Actress, producer, fashion designer, author, yogi extraordinaire – Sadie Frost is a woman of many talents. Having starred in numerous Hollywood hits and previously run award-winning fashion label Frost French with her friend Jemima French, 54-year-old Frost has added one more string to her bow with her sustainable new activewear brand FROST.
It might seem like a surprising development to those who know her best as the 1990s ‘It girl’, whose hedonistic, hell-raising days with the Primrose Hill set were the stuff of legend. But these days, Frost’s approach to life takes a more spiritual outlook. Having been persuaded by her mother to try yoga in order to help her asthma, Frost has been practising it for over 30 years.
As well as providing a lifelong interest, yoga has also been the inspiration for Frost’s next move. Her new label, the recently launched FROST, is a considered, Chakra-inspired yoga wear range that is both sustainably developed and ethically produced. Stocked online and at some of London’s top yoga studios, such as Triyoga, Indaba, Bhuti, Yoga Matters, Press Primrose Hill and Urban Retreat, expect to see it on your favourite yoga teacher soon. Here, Frost tells us about meditation, mantras and what life’s bumps in the road have taught her about self care.
I always start my day with a few hours to myself
I’m a morning person, so I wake up early and do some guided meditation. I’ll then do a gentle yoga practice to help with the flexibility of my spine – I’ve suffered with back issues from an early age. Together they take me about an hour, then I’ll have some breakfast and head outdoors. I’m lucky to live near Hampstead Heath – it’s so refreshing to be out with nature and sets me up for the day.
My self-care mantra is “I am peace”
It’s simple, but it rings true. For me, self care is about creating peace within myself by letting go. The more we try to control things, the more obstacles we will find. Calming your mind when your thoughts are racing and discovering the joy of being serene is the key.
Meditation is a great coping mechanism
Modern life can make it easy to be competitive, negative and resentful, but meditation teaches you to banish those feelings and put things into perspective. I think that if I had discovered meditation earlier on, it would have helped me deal with so many of the things I have been through, including post-natal depression. Even if I only meditate for five to ten minutes a day, I find it really strengthening and helpful when I’m feeling overwhelmed. It’s so important for my mental health.
I’ve been a vegetarian all my life
I also eat very little dairy. My stepfather is an avid gardener and we always ate organic food that he’d grown, so right from an early age I ate well. The current focus on clean eating is nothing new to me. I’ve never found it limiting, but it’s tricky when you eat out and all that’s on the menu is bread. I try to not eat processed food, but I’d never exclude anything from my diet. It’s important to remember that having a pizza now and again isn’t going to kill you.
The best nutrition is a healthy diet that you can stick to
For me, the key is eating lots of dark green vegetables and healthy plant-based proteins and juices, plus I take apple cider vinegar every day. There’s too much pressure today to be your best healthy self all the time – striving for that perfection only causes stress and defeats the object.
I feel the most at peace when i am practising yoga
My mum took me to my first class at 16, and then I did my first course at 20 – an Ananda yoga course in Westbourne Grove. With four kids, it can be difficult to find any time for yourself, but over the past ten years I’ve developed a committed practice, doing it every day and travelling to India at least once a year for a retreat. I go to Ashiyana in the north of Goa – I really like its ethos and the food is amazing.
Connecting with your breath is important
If you aren’t breathing properly, you’re going to affect your stress levels. There’s a lot of misconceptions around breathwork. Slowing down and spending time breathing doesn’t mean you’re doing less or wasting time. The calm breathwork really balances out your work, so you actually achieve more.
It’s essential to surround yourself with positive people
Pick the ones who inspire and excite you, and help you eliminate the negative energy in your life. These ones are the only people who truly matter. Over the years, I’ve learnt that the most important thing is to concentrate on yourself and not worry about what everyone else is thinking or doing.
My bedroom is my ultimate place of zen
I like to go to bed early, so my room is my sanctuary. It has everything I need to help me unwind – a steam, a fire and lots of candles and incense for my meditation. Nowhere in the world gives me more peace than this room.
Frost was born from a need for sportswear that channels spirituality
Everything I found seemed abrasively neon or aggressively branded and not particularly aligned with the practice. So I came up with the idea of doing a line based on the Chakra colours and intentions, using sustainable, non-toxic fabrics. The collection is full of pieces that create great silhouettes and hold you in. My favourite is the mesh jackets with lotuses on the back.
FROST is available to buy from its online store and selected studios across London. For more details, visit frostlondon.com
