Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
Learn More.

Learn more.

Due to road closures along Highway 1 to our north and south, Esalen is closed through April 11.
Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.

Esalen opens May 3, 2024

Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.

Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Learn more.

Marya Stark

Marya Stark is an award-winning vocalist, composer, producer, and performer whose work bridges music, myth, and transformation. A storyteller and bard, she weaves medicine songs and ceremonial performances that guide audiences on soul-stirring journeys.

An Arizona native, Marya trained in classical voice at Chapman Music Conservatory before becoming a music therapist, catalyzing a prolific songwriting journey rooted in psyche, sound healing, and mysticism. She spent her early career working with at-risk youth, mental health, and hospice care while deepening her studies in Daoist Mysticism, Buddhist Psychology, and Womb Wisdom.

Marya has independently released nine albums and is a member of Starling Arrow. Her work has received airplay on NPR and has received critical acclaim, described as "a superbly crafted musical adventure for these troubled times." Beyond the studio, she creates multimedia stage productions, ceremonial films, and large-scale participatory art.

As the founder of Temple of the Muse, Marya mentors students in voice cultivation, songwriting as soul craft, and creative alchemy. 

A chaser of waterfalls, a lover of wonder, a receiver of songs between worlds. She is a lover of ladybugs and is a huge fan of the Parade Of Flamingos from BBC's Planet Earth II.

Marya Stark is an award-winning vocalist, music producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. She is a bard, storyteller, and poet. Her body of work is steeped in the transformational arts of music therapy, mythical folklore, energetic alchemy, and womb empowerment.

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