Gemma Murphy Yoga

Some evenings, you don’t need to push yourself or do more. You just need a bit of space to slow down and let the day settle.

That’s why I’m introducing a Weekly Wind Down class – a new mellow Thursday evening yoga class at Houlton School in Rugby.

A calmer kind of yoga class

Weekly Wind Down brings together slow, gentle movement, simple yoga postures, calming breathwork and relaxation.

We’ll take our time, so there’s space to notice how you feel rather than rushing from one posture to the next. There’ll be options throughout, so you can adjust the practice depending on what your body and energy need that evening.

You don’t need to be flexible or have any previous yoga experience. There’s no pressure to keep up, reach a particular shape or get anything “right”.

Just come as you are.

Who is Wind Down for?

Wind Down could be a lovely fit if you’re new to yoga and want a gentle way to begin, or if you’d prefer something slower and softer than a Flow class.

Perhaps you find it difficult to switch off in the evenings, you’re returning to yoga after some time away, or you simply want an hour in your week that’s just for you.

This class is about moving in a way that feels good, letting go of some of the tension you’re carrying and gradually slowing down.

Is it the same as Yin Yoga?

Not quite.

Yin Yoga is mostly floor-based, with postures held for several minutes at a time. Wind Down includes more movement, flowing gently between simple postures before easing into relaxation at the end.

Think of it as sitting between my Flow and Yin classes: softer than Flow, but with more movement than Yin.

Wind down the week

By Thursday evening, the busiest part of the week is nearly behind you, even if your mind hasn’t quite caught up yet.

Wind Down gives you a proper pause before the weekend begins. It’s somewhere to put everything down for an hour, move gently and shift into a slower pace.

You can leave feeling calmer, more settled and ready to enjoy the weekend ahead, rather than spending it recovering from the week.

Class details

When: Thursdays, 6.00–7.00pm, starts 5 November.
Where: Houlton School, Rugby
Level: All levels, complete beginners welcome.
Price: £8 per class when booking the block.

If you’ve been thinking about trying yoga but haven’t been sure where to start, or you’d simply like a softer practice towards the end of the week, Wind Down could be just what you need.

I’d love to welcome you. Booking now open.

By March, I’m usually ready for the lighter mornings and the first signs of spring. But that doesn’t always mean my energy has caught up.

Late winter can feel like a bit of an in-between time. The darkest months are beginning to ease, but we may still feel tired, stiff or in need of warmth. It can be tempting to rush straight into spring and start doing more, when perhaps what we really need is a little time to rest, move and slow down before we speed up again.

If you’ve spotted Lifted on my timetable but wondered what we actually do for two and a half hours, this is for you.

Perhaps you’re wondering whether it means two and a half hours of continuous yoga, whether you’ll be able to keep up, or whether you’ll manage to switch off for that long.

The short answer is that you won’t be moving for the whole session. Lifted Reset gradually takes you from unhurried movement into stillness, with time for your body and mind to settle at each stage.

My next Lifted afternoon is on Saturday 26 September at The Barn in Houlton, with four places currently remaining. There is another chance to join me on Saturday 19 December.

I can still picture it.

Rodney Yee practising by the sea, moving slowly through Warrior poses. The sound of the waves in the background. That calm, unhurried way of teaching.

I don’t remember what I had for dinner last Thursday, but I remember that DVD.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here in the UK, and you may be finding it hard to cool down. The nights are warm, the rooms stay stuffy, and by the time you come to your mat everything feels a bit different to usual. Sticky before you have even started. Heavy. The idea of lying on the floor for an hour sounds either completely perfect or completely wrong, depending on the day.

So should you do Yin Yoga when it is hot?

Yes. But gently, and with a bit more awareness than usual.

What the Heat Is Actually Doing

In Yin, we are not working the muscles in the same way as a flow class. We are holding for longer, letting the muscles settle and soften, and waiting for the deeper layers of the body to respond, including the fascia, ligaments and tissue around the joints. It is slow, quiet work.

Heat makes that tissue more pliable. Things release more readily. You may feel more open and more spacious in the pose. That can feel really good.

It can also be a bit misleading.

When the body is warm, it is easier to go further into a shape than you normally would, and harder to notice that you have done too much until later. The usual signals can feel quieter. You feel fine at the time, and then the next morning you know.

So in hot weather, going a little less far than you could is not a limitation. It is just good sense.

A useful check: can you breathe here? Can you soften? Could you stay for another minute without bracing or waiting for it to end?

If not, come up a little.

Why Yin Can Work Really Well in Summer

There is something quite natural about slowing down when it is hot. The body is already asking for less. Less effort, less rushing, less doing. Yin meets that well.

A gentle Yin practice in warm weather can feel genuinely settling. You are close to the ground, you are not generating more heat, and you are giving the body time and space rather than asking it to work.

For a lot of people, it feels like relief. A chance to stop. A chance to breathe.

The warmth is doing some of the softening for you. Which means you do not need to add effort on top of it.

How to Adapt

If I am teaching on a warm day, I keep things quieter than usual. Fewer poses, a bit less time in each one, more support, more space between sides.

I choose shapes that feel genuinely restful rather than anything too intense. Supported child’s pose, half butterfly, reclined butterfly, a gentle twist. Nothing that is going to ask too much of a body that is already working hard to stay cool.

Props help more than usual. A bolster, blocks, a folded blanket under the hips. They let you settle into the pose without sinking too deep or hanging off your joints.

Using more support does not make the practice weaker. It makes it appropriate for the conditions.

Drink water before you come. And if you are practising at home, get some air moving through the room.

