My Little Zen began during the days of the pandemic, when our co-founder Hayley discovered yoga as a way to navigate isolation and uncertainty. What started as a personal refuge soon became community classes in Dubai, where people gathered to breathe, reset and all Hayley asked was participants donate to support local charities.
A turning point came when Hayley was invited to open a conference to underserved communities with a simple five-minute breathing exercise, supported by co-founder Lewis, whose background in technology ensured everything ran perfectly. The session sparked new connections, including an introduction to the Tanzanian Development Trust, and we realised something powerful: wellbeing and human connection can travel online.
A week later, we delivered our first online yoga class to HOPE for Women and Girls, an FGM safe house in Tanzania, where around 50 girls joined in by gathering around a single phone. From there, My Little Zen grew into a global programme.
Since those first sessions in 2022, Hayley and Lewis have built the programme’s infrastructure in person, travelling regularly to Kenya and Tanzania to set up connected spaces, strengthen partnerships, train local teams, and ensure the work is shaped with communities. Together, they have completed more than 20 in-country visits to support delivery on the ground.
Today, My Little Zen supports over 8,000 children and connects underserved young people in Kenya and Tanzania with students around the world. What began as online yoga has grown into a wider programme that includes wellbeing, digital literacy, environmental sustainability, and cross-border skill swaps that help young people learn with and from one another. The organisation is registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) in the UK, meaning it operates for community benefit, not private profit, and is legally committed to the public good. The programme is made possible through donated devices, training, and volunteer time. Schools that partner with My Little Zen in the developed world do so knowing they are contributing to a greater cause, helping expand opportunity, connection, and youth agency across communities.
Connection is not a luxury. It is a human necessity.
We believe that connection heals, transforms, and opens doors – especially for young people who have lived through trauma, isolation, or limited opportunities.
We also believe that connection flows both ways. As the Fifth Industrial Revolution accelerates and technology shapes daily life, the skills that make us human – empathy, compassion, presence are more essential than ever.
The communities we partner with remind the world of these very qualities. This is a mutual exchange: everyone gives, everyone receives, everyone grows.
And we believe in contributing to a more connected, sustainable world by aligning our work with the spirit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – especially those focused on quality education, health and wellbeing, reduced inequalities, climate action, and global partnership.
After we provide the internet to underserved communities through local partners and Starlink, we then begin with online yoga classes run by a team of online volunteers.
Our work is guided by two powerful yogic traditions:
The path of compassion and selfless action. It teaches us that every small act can create meaningful change.
The practice of grounding, balancing, and strengthening the mind and body. It helps young people rebuild confidence, emotional stability, and self-belief.
Together, these philosophies shape My Little Zen’s spirit — yoga not just as movement, but as a way of but as a practice that develops fundamental human skills.