Relaxation and finding inner peace
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can move and meditate peacefully showing appreciation for my body and surroundings.
Key learning points
- Move: focusing on deep, even breathing to achieve deep relaxation.
- Move: holding poses for 2 - 5 minutes stretches the deeper muscles, joints and tissues around the hips and spine.
- Think: when the mind wanders it helps to bring back to the present through breath work.
- Feel: noticing when the mind wanders, acknowledging thoughts and refocusing on breathing helps manage stress
- Connect: collective group relaxation promotes a shared sense of calm and presence.
Keywords
Savasana - a yoga pose where you lie flat on your back and stay still to help your body and mind rest
Meditation - a practice where you focus your attention, often on your breath or a specific thought, to calm your mind and reduce stress
Yin Yoga - a slow, meditative practice where poses are held for several minutes to stretch deep connective tissues and promote relaxation
Common misconception
Pupils think yin yoga is boring.
Yin Yoga provides a chance to deeply connect with your body and mind. It can be a deeply meditative practice, allowing for self-reflection and stress relief. For many, it’s an opportunity to slow down in an otherwise fast-paced life.
Teacher tip
This lesson could be made more active by incorporating some movements from earlier lessons. Would be useful to have blankets or complete this in a warm place so pupils do not get cold.
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 can you do to provide more resistance to a stretch?
Q2.What do you raise off the floor during a bridge pose?
Q3.How can you engage the core?
Q4.How do you know when you reach the limit of a stretch?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What should you focus on if your mind wanders?
Q2.What is it called when you lie in corpse pose, usually to meditate, at the end of yoga practice?
Q3.How long should you hold Yin Yoga poses for?
Q4.What else does Yin Yoga focus on, other than stretching deeper into the muscles?
To help you plan your 11 physical education lesson on: Relaxation and finding inner peace, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 physical education lesson on: Relaxation and finding inner peace, 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.