Okay, raise your hand if you've ever strained on the toilet? Yeah, we've all been there. But while straining for a bowel movement may be an all-too-common practice, that doesn't mean it's healthy, or even helpful. In fact, according to pelvic floor expert Kelly Peterson, PT, DPT—this is the "wrong" way to go about your bathroom time.

What's the "right" way? Well, Peterson recently posted a TikTok sharing the optimal way to have a BM, by “inhaling” to relieve yourself. Intrigued? So were we.

Peterson explains that the "inhale" method is great for relieving pressure on the bowels and pooping comfortably. “A lot of us don’t know how to poop properly,” she notes. “We are trying to remember that when we are pooping or when we are evacuating stool, we want our pelvic floor muscles to lengthen, to open, and to relax.”

Breathwork can help to relax the body on the whole, so it stands to reason it would also help get things moving with your bowels. “As you breathe in, that pelvic floor will lengthen or drop,” she notes. “When you’re having a bowel movement or even when you’re urinating you really want to focus on breathing downward towards the openings.”

In another video, Peterson breaks it down into the following steps:

In addition to breathwork, you can support healthy bowel movements through a variety of daily habits: Eating a high-fiber diet, regularly exercising, and even drinking plenty of water. But one sneaky method you may be missing out on is consistently taking a high-quality, specially-formulated probiotic. 

To promote great gut health and keep your bathroom routine on track, mbg created probiotic+, formulated with four targeted strains that will not only support digestion and reduce bloat, but also help maintain abdominal comfort and regularity.* Alongside a fibrous breakfast and a big glass of water, your gut will thank you. 

According to Peterson, there is a “right” and “wrong” way to poop, and straining falls under the category of something that you should avoid when relieving your bowels. Instead, the next time you head into the restroom, take a deep breath and exhale down “towards the openings” as Peterson says in order to have a complete movement that doesn’t cause undue strain. But remember, your routine outside of the restroom informs your comfort when it comes time to poop, so take your diet and supplementation routine into consideration if you need a little extra support.