Squatting...

[bina]

beduins squat; arabs in the country squat; lots of israelis from the country (agricultural areas) squat; all children squat... but u lose it if u dont use it and in the west, squatting and smoking your ciggie or chatting w/friends just isnt doen... btw, a lot of thai i see sit on chairs with their legs folded cross legged.... bet they dont have problems like us w/ varicose veins and hemroids... now i do same since i do have vein problems in chairs (leg falls asleep)... i can squat for long periods now as well... (just knees sometimes give when getting back up)..... but me and my family have a genetic thing with over stretchy tendons (we are russian type background, not asian)

[Simbo]

Squat are you all talking about??

Diddly squat, of course

[steveromagnino]

The muscle thing isn't it, because I asked some really big body builder thai guys if they can squat, yep, no problem.

Then I asked this big fatty in the office if he can squat..no problem.

And just for laughs I asked some of the women in the office.... yes they can squat but I may be up for sexual harrassment. The tribulations of research.

I definitely think it is a flexibility issue.

In the same vein, I can snowboard for about 5 minutes before my thighs give out on the first day riding after a year off.

But just a week or so later, I can last most of a day.

In terms of flexibility and circulation, I am sure it is much the same.

Regarding whether a squat is primative...well you could also argue wiping your butt with bits of prickly paper so that there is still large lumps of rust attached there is pretty gross. I know the Thai army went to sit downs, and at the request of many of the soldiers, some of the places have gone back to squats.

There is a certain degree of comfort and joy in laying a cable in the squat position; it just comes out so easily compared to seated glory.

If you want to practise, then just start squatting around the place and you'll soon be able to do it.

[Donz]

a better question (probaly not)

has anyone actually fallen in the squat toilet??

because when i use them ive always thought ###### imagine falling in that thing

[marshbags]

If i have to use one due to urgent needs, i swill the squat toilet first, take the excess water away with some tissue paper then sit on the back end of the squat and off load. Phewwwwwwwwwwwwww

Being an old hand, i always carry a reasonable amount of tissue to serve emergencies.

It,s a test of ones control to do this in really urgent times.

As an after thought, have you ever tried reading the paper ect for 15 minutes like back home.....

You cannot get up very easily without difficulty, i can tell you

marshbags

[Totster]

i swill the squat toilet first, take the excess water away with some tissue paper then sit on the back end of the squat and off load. Phewwwwwwwwwwwwww

Don't fancy that... maybe some disinfectant first

totster