Performing meditative balances in pairs
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can execute meditative balances correctly to help me feel more relaxed and I can work with my partner to help improve their breathing technique.
Key learning points
- Move: to perform a meditative balance and hold for 10 seconds, we need a strong posture, focus and slow deep breathing.
- Think: focusing when balancing for a long period of time and being still helps us feel calm and less anxious.
- Think: creating meditative balances helps improve our focus, strength and flexibility benefiting our minds and bodies.
- Feel: performing meditative balances to the best of our abilities demonstrates self-discipline.
- Connect: encouraging others and providing feedback shows excellent communication skills.
Keywords
Hold - maintaining a still position without movement
Balance - maintaining stability and control over the body's position to remain stationary
Partner - someone who collaborates or works together with another person or group towards a common goal
Common misconception
Pupils think that performing animal themed meditative balances requires acting like animals and making animal noises. This also means that pupils forget to control their breathing as they balance.
Explain to pupils that if we make noises and actually act like animals, we are creating actions and using characterisation, not balancing to ensure calm, focus and relaxtion. We must remain silent and focus on long, slow breaths in and out.
Teacher tip
Take the class through the first few animal themed meditative balances one at a time before pupils go off on their own to explore the rest.
Equipment
additional materials: meditative balance cards and suggested music
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is a benefit of creating meditative balances?
Q2.What have we lost if our balances are wobbling and moving?
Q3.What are we maintaining, if we are able to hold balances still?
Q4.Which life skill helps you to work successfully with a partner?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Performing all types of meditative balances improves your focus, strength and what else?
Q2.What is the name used to describe the person you collaborate with?
Q3.What should we do when we perform animal themed meditative balances?
Q4.What are you showing if you can perform meditative balances to the best of your ability?
To help you plan your 3 physical education lesson on: Performing meditative balances in pairs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 3 physical education lesson on: Performing meditative balances in pairs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 physical education lessons from the Health and wellbeing: mindfulness and meditative balances unit, dive into the full primary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.