People often joke about how I sit and lay down on the floor in random places. When I’m waiting for my food to heat up in the oven, I wait close by, on the floor, too lazy to walk to the kitchen table 20 feet away. My thought process is, why should I put the extra effort in when the floor is likely more comfortable and easier to access my food.

This goes for other situations as well, such as when I’m brushing my teeth and I sit on the bathroom floor next to my sink. At the end of a long day, there’s nothing that I want more than to let my legs rest and those two minutes of doing nearly nothing except moving the toothbrush seem tedious. Sometimes you need to give yourself a little break from standing throughout the day and a squishy, fluffy bathroom mat works perfectly.

Sure, I could walk over to a chair, or go to bed, but if you have the right technique to sit on the floor without your legs falling asleep, the floor beats these options. The trick is to move your hips so you are not directly on your thigh bone, but you can curve your spine inward with knees bent and pulled in towards your chest. 

According to Healthline, there are also benefits to sitting on the floor. Some of these include “natural stability, less hip tension, increased flexibility, increased mobility and more muscle activity.” By relying on your own muscles to support your spine, you can activate the core and train yourself to do this naturally. You also are not restricted by an office chair, limiting your movement and the range your muscles have to move. On the floor, your muscles are free to move, increasing your flexibility and decreasing their tension throughout your body.

If you don’t have access to a chair, sitting on the floor is just as good; since it’s just as comfortable and teaches your muscles to sustain themselves. As long as you have a wall behind you to support your back, you can stay there for a while until your legs cramp up or you feel motivated enough to go to bed.