From Fear to Freedom: How Mindfulness and Yoga Transformed My Battle with Cancer (An Interview with Oratai Chafu)

Author/Bio By Kessuda Boonngamanong

At Kessuda Holistic Healing, we often speak about the profound connection between the mind, body, and overall well-being. Today, we have the immense privilege of sharing a profoundly moving and insightful conversation with Oratai Chafu, the storyteller behind the book, Today is the Gift of Life: experiences with cancer and care of the dying, and her other published work, Love is all around us.

Diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 32, Oratai initially navigated her illness with fear, relying on every treatment and remedy she could find. Her journey eventually led her away from frantic searching and toward a profound inner change, guided by mindfulness yoga and the Enneagram system of self-awareness.

In this inspiring interview, Oratai shares her raw experience, the slow but powerful lessons she learned from her teacher, Kruu Kess (Kessuda Boonngamanong), and how she ultimately discovered that the key to healing wasn't just external medicine—it was internal understanding and acceptance.

The Scared and Powerless Years: My Search for an External Cure

When I was first diagnosed with lung cancer, I was only 32 years old, and I was terrified. For three years, I tried everything imaginable. I went through all kinds of treatment, including chemotherapy. Whenever someone suggested a new possibility, I would try it out—expensive medicine, healing stones, consulting monks and healers, and various sacred therapies.

My fear and depression were so intense that I had to see a psychiatrist. I felt utterly helpless and powerless; I even contemplated suicide. The prescribed medication helped me sleep, but it made me feel drunk and forgetful when I woke up. When the medication stopped working, I was given more, and I slept even more. The people close to me eventually told me I had to quit. I was desperately searching for a cure outside of myself.

Slowing Down to Heal: Discovering the True Core of Mindfulness Yoga

Many people encouraged me to try yoga, and, seeing it as a challenge, I decided to give it a try. At first, I was forcing myself. I eventually connected with my teacher, Kruu Kess, and enlisted in her course at the hospital. Honestly? I didn't like it. It was too slow, and it seemed dull. There was even a corpse posture (Savasana)!

Kruu Kess suggested private sessions. After practicing regularly for two to three years and working on my inner growth, I clearly noticed a fundamental change.

As to my body, I learned I had to go slower. I always did things too much and too fast; it was my habit. Kruu Kess had to slow me down continuously. She taught me to listen to my body, guiding me to observe which parts hurt or felt tense, and then to move my attention to my breath and the comfortable areas. The key was balance: "don't do too much, don't do too little."

A lot of people think yoga means performing all postures perfectly, becoming "flexible like a cat." This is not true. My body was not ready for extreme movements. She taught me in a way suitable for my body and stressed that a perfect pose is not the true core of the practice.

The Insight: Yoga is about learning to be happy, to accept reality, and to work with it in a relaxed way. By teaching me to be mindful of my body movements and breathing, my sleeping problems improved quite quickly. My body relaxed, and I gained control over my anger. By observing and noticing, we cultivate acceptance.

Facing the Inner Enemy: How the Enneagram Unlocked Self-Understanding

After practicing yoga for a while, I started learning about myself through the Enneagram self-awareness system. This might seem ordinary, but I realized I was only fooling myself. I only knew the surface; I didn't truly understand myself.

My strong emotions, rigid thoughts, and my own version of reality had blinded me. I always went my own way, I wasn’t afraid of anyone, needing to be strong, but in the end, I just became harsh and rigid. I didn't know how to be gentle and calm in life, and this caused the disease. I never used the words ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m sorry,’ and when I got angry, people stayed out of my way.

Kruu Kess helped me understand and become aware of my personality as an Enneagram Type Eight dominant. I learned a powerful truth: "Nobody can harm us if we don’t harm ourselves. We are our worst enemy." As I began to understand myself, I came to understand and accept others as well, realizing that we are all different. This profound shift in self-awareness became the foundation of my healing.

The Synergistic Path: Combining Yoga and Enneagram for Lasting Change

The genius of my practice was how Kruu Kess combined these two tools.

• The Enneagram helps us become aware of our habits, worldview, emotional issues, and actions.

• Yoga helps us slow down, focus on our feelings and sensations, and observe them without immediately responding.

I could more easily identify my feelings and actions. She encouraged me to keep a daily journal to write down everything I observed about myself—my feelings, thoughts, and actions, especially anything that made me angry or upset. I had to learn to do everything much more slowly: just observe without acting or judging.

My body was always the first to tell me when I got angry by showing symptoms. Before I started this practice, I had nightmares about bad childhood memories, but these conflicts disappeared after I began learning Yoga and the Enneagram. I had to practice mindfulness every single moment.

These practices helped me develop my potential and abilities, setting me free from my own limitations. My life became much more pleasant and calm. Even my doctor told me my lung had gotten much better, and the tumor did not spread anymore because my mind had gotten so much better.

A New Beginning: Sickness as a Gift and a Call to Change

The people around me often say I’m not like a sick person; I’m always smiling. It took time, but I accept my sickness, myself, and others a lot more than before. I can look after my mind and emotions better and let go of hopelessness.

For me, cancer does not have to be the end of my life. It’s the start of a new life. This illness was a signal, a sound I had to listen to, that told me I had to change.

I am very grateful for this gift that came at a time when I was so sick. I am especially thankful to Kruu Kess, who opened the door to my inner self and taught me how to live happily and lead a worthy life.

The Core Idea: We ourselves are the best doctors. If our mind is good and pure, we can heal our own diseases. Before we can become good doctors, we need to understand ourselves, have faith, and be able to let go and give our lives meaning.

Because of all these changes, every new day is a wonderful present to me. I can now help others who have cancer or other severe illnesses and teach them not to suffer but to find bliss again.

Whether or not we are happy depends on our own perception. Sickness and death are not our enemies. Illness can be a gift that tells us to evaluate and change our lives. We don't have to fear them. All of this simply makes us wonder how to live our lives so that our last days will be beautiful.

🎁 Ready to Begin Your Journey of Self-Awareness and Healing?

Oratai's journey demonstrates the incredible power of the mind-body connection and the healing potential found in developing a consistent practice.

Explore Your Options:

• Group Courses: If you are interested in starting your journey with these powerful tools in a supportive environment, explore our structured [Link to COURSES page] on Mindfulness, Yoga, and the Enneagram.

• Personalized Guidance: For a path explicitly tailored to your unique body, mindset, or personal challenges (similar to Oratai's private sessions with Kruu Kess), consider a one-on-one session with our expert instructors. Learn more and book your private consultation here: [Link to One-on-One/Coaching Page].

Discover the inner resources you already possess and start leading a more intentional, peaceful life today.