Hong Kong charity YAMA Foundation offers free yoga therapy to people with disabilities from underprivileged backgrounds
- Yoga therapy has helped Elia, 11, who suffers from rare disease, improve coordination skills, her mother says
- The charity is among beneficiaries of Operation Santa Claus fundraising drive organised by South China Morning Post and RTHK
In a studio in Hong Kong, 11-year-old Elia, who suffers from a rare disease, settled into a cross-legged position, preparing to take part in a unique yoga session.
Following her instructor’s guidance, Elia raised her arms, one by one, reaching as high as she could, and then pulled her feet close to her ears.
Such yoga poses can be especially challenging for individuals like Elia, who has hemorrhagic telangiectasia, a disease in which blood vessels do not develop properly.
The condition made a blood vessel in her brain bleed when she was just a month old, causing delays in both her mental and physical development. Elia cannot speak or walk without assistance.
Elia’s mother Marie-Claire, who asked they be identified only by their first names, said she had observed a significant improvement in her daughter’s coordination skills since she began yoga therapy a year ago.
“For special needs people, controlling your body is a challenge,” Marie-Claire said. “Through yoga, she has better coordination and understanding of her body.”
The yoga therapy is offered by the YAMA Foundation free of charge to people with disabilities from underprivileged backgrounds, and also to those with severe disabilities who find it challenging to locate sessions for their specific needs.
