Atrium Health offers free virtual chair yoga for patients, caregivers, survivors

Atrium Health turned chair yoga into a recurring access point, not a one-off perk, with Gentle Yoga for Every Body running on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. The virtual class was free, delivered over Zoom, and backed by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center for people in active treatment, cancer survivors, and those living with chronic disease, with family members and caregivers welcome too.

The format mattered as much as the yoga. A weekly Tuesday slot made the class easier to fold around infusion days, clinic visits, work, and caregiving duties, while the virtual setup removed the usual barriers of driving, parking, and getting from a car into a studio. Once participants registered, Atrium Health sent the Zoom link directly, so the path to class was as simple as opening a device at home, setting up a chair, and logging in.

The schedule was already laid out for April 28, May 5, May 12, May 19, and May 26, all in 2026. That kind of repeatability is exactly what makes the offering stand out for anyone managing pain, limited stamina, or the unpredictable side effects that can come with cancer care and chronic illness. This was not glossy yoga marketed for flexibility or performance. It was a plainspoken invitation to move gently, stay seated when needed, and keep showing up without needing a studio body.

Atrium Health’s broader classes-and-events page said patient and care-partner activities were offered at no cost thanks to donors, grants, partner organizations such as 24 Foundation, and philanthropic funding through the Cancer Patient Support Program. The health system’s supportive oncology department says its goal is to decrease symptoms, improve health, facilitate recovery, and nurture well-being, which explains why the class was framed as part of care rather than a stand-alone fitness add-on.

That approach tracks with the research base behind yoga in oncology. A meta-analysis of yoga in cancer survivors reviewed 29 studies involving 1,828 patients and focused heavily on fatigue, one of the most common treatment-related symptoms. Another review of randomized oncology yoga trials found improvements in overall quality of life, with fatigue the most commonly measured outcome and often improved. A separate systematic review of the YOCAS program said adult cancer survivors continue to want interventions that reduce cancer-related fatigue and help maintain quality of life. Atrium Health’s class fit that model well: low-barrier, home-based, and built for people who need yoga to work in real life, not just in a studio.