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FACULTY
Founder
and Director
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Dr. Marc Halpern, D.C.,C.A.S.,P.K.S., (Ayurvedacharya) is a pioneer
in the West and is considered one of the pre-eminent
practitioners and teachers of Ayurveda in the United States. He
is one of the few Westerners 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. He has been 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 from its inception in 2000 until 2005. He is also a
co-founder of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine.
A Doctor of Chiropractic
with post-graduate certification in Holistic Medicine, Dr. Halpern
has studied with many noted teachers from India and the United
States. However, his greatest inspiration and support has come from Dr. David Frawley.
Dr. Halpern is a contributing writer to several books on Ayurveda
and holistic medicine. 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 and The Los Angeles Times.
In addition to his work with the California College of Ayurveda,
Dr. Halpern is a regular teacher of Ayurveda at International
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers worldwide. |
General
Faculty |
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Southern
California Faculty |
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Robert J. Talbert Jr., M.S.,
C.A.S., is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda
with certification as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist. Rob is in
private practice in Laguna Beach, California. He completed a post-graduate
one-and-one-half-year clinical internship with Vicki "Vijaya"
Stern and participated in post-graduate study with Dr. Liladhar
Gupta in Vrindavan, India. He is a member of the National Ayurvedic
Medical Association, American Herbalist Guild, and American Botanical
Council. He has been a life-long student of Yoga, Zen, Vipassana,
and Tibetan meditation. |
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Devi Mueller, B.S., C.T., C.A.S., is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda with certification
as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist. She serves on the Board of Directors
of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). In 2004, Devi
was the coordinator of NAMA’s national conference held on
the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Devi is in private practice
in Seal Beach, California. She has been studying and practicing
numerology, astrology, meditation, and yoga for the past 20 years.
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Marisa Laursen, C.A.S., is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and graduate of the California
College of Ayurveda. She is the director of Shanti Yoga & Ayurveda,
a yoga studio and Ayurvedic Wellness Center located in Chino, California.
Marisa is on the board of the California Association of Ayurvedic
Medicine and has a B.S. degree in Human Services. She is a yoga
instructor and a Level III practitioner in Reiki. Marisa has completed
extensive post-graduate training in Ayurveda. |
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Hema Ravikumar, M.A., C.A.S., is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and graduate of the California College of Ayurveda and is currently in private practice in Irvine, CA. She comes from a lineage of ancient Vedic teachers and practicioners in India tracing back to Ayurveda's preceptor Sage, Rishi Bharadwaja. Her global education and extensive professional media background in India, South America, the Middle East and United States have enriched her abilities to simplify and make accessible the knowledge of Ayurveda. Heme has studied yoga at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in India and is a student of Advaita Vedanta at Chinmaya Mission in California. |
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Mary-Alice Quinn, C.A.S., is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and graduate of the California College of Ayurveda. In addition to her Ayurvedic studies, she has been a practitioner of Yoga for more than 10 years. Mary-Alice has an active patient practice in Los Angeles where she focuses on both preventative medicine and disease management.
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San Francisco Faculty |
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Dr. Annapoorni Ramasubramanian,
B.A.M.S., M.D., C.A.S., is a graduate of the California
College of Ayurveda, where she received her Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist
certification, and of Bombay University in India where she received
her Bachelors degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and also
her Medical Degree. Dr. Anu, as she likes to be called, was a Resident
Doctor in K.G.M.P. Ayurveda Hospital in Bombay. She also ran an
Ayurvedic clinic while simultaneously serving as an Assistant Doctor
to noted physician, Dr. Sharad Shah. Dr. Anu brings a unique perspective
on Ayurvedic practice and education being the only Ayurvedic teacher
formally trained in both India and the United States. |
Grass
Valley Faculty |
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Mary Thompson, B.A., C.A.S.,
P.K.S.,(Ayurvedacharya), is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda and senior teacher
with certifications as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and Pancha
Karma Specialist. Mary is a graduate of the first graduating class
of the College in 1997. In 2008 she received the Charaka Award for Excellence in Ayurvedic Teaching and was given the title "Ayurvedacharya" (respected teacher of Ayurveda) by Dr. Halpern. She has been an invited speaker at several
Ayurvedic conferences. Ms. Thompson is a founding member and former
Secretary of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and
is the Executive Director of the non-profit organization, Everyday
Ayurveda. Mary is in private practice in Grass Valley, California. |
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Amanda J. Lyon, B.A., C.A.S.,
P.K.S., is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda
and is certified as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and a Pancha
Karma Specialist. She received her bachelor's degree at the University
of Maryland. She is a certified SivanandaYoga Teacher and a member
of the CCA faculty. She conducts the college's Advanced Ayurvedic Herbalism
Certification course.
She maintains her practice in Grass Valley at the college's community
clinic. |
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Ragaia Belovarac, M.A., C.A.S.,
P.K.S., C.M.T., is a graduate of the California College
of Ayurveda with certifications as Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist
and Pancha Karma Specialist. Ragaia is the past co-director of the
College's Pancha Karma Center, where he worked closely with Dr.
Halpern. This experience deepened his understanding of creating
and holding sacred space in a way that facilitates the patient's
healing journey. Ragaia co-teaches the Pancha Karma Specialist trainings
with Dr. Halpern for the students of CCA and has a private Ayurveda and Pancha Karma
practice in Nevada City, California. |
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Brenda Igler, A.A., C.A.S., P.K.S. Brenda is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda with
certifications as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and a Pancha Karma
Specialist. Following graduation, Brenda was selected by Dr. Halpern
to become an Intern Supervisor at the College overseeing the clinical
work performed by many of the interns. A member of the teaching
faculty and Director of the College’s Herb Department, Brenda
conducts her clinical practice at the College's health care center.
She is also a trained Reiki practitioner. Brenda is a compassionate
and inspiring practitioner of Ayurvedic Medicine committed to providing
service to humanity.
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BOARD OF ADVISORS
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Dr. David Frawley, O.M.D.,
is recognized as one of the leading Vedic scholars in the world.
A Doctor of Oriental Medicine and an authority in the field of Ayurveda,
Dr. Frawley has worked extensively with both Dr. Vasant Lad and
Dr. Deepak Chopra and is an advisor to Dr. Chopra's Center for Mind/Body
Medicine. He is the founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies
and has written numerous books on Ayurveda, Vedic astrology and
mythology, and yoga philosophy and practice, including Ayurveda: Nature's Medicine; Ayurveda and Yoga; and The Yoga of Herbs.
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Dr. Akhilesh Sharma, B.A.M.S.,
N.D., Ph.D., is an Ayurvedic physician at his clinic in New
Delhi with his wife, Dr. Minakshi Sharma, a specialist in Ayurvedic
Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Sharma serves as Chief Physician
and Director of Research and Development for Multani Pharmaceuticals,
manufacturer of over 400 Ayurvedic medicines and herbal products.
He is Ayurvedic Advisor to the Minister of Health in New Delhi and
has received the Dhanvantari Award and the Chikitsa Shiromani Award
for his contributions to the field of Ayurveda. |
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Dr. Liladhar Gupta, B.Sc.,
B.A.M.S., is a fourth-generation Ayurvedic physician from
Vrindaban in northern India. Dr. Gupta was Director of the Herbal
Medicare Center and Senior Physician at Prem Miketan Ashram in Jaipur.
He taught at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies in Australia
and currently directs a team of Indian physicians at Dhanvantari
Dham, his own research, education, and healing center near Delhi. |
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