Ms. Doi Thi Thanh Huyen (born in 1992, from Ninh Binh) currently lives and works in Hanoi. Her main job is managing orders for a representative office in Hanoi. After work, she spends free time maintaining free online yoga classes for cancer patients.
She recounted that her fate with this special class began in 2023. At that time, she was studying to get a yoga instructor certificate when she suddenly discovered she had thyroid cancer.
During the treatment process, she still maintained regular yoga practice and felt that her physical and mental health recovered well. Not only practicing on her own, Ms. Huyen also guided patients in the same room with simple movements to exercise and relax.
Seeing everyone gradually become happier and more open after each practice session, Ms. Huyen came up with the idea of opening a free online yoga class for cancer patients. She hopes that "K warriors" who are far away and not convenient to go to the center can still practice. Thinking is doing, after being discharged from the hospital, she started opening a 0-dong yoga class for cancer patients.
Ms. Huyen shared: "Opening yoga classes is not only for everyone to practice and improve physical health, but also helps people have a space to share, encourage and accompany each other in the treatment process, helping to reduce anxiety and feelings of loneliness.
Accompanying her now are many yoga instructors who know about the class through social networks or have studied with her at training centers. All have a common desire to support patients to improve their health and spread a positive lifestyle.
According to Ms. Huyen, the biggest difficulty when opening zero-dollar yoga classes does not lie in the time or exercises, but in helping patients have the belief to start practicing, so that they believe that yoga is suitable for everyone, including cancer patients. "Many people still think yoga is about being flexible, not suitable for a weak body, so changing that mindset is not easy," she said.
Ms. Huyen said that before each class, the coaches exchange with the students to understand their health status and the difficulties they are facing. From there, the exercise is built in a gentle, slow direction, suitable for each physical condition. At the same time, during the training process, the coach will continuously observe and adjust for the students.
After a period of maintaining the class, what moved Ms. Huyen the most was the perseverance of the students.
Each student leaves me with very special emotions, but there is one uncle that I will always remember. He both treated thyroid cancer and lung cancer, many times he still wore patient clothes and practiced right on the hospital bed. That image gave me a lot of motivation to continue maintaining the class," she confided.
In the coming time, Ms. Huyen hopes that more patients will know about the class to participate in practice together. She also hopes that patients' relatives can accompany them to support their spirits better.
Always maintain your spirit, live optimistically and strongly. On the journey of fighting illness, you are not alone. Always believe that good things are still waiting ahead," Ms. Huyen sent a message to cancer patients who are losing faith in life.
