How to Relieve Heartburn With Prenatal Yoga

Along with all the good parts of pregnancy (the glow, the fabulously thick hair, the impending motherhood) come the bad parts, like heartburn. Yoga is not only great, low-impact exercise for expectant moms, it can also relieve and even prevent heartburn.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Chair
• Towel

1. Sit backwards on a chair. Fold a towel, blanket or yoga mat over the back of the chair so you'll be comfortable.
2. Hold on to the back of the chair and lean backwards. Keep your spine and neck aligned in a neutral position (bent neither back nor forward).
3. Curl your chin to your chest and tuck your belly in as much as you can while you continue to hold on the chair. You should feel the stretch in the back of your neck and your upper back.
4. Allow yourself to hang by your arms and stretch your back. Keep your chin curled forward and your belly tucked in toward your spine.
5. Breathe in to a count of four and exhale to a count of six as you continue to hold the pose. Repeat the breathing process three or four times.
6. Pull yourself forward and drape your arms over the back of the chair. Your armpits should be on the top of the chair's back. Drop your chin and allow your head to hang by its own weight.
7. Feel the stretch in your upper back as you repeat the breathing pattern in Step 5. Maintain this yoga pose for as long as you want and it's comfortable. Perform these poses regularly and you will notice your incidence of heartburn decrease or stop.