Real Food, Real Voices: Sarah Larson Levey
FOOD & HOME
Real Food, Real Voices: Sarah Larson Levey
By: Tessa Kauppila
Welcome to “Real Food, Real Voices”, a series where we discuss nutrition and wellness with founders, creators, thought-leaders, and industry experts. Hear how they incorporate Abbot’s into their own plant-rich lifestyles—and feel better as a result.
Sarah Larson Levey is rewriting what it means to have a yoga practice. Gone are the quiet, sunlit studios with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. In their place? Dark, candlelit rooms, with sweat-inducing infrared heat and a beat-bumping playlist.
At Y7’s studios across LA, NYC, and Austin, there’s no judgment if your crow or pigeon or dancer’s pose isn’t as elegant as your mat neighbor’s. It’s simply about moving your breath to the beat of the music. There’s even portions of class where you’re encouraged to flow as you wish, following the instructor’s prior flow as loosely or as closely as your body desires.
We sat down with Sarah, founder and CEO of Y7, to chat about expanding yoga’s inclusivity, caring for her well-being, and, of course, how she’s fueling herself and her family with Abbot’s plant-rich proteins.
What inspired you to start Y7? What do you love most about your job?
I was super frustrated with the yoga experiences that I was having and decided to create my own! I absolutely love getting to share the yoga practice with people who thought yoga “isn't for me.”
Two of your core values at Y7 are inclusivity and accessibility—values that can be hard to truly find in spaces centered around fitness. How do those come to play?
By taking away the mirrors and allowing students to have a portion of class to flow on their own, it allows them to really turn their focus inward and on their own goals as opposed to seeing everyone else, how they are performing, what they are working on, etc.
As a founder and CEO, what are ways you care for your well-being?
It can really feel like a rollercoaster sometimes and no two days are ever alike. I try to always take an hour for myself each day—sometimes that's a long shower, sometimes a workout, or sometimes a nap. It all depends on what my body is craving.
How does what you eat impact how you feel?
Food truly has such a huge impact on me both mentally and physically. When I'm satisfied with my food and what I am putting in my body, it really allows me to focus on the things I need to.
Current food favorites?
I'm on a really big broccoli sprout kick right now. I add it to everything.
What’s your go-to way to enjoy Abbot’s?
We always have Abbot’s stocked in our house! My kids LOVE breakfast tacos with Abbot’s “Chorizo”, so I’m making those a couple times a week for breakfast and dinner. They simply can't get enough and have no idea how good it is for them.
Want more simple, plant-rich recipes? Find them here.