Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

236 • PART III: YogA foR EduCATIng foR SElf-REgulATIon And EngAgEmEnT

PoSE 11.2 CHIld’S PoSE

Pose Child’s Pose

Instruct Come down to your mat on your

knees. Extend your toes and make

your knees wider than your hips.

Fold forward resting your forehead

on the mat or a block. Place your

hands along your side, palms facing

up, or reach them toward the front

end of your mat, palms down.

Anchor

Point

Breath and internal awareness with

eyes closed.

Breath Work Slow, relaxed, natural breathing.

Photograph by Madison Weber; model Kayla Tiedemann.
Source: Curran, 2013; Flynn, 2013; Gillen & Gillen, 2007; Harper, 2013; Herrington, 2012; Walsh, 2008.

downward facing dog

Downward Facing Dog stretches the shoulders, arms, hamstrings, and calves while strength-
ening the arms, shoulders, and back (Flynn, 2013). To modify, students can drop their knees
as in Table Pose, then draw their sit bones toward the back of the room and stretch their
arms forward.

PoSE 11.3 downwARd fACIng dog

Pose Downward Facing Dog

Instruct From Table Pose or Child’s Pose,

press your hands, especially your

thumbs and first fingers, into your

mat. Press your feet into your mat,

reaching your heels toward the

floor behind you. Lift your sit bones

toward the ceiling, pressing your

chest toward your thighs and your

heels even more toward the floor.

Soften through your neck.

Anchor

Point

Hands and feet. The focal point is a

few feet behind the legs on the floor.

Breath

Work

Deep, steady, intentional breath.

Photograph by Madison Weber; model Kayla Tiedemann.
Source: Flynn, 2013; Harper, 2013; Herrington, 2012; Neiman, 2015; Walsh, 2008.