Class at Well Bath

Gentle Hatha Yoga

A yoga for the body that showed up today

You unroll the mat, settle, and Ilona takes the room slowly. Breath first, shape after. Gentle Hatha Yoga is one of the oldest branches of yoga still practised in a modern studio. Ilona's version of it at Well Bath is slow, unhurried, and forgiving. She teaches the class for the body that showed up today, exactly as it arrived.

Ilona comes to this work with an unusual combination. She has been a registered nurse for twenty-five years and still shares her time between the RUH Trust and Well Bath. She trained in the Satyananda lineage in Sydney in 2009, completed a Diploma in Yogic Studies and Teacher Training with the Academy of Yoga Science, and her background includes Traditional Chinese Medicine. The clinical and the contemplative sit alongside each other in the room.

The pace is deliberate. Postures are held long enough for the body to settle into them, and Ilona teaches through the shape rather than around it. This is a good first door for anyone new to yoga, anyone returning after a break, and anyone in the after of an injury or illness. She adapts on the fly, offers several versions of most postures, and gives permission to lie down and rest at any point.

Duration

75 minutes

Price

See the booking page for current pricing.

What people bring

Presentations commonly worked with

Gentle Hatha is the softest yoga class on the schedule. What people arrive with is usually less a specific complaint and more a body that needs to be met where it is.

First-ever yoga class, or the first in many years
Return to movement after illness, surgery or a break
Low-grade tightness in the shoulders, hips or lower back
A stronger yoga class that has become too much for now
Nervousness about being seen doing something unfamiliar
Wanting to build a slow, sustainable practice from the ground up
General stiffness from long hours at a desk or in a car

This is a general yoga class, not a therapeutic yoga session. If you are working with a specific diagnosis or an acute injury, speak to Ilona before booking or look at Yoga Therapy with Jane, which is one-to-one.

What a session is like

From arrival to the last breath in the room

The class runs seventy-five minutes on Friday mornings. This is how the time is used.

01

Arrival and tea

Come through the front door, help yourself to tea from the Welsh dresser in the foyer, settle in. Aim to be on your mat five minutes before the start.
02

Opening

Seated centring on the mat, a few unhurried breaths together, a note on where the class is going.
03

Warm-up

Gentle joint mobility, small movements to bring the body online. Nothing demanding. Optional variations shown throughout.
04

Standing shapes

A short standing sequence — mountain, gentle warrior, tree — worked with support against the wall or with a block if useful. Alignment cued carefully.
05

Floor sequence

Seated forward folds, twists, hip openers, cat-cow, held longer than a typical flow class. Props readily available, modifications named as we go.
06

Rest and closing

A supported final rest with bolsters and blankets if you want them. Ilona brings the class back gently. No hurry to sit up.

Weighing it up

Gentle Hatha versus Yin

The two softest classes on the schedule sit next to each other and are easy to confuse. This is how they differ, so you can pick.

	Gentle Hatha	Yin
Position	Standing and floor postures.	Almost entirely floor-based.
Hold length	Short to medium holds. A few breaths per shape.	Long holds — three to five minutes per shape.
Pace	Moves through more shapes at an unhurried tempo.	Very slow. Few shapes, deeply held.
Register	Everyday active — a body being met at its current range.	Contemplative — a body being asked to soften.
Best if you	Want a soft but complete yoga class as a first door.	Want to lie down, drop deeper, and go slow.

Many regulars come to both. Gentle Hatha in the morning to move; Yin later to unwind.

What the evidence says

Research and clinical literature

Gentle Hatha yoga has decades of research behind it as a low-impact intervention for older adults, people returning from illness, and beginners.

Meta-analyses of gentle Hatha yoga in older adults show clinically meaningful improvements in balance, strength and flexibility with low injury risk.

International Journal of Yoga · Sivaramakrishnan et al. · 2019
Yoga for older adults shows measurable improvements in quality of life and functional mobility across multiple randomised trials.

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity · reviews · 2020
Beginner-level yoga programmes are consistently associated with reductions in perceived stress and improvements in sleep quality after eight weeks of practice.

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · reviews · 2018

Questions people ask

Before you book

I have never done yoga. Is this class for me? +

Yes — this is the one to start with. Ilona teaches from the beginning of each shape and offers several versions of most postures. Nothing you cannot skip.

I am not flexible. +

Neither is anyone in their first Gentle Hatha class. Flexibility is what practice builds, not what you need to bring. Props are on hand for every shape.

What if I need to stop halfway through? +

Ilona names this in the opening: rest is always an option. Lie down, come back to child's pose, take child's pose the entire class if that is what serves you.

How is this different from Himalayan Hatha with Joe? +

Joe's Himalayan Hatha is Hatha in its traditional lineage form — longer holds, more work with the internal breath, closer to the source. Ilona's Gentle Hatha is Hatha rendered as a general studio class, held softer and welcoming to complete beginners.

What do I wear? +

Layers you can move in. The studio warms gently as the class progresses. Bare feet on the mat.

What if I am recovering from something specific? +

Speak to Ilona on arrival so she knows what to look out for. If you are working with a diagnosed condition, look at Yoga Therapy with Jane, which is one-to-one and shaped to you.

Can I bring my child? +

The class is for adults. If you would like to introduce a child to yoga, ask Joe about the family sessions.

What is Ilona's training? +

Ilona is a Diploma-qualified Yogic Studies teacher through the Academy of Yoga Science, in the Satyananda lineage she first met in Sydney in 2009. She is also a registered nurse of twenty-five years, currently splitting her time between the RUH Trust and Well Bath, and her background includes Traditional Chinese Medicine. The clinical and the contemplative both inform how she teaches.

Held by

Practitioner

Gentle Hatha

Ilona

Weekly Gentle Hatha. Soft, unhurried, forgiving of every body. A good first door into the studio.

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