By Sean Murphy
DOMESTIC violence campaigners have revealed the bighearted support of a yoga expert is helping abuse victims to heal.
Melissa Devenney of the the Hot Fox Studio in Letterkenny revealed how the healing of an adult abuse victim’s child manifested when she said yoga was the “first time she’d felt really safe in a long time”.
One year ago, the HSE, gardai, and women’s support groups coordinated for a safety project that trained salon professionals to identify abuse and addiction sufferers.
Within weeks of the Donegal News highlighting talks that the HSE could refresh the initiative to identify victims, businesses in areas like Letterkenny have emerged as frontrunners in the effort.
Tattooists Genevieve Healy and Brittany Lynch of Kelpie Tattoo Collective spoke in the Donegal News recently about their roles and now yoga expert Melissa has also joined the campaign.
Scott and Melissa Devenney of the the Hot Fox Studio in Letterkenny.
Melissa, who has been working with women’s support group The Uplift Project, told the Donegal News: “I have been working with the Uplift Project for well over a year now.
“Its clinical director Jessica Gallagher has a vision for community, empowerment and ongoing support for domestic violence survivors.
“We now offer closed domestic violence yoga classes at the Hot Fox Studio.
“Our priority with the classes is to create a safe and comfortable space for the participants to reconnect with their body, regulate their nervous system to better manage stress, and build community with each other.
“I have seen participants absolutely blossom in this program, coming in to their first class so quiet and uncertain and before long, laughing, joking and sharing stories with new friends.
“The word yoga itself means union, and the practice is rooted in connection, much like the basis for the Uplift Project.
“I am so honoured and proud to a small part of the work being done by the Uplift Project, and I personally find working with the participants deeply rewarding and motivating.
“I will never forget one of the mums’ and kids’ classes, where one participant’s daughter said on the way out that it was the first time she’d felt really safe in a long time.
“We are so lucky to have a program like the Uplift Project here in Donegal, because domestic violence support isn’t just crisis management, it’s the continued development of community, shared experience groups and powerful stress management and empowerment tools, like yoga.”
Anti-domestic violence campaigners like Melissa Devenney of the the Hot Fox Studio in Letterkenny.
Women’s Aid this week revealed that it has had a 33 per cent increase in domestic abuse disclosures in the past year.
The organisation revealed that it was contacted 37,790 times, an increase of 11.5 per cent on 2024.
These disclosures include 1,522 disclosures of abuse during pregnancy or post-partum, 1,321 threats by abusers to kill women, children, family members or to self-harm, 670 disclosures of abusers threatening to have children taken from mothers and 381 disclosures of rape.
Uplift’s clinical director Gallagher said: “Yoga is about so much more than physical exercise and it aligns perfectly with our ethos and mission.
“For many survivors of domestic abuse, trauma can leave lasting impacts on both the mind and body.
“Living in a constant state of stress, fear, or hypervigilance can make it difficult to feel safe, connected, and present.”
“Even after the abuse has ended, the body often continues to carry the effects of what has been experienced.
“Yoga aligns closely with The Uplift Project’s mission because it creates opportunities for women to reconnect with themselves in a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental environment.
“It encourages participants to slow down, listen to their bodies, develop self-awareness, and experience moments of calm and control.
“At its heart, The Uplift Project is about helping women move beyond survival and towards recovery, empowerment, and wellbeing.
“Yoga supports that journey by creating space for healing, connection, and growth—one breath, one movement, and one step at a time.”
Donegal Uplift Project can be contacted via its theupliftproject.ie website and DDVS can be reached through its donegaldomesticviolenceservices.ie site.