How Squatting Saved Our Health, Sleep, and Sanity
- Madhukar Dama
- 11 hours ago
- 7 min read
1. INTRODUCTION: A Family That Stopped Sitting
In 2024, the Kulkarni family of four — living in Hubli — suffered from the most modern issues despite having a fridge full of vegetables and a bookshelf full of self-help books.
Raghav (46) – IT employee, chronic constipation, back pain, and anxiety
Maya (42) – Homemaker, joint stiffness, hormonal imbalance, mood swings
Rishi (17) – Student, weak digestion, screen addiction, poor posture
Mira (13) – Low stamina, body image issues, poor sleep, menstrual cramps
After years of medicines, yoga classes, apps, and supplements, they heard a strange piece of advice from a village elder visiting their cousin:
> “You are all sick… because you have forgotten how to sit.”
The elder made them promise:
Do everything in squatting posture for one month.
And so began a quiet revolution.
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2. THE SQUATTING PHILOSOPHY: BENDING BACK INTO NATURE
Squatting is not an exercise.
It’s our original resting posture — before chairs, couches, toilets, and dinner tables took over.
Human evolution is shaped by squatting:
Defecation
Cooking
Bathing
Waiting
Praying
Giving birth
In traditional Indian, African, and East Asian cultures, squatting was the default position for life.
It aligns bones, activates core muscles, massages internal organs, and grounds the nervous system.
When you squat:
The spine decompresses
The pelvic floor opens
The intestines align naturally
The blood circulation improves
The mind enters alert stillness
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3. BEFORE vs AFTER — SYMPTOMS THEY HEALED
1. Constipation
Before: Raghav needed daily laxatives
After: Passed motion easily each morning
2. Back Pain
Before: Long hours of chair-sitting caused pain
After: Vanished after 10 days of squatting
3. Joint Stiffness
Before: Maya couldn’t sit cross-legged
After: Now squats and walks comfortably
4. Menstrual Cramps
Before: Mira had severe pain
After: Cramps reduced to negligible
5. Digestion
Before: Everyone had gas, bloating
After: No gas, light stomach
6. Sleep
Before: Restless, late-night scrolling
After: Early, deep natural sleep
7. Mood
Before: Frequent arguments, sadness
After: Laughing together again
8. Stamina
Before: Rishi got tired climbing stairs
After: Climbs 4 floors without panting
9. Focus
Before: Kids distracted, irritable
After: Sharper mind, improved memory
10. Hormonal Health
Before: Maya had irregular cycle
After: Back to a natural 28-day rhythm
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4. BENEFITS OF SQUATTING ACROSS DOMAINS
(Realistic, everyday examples)
A. PHYSICAL
1. Clears colon completely
2. Prevents piles and fissures
3. Strengthens knees and ankles
4. Builds pelvic stability
5. Increases hip mobility
6. Improves posture
7. Supports lower back
8. Activates core muscles
9. Increases circulation to legs
10. Reduces bloating and acidity
B. MENTAL
11. Creates alert relaxation
12. Boosts attention span
13. Reduces screen craving
14. Increases mind-body connection
15. Calms nervous system
16. Encourages mindfulness
17. Teaches presence
18. Reduces overthinking
19. Improves learning in kids
20. Reduces reaction time
C. EMOTIONAL
21. Brings humility
22. Grounds anxiety
23. Helps with emotional release
24. Increases emotional tolerance
25. Builds patience
26. Reduces snapping at family
27. Improves emotional rhythm with cycles
28. Prevents chronic sadness
29. Helps handle conflict
30. Encourages laughter and ease
D. PSYCHOLOGICAL
31. Heals body-image distortions
32. Reconnects to childlike freedom
33. Removes shame around body functions
34. Dissolves obsessive “clean” thinking
35. Builds resilience
36. Reduces panic triggers
37. Reintegrates suppressed instincts
38. Heals toilet-related trauma
39. Reduces dependency on screens
40. Restores safety in stillness
E. RELATIONAL
41. Promotes eye-level communication with kids
42. Encourages shared space without dominance
43. Enhances listening posture
44. Family ends up sitting together often
45. Improves timing and rhythm in conversations
F. SPIRITUAL / ENERGETIC
46. Grounds energy
47. Aligns breath with gravity
48. Opens Muladhara (root) chakra
49. Enhances natural gratitude
50. Invokes ancestral memory of simplicity
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5. HEALING DIALOGUE: THE RETURN TO THE FLOOR
Scene: Living room, one week into squatting.
Raghav (squatting, munching groundnuts):
You know what’s strange?
My lower back pain… just disappeared.
No ointment. No physiotherapy.
Maya (kneading dough, squatting):
Even my legs feel alive.
For years I thought I had “hormonal fatigue.”
Turns out, I just needed to touch the floor again.
Rishi (studying, squatting by coffee table):
And I’m not even sleepy in class anymore.
Mira (painting rangoli):
Appa, even my cramps were less this time.
Is it really the squatting?
Raghav:
Maybe… we’ve just been living vertically too long.
All our suffering was asking us to bend back into nature.
Maya:
They sold us chairs for elegance.
But what we needed was soil for intelligence.
