Yoga Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is a classic! And it's perfect for Halloween!


The movie is set in New York City and follows a group of eccentric scientists who start a paranormal exterminator business after they discover that ghosts and other supernatural entities are real and thriving in the city.


The story begins when the three scientists lose their jobs at a university and decide to use their knowledge of the paranormal to start a ghost-catching business. They create a high-tech system of equipment and traps to capture and contain ghosts. They name their business "Ghostbusters" and open up shop in an old firehouse.


As the team begins their ghostbusting operations, they quickly become popular in New York City as paranormal activity is on the rise. They face various ghostly challenges and become local heroes. However, the situation escalates when they discover a powerful and ancient Sumerian god, Gozer, is planning to return to destroy the world.


The Ghostbusters must save the city from this supernatural threat, and they confront Gozer at the top of a skyscraper. With the help of their proton packs and ghost traps, they battle Gozer's minions and ultimately defeat the deity. In the end, they are hailed as heroes once more.


Ghostbusters does contain some underlying life lessons If we decide to dig deep here… Pursuing our passions regardless of how weird they might be or peoples’ opinion of them, teamwork and friendship, courage in the face of the unknown, adaptability and innovation, and humour in face of adversity.


I’m not sure if much of this will come through our Ghostbusters yoga class, but regardless, we are sure to have TONS of ghostly fun!


To Bring: White bedsheet/s, slime materials (see below), big scarf for relaxation, Optional Ghostbusters stickers (here is one place to order them from) 

 

Follow The Ghost - Ghost Sun Dance

Get a big white bedsheet cutting two holes for your eyes and lead a Sun Dance for the kids to follow while dressed as a ghost the whole time :-)

Make ghost sounds and eerie poses.

After a few minutes, start passing the bedsheet around so that the students can lead the Ghost Sun Dance Too.

5-10 Minutes

 

Get Ready To Bust Some Ghosts

The Ghostbusters use a variety of specialized equipment to capture and contain ghosts and supernatural entities. Here is a list of some of the key yoga equipment used by the Ghostbusters:

 

Ghostbusters Uniform: The Ghostbusters wear distinctive beige jumpsuits with their iconic logo and name patches. These uniforms are practical for their work and help establish their brand.

Using a bit of drama and stretching in all directions put on your jump suite. Pull it up your legs, stretch your arms through the sleeves, bend down (Standing Forward Bend) to put on your shoes and tie them well etc.

Ghostbusters Logo: The iconic "no-ghost" logo, becomes a symbol for the team and their business.

Print or order stickers if you can (here is one place to order them from) and place the sticker on everyone’s shirt.

Ecto-1: The Ecto-1 is the Ghostbusters' iconic vehicle, a modified 1959 Cadillac ambulance. It's equipped with sirens, lights, and storage for the Ghostbusters' equipment, making it their mobile headquarters.

 

Sit with your legs straight in front of you and hold the imaginary 'wheel' with your hands. To go uphill, lean back, to go downhill, fold forward, and to make a turn, lean to the side. 

Emergency Driving To Capture Ghosts - Standing in pairs, the person on the front closes their eyes (don’t open them, no matter what) and is the car. The person behind places their hands on the car’s shoulders and is the driver (eyes open please). The driver drives the car around the room. Start very slow to build trust, then move faster and faster and make some sharp turns too all while making sure that everyone still feels safe.

 

Emergency Driving To Capture Ghosts - Standing in pairs, the person on the front closes their eyes (don’t open them, no matter what) and is the car. The person behind places their hands on the car’s shoulders and is the driver (eyes open please). The driver drives the car around the room. Start very slow to build trust, then move faster and faster and make some sharp turns too all while making sure that everyone still feels safe.

PKE Meter (Psychokinetic Energy Meter): The PKE meter is a handheld device used to detect and measure paranormal activity. It's often used to locate the presence of ghosts and determine their strength.

Easy to do a pose for that scissoring legs lying on the back, but not easy for your abs :-)

Ecto Goggles: Special goggles equipped with PKE meters to help the Ghostbusters see paranormal phenomena that are normally invisible to the naked eye.

Put your yoga Ecto Goggles on and mindfully look for ghosts everywhere… Do you see any?

