Ageless Grace: LESSON THREE

Ageless Grace® Lesson Three: Outline

B-R-E-A-T-H-E Out Loud! (#16) Disk 3
Express Yourself! (#12) Disk 2
Spelling “B” (for Body) (#3) Disk 1
Zoo-ology (#5) Disk 1
Yo-Baby! (#7) Disk 1

B-R-E-A-T-H-E OUT LOUD!

Body Parts to Move:

Lungs, chest, belly, abdominals, and voice

Ways to Move Them:

Breathe long and slow; staccato; smoothly

“Pumping” abdominal muscles as you sound or breathe

Softly, loudly, making sounds of all kinds

Singing silly songs

Using gibberish or childlike words and phrases

Method:

Breathe normally and naturally. Place one hand on belly and one on chest or solar plexus; breathe in slowly and sense the belly and lungs filling up with air like a balloon. Breathe out slowly, deeply, and sense the body “deflating” like a balloon losing air.

  1. Take 3 deep breaths in through the NOSE and out through the NOSE
  2. Take 3 deep breaths in through the NOSE and out through the LIPS
  3. Take 3 deep breaths in through the LIPS and out through the LIPS
  4. Take 3 deep breaths in through the LIPS and out through the NOSE
  5. While focusing on your abdominal muscles and exaggerating your voice, sing the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.
  6. Making sounds – first focus on loudly saying the following 3 times, then repeat 3 times each softly:

“Man”

“Pow”

“Pop”

“Phooey”

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Body Parts to Move:

Fingers, hands, arms and shoulders

Back of the body and front of the chest

Facial muscles

Ways to Move Them:

Acting as if you are a traffic cop, beauty queen, artist, conductor, boxer, etc.

With drama/emotion; with power/force; with grace/elegance

Fast/slowly; in polarity

Method:

Play some music approximately 5 minutes in length. The purpose of this exercise is to really be imaginative and fun. Express yourself with your arms in a variety of ways. If you have other ideas on how to express yourself other than the ones listed, do those too!

  1. Be a “mom” or a teacher:
  2. Snap your fingers to get the attention of your children/students, use one hand at a time or snap both together
  3. Point with alternating index fingers all around the room at your “children”
  4. Do various chores like polish/dust furniture (high and low), vacuum, drive a car, wash dishes, etc.
  5. Shake the hands off after washing the dishes or your hands (like when there are no paper towels). Shake them all around above your head and even down to the floor.
  6. Act like you’re in a parade:
  7. Wave like you’re a beauty queen
  8. Wave like you see someone you know, use both hands.
  9. Open and close your hands like you’re throwing candy
  10. Open and close your hands like you’re throwing confetti above your head and at others
  11. Pretend to direct traffic like a cop (use fingers, wrists and whole arms and remember traffic comes from all different sides):
  12. Start traffic
  13. Stop traffic by pushing your hand forward or to other sides
  14. Get cars on one side to come continue moving
  15. Wave forward, etc.
  16. Act like you’re flying:
  17. Be an airplane
  18. Be a butterfly
  19. Be a sparrow
  20. Be an eagle
  21. Fly fast and frantic as well as slow and long flaps
  22. Pretend you’re playing a concert:
  23. Play drums
  24. Play up and down the keyboard
  25. Play guitar
  26. Tap your toes in time as you play each instrument
  27. Act like you’re a boxer:
  28. Punching holes all around in the air
  29. Practice moving side-to-side and up-and-down in the chair for dodging your opponent
  30. Try a few “pull ups” with your arms
  31. Punch around a little bit more
  32. Lift imaginary weights
  33. Act like a teenager:
  34. Shrugging the shoulders (and lift the arms in a “I dunno” gesture) – do this slow and then fast
  35. Cross your arms and pull them out in the same gesture
  36. Say “I don’t know” and/or “wasn’t me!”
  37. Other things to do:
  38. Cross your fingers and make a wish
  39. Use your forearms to erase things in the air in different motions
  40. Weave and wave your hands all around in the air
  41. Twist and turn your hands in a variety of directions
  42. Draw circles with your elbows
  43. Pull your elbows together and then out
  44. Pretend like you’re a chicken
  45. Paint the wall with a paintbrush
  46. Clap your hands behind your back
  47. Bounce your hands off the wall from side-to-side like you’re in a large box

SPELLING “B” (FOR BODY)

Body Parts to Move:

Head, chin or nose (moves neck)

Fingers, hands, elbows or entire arms

Toes, feet or legs (entire leg/hip joints)

Belly button (moves abdominals) or tail bone (moves hip joints)

Ways to Move Them:

Tracing and re-tracing block letters of the alphabet in the air

Writing in the air with cursive or script

Writing foreign words

Making large letters with some body parts, small letters with others

Drawing letters on the floor with the toes, in the air with the fingers

Method:

Play some upbeat music approximately 5 minutes in length. You’re going to “spell” and “write” with various body parts for this activity.