Mira (grinning):
What’s next? Squatting while praying?
Maya:
Why not? Your ajji did everything that way.
Rishi:
Even if we go to office or school,
We can return to this at home, right?
Raghav:
Yes. We can live in a modern house…
but keep our body in its ancient posture.
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6. MADHUKAR’S CLOSING NOTE
"When a body squats, it rests without laziness.
When a mind squats, it sees without judging.
When a family squats, it remembers its roots.
And when a society squats again —
the doctors will sit idle."
—
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HOW TO START SQUATTING IN DAILY LIFE
(A safe, simple, realistic guide for everyone)
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WHY SQUATTING?
Squatting is not just a posture — it is a natural body state.
When you squat, you align your spine, open your hips, compress your colon gently for complete bowel movement, strengthen your core, and ground your nervous system.
It relieves lower back pain, improves flexibility, enhances digestion, builds strong posture, and reduces anxiety naturally.
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WHAT IS A NATURAL SQUAT?
A natural squat is simple: your feet are flat on the ground, slightly turned outward around 15 to 30 degrees.
Your heels touch the ground.
Your knees are bent and point in the same direction as your toes.
Your back is neutral — chest open, spine relaxed.
Hands can be free or resting on your knees.
The entire body is balanced: neither rigid nor collapsed.
Your bottom comes close to the ground without sitting heavily.
This is not a gym squat with tension — it is a resting, natural, ancestral squat.
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WHO SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS INITIALLY?
People with recent knee or hip surgeries, those who have undergone hip replacements, or people with severe arthritis or very high obesity should not jump directly into unsupported squatting.
Such individuals can still learn, but with modifications like using walls, chairs, props, and should ideally consult a physiotherapist first.
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HOW TO START SAFELY
If you have stiffness or difficulty, always start by holding something sturdy like a window grill, table edge, or chair back.
Lower yourself slowly into the squat only as far as comfortable.
Stay for 10–20 seconds initially.
You can also place a rolled towel or small wedge under your heels if they tend to lift up — this will give you stability and let your hips stretch naturally.
Another easy method is to squat with your back sliding down a wall, which gives you both support and balance.
Remember, it’s normal for knees to move forward when squatting — this is natural.
Allow your body to find its own balance over time.
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DAILY PRACTICE PLAN
For the first three days, squat three times a day for about 30 seconds each, while holding onto support.
From day four to seven, increase the duration to 1 minute per session, trying to use less hand support as confidence grows.
In the second week, aim for a total of 5 minutes of squatting every day, broken into small 1-minute sets.
In the third week, try eating one small meal in the squatting posture, or brush your teeth while squatting.
From the fourth week onward, gradually bring squatting into daily habits like food preparation, floor cleaning, small chores, casual conversations, and quiet time.
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HOW TO INTEGRATE SQUATTING INTO DAILY LIFE
Start brushing your teeth while squatting instead of standing stiffly.
Use squat posture while folding clothes, organizing shelves, or watering plants.
When waiting for a bus, train, or someone, squat calmly instead of pacing or leaning.
Squat while tending to pets, sorting groceries, or even when simply talking to a child or family member.
In places where a squat toilet is not available, you can place a low stool under your feet while sitting on a regular toilet to mimic the squatting angle.
Bit by bit, bring squatting back as your body's first language.
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COMMON PROBLEMS AND SIMPLE SOLUTIONS
If your heels don't touch the floor, use a towel or wedge under your heels temporarily, and work toward lowering them naturally over time.
If you feel knee pain, reduce the depth of the squat, use wall support, and never force it — build strength patiently.
If you struggle to balance, hold onto a doorframe, heavy table, or steady object until your balance improves.
If your back rounds too much, consciously open your chest and gently lift your chin to straighten the posture.
If you feel ankle tightness, warm up first by walking, rolling your feet, or doing gentle hip rotations.
Everything will improve with slow, daily exposure.
Do not panic.
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TIPS FOR FASTER, SAFE PROGRESS
Never bounce while squatting — allow gravity to gently stretch you.
Never compare your depth or endurance to anyone else — your body has its own history and its own pace.
Always breathe slowly and deeply while squatting — never hold your breath.
Keep your feet naturally angled outward — not strictly forward — to match your unique hip anatomy.
Avoid squatting immediately after a heavy meal.
And most importantly: treat squatting as a return to childhood, not as a competition.
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WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER 30 DAYS
With patient daily practice, you will notice:
Easier digestion and complete bowel movements
Reduction in bloating, acidity, and constipation
Stronger, more stable knees, hips, and ankles
Decrease in lower back stiffness and pain
Improved posture and daily energy
Calmer, steadier mood and better emotional balance
Restored body confidence and flexibility
Reconnection to your instinctive body intelligence
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SUMMARY
In a world where chairs made us stiff, screens made us slouch, and fear made us dependent —
Squatting returns you to freedom.
Start with 10 seconds a day.
Your knees, hips, mind, digestion, breath, and joy will all remember —
You were never meant to live stiff. You were meant to bend, rise, heal, and play.
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FINAL SUMMARY QUOTE
"The modern chair made us dependent. The ancient squat makes us free again. Start small. Bend back into life."
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