Yoga for acidity and acid reflux: calm poses that keep you upright

Your acidity and acid reflux yoga plan

Thunderbolt PoseVajrasana BeginnerSeated Easy PoseSukhasana BeginnerSeated Cat PoseMarjaryasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Bridge PoseSetu Bandhasana BeginnerSupine Reclining Bound Angle PoseSupta Baddha Konasana BeginnerSupine

More poses that help with acidity and acid reflux

Add these once the session above feels easy, or swap one in when a pose does not suit you.

Child’s PoseBalasana BeginnerSeated Cow PoseBitilasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Mountain PoseTadasana BeginnerStanding Crocodile PoseMakarasana BeginnerProne and kneeling Corpse PoseSavasana BeginnerSupine

Mudras for acidity and acid reflux

Hold a mudra while you sit for the breathing practice or a few minutes of quiet. Mudras are a traditional practice; research on them is limited.

Traditional practice: Used in classical yoga therapy; few clinical trials so far.

Yoga for acidity is about two simple things: keeping your chest above your stomach, and calming a stressed body that tends to eat fast and sleep badly. The acid reflux yoga plan on this page uses upright sitting, gentle spine movement, a supported reclined pose and cooling breaths. It is a traditional practice, not a treatment for GERD, so keep taking any medicine your doctor has prescribed.

Acidity, acid reflux and GERD in plain words

"Acidity", as people say in India, usually means heartburn: a burning feeling in the chest or upper stomach, sour burps, or a sour taste after meals. It happens when stomach contents flow back up into the food pipe (oesophagus). When acid reflux happens often, doctors call it gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, or GERD (GORD in the UK); yoga can support its treatment but not replace it. The yoga advice on this page is the same for simple heartburn, acid reflux and GERD. Silent reflux affects the throat more than the chest, with hoarseness or a cough.

A common question is how to reduce acidity in the body or lower acidity in the body with yoga or diet. Your body keeps its blood pH tightly controlled on its own; yoga does not change it. What yoga may help with is the heartburn itself, through posture, meal timing and stress. Some people call frequent heartburn "hyper acidity"; yoga does not lower the stomach's acid production.

Is yoga good for acid reflux? What the research says

The evidence level here is traditional practice. We know of no good clinical trials showing that yoga can reduce acid reflux or treat GERD, and a single case report is not enough to recommend it as treatment. So think of acid reflux alternative treatment yoga as a support, not a replacement for medical care.

What is well supported is the lifestyle advice that yoga fits around. The US National Institutes of Health (NIDDK) suggest eating meals at least 3 hours before you lie down, raising your head and upper back 6–8 inches in bed, losing weight if you are overweight and stopping smoking. The NHS adds smaller, more frequent meals, no tight clothing around the waist, and finding ways to relax, because stress can make heartburn worse. Yoga covers that last point well. The main yoga benefits for acidity are therefore indirect: better posture after meals, calmer eating and less stress.

Yoga poses for acid reflux and GERD, one by one

What are good yoga poses for acid reflux, and which yoga is best for acidity? Upright, gentle and relaxing ones. These are the yoga asanas for acidity in your plan above, with the changes that make them reflux-friendly.

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt pose) — after meals

Vajrasana is the only pose to do right after eating. Sit on your heels with a long spine for 5–10 minutes. Staying upright lets gravity keep food down. Modification: a cushion between the heels, or sit tall on a chair if kneeling hurts.

Sukhasana (Easy pose) — for breathing

Sit cross-legged on a folded blanket in Sukhasana so your hips are higher than your knees. This is the seat for the cooling breaths below. Loosen your belt and let your belly soften.

Cat pose (Marjaryasana) — gentle spine movement

On hands and knees, round the back as you breathe out in Cat pose, then lift the chest as you breathe in. Keep it slow and small. Do it on a fairly empty stomach, as being on all fours presses lightly on the belly.

Bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana) — low and short

Lie on your back with knees bent and lift your hips a little in Setu Bandhasana. It opens the chest, but it is a mild head-below-hips shape, so do it only 2–3 hours after eating, keep the lift low, and skip it if it brings on burning.

Reclining bound angle pose, on a slope

Rest in Supta Baddha Konasana with a bolster or firm pillows under your back and head, so your chest is clearly higher than your belly. This inclined version is the best way to lie down and relax when you have reflux. Never do it flat on the floor soon after a meal.

Breathing exercises for GERD and acidity

Sheetali (cooling breath) — breathe in through a rolled tongue, out through the nose — and Sheetkari (hissing breath) — in through closed teeth — are traditionally used to "cool" acidity. Skip Sheetali in cold weather, with asthma or a sore throat, and Sheetkari with sensitive teeth or low blood pressure.

