WELCOME TO THE JOYFUL BELLY COLLEGE OF AYURVEDA
Be Transformed by Your Experience at the Joyful Belly College of AyurvedaGet ready to experience powerful insights and an extraordinary education through interactive learning under the guidance of our distinguished teachers, hand-picked from around the globe, to provide you with an education that excels in the world of Ayurveda. We value the acquisition of Knowledge, but at Joyful Belly we believe that the application of this knowledge is most important in bringing health to yourself, your community, and your clients. Discover the innovative approach that makes Joyful Belly a torchbearer in bringing ancient healing into the modern era.See why we are a leader in Ayurveda innovation.Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Medicine
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Education Highlights |
Teaching Philosophy
Assignments are designed using active learning methods so students engage with and apply the knowledge to heal themselves and others. Practical exercises will help you discern the subtle cues your body uses to communicate imbalance.
Experiential learning will be accompanied by weekly case studies on advanced disease for a complete, in depth natural approach to health.
Use of multimedia makes online learning more effective than traditional in-person classroom settings, where the teacher may be more than 50 feet away from the students.
Our inspiring courses do not rush education. 2 years is the minimum to understand the full scope of Ayurveda. An additional 2 years is required for advanced level practice.
Our courses are more challenging, but build more confidence and results in your personal healing journey, and those of your clients.
Avoid comparing schools based on price. Instead compare clinical outcomes. Don't skimp on education. Focus on your lifetime career, not on 'geting a deal' today.
Harvard is not the cheapest school, but you can actually have a successful career and your lifetime earning potential makes it worth it.
When you graduate from Joyful Belly, you are investing in a high-quality, in-depth education, your future clinical confidence, and a lifetime of achieving your goals.
All of our teachers receive ongoing pedagogy training (teacher training) customized to medical education.
We train our teachers in active learning methods and mutliple intelligences and learning styles. We've organized assignments using these pedagogy tools.
Study after study proves great teaching is essential to learning outcomes and competency.
The founder of our school graduated from Harvard, and his academic qualities infuse the whole school to a higher quality education.
Joyful Belly takes a natural, common sense approach to Ayurveda education so that people in your community can relate to your future clinical practice and engage in your services.
Patient centered care focuses on the culture of the client, not the medicine, ensuring your practice will be accessible in a cross-cultural context.
Your journey will not only be profound, it will also make sense.
Clinical Mentoring & Support
Business Support
Gain experience running your clinic and business while in the course.
Once you graduate, you are already setup for practice.
Receive expert 1-1 guidance from business advisors at Joyful Belly.
Homework Support
Assignments include both multiple choice questions and written work that graders analyze and offer corrective feedback.
Your accuracy is ensured and developed every step of the way. Gaps in your understanding are identified and remedied.
This feedback will give you confidence in yourself and your knowledge.
Community
You can't become a clinician just by studying on your own. Self-paced and open enrollment 'by modules' don't work.
All students start at the same time and grow together as a class, while combined synchronous & asynchronous learning maximizes flexbility.
You are joining a community and you will learn from each other. Expect to make lifelong friends and colleagues.
Our students are leaders with busy lives. We DO offer flexiblity for any life events or plans you have during the school-year. Contact us for details.
Alumni Support
Leadership
Our leadership, expertise, and commitment to Ayurveda is best demonstrated through our many accomplishments incuding our pioneering research studies involving over 75,000 participants.
The quality of a school is measured by what it does, not what it says. We don't just teach Ayurveda, we study and develop it.
The scope of knowledge you will receive is demonstrated by the thousands of free, down to earth, practical articles we provide on the website and the many free tools we offer to the public.
Ayurveda is a grass roots health movement that is more accessible to the public because of the free content we offer.
Great schools of Ayurveda publish content and have a strong public service mission.
You will come to understand Ayurveda they way the ancient pioneers did, from the ground up, using your body as the guide.
At Joyful Belly, you will not only study what Ayurveda was, but what it will be. You have a chance to be a part of Ayurveda's development and growth.
Competitive Price
They exist to protect their donor schools, increase the cost of education, and do not represent clinicicians. They offer little to no benefits to our graduates.
Unlike associations, state school licensing boards conduct regular audits. State school licensing is a much better measure of quality.
Despite this, associations frequently scare students by convincing them they have authority. They have no legal authority with the government, and no impact on your ability to practice.
Employers largely ignore association membership when hiring. Instead they look at years of clinical practice and education level.
There is no travel required in the program.
An Interactive Online Ayurveda School
Where students all over the world come to join our community and find a seat at our table.
At Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda, you will discover your purpose through an advanced, clinically-focused Ayurvedic education. Joyful Belly is a North Carolina, State Licensed college nestled in the mountains of Southern Appalachia. As a state-licensed college, we take academia seriously and offer a rigorous curriculum that includes: Ayurvedic medicine, herbal formulation, digestive tract pathology, pulse and tongue diagnosis, tailored diet and lifestyle planning, and so much more! Our courses provide you with the solid foundation of both Ayurvedic knowledge and clinical training to legally practice Ayurveda and see clients in the United States. Our many international students are able to work within their local laws to practice Ayurveda as well. Here are just some of the reasons students choose Joyful Belly Ayurveda:
- Joyful Belly is renowned as the premier Ayurveda School for food and digestion, the focal point of health in Ayurveda.
- Our distinguished educational strategy boasts a dynamic balance of down-to-earth, practical teaching styles and an innovative, experiential learning approach that focuses on training students for clinical excellence.
