How to do it
You need: A footstool about 15 to 20 cm high.
Sit on the toilet with a footstool under your feet so your knees are higher than your hips. Rest your forearms on your thighs.
- Place your feet on the stool so your knees sit higher than your hips and your body makes a squat-like shape.
- Lean forward from your hips and rest your elbows or forearms on your thighs, keeping your back straight.
- Let your tummy relax and bulge forward - do not hold it in.
- Breathe out gently against a closed mouth, as if steadily blowing up a stiff balloon, and let your back passage open rather than pushing down hard.
- Wait calmly between attempts; do not rush or force it.
Form cues
- Your knees are clearly higher than your hips and you are leaning forward, not sitting upright.
- Your tummy is relaxed and rounded, not pulled in.
- You feel widening and opening at the back passage, not a hard downward push.
Common mistakes
- Holding your breath and straining hard - this tightens the pelvic floor and works against you.
- Sitting upright or leaning back.
- Staying on the toilet longer than about 5 minutes hoping something happens.
Safety: Stop and message your physio if you notice new pelvic pain, a dragging or heavy feeling, bleeding from the back passage, or a lasting change in your bowel habit.