Description
Yoga is a practice originating in India which usually consists of physical exercises (stretches or asanas), breathing techniques and meditation or relaxation. It is taught in yoga classes or on a one-to-one basis, can be practised by the individual or is incorporated into stress management programmes.
Yoga is claimed to have a range of physical, psychological and spiritual benefits.
Efficacy
Anxiety and depression
Evidence from four systematic reviews (SRs) suggests that yoga is associated with improvements in psychological well-being among individuals with cancer.
Yoga reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, with benefits observed across different cancer populations and intervention formats. Improvements may be particularly pronounced among patients undergoing active cancer treatment.
Yoga may also enhance emotional and spiritual well-being, although evidence does not support clear benefits for stress or mindfulness.
Fatigue
Evidence from one Cochrane SR is mixed.
During anticancer treatment, yoga has not demonstrated clear or clinically meaningful benefits for fatigue, and the certainty of evidence is low.
After completion of treatment, yoga is likely to reduce fatigue in the short term, although longer-term effects remain uncertain.
Pain
Current evidence from one SR does not indicate a significant effect of yoga, and confidence in the available evidence is limited.
Sleep disturbances
Based on evidence from three SRs, yoga may improve subjective sleep quality and reduce sleep disturbances, although the magnitude of benefit is generally small and the certainty of evidence is low. Benefits are less apparent when yoga is compared with active interventions.
Evidence for objective sleep outcomes is sparse and inconsistent, with only limited indications of improvement in specific sleep parameters.
Safety
Few adverse events are reported in clinical trials and serious adverse effects appear to be rare, based on the limited number of case reports in the literature. Overall injury rates are comparable to other exercise types. Adverse effects are particularly associated with handstands, shoulder stands and headstands and with unsupervised yoga practice. Single case reports of serious adverse events indicate that these are possible, particularly with certain practices applied too aggressively or in people with specific risk factors or pre-existing medical conditions.
Description
Yoga is a mind–body practice rooted in Indian philosophy. It combines physical postures (asanas), controlled breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, and relaxation aimed at improving physical, mental, and emotional health.
It is considered both a physical fitness activity and a therapeutic intervention. Yoga styles vary widely from gentle, restorative approaches (e.g., Hatha, Yin) to vigorous, dynamic forms (e.g., Vinyasa, Ashtanga). In therapeutic contexts, yoga is adapted to individual needs, often focusing on gentle movement, breath awareness, and mindfulness.
Background
The word yoga derives from the Sanskrit root “yuj” which can be translated as to bind or yoke together and refers to the supposed union between mind, body and spirit (Feuerstein 2001). Yoga originated in India as a system of spiritual, moral, and physical practices aimed at self-awareness (Riley 2004).
Early studies examined physiological effects such as heart rate and blood pressure (Wenger 1961), followed by trials on hypertension (Patel 1975a,b) and psychological aspects (Malhotra 1963). In the 1980s–1990s, Dean Ornish’s research highlighted yoga as part of lifestyle interventions for heart disease (Ornish 1983, 1990). Since 2004, clinical trials have explored yoga for various medical conditions (Khalsa 2004; Saper 2004). Yoga’s popularity has continued to rise in the West, with widespread classes offering many variations on the traditional practice.
Alleged indications
Generally yoga is aimed at stress relief; enhanced emotional and mental well-being; improved sleep, balance, and fitness. It is also practiced to manage pain including back pain, neck pain and osteoarthritis and other conditions. (Cramer 2017)
In a cancer-specific context, yoga practices are adapted to support people during and after cancer treatment. The goal is not to treat cancer itself, but to improve quality of life by reducing fatigue, stress, pain, and anxiety, and enhance sleep, mood, and physical functioning.
Application and providers
Yoga can be delivered in group classes, one-on-one sessions, or home-based online sessions. In clinical or supportive care settings, yoga is typically offered as yoga therapy, which involves personalized sequences designed to address specific symptoms or conditions.
A typical session lasts 60–90 minutes with commonly 1–2 sessions per week in clinical programs, though daily short practices of 10–20 minutes are encouraged for ongoing benefit.
Cancer-specific protocols like YOCAS© (Yoga for Cancer Survivors) typically include gentle physical postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation or meditation techniques tailored to individual abilities and medical conditions. (Mustian 2013) These interventions often run for 6–12 weeks, with sessions scheduled weekly or bi-weekly.