- At Joyful Belly, we value academic rigor, student support, and wellbeing with equal magnitude. We believe in a high quality education and the high quality experience of our students.
- Operating since 2008, we have diligently worked to develop a strategy of student and alumni support to ensure high success rates in personal clinical practices. Students receive business training and a completely functional online clinic, hosted on JoyfulBelly.com, upon graduation - giving you the credibility of our brand while you build your practice.
- Joyful Belly offers the most in-depth clinical training of any program in the West in addition to being a research institution that has published over 175 novel research studies in food and digestion (over 50 studies a year).
- John Immel, founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda is a Harvard graduate and passionate teacher that brings the rigor and excellence of an Ivy League experience into the realm of Ayurvedic education, teaching students to become convergent thinkers in a clinical setting.
- In the passion we have to bring the practice of Ayurveda into the modern world, Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda emphasizes a professional integrative medicinal approach to appeal to a broad range of individuals and ensure maximum receptivity in both local communities and metropolitan areas alike.
How Does Joyful Belly Stack Up in Ayurvedic Higher Education?
Learn what to consider and how to be discerning when choosing an Ayurveda School in the guide below, and see for yourself how Joyful Belly strives to check all the boxes.Why Joyful Belly?
We teach the rich foundations of traditional Ayurvedic medicine while also teaching our students to be critical, convergent thinkers in a clinical setting to bring about high quality client outcomes. We are innovative: We conduct research in the field of Ayurvedic food and herbs and are pioneers in the development of Ayurvedic diagnostic strategies and clinical programs and tools to put forth the strongest practitioners in the field.
We provide an exceptional education that also delivers an accessible and convenient online platform so students can succeed from anywhere in the world and in any walk of life. We teach in a step-by-step approach that makes the learning of even the most complex Ayurvedic concepts feel natural.
Weekly live classes give students access to distinguished teachers and practitioners in the field, bringing experience, perspective, and clarification to the curriculum in real time. Exercises outside of the classroom will supplement presentations, ensuring a firm grasp of Ayurveda's concepts and methods.
Personal mentoring sessions will fine-tune assessment & recommendation skills while building confidence as a clinical practitioner.
What Our Students are Saying
"John did a wonderful job in presenting completely new concepts to a varied group of students, answering questions patiently and clearly. I felt like a whole new world opened up for me, one in which my body can and will be healthy. It is attainable more easily than I initially believed. It brought back the knowledge of wholeness which can so easily slip further and further into the background with our busy lives and non-supportive patterns we find ourselves in. John's teachings about balance also reminded me that the responsibility to heal myself is in my own lap, no excuses!"
"Hi, John! I'm the studio manager of Heartland Yoga in Iowa City, Iowa. I listened to your teleseminar yesterday and found your teaching so clear and practical. I think many of our yoga students are ready to learn about how they can incorporate Ayurveda into their daily lives. Would you be interested in teaching a seminar at Heartland?"
"One of the best things about the course is knowing that the Joyfulbelly team cares and is more than accommodating to your personal schedule. I found the experience deeply enriching and it has inspired me to go further on this holistic path. I would recommend the Joyful Belly Ayurveda Health Counselor Course to anyone looking to further their education in the ambition to help people transform their health naturally and effectively."
"I have to say, I really enjoyed this course and I feel it is the most comprehensive and interesting course out there. It was very intense!"
"I have become more aware through Ayurveda and now I eat with my digestion in mind, rather than calories."
"I am really enjoying consultations so far and excited to continue that. I loved learning the business part and how to get people to pay me for them! ;) I am stoked! "
"I loved the class..great information..thank you very much!"
"It would be amazing to collaborate with Joyful Belly to learn from your team and be part of something so incredible.
Anyway, it would be an honor to collaborate and, if not, continue to learn from the team there at Joyful Belly.
Thank you all for your time and energy,"
"The course is going great! All of the information is so interesting and projected in a great way. My close friends and family have been loving to learn through me. They're always curious to know what I am learning about that day. It makes me really happy to spread this knowledge & help people become the balanced and healthy versions of themselves!"
"You make ayurveda fun. It is easier to learn when fun. A big thank you. This is the sign of a good teacher. Thank you also for making me laugh."
"A quick note about this fun assignment of buddy consultation! I learned as much about my knowledge and delivery as I learned about my student buddy. It was powerful and we are going forward with another session in two weeks. It was powerful to see how her connect the dots and feel empowered to make some new shifts as a journey for feeling better."
"I learned a lot about myself, increased my awareness of what is going on in my own body, where all my imbalances are coming from and just how important it is to have a regular daily routine. I won't lie to you"
"On a personal health level, my eating habits and beliefs about food changed drastically. I learned to better understand my unique needs. I also learned to separate the overwhelming amount of online health information for the general population and narrow it down to what I actually needed for my body. As a result, my weight is lower then ever. My digestion is the best I can recall it being in my life. I also see my husband and children benefiting now and in the future from all the knowledge I have gained."
"Just wanted to say that today's teacher was amazing! She did such a great job interviewing the client, explaining pathogenesis, breaking down the treatment plan, and answering questions. It was very organized, thorough, and informative. Would love to see more classes like this!"
"So happy I joined this class! it was a great combination of (1) intellectual content on ayurvedic philosophy, nutrition, physiology: (2) behavioral guidance on approaches to eating and hunger; (4) psychological exercises on how I use food to comfort, discharge emotions, and numb out emotional pain; and last but not least (5) herbs and dietary cleansing practices. I highly recommend it as a way to change how one operates in relation to overeating."
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