My morning routine
How a new mom (who is Y7 Yoga’s CEO) gets sweaty and exfoliating in the first place
Sarah Larson Levey | CEO and founder of Y7 Studio yoga
Sarah Larson Levey, who is a new mother of a baby girl and an “old” mother of a two-year-old boy, has less time than ever before. “It’s changed my practice for the better,” says the CEO and founder of NYC-based Y7 Studio, the beloved yoga mecca she and her husband first launched as a pop-up in 2013 in Brooklyn (it recently expanded to a nationally platform, provides hundreds of classes online for $20 a month). “I don’t get to do yoga very often, but when I do, I’m focused and motivated—I know this is a sacred time to focus on myself,” she says.
While pregnant, Levey implemented new habits in anticipation of the maelstrom of wrangling two young children: “I felt much more prepared this time, even though some pregnancy complications threw me for a loop,” she says. “I focused on what would make me feel my best: more protein and greens to keep my energy up and a really luxurious, easy, safe skin routine which I knew would be sustainable after I gave birth – a complicated routine is hard enough without a newborn. My goals, pregnant or not, are even texture and tone and of course a healthy glow – using GOOPGLOW Sleep Milk before bed has really worked for my combination skin.”
The former fashion boss’s emphasis on well-being and fun is what has made Y7 so successful; she started it after feeling dissatisfied with the hours she had routinely trotted through. “Our studios are dimly lit with no mirrors,” she says. “I wanted a place where people could feel free to make mistakes and not fall into the comparison trap.” She’s brought the party online with the same kind of pulsating music that made her IRL classes a cult sensation. “The playlists are all designed to take you through the class in peaks and valleys of energy, along with matching breath to movement,” she says.
Levey has held the online classes most mornings since they launched—in addition to an easy, glow-enhancing skin routine.
SARAH’s morning routine
6 in the morning
Lilah, our newborn, is starting to move. I’m definitely not a morning person by nature, but having a two-year-old and a newborn has forced me to be – I’m really trying to lean into it with joy. I get up, brush my teeth, make a cup of coffee, change her diaper and feed her.
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7:45
After the baby has calmed down, I wash my face with this perfect daily exfoliating face wash. I get oily in my T-zone and dry everywhere else, and it leaves my face clean, not stripped – surprisingly hard to find in a daily peel.
I honestly don’t know what kind of magic they did with this toner. My face looks and feels like glass after use.
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8:15 am
I make myself breakfast—either oatmeal or a smoothie—while I help my husband get our two-year-old ready for preschool.
9:30
Baby is ready for another feed – this girl can eat.
10:30
Most days I get in some form of movement – either a walk or I log onto our new platform for an on-demand class. Lately it’s been our 30-minute Power Vinyasa.
11:05
After working out, I take a quick shower – and do a whole Crown Affair hair routine in there. I finally got my hair to a great place. I shampoo and condition twice a week and my hair looks and feels so clean and shiny.
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11:20
I get out of the shower and pour this face cream on. It leaves my skin looking like my toddler’s – plump, hydrated and smooth. Seriously, it’s a superhero.
I always finish with sunscreen.
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11:30 am
I’m technically still on maternity leave, but I’m getting some emails done and checking in with my team. I’m trying to be better with my boundaries around work this time.
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