Well, really….
Happy Winter Solstice!
What a day to welcome you to the first issue of Well, really…, your curated newsletter about health, yoga & living well. Each edition brings you carefully crafted health & yoga topics that speak softly but leave a mark — thoughtful, grounded & deeply rooted in academic, yogic & embodied experience.
This week, we journey through why and how I became a Health Coach & Mentor, updates to my yoga offerings, and of course - the Winter Solstice.
Let’s dive in…
Feature Story
RETURNING TO THE SPARK
Why I became a Health Coach & Mentor
In my teens, I wanted to become a psychologist. I was fascinated by the human mind and felt an early pull towards helping people understand themselves more deeply. But this was the 1990s, and mental health carried a heavy stigma in the Caribbean, where I grew up. The idea was discouraged, and instead I went on to study English and Creative Writing at university.
Fast forward to 2024 — a year of profound personal and professional change. A close friend suggested I might be a good fit for Dr Rosy Daniel’s Health Creation Coaching & Mentoring Diploma. I wasn’t convinced, initially. Becoming a coach at this stage of my life felt unexpected, yet returning to university to fulfil a childhood dream felt like too big a leap. I agreed, at least, to have a conversation with Dr Rosy.
That conversation changed me…and, everything.
Health Creation is a holistic, positive, and proactive approach to health and wellbeing. It’s based on the belief that we can live and work from a place of self-ownership — in harmony with ourselves, with others, and with the wider world. Health, in this model, means to actively create health through how we live, relate, and make meaning.
Beyond this, I was most moved by Health Creation’s exquisite knowing of the concept of spiritual connection — not as intrinsically religious, but as our connection to what lifts us up, gives us meaning, and helps us feel alive. It gave language to something I’ve always sensed: that inner spark we lose touch with when life becomes too fast, too loud, or too demanding.
So I decided to begin this journey of training, coaching, and mentoring; and it fills me with great joy to say I’ve just received my diploma; and in 2026 I’ll begin offering 1:1 Health Coaching & Mentoring.
Along the way, my focus has become clear. I’m drawn to supporting capable high performers who also feel stressed and overwhelmed to find their spark again, and to find the clarity and confidence to become true to themselves.
If you’re curious about exploring Health Coaching & Mentoring with me, I warmly invite you to add your name to my waitlist. I’ll be in touch in the New Year to have a relaxed, no-pressure conversation about whether this work might be right for you.
The Essentials
WHAT’S UNFOLDING
New Classes, New Timetable, New Booking System!
ONLINE YOGA CLUB
A weekly online Forrest-inspired practice to support you in moving and feeling well. Tuesdays 5:15pm (UK time). Starts January 6th.
RESTORATIVE PRACTICE
A new online monthly class over the winter months to slow down and feel deeply supported — you can join any or all sessions. Starts January 2nd.
NEW BOOKING SYSTEM
Online classes, workshops and in-person events can now be booked through a new platform called Bookwhen. Check regularly for new classes!
NEW YOGA CLASS IN SKIPTON
A 6-week Yoga Foundations Course to help you build strong and clear foundations in your practice. At Unity Gym in Embsay on Thursdays, 10am. Starts January 15th.
Inspiration
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHTNESS
A Winter Solstice Ritual
The Winter Solstice is a special moment in the Wheel of the Year - astronomically, it marks the first day of winter and in the Northern hemisphere, it happens on the shortest day of the year. From Sunday 21 December, days will begin to get lighter and longer. There is an energy of hope in this knowing, and to kindle that energy, I’d like to share this ritual with you, which a dear friend shared with me the other day.
Here are the steps:
Today, write down 12 wishes on a piece of paper, then cut each wish into a strip, fold them and put them in a recipient of your choice.
Tomorrow, and each day thereafter and until the New Year, take out one strip of paper and burn it, without reading its contents.
On New Year’s day, take out the final strip of paper, unfold it and read it. This is the wish that is up to you to take care of in 2026. The remaining wishes call you to trust their own unfolding.
Enjoy the ritual, and if you’d like to share how it went, send me an email, and tag me (@sarahleylaonyoga) in any posts on social media about them.
A Final Reflection
Lake Zürick
The holidays aren’t easy for everyone. This poem is an invitation to move with kindness — towards ourselves, and each other.
When I arrived in evening you
drank coffee by the fireplace
ashless in winter: I knew
what slant of myself
would keep you
At the abandoned boathouse
remnants of a party: you
placed your hand
where you knew I hurt;
I kicked a cup and leaned
into your weight.
Until next time,
Supporting individuals and businesses towards authentic freedom and wellbeing