A nationwide study1Choi Y, Lin P et al. YOCAS yoga, mood disturbance, and insomnia: A URCC NCORP RB nationwide, phase III, randomized, controlled trial with cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 44, 12004(2026). assessed the impacts regular yoga had on fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia among cancer survivors, and the results were encouraging.
Yoga can include breathwork, physical postures, and meditation. The physical postures can range from gentle stretching to more active balancing and flexibility exercises, which means the practice can often be adapted for different fitness levels and needs. Yoga is particularly interesting for integrative medicine because it is non-pharmaceutical and can often be used alongside other treatments and medications.
Who was in the study?
Four hundred non-metastatic cancer survivors across the United States who had completed their cancer treatments. The majority of the participants were women, over the age of 50, who had been treated for breast cancer.
How much yoga did they do?
Participants practiced yoga for 45 minutes twice a week for four weeks. Each practice included breathing exercises, 18 gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga postures, and meditation.
What impacts did yoga have on mood?
After participating in four weeks of regular yoga practices, people reported less anxiety and fatigue compared to a group of cancer survivors who did not practice yoga. The study also found that improvements in mood from yoga practice also aided with insomnia.
Where can I practice yoga?
Yoga can be practiced in many settings, including in-person classes or virtual videos. The practice used in this study was gentle yoga, which may be listed as “Hatha” or “Restorative” yoga.
You can look for classes in your area at a local gym or yoga studio, or ask the cancer center where you received treatment whether they offer low-cost or free yoga classes for people with cancer or in survivorship.
There are also many yoga videos available online. Searching for “yoga for cancer” may help you find videos tailored for people with cancer or cancer survivors.
- Video: Yoga for Cancer Patients – Taught by a Nurse Practitioner at Mass General Hospital.
- Angela Madonia – Free virtual class once a week. She leads yoga at the Commonweal Cancer Help Program retreats.
Join our upcoming free webinar on yoga in oncology with Smitha Mallaia on September 16th, 2026 at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST.
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References
Christine has a dynamic background in the life sciences, public health, and program operations. Her career began at the lab bench with a Gates Foundation-funded HIV Vaccine research group, which led her to graduate studies in public health epidemiology at UC Berkeley. Her research experience spans clinical epidemiology research to evaluating the impacts of community nutrition programs in Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and Oakland. Most recently she has worked in executive operations for a seed-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. Personally, Christine is passionate about holistic health and wellness. She is a clinical herbalist and Reiki master, and she has been practicing yoga for 15+ years. She brings a breadth of experiences to her work leading the CancerChoices program.