What Our Bodies Knew Before Modern Toilets

Why Sitting on the Toilet Is Working Against Your Gut

Most of us have been taught that bowel movements are something you sit through.

You sit.
You strain.
You wait.
Sometimes you scroll.
Sometimes you leave the bathroom feeling like… something was left behind.

What if the issue isn’t your gut, but your posture?

The modern toilet problem

Modern toilets are designed for comfort and convenience, not physiology. When you sit on a standard toilet at a 90° angle, your body is actually working against its natural design. The colon bends in a way that partially closes the rectal passage, making elimination harder and often incomplete.

• Constipation
• Straining
• Hemorrhoids
• That constant “not fully empty” feeling

Yet we normalize it.

What the body was designed to do

For most of human history, people squatted to eliminate. When you squat, or even elevate your feet using a small stool to create roughly a 35° angle, something important happens:

• The puborectalis muscle relaxes
• The rectum straightens
• Stool passes through with less effort and less pressure
• 
  

In simple terms:
Your body stops fighting itself.

What science says

This isn’t folklore, it’s physiology.

Studies published in the Journal of Gastroenterology (2019) show that squatting:

• Reduces straining
• Shortens time spent on the toilet
• Lowers pressure on rectal veins
• Can help prevent hemorrhoids and chronic constipation

People who adopt a squatting posture often report easier, faster, and more complete bowel movements.

Why this matters for gut health

Gut health isn’t only about what you eat, it’s also about how your body eliminates waste.

Incomplete or strained elimination can:

• Increase gut pressure
• Slow down transit time
• Encourage bloating
• Contribute to toxin reabsorption
• Worsen issues like acidity and discomfort
• 
  

Healthy digestion has two sides:
1. Proper breakdown and absorption
2. Efficient elimination

If waste isn’t leaving the body easily, the gut remains under stress, even if the diet is “clean.”

This is why some people feel better in the village

Ever noticed how many people say:

“When I am at my rural and go number two I feel so much at ease?”

Pit latrines naturally encourage a squatting posture. Less sitting. Less straining. More natural alignment. It’s not magic, it’s mechanics.

How to apply this at home (no renovations needed)

You don’t need to change your toilet.

• Use a small stool, box, or footrest
• Raise your feet so your knees are higher than your hips
• Lean slightly forward
• Relax and breathe

That alone can dramatically improve bowel movements.

A gentle reminder

Straining is not normal.

Spending 15 minutes in the bathroom is not normal.

Feeling like you “didn’t finish” is not normal.

Often, the solution isn’t more fibre, more supplements, or more medication, it’s better alignment.

Try this for one week

• Squat when possible
• Or use a stool at home
• Notice how your body responds

Your gut will thank you, and your bathroom trips may feel surprisingly… smoother.

So tell me:

Are you team 90° sitting… or team squatting?

Sometimes, healing really is about returning to what the body always knew.