[drewnoakes]

In my travels I've gone from fear of a latrine-style loo to enjoying them enough to consider installing one in my home in England. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it just feels better for my body somehow to hold a more folded posture.

My challenge is flexibility. I did yoga for three years, twice a week, and while the whole of my body became much more flexible (amongst other benefits) my ankles did not yield very much at all. If I try to squat on a level surface, I have to force my arms forward to maintain balance, and it's not comfortable at all.

In Iran several toilets had slightly angled surfaces for the feet. With the toes pointing downwards just a few degrees from level, it was very comfortable.

My wife is from South Korea, a country where squatting in the home is still practiced regularly, especially by the older generations. It always struck me as a very relaxing way of passing the time, though I couldn't quite do it.

Perhaps there is a physiological aspect to this too. Japanese and Korean people appear to have different skeletal proportions to Europeans. I'm curious if this changes anything, or whether it's just a matter of culture/practice.

[jey]

Yup, it's more biomechanically natural. There's a footstool product that makes Western toilets more comfortable, giving you the best of both worlds: https://www.squattypotty.com/

Here's an amusing explainer video: https://youtu.be/YbYWhdLO43Q

[dmos62]

I don't think the ability to squat comfortably depends on race. For example, Soviet (so Eastern Bloc as well) prisons had a culture of squatting, due to overcrowding. Sometimes you still spot an older man squatting, like he could do it all day.

To predict a Westerner's skeletal inflexibility, I think it's enough to ask if he took up activities that required flexibility at an early age. In Japanese and Korean cultures that's plain squatting and sitting on your heels. Not that there aren't different kinds of flexibility. By Westerner, I mean someone with an excessively sedentary lifestyle.

[n4r9]

> I don't think the ability to squat comfortably depends on race.

I agree with this. However, I reckon that the ability to perform heavy squats does depend slightly on race. For example, short femurs provide beneficial leverage, and Asians tend to have shorter femurs than other races on average. I think this goes a little way towards explaining the dominance of China in Olympic weightlifting. If you look at the Lü Xiaojun, he has the perfect proportions for squatting and associated movements.

[sdrothrock]

> but it just feels better for my body somehow to hold a more folded posture.

Have you tried putting a stool or something in front of your toilet so you can bend your legs in a squat-esque position? It's a bit more practical and feels much the same to me.

[rmetzler]

There are even stools marketed for squatted position on western style toilets. One is the "Squatty Potty". As a German Kraut, I feel, the name must appeal to a Brit.

[sdrothrock]

> German Kraut

Is there another kind? ;)

> There are even stools marketed for squatted position on western style toilets.

I've seen these -- of all places -- in Costco here in Japan. They seem moderately popular since they're sold out sometimes. Personally, I think it's a bit overkill and would rather just plop my feet on a pack of toilet paper. :)