Hersha Harilela Chellaram (she/her) is an award-winning Yoga therapist, teacher trainer, and nonprofit leader, pioneering inclusivity and well-being in Hong Kong. She has over 20 years of experience teaching Yoga to a wide range of ages and abilities in both studio and community settings.

She is the founder and executive director of YAMA Foundation, a charity that makes Yoga, art, and meditation accessible to Hong Kong’s most vulnerable communities. Under Hersha’s leadership, YAMA was awarded Accessible Yoga Organization of the Year 2020. She also runs Hersha Yoga School of Teacher Training, offering classes, professional development, and teacher trainings in Asia, Europe, and the US at education and healthcare settings as well as studios, centers, and global conferences. She served as chair of the Integral Yoga Global Network (IYGN) from 2011-2016 and serves the Integral Yoga Hong Kong sangha.

Her expertise is simple: making Yoga accessible and inclusive to people with limited mobility, disability, special needs, and chronic illness. Her approach is trauma-informed and culturally sensitive to be inclusive of people of diverse backgrounds and needs. Hersha advocates for disability rights, equality and equity in well-being spaces, and recently starred in three-time Emmy-nominated show Oddbods in their Busy Bodies children’s wellbeing series.

Honors and awards include: Liv Magazine’s 100 Women of Wellness: Change Maker 2021, 20 Yoga Teachers of Color to Watch in 2020, and the 2014 Women of Hope Award: Children’s Advocate. (hershayoga.com / yamahk.org)

media: https://hershayoga.com/media-coverage
fb: facebook.com/hershayoga | facebook.com/yamafoundation
ig: @hershayoga | @yamafoundation