Breath Ladder Through Five Poses

A sequence of five yoga poses that moves from standing down to lying, where each pose is held one breath longer than the last, from one to five. Students learn to count and lengthen their breathing as the body shifts from activation to calm.

How to play

1. Each student stands on a yoga mat; the teacher explains the ladder: pose 1 gets one breath, pose 2 gets two, and so on up to five (0.5 min).
2. Rungs 1 and 2: arms overhead in mountain pose for one breath; forward fold with bent knees for two breaths (1 min).
3. Rung 3: child's pose with arms stretched forward, three long breaths (1 min).
4. Rung 4: seated butterfly with the soles of the feet together and a long spine, four breaths (1 min).
5. Rung 5: lying face up, legs long and arms by the sides, five slow breaths (1 min).
6. Second full round, now in silence: each student counts breaths silently, and the class waits for the last student before starting; at the end, stay lying down one more minute (4.5 min).

Rules

• One full breath is one inhale and one exhale through the nose.
• Nobody changes poses before finishing their count.
• In round two, anyone who finishes early waits quietly in the last pose.
• Lower to the floor by placing the hands down first.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: five seated chair poses that go from more active to more relaxed.
• Autism: draw the ladder on the whiteboard with pictures and breath counts.
• Low breathing capacity or asthma: allow shorter breaths while keeping the count.

Learning goals

• Count and control the breath in each pose.
• Move gradually from an active pose to a resting one.
• Use breathing as a tool to calm down.

Equipment for a class of 25

• yoga mats: 25

Teacher tip

The silent second round is the key part: tell students nobody is late or early, everyone has their own pace, and wait until all are lying down before starting the final minute.

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