Yoga Practice:
Wash Away

Wash Away

Wash Away is a dynamic yoga movement practice, engaging the breath in relationship to movement of the body. This practice is an invitation to engage in the practice of assessing what you can let go of in your present experience and what they are grateful to pull in and hold on to. This practice is a moving meditation that can be used as a yoga warm-up or on its own.

  • reduces stress and anxiety

  • calms and down-regulates the nervous system

  • soothes the mind

  • Invitation for creative and imaginative thinking

Instructions:

  1.  Stand in Mountain Pose to begin, with feet grounded in the floor, and weight spread evenly through the feet, finding alignment of the spine from the base through the crown of the head. Take a few complete and full inhales and exhales to begin.

  2. Bring to your attention something that you wish to let go of. Begin to twist from your hips with your feet grounded, swinging your arms one way then another, wrapping them around yourself. Move at your desired pace, staying mindful and aware of your breath. Think about washing away what you want to let go of as you move and breathe.

  3. Slow down your movements until you are still, then bring to mind something that you want more of in your life.

  4. Begin tapping in what you want to bring in to your life. Start at the top of your head and tap gently down to your toes, then back up to your heads, imagining what you want to bring in, as you tap. You can tap across both shoulders and up and down your arms.

  5. Slow down your movements until you are still and back at Mountain Pose.

  6. Notice how you feel. 

  1. From a standing position, think of something you would like to wash away (a thought, feeling, emotion). Begin to twist from your waist, swinging your arms from side to side, thinking of what you want to wash away as you move and breathe.

  2. Slow down until you are still again. Then, think of something you want to bring more of into your life.

  3. From your head to your toes and back up again, tap gently with your fingertips. thinking of what you want to bring into your life as you move and breathe. Tap across your shoulders and up and down your arms.

  4. Slow down to stilnessl and notice how you feel.

Teaching Cues for Students

Implementation & Development

See our Child Development Page for more information to help tailor your instruction to best meet the needs of your students.

All children learn best given clear, concise, instructions, trying to reduce directional cues down to 4 steps.

Enjoys learning through games, songs, and stories. Cues for Wash Away can be woven into a song, built into an entry routine.

Keep cues limited, simple, and be consistent with your wording to help build a predictable routines. Modeling and pointing to the body parts you are engaging them is useful.

Still enjoy routine, learning through games, and group activity.

Appreciates praise and being noticed. After you teach the Wash Away, and students are comfortable and familiar, you may engage student leaders to guide the group.

Slightly longer attention spans, may be able to take in more instructions. You might invite students to notice the connections between the Wash Away practice, how they feel, and the quality of their minds, and feelings.

As adolescence begins and continues, students will start to feel preoccupied with body image. It is important to cultivate a safe space for students to practice the Wash Away where they don’t feel singled out and they have the option to close their eyes or to soften their gaze.

As students assert a greater level of autonomy, it is important to build in more opportunities for choice and agency. If possible give students options as which breathing practice they would like to explore., or choices within that practice. This can be as simple as choosing their count, choosing the direction of the count, etc.

 

Video

 

Helpful Hints

You may wish to incorporate a journaling or writing activity with your students to help them map out and identify what they want to let go of and what they want more of in their lives. Invite students to move at a pace that works for them, moving as quickly or as slowly as they wish as long as they are mindful of their breath as they move.

Options

  • Offer examples of something students may want to release such as: stress, an argument with a friend/family member, anxiety, expectations.

  • Offer examples of something students may want more of such as: kindness, self-compassion, respect, acceptance, love.

  • Explore integrating music into the practice.

Precautions

  • Recent surgery or acute injury to any key muscles or joints: modify or skip practice

  • Chronic or recent injury, pain, or inflammation to any key muscles or joints: modify or skip practice.

  • Content from NYCDOE YMTP² curricular materials