To Think about Jesus Chair Yoga

August 10, 2024 by Janel

Will you spend any time teaching To Think about Jesus (archives) this year? You’ll fall in love with this fun and very purposeful singing time activity! For this lesson plan, you’ll try out some To Think about Jesus Chair Yoga poses!

Each chair yoga pose is a gentle stretch or pose that wiggly children can do on the sacrament pew if they struggle to sit still and focus and ties perfectly in with this song’s message!

To Think about Jesus Chair Yoga

How to Play:

Ask the children: Is it ever hard for you to sit still and reverent during the Sacrament? (Wait for answers). Today’s activity will give you some gentle yoga stretches and poses that you can do during the sacrament to help you focus – if you can do so without being distracting to others.

Today’s song is all about how we can be thoughtful and reflective while taking the sacrament or at other times while we are thinking about Jesus. These yoga moves are great for meditation and relieving stress.

Introduce one line of the song and one yoga pose at a time. Each yoga pose fits with a line of the song, for example:

“It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still” – Slightly twist at torso
“And think about Jesus, his cross on the hill” – Slowly nod up and down

Continue to add another line of the song and a new yoga pose, singing from the beginning as you add each new pose.

You can use our To Think about Jesus flip chart to help teach the lyrics. Simply display them up on the board and then focus on your activity at hand.

Chair Yoga Poses – Verse 1:

Slightly Twist at Torso – Place one hand on your opposite knee. Slightly twist your torso and face toward the direction of that knee.
Slowly Nod Up & Down – Slowly tuck your chin down to your chest, then lift it back up and lower your head towards your back. This motion is like nodding, but with control and a further stretch.
Rotate Both Wrists – Hold both wrists out in front of you with your arms tucked against your side. Rotate both wrists clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Lean Forward – Lean forward with elbows and arms resting across your knees. Roll your back into an arch and relax your neck.
Hug Knee, Rotate Ankle – Bring one knee upward towards your chest. Hold the knee in place with both hands. Rotate your ankle clockwise or counter-clockwise.
Gently Roll Shoulders – Sit up tall with your neck held high. Lift and rotate your shoulders in clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

Extension Activities:

Invite the children to come up with a different yoga pose to try! Swap it out for one of the moves in my pattern. Continue to add different poses and moves that the children come up with until you have 6 unique yoga poses!
Sing through the song with just the adult leaders. Ask the children to think about Jesus as you try the poses and follow along while the adults sing. How did that make them feel trying to focus on our Savior?
Try singing extra slow or fast speed to vary the feeling of the yoga poses.