Thu 30th January 2025

SQUATS: what goes down must come up!

Up until about 10 years ago I thought squatting was just what bohemian types like Boy George did in posh London houses in the 80s. And the only actual squatting I ever really did was when I was ‘caught short’ as my mother would say when out walking in the countryside. My ballet pliés as a child were so limited my frankly terrifying ballet teacher Miss Lewis gave up with a theatrical tut and toss of her head, utterly baffled of my lack of bend.

Since making movement central to my life, squatting seemed to become a lot more complicated. We were taught on my original formal Pilates training, the ‘Pilates Squat’. This was where everything was aligned, feet exactly hip width apart and knees were to bend over first and second toe and bend to make perfect zig-zag.  Everyone seemed to be able to simply lower and zig-zag so much more than me, so once again I decided I was a ‘person-who-cannot-squat’. Miss Lewis was right.

But over the years as the attitude towards teaching people Pilates and movement has developed from strict and often unfounded beliefs of perfection to focus, thankfully, much more on teaching people to find their best and happiest type of Pilates and movement. So has how we need to approach The Squat. It is about finding your own personal squat…ok…so…is it hiding in a wood somewhere…and where is the map? Read on..

Finding it, though is essential. It’s an absolutely critical functional movement that needs no fancy name.  In the last few hundred years of our millions of evolving, we have now become, in Western cultures predominantly, habitual chair sitters and that includes sitting on the loo. To sit on a chair, out of the mud or dust or cold ground is a sign of wealth, civilisation and social standing. People pay squillions for fancy ergo-whatsit office chairs. Simply, we no longer need to get our bums below our knees.

Until that is we realise that even getting our bums close to level with our knees is hard and painful and creaky. Knees complain, ankles crack and trying to get up from the bed or sofa is requiring more of an ‘oooophh’ sound than before. Hips are stiff, digestive systems may start to work less effectively and we become more fatigued as a tight pelvic floor inhibits our breathing.  And unless we do something about it, sitting down might be tricky but getting up even harder. We are living longer and if we do, don’t we really just want to get up and down off the loo without assistance?

Something can be done. Your map comes in the form of an excellent and well researched  article in the Guardian.  Phil Daoust starts by saying his ‘eureka moment’ was when at 61, he couldn’t squat to pick up his dog’s poo. Real life people! It’s well worth a read. But basically, my unique set up of bones and connective tissue means my ankle don’t bend much, but if I widen my stance and turn my feet out – hey presto! And if I add a wedge under my heels, even better, even if Miss Lewis is shuddering in ballet teacher heaven.  And with regular practice and I’m talking at least a year, and having added extra load on my bones like a barbell or dumbbell, they’ve become even better.

And the best part is getting ‘caught short’ when out walking is no issue, in fact it’s an absolute delight with some spectacular views!