Students at The Starfish Academy had the joyful experience of sitting in a Chair of Joy on Thursday, May 12th. Sheryl Lynn of JOYELY Studios is touring the East Coast of the U.S. bringing her chairs to the masses.

What is The Chair of Joy?

Sheryl Lynn was going through a hard time in her life, feeling very overwhelmed and stressed. She found herself at a friend’s beach cottage sitting outside listening to the waves and decided to let the worry go and immerse herself in joyful memories. That was the start of the mindful practice of sitting, breathing, thinking, and feeling. The Chair of Joy can be any chair in any location, the important part is that you mindfully connect with your thoughts and create self-awareness.

Sheryl Lynn created the practice of mindfulness in a chair to be easy and accessible to everyone. By practicing The Chair of Joy with children you can teach them that a positive mindset can come from the process of sitting, breathing, thinking, and feeling. This gives the child the gift of coping skills and strategies to return to joy. 

The Starfish Academy Experience

Sheryl brought her Chair of Joy and the Children’s Chair of Joy to our Starfish Academy. She set up in our sensory garden and invited the children to experience the chairs. She started with a little dancing to get the children’s attention. Then she invited the children to sit in the children’s chair and tell her about their favorite chair in their house. She led the children through a breathing exercise and asked them to think of a happy memory. The children then took turns sitting in the chair and telling her about their moments of joy. Sheryl then read a fictional story about a royal family that lived in a dreary castle that had no joy until some special chairs were brought to them. Once the family received the chairs they began to experience joy and the dreary sad castle became a happy place.