Our backbone, or spine, has 33 bones – like beads on a string.  These are divided into 5 main sections: neck, chest, low back, sacrum, tail bone. The human spine moves in six directions. We need to move our spine in all six of these directions every day to stay healthy.  Yoga does this for us. The six directions are: forward fold, backward bend, twist to the right, twist to the left, side stretch to the right and side stretch to the left.  In this class we’ll do poses that move our spine in all these directions so we can feel our spine and learn how it moves.

In this lesson plan we’ll explore the two main types of animals: vertebrates and invertebrates - with a backbone and without a backbone.  We’ll learn how to move our spine to stay healthy for life and have fun learning about creatures on earth.

It’s a balancing practice perfect for ages 5-12 with modifications for other age groups.