Sam Hart is the Director at Brighton Natural Health Foundation (BNHF), a charity on a mission to make mindful movement accessible to everyone.
Sam has worked in social justice for over 20 years which is where she noticed the positive impact that a regular yoga practice had on her mental health, and the gap that exists between marginalised communities suffering poor mental health and their lack of access to these benefits. The work she does now is about closing that gap as much as possible.
BNHF provides affordable mindful-movement classes to communities across Brighton, and has recently started to host events like Yoga Supper Club which you can experience through Yuup.
All the proceeds from this support the BNHF’s work to bring mindful movement to people facing the greatest health inequalities. We spoke to Sam to find out more.
Tell us a bit about your story and what led you to where you are now.
I've always worked in social justice in one way or another, most recently in the criminal justice system, and I've always done yoga. I found yoga to be really useful for soothing the nervous system, particularly when you’re doing difficult work, but it can be expensive. That means it’s not always accessible for the people who could probably use it most.
In Brighton, I saw a lot of people having a difficult time without access to mindful movement practices. I wanted to combine the two and help more people to access this.
I’ve been working with BNHF for about a year now. Most of what we do focuses on providing free and low-cost mindful-movement classes to communities who really need it. We work alongside people who have experienced trauma or domestic violence, people facing poverty and exclusion, carers and other local charities and organisations.
We also raise money from events each year, like Yoga on the Beach and The Brighton Yoga Festival, and we’re looking to do more in 2025. The money we raise from these will help fund more of our community work. Ultimately, we want to reach new audiences and raise greater awareness of what we do, whilst giving something back.
What is the inspiration behind the business?
Really it’s about trying to connect people to the benefits of mindful movement. We work with wonderful teachers who approach teaching in a kind, inclusive and trauma-sensitive way. Once you discover that mind-body connection, it can change lives. We’ve seen this too.
One of our students came to us when he was experiencing homelessness and recovering from an alcohol addiction. He attended one of our free classes and got so much out of it that he started volunteering for us, then retrained as a yoga teacher. He’s just qualified and now leads his own classes. Others have told us that the classes are literally ‘life-saving’.
What can people expect from your Yoga supper club experience?
Expect up to 20 people and a really cosy, restorative Sunday evening yoga session. We’ve partnered with a great organisation called Sussex Surplus who go around the farms in Sussex gathering surplus food supplies - healthy, delicious vegetables and produce that might otherwise go to waste. These form the basis for our supper club meals. You don’t know what you’re getting which is quite exciting. Everything is made fresh, it’s sustainable and seasonal.
You’ll spend about one and a half hours doing yoga for strength and rest with Khadine. Her teaching style is very calming and supportive, with a strong emphasis on the breath. Then afterwards we’ll sit down to eat together. It’s an evening that centres on connection through food and shared values.
Who would you recommend this experience to?
Anybody can come. All our teachers are really inclusive and friendly, and we make the classes approachable so total beginners are very welcome too!
I’d say this is great for anyone with an interest in sustainability, who is curious about life and looking for different ways to connect.
What do you think is the most unique part about what you offer?
It’s that combination of supporting communities, supporting the planet, then coming together to support and connect with likeminded people. We want to retain that community feel in everything we offer - it’s such an inherent part of our values.
What do you love most about Brighton and its community? And what do you hope your experiences can offer these communities?
The Brighton voluntary sector is very inclusive and there’s a real feeling of working together to bring creative solutions to difficulties. I hope we can raise awareness about what we do and grow our community.
We’re always open to new partnerships and people who want to get involved and bring us new ideas. All our classes have come about because people have said ‘look, we really need this in our area’ so it helps spread the word about what you’re doing to new people and hopefully opens the doors to new opportunities.
Finally - what made you choose Yuup to partner with?
It’s friendly, community-focused and relatable. Its ethos aligns with ours and the local element is really great too.
