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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

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Wake up to yoga

Explore fun stretches to make you feel good and full of energy for the day.
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Device to show photos, videos, or slides

Before you begin

  • Read Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates before the session so you can get used to the poses.

You can also see the poses in the video above, and on YouTube. You may want to research some extra poses or look for alternatives that will suit your group better.

Story time

  • This activity uses the book Good Morning Yoga by Mariam Gates. Make sure you pick up a copy before the session.
  • If you want to, you could read the story through with everyone while they’re sitting calmly, before reading it again while doing the poses.
Borrow this book >

To watch in full screen, double click the video


Rise and shine

  1. Everyone should get into a big circle, with enough space around them to stretch out. 
  2. The person leading the activity should explain that they’re going to read a book about yoga. Does anyone know what yoga is?

Yoga is a type of exercise that people have been doing for a very long time. Some people find it makes them feel good and helps them to relax.

  1. Someone should read Good Morning Yoga. This calming book encourages everyone to greet the morning with joy and confidence – but it’s great to read at any time of day. 

You don’t need to read the How I want to feel today visualisation section at the back of the book yet.

  1. Every time the person leading the activity reaches a new pose, everyone should take a nice deep breath in and out and try to copy the body movements from the book.
  2. Everyone should finish by going through all 12 poses, one after the other.

Don’t worry – you don’t have to remember them all! There’s a page in the book with all of the poses and their names. 

  1. The person leading the activity could call out some of the poses at random, to see which ones the group can remember.
  2. Everyone should take some time to reflect as a group.

We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.

Visualisation 

  1. Everyone should cross their legs, place their hands on their knees, and shut their eyes.
  2. Someone should read How I want to feel today from the book. Everyone should listen carefully and follow the instructions.

Reflection

This activity encouraged everyone to live healthily and improve their wellbeing. Everyone can think about how moving around and taking time to relax can help people feel good.

You can ask these reflection questions throughout the session or at the end.

Rise and shine

  • Why is it good to start the day by moving?
  • How did everyone feel while they were doing the stretches? 
  • Which stretches did everyone like the best and why?

Visualisation

  • How did people feel during this activity?
  • What did people think about trying yoga today? Would they like to try it again?
  • What makes people feel good? Some people might like using lots of energy, dancing, or running around with their friends. Others might prefer quieter things, like drawing or reading.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

  • You don’t have to try all 12 positions – you could just choose some to try. 
  • As an extra challenge, everyone could draw or act out something that makes them feel good. Can the rest of the group guess what the thing is?

Some young people may need additional support or an adapted pose. Look through the poses before the session – are any of them likely to be difficult for anyone in your group? Do you need to adapt any to make sure that everyone will be able to join in? There are lots of resources for adaptive yoga online.

People should get into a relaxed, comfortable position for the visualisation. It’s OK if this looks different for different people. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Squirrels Feel Good Activity Badge

If you enjoyed this activity, why not see what stretches you can remember and try these in the morning at home? Talk to the people you live with about how it makes you feel. 

Encourage people to listen to their bodies to find out what works for them.

Everyone could help each other remember the poses. Someone could lead the rest of the group if they can remember the pose.

If they want to, people could invent their own pose and show it to the rest of the group so they can try to copy it.