Mechanisms of action
The main mechanisms of action have been described as:
- Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to decreased stress and lower heart rate. [
- Combined physical exertion and meditative focus improving mobility, balance, and psychological resilience.
- Facilitating mind–body regulation via stress reduction, enhanced sleep, and better coping strategies—especially in chronic disease and cancer.
Legal issues
Across Europe, training and certification of yoga teachers vary widely by country and no general European licensing or professional standards of yoga instructors exist. Countries differ in recognizing yoga instructors as regulated professionals.(europa.eu) There is no mandatory regulation of yoga teachers in countries including the USA, Australia and Europe. Regulation of yoga teachers is currently voluntary and is provided through a number of organisations including the International Association of Yoga Therapists, the International Yoga Federation and the Yoga Alliance.
This evidence summary is based on systematic reviews (SRs) published between January 2021 and 2026, which were retrieved through systematic literature searches. It assesses whether yoga can improve various cancer-related symptoms:
- Does yoga work for cancer-related anxiety and depression?
- Does yoga work for cancer-related fatigue?
- Does yoga work for cancer-related pain?
- Does work for cancer-related sleep disturbances?
CAM Cancer appraised the quality of the SRs with the AMSTAR2 tool and only included SRs of moderate or high quality, while SRs of low or critically low quality were excluded. The full description of the included studies can be viewed in the evidence tables.
Adverse events
Few adverse effects were reported in the clinical trials but participants do undergo screening prior to participation and, based on the breast cancer trials included in the Cochrane review, the mean age of participants ranged from 44.0 to 62.9 years but in the majority (all except 2 trials), mean age was below 60 years of age (Cramer 2017).
Overall injury rates were comparable to other exercise types according to a systematic review of 301 RCTs of yoga. (Cramer 2015) However, this review did highlight a lack of reporting of adverse effects in a significant number of trials so that adverse events may be underreported and any risks are difficult to assess conclusively.
A cross-sectional survey of over 1,700 healthy (without cancer) yoga practitioners in Germany found that 1 in 5 adult yoga users reported at least one acute adverse effect in their yoga practice, and one in ten reported at least one chronic adverse effect, mainly musculoskeletal effects (Cramer 2019). Adverse effects were particularly associated with handstands, shoulder stands and headstands and with unsupervised yoga practice. Over 75% of the practitioners fully recovered.
Several case reports of adverse psychological effects have been published but these appear to be related specifically to meditation (Kirkwood 2005). Other single case reports indicate that serious adverse effects are possible, particularly with certain practices/asanas applied too aggressively. For example, spontaneous pneumothorax was observed in a patient following practice of Kapalabhati pranayama, a common breathing exercise (Johnson 2004). Certain postures such as headstands and the lotus position have also been associated reports of adverse effects in individuals. For example, sciatic nerve damage in a 67-year-old woman (Dacci 2013), damage to a knee ligament when attempting an advanced stretch (Patel 2008), eye-related problems in individuals with existing risk factors, for example a patient with glaucoma practising headstands (De Barros 2008) and headstands linked to spinal compression in a patient with myelomalacia, a spinal condition (Ferreira 2016). Adverse events do appear to be rare based on the limited number of case reports in the literature but these indicate that certain practices may be not be advisable in individuals with existing risk factors.
Contraindications and warnings
Although not specific to patients with cancer, caution, including avoidance of specific postures such as inverted postures, has been suggested in pregnancy and in individuals with hypertension, although this appears to be based on likely risk (MSKCC 2019). It has also been suggested that breathing exercises particularly if vigorous could potentially exacerbate asthma and other respiratory problems. Again this is based on theoretical risk and occasional case reports such as those above. Other conditions may require caution or the avoidance of specific practices and the advice of the primary healthcare professional and the yoga instructor prior to undertaking yoga.
Interactions
None known.
Systematic reviews of yoga for anxiety and depression
Systematic reviews of yoga for fatigue
Systematic reviews of yoga for pain
Systematic reviews of yoga for sleep disturbances
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Citation
CAM Cancer Collaboration. Yoga [online document], August 31st, 2026.
Document history
Latest update by CAM Cancer Collaboration in August 2026. Revised and updated in November 2021, November 2019, August 2015 by Karen Pilkington.
Summary first published in June 2013, authored by Karen Pilkington.
Next update due: August 2029
Photo: mp65468702 from Mostphotos.com, licence via UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
