Squatting is the best position for pooping. It straightens the path between your colon and rectum, letting stool pass with less effort. You don’t need to hover over a hole in the ground to get this benefit. Simply elevating your feet while sitting on a standard toilet mimics a squat and delivers most of the same advantages.
Why Sitting Upright Makes Pooping Harder
When you sit on a toilet at the standard height with your feet flat on the floor, your body is at roughly a 90-degree angle. In this position, a sling-like muscle called the puborectalis wraps around your lower bowel and keeps it kinked, almost like a bent garden hose. That kink exists for a good reason: it’s what keeps you continent when you’re standing or sitting during the rest of your day. But when it’s time to go, the kink works against you. It forces you to push harder to move stool through a path that isn’t fully open.
That extra effort is what doctors call straining, and it’s the root cause of several common bathroom problems. Chronic straining increases pressure on the veins around your anus, which over time can lead to hemorrhoids. It also means you’re less likely to fully empty your bowels, leaving you feeling like you still need to go even after you’ve finished.
How Squatting Changes Your Anatomy
When your knees come up closer to your chest, as they do in a squat, the puborectalis muscle relaxes. This straightens the angle of the colon and gives stool a more direct route out. Abdominal pressure also drops in this position, which is a measurable sign that you’re not working as hard to evacuate. People who use squatting postures go more quickly, strain less, and empty their bowels more completely than people who sit upright on the toilet.
A study of 52 people found that using a toilet stool to elevate the feet positively influenced how long bowel movements took, how much straining was involved, and how completely the bowel was emptied. These aren’t dramatic lifestyle changes. They’re simple shifts in angle that let gravity and anatomy do more of the work.
Squatting Cultures and Lower Disease Rates
People in many Asian and African countries use squat-style toilets as the default. These populations have notably lower rates of hemorrhoids and chronic constipation compared to Western countries where sit-down toilets are standard. Diet plays a role in this difference, since high-fiber diets are more common in those regions. But researchers suspect the squatting posture itself contributes, since it reduces the mechanical strain that drives both conditions.
How to Squat on a Western Toilet
You don’t need to replace your toilet. The simplest approach is to place a footstool, step stool, or purpose-built toilet stool (like a Squatty Potty) in front of your toilet. When you sit down, rest your feet on the stool so your knees rise above your hips. A height of about 7 to 9 inches works for most people, though taller individuals may prefer something higher. The goal is to bring your thighs closer to your abdomen, recreating the hip angle of a full squat.
If you don’t have a stool handy, you can lean forward on the toilet and rise onto your toes. This isn’t as effective as a full foot elevation, but it still opens up the anorectal angle compared to sitting bolt upright. Some people also find it helpful to rest their elbows on their knees and let their torso drop forward, which further relaxes the pelvic floor.
Who Benefits Most
Anyone can benefit from adjusting their toilet posture, but the difference is most noticeable for people who deal with chronic constipation or hemorrhoids. For people who regularly strain or feel like they can’t fully empty their bowels, a footstool can serve as a simple alternative to laxatives and other medications. It addresses the mechanical problem rather than trying to override it chemically.
Pregnant women often find squatting posture helpful as well, since constipation is common during pregnancy and straining can worsen pelvic floor issues. People with pelvic floor dysfunction, where the muscles involved in bowel movements don’t coordinate properly, also tend to notice improvement when they change their sitting angle.
What to Expect When You Switch
Most people notice a difference the first time they try it. Bowel movements tend to feel easier and faster, and you’re less likely to sit scrolling your phone for ten minutes waiting for things to move. The sensation of complete emptying, where you actually feel finished when you stand up, is one of the most commonly reported benefits. There’s no adjustment period or learning curve. You put your feet up, lean slightly forward, and let your body do the rest.