<p>Mili Baruah was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. For eight months, she withstood chemotherapy, surgeries and other treatment. But the moment she found out about her diagnosis, Mili realised that she had two choices - first, to cry and worry about pain and death, or to face it, accept it and move on. She chose the second option. “I began practising yoga during my treatment. Once my doctor at declared that I was cancer-free, I continued practising yoga a lot more and finally did a six-month course to get an International Yoga Instructor Certificate from SVYAS,” Mili says. <br /><br />Her agenda has always been to break the taboo that surrounds the term ‘cancer’. Some assume it’s a contagious disease. Others think that the only option is death. But Mili thinks that such myths must be broken, that one can come out stronger than one is.<br /><br />“Cancer strikes everywhere - your mind, body and your family. It hurts everyone around you. So how do you get out of it? By meditating, doing pranayama, practising laughter yoga and performing 'yogasanas' to keep your mind calm, strong and positive. That’s what I teach,” Mili explains. <br /><br />She doesn’t claim that yoga will cure cancer. On the contrary, she feels that yoga runs parallel to conventional allopathic medicine. Conventional treatment, however, is only for the physical body. What she teaches through yoga is to help strengthen the mind and body together.<br /><br />Mili feels that without the support of her husband and her doctors -- Dr Pais and Dr Puvamma, she couldn’t have reached where she is now. “Ever since my doctor offered me a job here, I have been running the mind-body department in the wellness centre at Cytecare Cancer Hospital. I teach cancer patients pain management and help them take care of their mind and body wellbeing,” she concludes.<br /> </p>
<p>Mili Baruah was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. For eight months, she withstood chemotherapy, surgeries and other treatment. But the moment she found out about her diagnosis, Mili realised that she had two choices - first, to cry and worry about pain and death, or to face it, accept it and move on. She chose the second option. “I began practising yoga during my treatment. Once my doctor at declared that I was cancer-free, I continued practising yoga a lot more and finally did a six-month course to get an International Yoga Instructor Certificate from SVYAS,” Mili says. <br /><br />Her agenda has always been to break the taboo that surrounds the term ‘cancer’. Some assume it’s a contagious disease. Others think that the only option is death. But Mili thinks that such myths must be broken, that one can come out stronger than one is.<br /><br />“Cancer strikes everywhere - your mind, body and your family. It hurts everyone around you. So how do you get out of it? By meditating, doing pranayama, practising laughter yoga and performing 'yogasanas' to keep your mind calm, strong and positive. That’s what I teach,” Mili explains. <br /><br />She doesn’t claim that yoga will cure cancer. On the contrary, she feels that yoga runs parallel to conventional allopathic medicine. Conventional treatment, however, is only for the physical body. What she teaches through yoga is to help strengthen the mind and body together.<br /><br />Mili feels that without the support of her husband and her doctors -- Dr Pais and Dr Puvamma, she couldn’t have reached where she is now. “Ever since my doctor offered me a job here, I have been running the mind-body department in the wellness centre at Cytecare Cancer Hospital. I teach cancer patients pain management and help them take care of their mind and body wellbeing,” she concludes.<br /> </p>