When to Skip It

Some days Yin is not the right call.

If you feel dizzy, headachy, unusually tired, or have been out in strong sun for a while, the most useful thing is probably to cool down, drink something and rest.

That is listening to your body, which is exactly what Yin is trying to teach you.

If you are pregnant, unwell, or managing a health condition that affects how you respond to heat, keep things gentle and take medical advice if you need to.

Go gently. Use more support. Come out slowly. Let the practice meet the day you are actually in.

Related Pages

Benefits of Yin Yoga

Monthly Deep Release

Weekly Deep Stretch Yin

Lifted Reset

I’ve just got back from a few days in Wales, and it reminded me of something I think a lot of us quietly experience but don’t always talk about.

You finally get away. You leave the usual routine behind. You arrive somewhere peaceful, with fresh air, beautiful scenery, and a slower pace of life, and you tell yourself: right, now I can relax.

But it doesn’t always happen straight away.

I’m so excited about this. A brand new weekly Deep Stretch Yin class is coming to Houlton School from Thursday 10 September, running from 7.20pm to 8.35pm.

This will be a slow, steady, spacious class designed to help you unwind at the end of the day. We’ll use long-held floor-based postures, breath awareness and plenty of support from props to help the body soften, release tension and settle.

Some weeks, an hour of yoga is enough.

You come to class, move your body, breathe a bit more deeply, stretch out the bits that feel tight, and leave feeling better than when you arrived.

But sometimes, you need more than that.

If life has been feeling a little full lately, I’ve just released new dates for Lifted: Gentle Yoga, Yin, Myo + Nidra Reset.

Lifted is a gentle, unhurried afternoon designed to help you soften, unwind, and put some of the weight of everyday life down for a while.

We move slowly through a blend of:

• Gentle yoga to arrive in the body and release surface tension
• Yin and myofascial release to ease deeper layers of tightness
• Restorative rest and yoga nidra for deep relaxation and nervous system support

It’s not about doing more. It’s about softening, slowing down, and allowing the body to settle.

By the time Friday arrives, many of us are carrying the week in our bodies.

Long hours at a desk. Time spent driving. Screens, meetings, school runs, work demands, life admin, and all the little things that add up without us really noticing.

You might feel it as tight shoulders. A stiff lower back. A sense of being folded in through the chest. Heavy legs. A busy mind. Or simply that feeling of arriving at the end of the week a little more tired and tense than you would like.

That is exactly why I have created Rise + Stretch, a new 6-week summer yoga series designed to help you begin Friday feeling more open, mobile, grounded and ready for the day ahead.

A Practical Morning Practice for Real Life

Rise + Stretch is not about pushing harder, achieving complicated poses, or adding another pressure to your week.

It is a steady, mixed level morning yoga practice designed to support the way you live, work and move.

Each Friday morning, we’ll use a blend of accessible yoga movement, mindful mobility, stretching, breathwork and myofascial release to help ease tension and encourage freer movement through the body.

The focus is simple: to help you feel better in your body before the working day begins.

Why Friday Morning?

Friday can be a strange point in the week.

You are nearly at the weekend, but you may also be feeling the build-up of everything that has come before it. The body can feel tired, the mind can feel full, and posture can start to show the effects of a busy week.

An early morning practice gives you the chance to pause before the day gets going.

Rather than arriving at Friday already depleted, Rise + Stretch gives you one hour to breathe, move, release tension and reset.

It is a way of saying: before I give my energy to the day, I am going to take a little time to look after myself first.

What to Expect

Rise + Stretch is a mixed level class, with options offered throughout so you can work in a way that suits your body and energy on the day.

Across the 6 weeks, classes will include:

Gentle mobility for the spine, shoulders and hips

Stretching for areas that often feel tight, including the chest, hamstrings and back body

Accessible yoga movement to build strength, steadiness and ease

Simple breathwork to support calm and focus

Myofascial release to help ease tension and encourage freer movement

A steady pace that leaves you feeling refreshed rather than wrung out

You do not need to be especially flexible. You do not need to be advanced. You just need to be willing to give yourself that hour.

Who Rise + Stretch Is For

This series is ideal if you spend a lot of time sitting, driving, working at a screen, or generally feeling like your body could do with a bit more care by the end of the week.

It may be especially helpful if you:

Feel stiff, tight or folded in by Friday

Carry tension in your shoulders, neck, back or hips

Want to improve mobility and posture in a practical way

Would like a morning class that helps you feel calmer and more energised

Prefer a steady, supportive class with options rather than pressure

Want to build a regular movement habit over the summer

This is yoga for real bodies and real life. Supportive, practical and designed to help you move well for the long term.

Why a 6-Week Series?

A one-off class can feel wonderful, but there is something powerful about committing to a short series.

Six weeks gives you enough time to build a rhythm without it feeling overwhelming. You get a regular Friday morning reset, and your body has the chance to become more familiar with the movements, stretches and release work.

It is a simple summer commitment to yourself.

One hour a week.

A little more space in the body.

A steadier start to the day.

A supportive way to move into the weekend.

Class Details

Rise + Stretch: 6-Week Summer Yoga Series
Starts: Friday 12 June
Time: Fridays, 7.30am to 8.30am
Venue: Townsend Memorial Hall, Clifton-upon-Dunsmore, Rugby, CV23 0DJ
Style: Mixed level yoga, mobility, stretching, breathwork and myofascial release

Bookings are now open for the full 6-week summer series.

Spaces are limited, so please book your place if you would like to join us.

Book your space for Rise + Stretch here