Ghosts: Well there are so many kids of ghosts in Ghostbusters… So be your own kind of ghost and let each student invent their own new ghost pose :-)

 

Proton Packs: These are the primary weapons used by the Ghostbusters. Proton packs are particle accelerators mounted on the characters' backs, and they emit a proton beam to weaken and capture ghosts. 

 

Switch roles of scientist and Proton Pack and do it a bit more!

 

Shooting Proton Beam Breathing: Activate your imaginary proton packs while inhaling deeply through the nose. Exhale forcefully through your parsed lips to release the proton beams! It takes many shots sometimes to capture a ghost, so do it many times of course.

 

Ghost Trap: These are portable devices used to capture and contain ghosts once they've been weakened by the proton packs. The traps are set on the ground and opened to create a containment field, which sucks the ghost inside when activated.

 

Partner up and lie down head to head. When you legs are down on the floor the Ghost trap is open and ready to capture a ghost. When your legs are up, touching feet with your partner the box is closed. Did you catch a ghost?

 

Incorporate this pose with the Proton Pack and the Proton Beam Breath and even Ghost Poses to play all together trying to capture Ghosts

Containment Unit: This is a specialized device where the captured ghosts are stored to prevent their escape. Go back to the Ghostbusters' headquarters now and put all the captured ghosts in the Containment Unit.

 

Standing up, gather in circles of 6-10 people, this is the Containment Unit. One person stands in the middle with arms crossed over their chest, they are the Ghost that is contained inside the Containment Unit. The people in the circle take one leg back into a Warrior 1 Pose and have their hands ready to catch the person in the middle. You want the circle to be pretty tight to start with.

 

With children under the age of 10, I would recommend having an adult with each circle ready to catch the person in the middle at any time with their long grown-up arms.

Now, the person in the middle closes their eyes and falls while the circle catches them and even pushes them around - It is even more fun if everyone in the circle makes ghost noises while at it!

After a minute or so, help the person in the middle find their centre and switch roles.

 

15-20 Minutes

 

The Marshmallow Man

The Marshmallow Man, also known as the "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man," is one of the most iconic and memorable creatures from the original 1984 "Ghostbusters" film. The character was created by the collective subconscious and brought to life by the Sumerian god Gozer in the film.

The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is a giant, lumbering humanoid figure made entirely of marshmallow. He is approximately 100 feet tall, with a puffy white exterior and a friendly, smiling face. He wears a sailor's hat and a blue sailor suit, giving him a somewhat whimsical and approachable appearance.

In pairs (ask the children to find a partner of similar size), the base (the person on the bottom) will sit in a crossed leg position with their back really straight, shoulders stacked over hips. The flyer (the person on top) starts standing behind the base. Base and flyer hold hands.

Now the base places one foot on the flyer’s shoulder and then steps up with their other foot on the other shoulder. Flyer brings their heels together and leans their sheens on the flyer’s head. Once balance is found, the base and flyer can let go of the hands. The base can now hold the flyer’s calves, but let go if the flyer can find their balance simply by leaning their shins on the base’s head. 

The base sits tall and Flyer stands tall too.

To come down, base and flyer hold hands again. Flyer keeps their arms totally straight and they float forward and down as the base slowly bends their elbows and move the flyer forward.

If it feels too scary, you can practice with a Mini Teacher (third person to make sure that everyone is safe) who will hold the flyer’s hand until they find their balance.

If kids are very young they can practice the same with a parent or the teacher as the base.

 

5 Minutes

 

Ghost Busters Yoga Choreography

We are going to invent a special Yoga Choreography to the famous Ghostbusters theme song.

With little kids, you can prepare it ahead of time and they can mirror you, or you can all create it together.

For a bit older kids, it is nice to have 2 or 3 groups each creating their own Ghostbusters Choreography to perform in front of the other groups as the audience.

This is how it works:

  1. Invent a Yoga Dance routine in small groups to the Ghostbusters Theme Song. It takes about 10 minutes
  2. Perform it in front of all of the other groups for them to follow

When creating your Yoga Dance Choreography:

  1. Work with the rhythm of the song
  2. Make one move or sequence for each of the distinct parts of the song (chorus, refrain…)
  3. Make this sequence repeat each time this part of the song reappears
  4. Make it big and dance-like and dynamic using yoga poses - This is a YOGA DANCE!

