Founder of the California College of AyurvedaÂ
Dr. Marc Halpern, D.C., MAS. (Ayurvedacharya) has played an important role in the development of Ayurvedic medicine in the West. He is considered to be a preeminent practitioner and teacher of Ayurveda in the United States and continues to develop the programs at the College. He is one of the few Westerners ever recognized in both the United States and in India as an authority on the subject of Ayurveda, and was awarded the All India Award for Best Ayurvedic Physician.
A pillar in the development of the profession in the United States, he is the co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association for which he served as Chairman of the National Committee on Ayurvedic Education. He is also a co-founder of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and the National Council on Ayurvedic Education. He started his career as a Doctor of Chiropractic in 1987 when he graduated from Palmer West Chiropractic College. His journey to understand the cause of suffering and to heal himself led him to the field of Ayurvedic Medicine in 1991 when he completed a post-graduate certification program in holistic medicine through New York Chiropractic College. This program introduced him to Ayurveda. At that time, there were only a handful of individuals in the United States knowledgeable in Ayurveda.
Dr. Marc sought out Dr. David Frawley as a teacher and began a journey deeper into the Vedic sciences. Dr. Frawley introduced him to several teachers from India, most notably Dr. Subhash Ranade. Dr. Halpern sponsored Dr. Ranade to come to the US and to stay at his home. During his visits, Dr. Halpern was given copies of the classical texts. Studying these texts and observing his teacher treating patients helped shape how Dr. Halpern would eventually train other practitioners. Realizing that there needed to be a formal profession for Ayurvedic Medicine in the United States, Dr. Halpern dedicated himself to building this profession, and has been following this mission for more than 20 years. He has authored two important textbooks in the field of Ayurvedic Medicine as well as the popular book, Healing Your Life: Lessons on the Path of Ayurveda and the audio recording, Yoga Nidra and Self Healing. He has published articles in almost every major journal and magazine of Yoga or Ayurveda, and in 2005 was interviewed by Mike Wallace on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Dr. Halpern’s own remarkable story of personal healing was featured in the national magazine Spirituality and Health. He has been quoted in many major newspapers, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Miami Herald. In addition to his work with the California College of Ayurveda, Dr. Halpern is a certified yoga instructor and a regular teacher of Ayurveda at International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers worldwide.
