How to Squat on a Western Toilet

Until the 19th century, people used the squatting position for defecation. The chair-like toilet or commodes used today were previously only used by people from the royal families or the disabled. As the world became modernised, people adopted ways that were meant to be more ‘civilised’ according to them. This trend was first acquired by Great Britain, which was then copied by North America and Australia. Even then, the squatting method was considered the best posture to defecate.

Basic Steps to squat on a Toilet:

It is not difficult to acquire a squatting posture on a western toilet. There are many squatting devices on the market that help you adopt a good defecation posture. This squatting posture helps in an easy and smooth removal of waste material from the body.

• Angle your feet outwards. Your feet must be more expanded than your shoulders.
• Next, you need to sit as if on a chair, except this time there will not be an actual chair. You just need to pretend. Make sure your heels are set on the ground in such a way that you feel relaxed.
• You can now allow your hips to get a little support on the back of the toilet seat.

During the process of defecation, your rectum needs to relax. However, during the sitting position, your body makes a 90-degree angle which forms a kink in the rectum. This kink causes difficulty in passing the stool, which makes the process very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, when you squat over a toilet seat, the passage is open, and you defecate easily. It is due to the relaxation of a rectal muscle called puborectalis. On the contrary, this muscle contracts during sitting position, and partially blocks the opening of the rectum.

Modern Scientific Research Supports Squatting:

A study was conducted in Israel, for which twenty-eight healthy individuals were selected. These people had no bowel discomfort of any sort. They were allowed to defecate on the toilet from different heights. A plastic container was also used for the same purpose. The results indicated that the defecation process was quicker i.e. 51 seconds while squatting. Those on the toilet seats took 115-130 seconds in total. Furthermore, radiological tests also claim that squatting is better than sitting on the toilet seat.

There is no doubt that squatting is the best posture to defecate, however, in some cases, it has shown a slight increase of blood pressure for some patients. Therefore, it is recommended to adopt a way that works for you and that makes you feel comfortable.