Countdown to Calm (Grades K-5)

This yoga activity can help you feel rocket-fueled and ready to reach for the stars!

When Dr. Mae Jemison (the first Black woman to become an astronaut and travel into space) was a child, she dreamed of dancing in space surrounded by millions of stars. (Want to learn more about Mae Jemison? Visit our virtual library and check out the book Mae Among the Stars, written by Roda Ahmed and illustrated by Stasia Burrington.)

Have you got a dream?

This yoga activity can help you feel rocket-fueled and ready to reach for the stars, too. It’s also a great one to try when you need to burn off a little steam.

Stand up tall, both feet on the ground and hands pressed gently together in front of your chest. To do this seated, sit up tall, let your feet rest on the floor (or a thick book or two if your feet don’t reach the floor) and press your hands gently together in front of your chest. Take a deep breath as you count down from five in your mind — 5, 4, 3, 2 , 1…

As you let that deep breath go, lift your pressed hands straight up (as though they’re a rocket launching into the sky) and then jump out into a jumping jack position, legs a little wider and arms reaching out to each side at shoulder height. If you’re seated, lift your arms and hands high on the out breath and let them float down and out at shoulder height.

Come back to the starting position (your launching pad) and do this a couple more times.