, is it always the same?

– Observation of the different movements: laying on the back, feet hips apart with the sole on the floor, abdomen, Thoracic, Upper Thoracic; move your hands and feel the way the breath moves your body)

– different patterns of breathing: no retention; retention after inhalation; retention after exhalation; kapalabhati

– Feedback: sharing the experience

d) Asana section: Blind practice

  • Warm up: sun salutations (simple ones); lead the flow while students will practice with their eyes blindfolded. 

After few repetitions let them uncover their eyes and see where they are in the space.

  • Standing asanas (still with eyes blindfolded): add also standing balancing postures

Again ask to uncover their eyes and see where they are, share the difficulties, the funny aspects and the irritating ones

  • Some gentle back bends: try some with the eyes still covered and then repeat with eyes open.

e) Concluding the lesson

  • – Meditation Practice: “Eye of the hurricane: learn how to stay still”
  • – Ask if anyone wants to share something or use one of the feedback collection strategies

Class V: Balance

a) Present the class activities: what’s balance? When do feel in balance and when out of balance? What does bring us out of our balance… Feeling the balance in the body, breath and mind through yoga tecniques…

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games

c) Pranayama

  • Connecting with the breath
  • Surya bedana pranayma
  • Nadi shodana pranayama

d) Asana section: 

  • Warm up: finding balance standing on both feet and then in one foot alternately
  • Standing asanas: start with some simple postures, then add some more challenging ones (from trikonasana  to Utthita hastapadangusthasana)
  • Balancing postures: balancing is not only on feet, it can also be on hands or hands and feet (from chaturanga to ardhachandrasana and/or Vasisthasana up to arm balance postures bakasana, bujapeedasana, any assisted handstand)

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Some tips for a good meditation practice:
    1. Take a moment to get ready for your meditation, set your intention to be open to the coming experience
    2. Get into a comfortable position
    3. Connect to your breath, follow the flow of the breath coming in and going out
    4. Relax your body, relax your mind and come back to your breath
  • Observing the thoughts: led meditation
  • Ask if anyone wants to share something or use one of the feedback collection strategies

Class VI: Fear

a) Present the class activities: talking about fear: what’s fear all about? Sensations arising when in fear? Reactions of body, breath, mind…

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: 2 lies and a truth 

c) Pranayama

1) Experimenting breathing without and with retentions

2) «Pause control» (Buteyko tecnique)

d) Asana section: 

  • Warm up: finding balance standing on both feet and then in one foot alternately
  • Standing asanas : moon sequence standing postures 
  • Hand stands: variations at the wall 
  • Head stands: variations at the wall or with teacher’s support
  • Balasana: feel the sensations
  • Shavasana (5/10 minutes)

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Meditation practice: rotation of consciousness: any tradition (Satyananda, TMC, Hymalayan…)

Class VII: Anger

a) Present the class activities: what is anger? Ask for personal feelings of anger: when does anger arise? What are the reaction to anger…

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: 2 lies and a truth 

c) Pranayama

  • Resonance breathing
  • Surya & Chandra bedana
  • Observing the natural flow of breath

d) Asana section: 

  • Gentle vinyasa flow: any sun salutation, short sequence of standing postures
  • Twisting sequence: 
  • Back bend sequence
  • Shavasana 

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Meditation practice
  • “the still mind and the thinking mind”
  • Feedback

Class VIII: Enjoyment

a) Present the class activities: what is enjoyment all about? Ask for personal ideas of enjoyment, what do they enjoy most? What about changing perspective, changing the way of looking at things, changing attitude?

Some things that prevent enjoyment:

  • Anger: accept to fail, to be different, to be wrong
  • Bore: be aware of changes, of diversity
  • Rigidness: things are not always as we would like them to be, accept changes, be flexible

    BE HUMORISTIC: humor is a keyword in life: feel free to be different, to be creative, look at things in the most wonderful way

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games

c) Pranayama

  • Kapalabhati
  • Bastrika
  • Brahmari pranayama

d) Asana section: 

  • Warm up: surya namskar (suggested Guru Namaskar)
  • Some challenging postures: Vashistasana, Vismamitrasana, kukkutasana 
  • Inversions (the world upsidedown, getting a different point of view):  choose the ones appropriate for the class
  • Shavasana 

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Meditation practice
  • “Simply observing the thoughts”
  • Feedback

Class IX: Stay, relax, enjoy

  • a) Present the class activities: what do you find relaxing, enjoyable? How do you relax when you’re tired or stressed or nervous? What’s the difference between relaxing activities and boring activities. Share opinions, thoughts, likes and dislikes

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games: collect feedbacks about feelings and emotions of the present moment, thoughts about the upcoming class…

c) Pranayama

  • – Resonance Breathing 
  • – Microcosmic pranayama  
  • – Brahamari Breathing (Humming bee breath tecnique) 

d) Asana section: 

  • Asana practice: Wall Yin
  • Shavasana: play any relaxing music

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Meditation practice: standing in a circle, place the hands around the mouth with the thumbs tucked under the chin. Your hands should resemble a little megaphone. Start singing the sound uhhhhhhhhh. Repeat continuously for a number of time then gradually slow down until the sound is just about a whisper. 
  • When the sound faded completely, lay down for a short shavasana
  • – Feedback

Class X: Comapssion 

a) Present the class activities: some ideas on compassion:

  • compassion means having a symapthetic and helpful attitude toward a pitful state or person. 
  • «Such a human thing is having compassion toward those afflicted» (Boccaccio)
  • If we look at the meaning of the word «Compassion»
  • Cum Patire (lat.): to suffer with; greco συμπἀθεια , sym patheia – »sympathy”, to feel emotions with..) The idea of compassion in greek refers to empatia (greek:”εμπαθεια»: empateia, formed by  en-, »inside”, and pathos, »affection or also sensibility“), which was used, in the ancient greek theatre, to refer to the emotional relation of subjective participation between the audience and the actors.Compassion occurs as an educational tool in Rousseau’s pedagogical project: to enhance a moral education in adolescent he need to attempt experiences which can stir up in him compassion and the ability to share others misery. 

b) Ice breakers/Yoga games

c) Pranayama

  • Simple breathing cycle
  • Antara Kumbhaka 
  • Bahya Kumbhaka
  • Kapalabhati

d) Asana section: 

  • Asana practice: Yang to Yin (organize a sequence starting with a dynamic flow of postures, gradually turning into a soft pace practice)
  • Shavasana: play any relaxing music

e) Concluding the lesson

  • Meditation practice: Flow with emotions
  • Feedback