My Morning Routine
How a New Mom (Who’s Y7 Studio’s CEO) Gets Sweat and Exfoliation In First Thing
Sarah Larson Levey | CEO and founder of Y7 Studio yoga
A new mom to a baby girl and an “old” mom to a two-year-old boy, Sarah Larson Levey has less time than ever. “It’s changed my practice for the better,” says the CEO and founder of NYC-based Y7 Studio, the adored yoga mecca that she and her husband first launched as a pop-up in 2013 in Brooklyn (it’s newly expanded to a national platform, delivering hundreds of classes online for $20 a month). “I can’t do yoga as frequently, but when I am practicing, I’m focused and motivated—I know this is a sacred time to focus on myself,” she says.
While she was pregnant, Levey implemented new habits in anticipation of the maelstrom of wrangling two little kids: “I felt a lot more prepared this time around, even though some pregnancy complications threw me for a loop,” she says. “I focused on what would make me feel best: more protein and greens in order to keep my energy up and a really luxurious, easy, safe skin routine that 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 ex–fashion executive’s emphasis on well-being and fun is what has made Y7 so successful; she started it after feeling unsatisfied with the classes she’d been routinely plodding 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 sort of pulse-revving music that her IRL classes became a cult sensation for. “The playlists are all designed to take you through the class in peaks and valleys of energy, along with matching the breath to movement,” she says.
Levey’s been doing the online classes most mornings since they launched—in addition to an easy, glow-boosting skin routine.
SARAH’s morning routine
6 a.m.
Lilah, our newborn, starts to stir. I am definitely not a morning person naturally, but having a two-year-old and a newborn has forced me to become one—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 a.m.
Once the baby is settled, I wash my face with this perfect daily exfoliating face wash. I get oily in my T-zone and dry everywhere else, and this leaves my face feeling clean, not stripped—surprisingly hard to find in a daily exfoliator.
I honestly don’t know what kind of sorcery they did with this toner. My face looks and feels like glass after using it.
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8:15 a.m.
I make myself breakfast—either oatmeal or a smoothie—while I help my husband get our two-year-old ready for preschool.
9:30 a.m.
Baby is ready for another feed—this girl can eat.
10:30 a.m.
Most days I get in some form of movement—either a walk or I’ll log on to our new platform for an on-demand class. Lately it’s been our 30-minute Power Vinyasa.
11:05 a.m.
After working out, I take a quick shower—and do a whole Crown Affair hair routine in there. I’ve finally gotten my hair to a great place. I wash with the shampoo and conditioner twice a week, and my hair looks and feels so clean and shiny.
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11:20 a.m.
I get out of the shower and slather on this face cream. 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 a.m.
I’m technically still on maternity leave, but I do get some emails done and check in with my team. I’m trying to get better with my boundaries around work this time around.
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