Dr. Marc Halpern, D.C.,C.A.S.,P.K.S., (Ayurvedacharya) is one of the pioneers of Ayurveda in the West and is considered to be a pre-eminent practitioner and teacher of Ayurveda in the United States. 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 NAMA, the national association for Ayurveda in the United States.  He is also the founding President of the National Council on Ayurvedic Education (NCAE) and  co-founder of the California State Association(CAAM). A Doctor of Chiropractic with post-graduate certification in Holistic healing, Dr. Halpern has studied with many noted teachers from India and the United States.

Dr. Halpern has written two important textbooks on Ayurveda and  is the Author of the popular book, Lessons on the Path of Ayurveda.   He has published articles in almost every major journal and magazine of Yoga or Ayurveda. In 2005 he was interviewed by Mike Wallace on CBS's 60 Minutes. Dr. Halpern's own remarkable story  of how he restored his own health after being crippled was featured in the national magazine Spirituality and Health. He has been quoted in many major newspapers, including The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. In addition to his work with the California College of Ayurveda, Dr. Halpern is a certified yoga instructor in the Sivananda tradition and a regular teacher of Ayurveda at International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. He also teaches Ayurvedic Yoga  and Yoga Nidra workshops at several locations worldwide.