about
Sumiya is the founder of Love & Lentils and a senior yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, trained to teach specialist breath work practices and advanced hands on adjustments. Following many years practising law in a high-pressure, corporate environment in London and Sydney, Sumiya qualified to teach Ashtanga yoga ten years ago. It is probably no coincidence that she attended her first yoga class on the day she was made a law partner.
Sumiya's teaching style is shaped and inspired by that of her own teacher and friend Nancy Gilgoff, who left her body on 22 March 2024. Following years of practice guided by Nancy, Sumiya was lucky enough to spend precious time with her just before and during her last illness discussing the practice and Nancy's understanding of it. Sumiya cherishes the memory of these conversations and the moments they spent together.
Nancy gave Sumiya permission to teach the practice as it was originally taught to her in the 1970s, by Nancy's own teacher and the founder of the Ashtanga Vinyasa system of yoga, K. Pattabhi Jois. This is a form of the Ashtanga practice that is now rarely seen and which sits at the heart of the energetic matrix of the modern day practice.
For Sumiya, yoga is about coming home to yourself just as you are, allowing the breath to guide you back in.
Through a warm, supportive teaching style, Sumiya encourages everyone to find their own connection with what yoga means for them
