Today we’d like to introduce you to Amberly Kelley-Dotson.
Hi Amberly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was in college, I started taking yoga classes to connect with my body and manage anxiety. I eventually enrolled in a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program without the intention of ever becoming a teacher, but by the end of it had fallen in love with teaching. Looking back, I’m not sure how I managed the schedule I had because I was working a full-time job and teaching 10 yoga classes a week at 4 different studios in town. When did I sleep?
During this time, I had started doing a really physically demanding yoga practice and sustained several injuries, the last one from an adjustment by a yoga teacher that tore my left hamstring attachment in class. I had become pretty frustrated with the yoga world in the West in general, and had been treated pretty poorly by a manager of a studio I was teaching at. I was ready to walk away completely when a fellow teacher told me she was studying yoga therapy and offered to work 1:1 with me. I felt like I had finally been exposed to real yoga! I healed several injuries and started learning breathing techniques to manage my anxiety. I had to know more.
In 2020 I quit my full-time job in education, started working part-time at an acupuncture clinic, and enrolled in the American Viniyoga Institute’s 2 year Foundations for Teaching and Yoga Therapy program. As you can imagine, this was a wild time to go back to school. We transitioned fully online and made lots of adjustments, but I was able to complete the program with a smile on my face.
While I was going through this training, the health issues that I’d been dealing with for many years finally came to a head. Growing up, I had lots of digestive issues and several chronic infections. Over the years I started having skin issues and hormonal issues as well. By 2021, I was really struggling and my mental health took a dive with my physical health. I was going from doctor to doctor, specialist to specialist, and no one was really helping me get to the bottom of what was going on. After encouragement from my mentor at AVI, I decided to find an Ayurvedic Practitioner to work with.
After a year of working with this practitioner, cleansing and building my body and resilience back up, I was healthier than I had ever been in my life. I knew I had to learn more about this potent medicine. In the summer of 2023, I decided to enroll in the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda’s 2-year Ayurvedic Health Counselor Program.
Going back to school was much harder this time. After I had graduated from AVI in 2022, I had started my own business doing primarily 1:1 therapeutic yoga with folks. Managing homework, tests, and projects along with my small business was no small feat, but I graduate in June of 2025.
Now, I pull the beautiful education I have both in Viniyoga and Ayurveda together in my business, Amble Wellbeing, where I help people connect the dots of their symptoms, get to the root cause, and find holistic wellbeing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t know if there’s anything about owning a small business and being a solopreneur that I would classify as smooth, but I will say that things have worked out. I’ve worked hard to be well connected and build my practice in a way that feels sustainable. That doesn’t mean it’s not a challenge and that doesn’t mean there aren’t some days that I think about shutting it all down and getting a 9-5, but for now, I feel like I’m doing the work I’m meant to be doing.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In my work, I draw on tools from Viniyoga and Ayurveda to connect the dots between symptoms and help folks work toward root cause healing rather than symptom management. Some particular areas I specialize in are:
Digestive issues like IBS, indigestion, acid reflux, sluggish digestion (gastroparesis), constipation, etc.
Hormonal & reproductive health issues like PMS, painful or irregular periods, perimenopause, prenatal & postpartum support, low libido, and hormone imbalances
Nervous System issues like anxiety, stress, overwhelm, burnout, trauma recovery
Sleep & energy challenges like insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, irregular or disrupted sleep
Musculoskeletal discomfort like inflammation, joint or muscle tension, hypermobility, low back pain, etc.
Treatment plans for care are highly individualized and always co-created with my clients to ensure they are doable. I believe in practicality and using these tools to support us within our modern day lives.
Recommendations I give might include making dietary shits like adjusting the spices you cook with or favoring certain foods over others depending on your unique constitution, incorporating herbal support as appropriate, finding steady and doable daily rhythms and self-care practices, and exploring personalized movement and breathing practices.
While I primarily work with folks in a 1:1 container, I also offer group seasonal resets throughout the year, a variety of one day workshops, and both one-day and multi-day retreats. I’ve got another group offering in the works soon, so stay tuned!
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Honestly, being able to work for myself and help people already feels like a success. Sure, there are things I want to improve on and goals I strive for, but keeping a small business afloat for three years now feels like a huge success. There have been things I’ve tried and things I’ve wanted to do that haven’t worked out, but I don’t view those as failures. I’ve been able to learn from each thing that didn’t go the way I thought it would. In the moment I might have felt pretty defeated, but I can look back with a different understanding of why things happened the way they did. That feels like a success to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amblewellbeing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amblewellbeing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amberlyyoga
