Where we come from
Just like you, we have evolved, and continue to.
We wanted a space where people felt welcome, where no one felt judged or excluded - whether for their outfits, who they loved, where they came from, or their financial status. We were hungry for an inclusive space that focused on the practice of yoga, not the commercialization of it. And that thread has run through the Little Yoga Studio since we opened in 2011.
When we first started, we tried everything under the yoga sun and moon. We ran 12 classes a day, and at one point had upwards of 40 teachers. We were trying to learn what folks wanted and needed to support learning the practice of yoga. After the first couple of years, we honed our managerial craft: we chose the best classes, most experienced and talented teachers, and added workshops. Soon after, we launched our first teacher training.
Over the years, we learned what works best: keeping track of our trappings, and making sure that our teachers had the most autonomy so that we could serve our community with the best expressions of yoga that we could find.
Now, after 14 years of holding space in person, we’re pivoting — not away from our purpose, but more deeply into it. As we close the doors to our physical studio, we’re opening new ones through an online space rooted in the same values: inclusivity, integrity, depth of practice, and community care. This next chapter allows us to offer even more freedom and accessibility — to teach and gather without the limitations of walls or schedules, and to meet you wherever you are. The heart of the Little Yoga Studio was never just the building — it was the people, the practice, and the shared breath. That continues, just in a new form. Welcome to our next evolution.
the Little Yoga Studio is an online yoga school offering accurate & affordable yoga classes, workshops, & events for you.
About Kelly Elle Kenworthy, founder, The Little Yoga Studio
Growing up in the Sierra foothills near Sacramento, Kelly Elle Kenworthy began her circuitous journey to yoga as many folks do, when she was met with the perspective that two divergent philosophies of life were asking her to find harmony.
When she moved to Galveston, Texas for college, Kelly experienced a reflection of the world that would inform her dharmic work. It was that long piece of land: 2 miles wide and some 30 miles long that housed old money, college kids, and those who lived in the margins. From that day, the practice of yoga became a companion methodology of how to make sense of disparity and support the closing of inclusivity gaps across disciplines.
In 2005, Kelly moved back to California, and spent much time at the Santa Barbara Yoga Center as she worked in support of matching graduating college students with their first career out of school. She earned her Masters in Counseling in 2009, the same year she completed her teacher training in LA at the Yoga Nook. The two together represent her current work and life: bringing the path of yoga and the psychology for betterment of communities and individuals who would otherwise not have access.
The Little Yoga Studio opened in 2011.
Kelly continues her work guiding clients ranging from their teenage years through older adulthood. For over a decade, she volunteered on community environmental boards, navigating communication between rural communities, fire departments, and their local watersheds. Her counseling expertise spans emotional well-being, embodiment practices, meditation, eastern thought, yoga, and holistic wellness practices.
And yes, she still teaches, leads teacher trainings, and works 1:1 with students at the Little.