Materials:
- Yoga mat for each pair
Set Up:
- Make sure that you open up enough space for students to place the yoga mats on the floor without bumping into each other.
Begin by sitting on a mat with your partner. Turn so that you are facing one another.
Look into one another’s eyes. Even if it feels weird at first, see if you can look at your partner in a warm and caring way. Look at them with kindness and compassion.
It’s okay to look down for a moment if you are feeling uncomfortable. Once you are ready, meet your partner’s eyes again.
Now place your palms on your partner’s palms. We’re going to practice connecting our movements with our breath.
First let’s practice the movements. Keeping your palms together, begin by moving your arms out and up until they over your heads. Pause here.
Wonderful. Now slowly bring your palms down in front of you. Great job. Pause here.
We’re going to repeat that movement, and this time we’re going to add kind words.
Quietly choose who will receive kind words first.
As you move your hands out and then up, say to your partner, “May you feel healthy and strong.”
Wonderful. Pause with your hands over your head, and say to your partner, “May you feel happy.”
Excellent. And now, bring your hands down in front of you, and say to your partner, “May you feel peaceful.”
Great job. Let’s do that one more time with the same partner saying the kind thoughts.
First move your hands out and then up as you say to your partner, “May you feel healthy and strong.”
Wonderful. Pause with your hands over your head, and say to your partner, “May you feel happy.”
Excellent. And now, bring your hands down in front of you, and say to your partner, “May you feel peaceful.”
Great job. Now we’ll switch partners so that the partner who spoke last time will receive the kind words.
Just like last time, move your hands out and up as you say to your partner, “May you feel healthy and strong.”
Pause with your hands over your head, and say to your partner, “May you feel happy.”
Wonderful. And now, bring your hands down in front of you, and say to your partner, “May you feel peaceful.”
Great job. Let’s do that one more time with the same partner saying the kind thoughts.
Start by moving your hands out and then up as you say to your partner, “May you feel healthy and strong.”
Pause with your hands over your head as you say to your partner, “May you feel happy.”
And now bring your hands down in front of you as you say to your partner, “May you feel peaceful.”
Great job. Gently lower your hands to your lap and turn to face the front of the class.
You do not need to read the included script verbatim. Adapt the language so that it is appropriate for your students in particular.
Consider identifying which student will speak first before you begin the practice. This may lessen confusion during the exercise.
As students become familiar with this practice invite them to integrate their breath with the movement. A simply way to do this is to invite them to pause and take a deep breath in and out after each thought.
Once you complete the practice, invite students to reflect on their experiences as a class. If students find this practice uncomfortable, acknowledge their responses and do not ask them to change how they feel. Instead, invite them to notice their responses each time they do the practice to see whether their responses change (they may not).