  1. Decide with your residents what word(s) you would like to spell for this activity. It can be each individual’s name or the same word together.
  2. Use script/cursive first – then repeat the sequence in block letters. Write in large letters and try in small letters as well.
  3. Begin writing/spelling the word you chose with your hands together – 5 times.
  4. Spell the word with your noses – 5 times
  5. Spell with your elbows together – 5 times
  6. Spell with your belly button – 5 times
  7. Spell with your knee, one at a time – 5 times each knee
  8. Write the word you chose on the floor with each of your feet – 5 times each foot
  9. Write your name with your hands and one foot together – 5 times each foot
  10. Write the word in the air with your feet – 5 times each foot, then 5 times with the feet together

ZOO-OLOGY

Body Parts to Move:

Face, eyes, cheeks and mouth

Spine (neck, shoulder blades, lower back) and entire back of the body

Fingers, hands, arms and shoulders

Feet and legs

Ways to Move Them:

Imitating various wild or domestic animal movements and sounds

Sensuously, elegantly, gracefully, powerfully, boldly, timidly

Noisily, expressively, theatrically, stealthily, crashing, ferociously

Aggressively, swiftly, playfully

Method:

Play some music approximately 5 minutes in length. You will be moving in a variety of ways and making sounds like various animals, both wild and domesticated. Get creative with this one and ask your residents if you run out of ideas!

  1. Cats – cat claws stretching, tail swishing
  2. Birds – small flapping, swooping and diving, large flapping from overhead to down to touching the floor
  3. Dogs – wag tail, scratch fleas, run with arms and legs in chair, pant or howl
  4. Chickens – cluck, flap chicken wings, peck the air, scratch the ground, crow like a rooster
  5. Horses – shake your head like a horse, whinny
  6. Bunnies – wiggle nose, hold up paws and bounce in the chair
  7. Lions – claws, “roar” like a lion
  8. Snakes – “slither” in the chair
  9. Monkeys – make noises, mimic a monkey
  10. Fish/Dolphin – swim like a fish and dive like a dolphin, kick your feet
  11. Elephant – use your truck (one arm, alternate) from side-to-side, high and low
  12. Come up with some other animals of your own on the spot and get imaginative with the movements and sounds!

YO-BABY!

Body Parts to Move:

Eyes, head, neck and spine

Shoulders, arms and palms

Hip joints, knees and ankles

Ways to Move Them:

As if you are practicing yoga postures

Turn head and neck and look in the direction you turn

Create lines and angles with arms and legs

Rotate spine and hips; align knees and toes

Stretch, extend, bend and flex your body

Method:

Yo-Baby! uses yoga-style movements. The focus is on lines, angles, and stretching while keeping bones and joints in alignment. Play some music approximately 5 minutes in length.

  1. Deep breathing cool down.
  • Take 1 deep breaths in through the NOSE and out through the NOSE
  • Take 1 deep breaths in through the NOSE and out through the LIPS
  • Take 1 deep breaths in through the LIPS and out through the LIPS
  • Take 1 deep breaths in through the LIPS and out through the NOSE
  1. With your arms and hands to your side, slowly lift them up over your head and touch your palms. Hold and breathe for one slow breath.
  2. Float your arms down and hold them out wide for one slow breath.
  3. Lean forward in chair to try to have your hands touching the ground on either side of your legs in a “V” shape. If residents cannot touch the ground, have each attempt to lean torso forward and brace their hands either on their knees or on shins. Hold and breathe for one slow breath.
  4. Lean forward from this position with nose to stretch the spine.
  5. Lift one arm overhead with palm facing inward and lean in chair toward direction palm is facing, enough to stretch the side. Try to hold for one slow breath. Lower the arm and come back to the center.
  6. Lift the opposite arm overhead and repeat on other side.
  7. Cross one leg over the other if possible, place hands on upper leg and gently twist spine while keeping everything in alignment from tail bone to chin.
  8. Cross opposite leg and repeat the gentle spine twist on the other side.
  9. With arms parallel to ground and out to the side, shift body weight by leaning from one side to the other in chair, slowly and deliberately.
  10. Raise both arms overhead into a “V” shape