What a gentle yoga class is like

Each session lasts 75 minutes and follows a familiar, unhurried shape:

• Settling and breathwork. A few quiet minutes to arrive, with simple breathing practice.
• Mindful warm-ups. Slow movement through the neck, shoulders, spine, hips and ankles.
• Postures. Standing and floor work, with options at every level. Penny offers chair-supported alternatives, smaller ranges of motion, and the use of props or rest as appropriate.
• Closing relaxation. Ten to fifteen minutes lying down with a guided relaxation.

What makes the class "gentle" is the pace, the modifications, and the fact that nobody is asked to push beyond what feels comfortable.

What "gentle" actually means here

Gentle does not mean "no real yoga". The class follows the same shape as a traditional session — breathwork, movement, postures, relaxation. What's different is the unhurried pace and modifications always on offer. Penny adapts the class to the people in the room — that's what twenty-plus years of teaching gives you. You always work within your own body's range.

Common worries

"I'm not flexible." Most students start out feeling stiff. There is no flexibility test on the door.

"I've never done yoga before." Beginners are welcome in every class. There is no jargon and no expectation that you'll know the names of the postures.

"I have arthritis / a dodgy knee / a tricky back / a new hip." Tell Penny before the class so she can suggest modifications. If you are managing a condition, please also speak to your GP or physiotherapist about whether group exercise is right for you at the moment.

"I might be the oldest there." You almost certainly won't be. The classes lean towards a mature group, and that is part of why they are so welcoming.

Penny's experience with older students

Penny first walked into a yoga class in the mid-1990s and was inspired by students twenty and thirty years older than her, who moved with strength and ease that surprised her. That experience has shaped her teaching ever since.

Alongside her current weekly classes, she has previously taught:

• The "50 and Beyond" yoga class for Sportspace, the Dacorum Sports Trust.
• Yoga classes for Mind, the mental health charity.
• Yoga for Oaklands College and West Herts College.
• Numerous private classes across Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead.

Penny trained through the British Wheel of Yoga, the national governing body for yoga in the UK. Her training in Hatha Yoga was long and demanding, and she continues annual professional development alongside current first-aid certification.

Where and when

Four weekly face-to-face classes plus a Wednesday Zoom class:

• Mondays in Berkhamsted — The Court House, 7:45pm.
• Tuesdays in Leverstock Green — Village Hall, 12:30pm and 2:00pm.
• Thursdays in Hemel Hempstead — Carey Baptist Church, 2:00pm.
• Wednesdays online via Zoom — 7:00pm, from your own mat at home.

If you are new, the gentlest way in is a one-off trial session. Get in touch and Penny will help you arrange a trial or book the next available block.