Anulom Vilom is a calm, slow alternate-nostril breath. Slow breathing with a longer out-breath is one of the simplest breathing exercises for GERD-related stress.

Avoid Kapalbhati and Bhastrika during reflux. Their forceful belly pumping raises pressure in the abdomen and may push acid up.

Yoga for acidity after meals: timing

For any acidity problem, yoga timing matters more than the choice of pose:

Sample weekly routine for acidity relief

This is simple yoga for acidity at home: about 15 minutes a day, no equipment beyond a pillow. Acidity control with yoga comes from doing this every day, not from one long session.

How to relieve GERD symptoms and acidity at home

Yoga works best as part of a few everyday habits. Here is how to relieve GERD symptoms and ordinary acidity at home, step by step:

• How to calm down GERD in the moment: sit or stand up straight, loosen your waistband, sip water and breathe slowly with long out-breaths. Vajrasana is a good place to do this.
• How to soothe GERD at night: finish eating at least 3 hours before bed and raise your head and upper back with a foam wedge, or lift the head end of your bed on blocks.
• How to ease GERD over weeks: eat smaller meals, notice your trigger foods and drinks, lose extra weight, stop smoking, and practise the plan above most days.
• How to get relief from acidity after a heavy meal: Vajrasana for 5–10 minutes, then a slow walk. Do not lie down or fold forward.

To treat acidity at home safely, combine these habits with pharmacy medicines if needed, and see a doctor if you need them often. Yoga for acidity relief is a helper, not a cure.

Poses and habits to avoid with acid reflux

• Deep forward folds (standing and seated), which squeeze the stomach, soon after eating.
• Inversions — headstand, shoulder stand, plough and downward-facing dog — which put the stomach above the food pipe.
• Lying flat within 3 hours of a meal.
• Strong core work and tight waistbands, which raise pressure on the stomach.
• Hot yoga and very vigorous classes on a full stomach.

Good yoga exercises for GERD sufferers are gentle and upright: walking, standing poses with a tall spine, and seated breathing. The same rule applies to any exercise for an acidity problem, such as running or lifting weights: wait 2–3 hours after food.

Yoga for acidity in different situations

Yoga for acidity and gas problem, or GERD and bloating

If gas comes with heartburn, the most useful yoga asana for a gas problem is knee-to-chest hugs on an empty stomach; also and see our yoga for digestion and gas plan. Some people also sit in Vajrasana with Vayu mudra, a hand gesture traditionally used for gas; there is no research on this yoga mudra for acidity and gas. If indigestion (a full, uncomfortable stomach) comes with acidity, yoga that keeps you upright plus smaller meals helps most.

Yoga for acidity and gas in pregnancy

Heartburn is common in pregnancy. Upright sitting, Vajrasana with a cushion, cat pose and propped reclining rest are usually fine; avoid lying flat, deep twists and inversions. Check with your midwife or doctor before starting.

Yoga for acidity and ulcer, or GERD and gastritis

Stomach ulcers and gastritis need a doctor. Upper stomach pain that wakes you at night, or black stools, should be checked; yoga for acidity and stomach pain is only for mild, known symptoms. Gentle breathing and upright poses are fine alongside treatment.

Yoga for acidity and headache or constipation

Slow breathing can help if stress triggers both, but a headache with acidity is not something yoga treats directly. For hard stools too, see yoga for constipation, doing its twists on an empty stomach.

When acidity needs a doctor

Yoga for severe acidity is not enough on its own. See a doctor if you have trouble or pain when swallowing, food sticking in your throat, weight loss without trying, repeated vomiting or vomiting blood, black or bloody stools, heartburn on most days, or symptoms that do not improve with self-care and pharmacy medicines. Chest pain that spreads to the arm, jaw or back, or comes with breathlessness or sweating, can be a heart attack: call emergency services.

Start the guided session

When your last meal was 2–3 hours ago, press play on the guided 3D session on this page. The figure shows each pose, the voice guides you in 28 languages, and the saffron ring paces your breathing. More routines are on the guided sessions page.

Research behind this plan

1. NIDDK (US National Institutes of Health) — Eating, diet and nutrition for GER and GERD: eat at least 3 hours before lying down
2. NIDDK — Treatment for GER and GERD: raise the head 6–8 inches in bed, lose excess weight, stop smoking
3. NHS — Heartburn and acid reflux: smaller meals, relaxation, when to see a GP (difficulty swallowing, weight loss)

Medical note: yoga supports treatment; it does not replace it. Keep taking prescribed medicine and talk to your doctor before you start, especially with heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, recent surgery, pregnancy, epilepsy or severe pain. Read our medical disclaimer.