Joan Budilovsky is the Expert Author of numerous books, including the best-selling titles, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Yoga (4 editions), The Complete Idiot's Guide to Meditation (2 editions) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage. She has been a practitioner of yoga and meditation for over 30 years. Joan began her studies through the Self-Realization Fellowship in Pacific Palisades, California. She was then living in California working on the staff of the Westwood Playhouse near the UCLA campus, and also on staff at the Santa Monica Playhouse.
She never considered any type of career in yoga till after working many years as an artist. The stress-reduction experienced in her yoga and meditation studies fueled her creativity as an active member of professional performing unions under the name, Joan Bud
She received her Hatha Yoga Teacher certification through a 15-month weekend program offered through the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. At the same time she also became Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage. She began teaching classes in these subjects and eventually joined the Physical Education and Continuing Education Faculties of the College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. There she developed a full curriculum of courses in yoga, meditation and massage. These courses included:
3 levels of Hatha Yoga Studies
3 levels of Meditation Studies
Yoga for Chronic Ailments
Reflexology
Introduction to Massage Therapy
She also taught on The Dance Faculty of Columbia College Chicago, as well as in numerous seminars around the country. She was a main speaker in Brazil for the International Stress Management Association.
Joan Budilovsky's Yoyoga website was created during this time and became quite popular internationally: www.yoyoga.com Her "Yo Joan" Advice column was first featured on her website, and swiftly became a bi-weekly advice column in Liberty Chicago Suburban newspapers. Her Yo Joan column ran in these papers across the Chicago land area for ten years 1998-2008.
She received her Doctorate is in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2006. Her Dissertation entitled, "Toward an Awareness Curriculum based on Yoga Practices and Traditions."