Lifting one of his legs steadily, and stretching his arms agilely, Sun Chuyang, from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, went through a stunning yoga performance for the benefit of video cameras.

He convinced the audience by every impeccable movement that he had every right to be a certified yoga coach - except for the fact that he is only seven years old and was diagnosed as lightly autistic in his earlier years.

A year ago, he was accredited as a professional yoga coach following three years of gym training.

However, the legend he is now creating started with a tragic story in which he was diagnosed as lightly autistic.

Working with busy work schedules, Sun's parents seldom had any time to spare for him, until one day Sun's teacher told Ye Wenyun, the mother, that the boy was unusually introverted. "He would rather stay alone than find playmates," the teacher said.

Ye did not take the warning seriously in the beginning. However, several days later, she started to become aware that Sun was indeed introverted, as he seldom talked and would become nervous and uneasy when meeting strangers.

The diagnosis of mild autism delivered by a pediatrician was a heavy blow for Ye, who, as the mother, felt remorseful for her negligence in overseeing the boy's growth. However, faced with the reality, she closed the apparel store she had run for more than 10 years and became a housewife for her son's sake.

To set up a closer relationship with her son, she took him with her to attend yoga classes, which was where Sun demonstrated his astonishing genius. The three-year-old boy remembered all the gestures that the coach had taught in class, some of which had even escaped the mother's memory.

Within two years, the exposure to yoga enabled the boy to escape the autistic label, and become outspoken and lighthearted. What's more, several local gyms started to invite him to teach their own young practitioners.

At the age of six, he became a certified yoga teacher and the profession has brought him both confidence and a fortune.