Sahiba was born and raised in India. She started working as a dancer and dance teacher in India before moving to New York City to further her dance training and to work as a professional dancer. After a bout with cancer Sahiba moved her focus more towards yoga, and trained in various yoga styles, like Hatha, Ashtanga, Aerial Yoga. Sahiba is currently the owner of Mountain Dale Yoga, a yoga & Bollywood dance studio in the Catskills.
How did you find out that you had breast cancer?
I found a lump in my breast that didn’t seem normal, I kept checking on it from time to time to see if it changed. I finally went to a doctor probably 6 months after I first noticed the lump, and after a bunch of tests I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 29. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to do self examinations of your breasts, make it a part of your monthly routine. Maybe the first of every month check your breasts to make sure everything is fine, and if you do find something abnormal get it checked by a doctor. Don’t be like me and wait.
How was it doing treatment in India? I had gone to get my lump examined while I was visiting my family in India. At the time I was diagnosed an old friend of my mothers was the head of oncology at a really good hospital, so I got some of the best care possible. When you're going through chemotherapy and even radiation having a support system is so important. I'm so grateful I got my treatment in India, so I could have that support system.
Once your treatment ended, how was your relationship with dance?
I had been a professional dancer for a long time when I was diagnosed. When I found out that I was going to need chemo, one of my biggest fears was that I would never be able to go back to dancing at that level again. While I was going through my treatments, I felt the need to move, so I started going for private yoga sessions at an ashram near my parents home. Those classes saved me, and started me on a new path. Once I was done with all my treatments I went back to dance. Thanks to yoga my body was strong enough to dance. I was back on stage only a couple of months after treatment and it was one of my most proud moments. I was satisfied with the knowledge that I could go back to my dance career if that's what I wanted. Knowing that was enough for me, and I finally hung up "my dance shoes" and moved to a new calling, Yoga!
How did you deal with the changes that breast cancer treatment brought to your life?
I did take the diagnosis and treatment in my stride. I don't know if I was pretending to be strong for my family, or if that was real. I hated seeing the way people were looking at me like there was something wrong with me. My body was strong, I was a dancer so why were people looking at me like that. I felt lucky. Lucky that I had caught this thing early and there was light at the end of the tunnel. Cancer made me grow up, it changed my relationship with my body in a positive way. I want to take care of this body, it definitely makes you realise what is important.
