5 minutes to start your day
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can practise sun salutations while concentrating on my breathing.
Key learning points
- Move: focus on smooth, synchronised breath, maintaining alignment and transitioning fluidly between poses.
- Move: with each pose, engage all muscles particularly at the core, allowing for increased stability.
- Think: focusing on the breath can calm the mind and reduce mental chatter to improve mindfulness skills.
- Feel: being comfortable and calm promotes relaxation, leading to smoother and more fluid movement.
- Connect: fostering mindfulness and well-being, while encouraging group rhythm, creates a strong sense of community.
Keywords
Sun salutations - a series of yoga poses performed in a flowing sequence to warm up the body and improve flexibility
Inhale - breathe in
Exhale - breathe out
Common misconception
I'm not flexible so I can't do yoga.
Flexibility develops over time with consistent practice. Yoga also improves strength, balance and mindfulness. Many poses can be modified to suit all levels, so anyone can start, no matter their current flexibility.
Teacher tip
Try to create an environment that feels warm, welcoming and stress free, e.g., this may be outside away from others on the field in summer. It may not be benficial to do this in the hall where pupils will be sitting their GCSEs. Having calm music in the background may also help set the atmosphere.
Equipment
1 yoga mat per pupil, optional: blankets, bolsters and blocks per student and a speaker.
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is mental health?
Q2.What could positively affect our mental health?
Q3.What could negatively affect our mental health?
Q4.What can we do to help our mental health if we are feeling a bit low?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is yoga less likely to develop?
Q2.Who should take part in yoga practice?
Q3.How can mindfulness help your mental health?
Q4.When you feel anxious or stressed, what can you focus on in that moment to practice mindfulness?
To help you plan your 11 physical education lesson on: 5 minutes to start your day, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 physical education lesson on: 5 minutes to start your day, 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 4 physical education lessons from the Health and wellbeing: yoga, pilates and mindfulness for life unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.