Have fun with it and sweat a lot while creating and while preforming!

15-20 Minutes

 

Ectoplasm Stretch & Make

In the Ghostbusters movie franchise, "ectoplasm" or "ectoplasmic substance" is a fictional, supernatural substance associated with the presence of ghosts and other paranormal entities. Ectoplasm is often depicted as a gooey, slimy, or viscous material that is excreted or left behind by ghosts, particularly during their interactions with the physical world.

 

Ectoplasmic Stretch: In pairs, holding a wrist or wrists and leaning away from each other, one partner stands in a very steady pose (Goddess Pose is great for this) while the other partner takes the liberty to explore different stretches, twists, side bends, arching and hollowing, squatting and more. 

 

The extra stretch here comes from the fact that we are continuously and intensely leaning away from each other. Be creative! Do it for a whole song and then switch roles.

 

See how to do it here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WM2bdj3OFoYHr8rOrUQFkYQfmwORTDqT/view?usp=sharing

 

Ectoplasmic Slime-Making: Creating your own batches of green "ectoplasmic" slime is easy! Here’s a recipe:

Ingredients:

2 bottles (4 ounces each) of clear school glue

1/2 cup of water

Green food coloring

1/2 cup liquid starch

Optional: Glitter, plastic spiders, or other small plastic toys for added fun

 

Instructions:

Start by pouring the two bottles of clear school glue into a mixing bowl.

Add a few drops of green food coloring to the glue and stir until the color is well distributed. You can add more drops for a darker green color if desired.

If you want to make the slime extra special, this is the time to add glitter, plastic spiders, or any other small plastic toys you'd like to include. Stir them into the glue mixture.

Gradually add 1/2 cup of water to the bowl and mix it with the colored glue. This will help achieve the desired slime consistency.

Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of liquid starch while stirring the mixture. You'll notice the slime starting to form. Continue to mix and knead with your hands as the slime comes together. If it's too sticky, you can add a little more liquid starch.

Keep kneading and stretching the slime until it reaches the desired consistency. It should be smooth, stretchy, and not too sticky.

Once your green slime is ready, you can store it in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag when not in use.

Provide all the necessary ingredients and containers, and let guests get creative.

They can take their slime creations home.

 

10-15 Minutes

 

The Ghost Detector

This is an intuition game…

One child is a Ghost Detector and must leave the room. 

 

The other children sit on the floor in a circle. Touch one of the children’s heads to indicate that they are the ghost. 

The Ghost Detector comes back to the room now and must try to figure out where the ghost is. The closer the Ghost Detector gets to the ghost, the louder the children moan like Ghosts. 

Have the children take turns being the Ghost Detector and the Ghost.

 

5 Minutes

 

Ectoplasm Visualization

Lie down and relax… Deep ghostly breaths, in and out, in and out…

Gozer and the evil ghosts all defeated by you, the brave Ghostbusters, you can close your eyes now and maybe you’ll see, with your special Ecto Goggles some friendly ghosts, only friendly ones now, flying about (remember Slimer, the friendly ghost from the original movie?).

Ectoplasm, ghost slime, is actually not so bad… It's warm and cozy, tastes like lime jelly, and it is very very relaxing.

So imagine now that you are lying in this warm and cosy Ectoplasm…

As you keep breathing deeply, feel the Ectoplasm vibrating, jelly like, all around your legs, your hips, your tummy and back, your arms, your shoulders and neck, your head… 

Let the Ectoplasm even wabble, all cozy and warm, inside your brain until you feel truly relaxed inside and out.

Stay here for a bit feeling relaxed and happy, knowing that you have saved the world from destruction and that everyone, including you can live in peace now.

Before you open your eyes and sit up, imagine your whole body going through a kind of a car wash (gently drag a light scarf over each child’s body) cleaning you from all of the slime.

Stretch, yawn and sit up. Well done!

5 Minutes

 

Want to learn how to share yoga and mindfulness with your children at home or with your students at school?

Join one of our Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Trainings today! Click here to sign up!

 

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