For tight backs, shoulders and hips

Gentle Yoga for a Stiff Back, Shoulders & Hips

If you spend most of your day at a desk, or if a long-standing injury has left you cautious about moving freely, regular gentle yoga is one of the kindest things you can do for your body. Penny's classes in Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead are slow, careful, and built around the kinds of movements that ease tightness rather than aggravate it.

Who this is for

• Desk workers who feel knotted in the upper back and shoulders by the end of the week.
• People recovering from a flare-up of back pain who have been signed off by a GP or physio to begin gentle movement.
• Older adults who want to stay supple and mobile.
• Cyclists, runners and walkers looking to balance out tight hips and shoulders.
• Anyone who has been told to "stretch more" and isn't sure where to start.

What gentle yoga does — and what it doesn't

Honest framing matters. A regular gentle yoga practice can:

• Improve range of motion in the spine, shoulders and hips.
• Build the small stabilising muscles that support good posture.
• Teach you to breathe in a way that helps the nervous system settle, which often eases muscular guarding.
• Give you simple movements you can do at home between classes.

What it is not: medical treatment. If you have acute back pain, recent surgery, suspected disc problems, or any pain that gets worse with movement, please see a GP, physiotherapist or osteopath first. Yoga complements that care; it does not replace it.

What a class looks like

Each session lasts 75 minutes and follows a familiar shape:

1. Settling and breath. A few quiet minutes to arrive, with simple breathwork to ease the shoulders down and bring attention to the body.
2. Mindful warm-ups. Slow mobilisations for the neck, shoulders, spine and hips — the four areas most likely to feel stiff.
3. Hatha Yoga postures. Standing and floor work, with options at every level. Penny offers chair-supported alternatives and shorter ranges of motion when useful.
4. Closing relaxation. Ten to fifteen minutes lying down with a guided relaxation. Most students leave noticeably looser than when they arrived.

How "gentle yoga" differs from "yoga therapy"

Yoga therapy is a one-to-one approach where a specifically trained therapist designs a tailored programme around a particular medical condition. It is excellent for complex injuries and chronic pain.

Penny's classes are group gentle yoga: not condition-specific, but very safe for most stiff or recovering bodies. If your needs are quite specific, a few one-to-one sessions with a yoga therapist or a physiotherapist alongside the weekly group class can be a powerful combination. Penny is happy to point you in the right direction.

Penny's approach

Penny qualified as a British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) teacher in 2004 and has been teaching mixed-ability gentle classes in Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead ever since. BWY teacher training takes two to three years and includes anatomy and the safe teaching of mixed-ability groups. Penny holds current first-aid certification and continues annual professional development.

In every class she offers modifications, watches for signs of strain, and reminds students that the goal is to work within their own range — never to push into pain.

Try a class

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.

New students are welcome to start with a one-off trial session. Just get in touch and tell Penny a little about what's tight or sore, and she'll suggest the best class to start with.