Esalen is a lot of things — different and personal to each human who explores here. We are so much more complex than the largely untrue yet delicious rumors and misconceptions that dance around. Maybe it’s easier to offer what Esalen isn’t? We’re not a spa getaway or a hippie wellness center. We are a holistic retreat and educational institute that has evolved into and out of a spectacularly curious journey.
Recently, during a Zoom meeting for staff and board members alike, we discussed the Center for Theory & Research — an incubator that asks the biggest questions around bodily existence and the soul, that wonders beyond what academic or religious institutions are comfortable thinking — and the plans to produce public CTR programming. We also got a glimpse into the work of Track II — the back-channel peacemaking arm that cracked the Cold War ice to open dialogue and inspired the term “hot tub diplomacy.” It is work that is just as geopolitically relevant now as it was in 1989.
Looking ahead, our goal is to integrate these incredible facets of Esalen to make them more approachable and interactive on campus. After all, what we dream up, research, question, and answer all connect through the pursuit of our greatest potential. Share with us: What do you know about these programs? What would you like to know more about?
What can be said about Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy that hasn’t already been said? So much. To spend time with Michael is to witness a truly iterative human, an intrinsic seeker, and a man of insurmountable curiosity. September 3 marked Michael’s 92nd birthday, and as we all know, age is “just a number” when it comes to this remarkable man.
“We all have untapped potential to explore,” Michael shared back in July while attending the Superhumanism CTR conference on campus. “We all have the capacity to grow and transform. I, for one, have set the intention to step outside of my comfort zone, the box we put ourselves in, so that I am not confined by our past.”
To infinity and beyond, Michael! We look forward to enjoying your vision for the next sixty years of Esalen.
Akuyoe Graham first journeyed to Big Sur in pursuit of personal transformation and growth solo, then with her mother, and finally with an inspiring group of system-impacted teens from Los Angeles. That last time, for an initiative she collaborated on with Programs Director Emerita Nancy Lunney Wheeler, was how they helped cultivate some collective healing.
Voices of Esalen’s Sam Stern shares his own tale of improvement and awakening, starting with the mind-blowing Esalen history that predates his arrival and the life, purpose, and family he has built around this institution’s ethos. “A robust community spirit was apparent at Esalen, evinced by bongo drums and boogie on the back deck. Gabrielle Roth was perfecting her 5 Rhythms method, a mode of transformative dance process tinged with shamanism and trance.”
If a weekend or a week workshop isn’t enough, imagine if you could stay longer and press pause on your everyday life. Dedicate four weeks to explore yourself and start the journey of personal transformation in one of our Live Extended Education Programs. If you’re ready to take the LEEP, we’re accepting applications for these exciting programs.
Integrative Gestalt Coaching, October 22 – November 18, 2022 with Perry Holloman
Vibrance™ Breathwork and Pranayama for Physical and Metaphysical Expansion, November 19 – December 16, 2022 with Ellen Watson
Sign up to get notifications about new workshops
We publish an update of new workshops every few weeks. Be the first to know and sign up! Our workshops fill up and sell out quickly.
Before coming to Esalen, Sam Nichilo was living that all-too-familiar corporate rat race and quickly approaching burnout in New York City, just surviving within the concrete jungle: “I was just desperately trying to figure out my next move.”
“I came back into myself again.” LaVerne remembers how she processed her traumas, transformed through dance, and giggled all through some coed naked volleyball back in the Esalen of the 1970s.
Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, teachers of this fall’s The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, share their deep desires to “speak the language of music” and “be resiliently playful.” The pair even reveal how they’d like to reincarnate as “a blue whale” and “mountains,” respectively, and so much more.
As the weather cools and the kids settle back into in-person classes, September 15 marks National Hispanic American Heritage Month. To celebrate this confluence, we’re recommending some fantastic authors to enjoy with the clever teens and young adults in your life.
Before coming to Esalen, Sam Nichilo was living that all-too-familiar corporate rat race and quickly approaching burnout in New York City, just surviving within the concrete jungle: “I was just desperately trying to figure out my next move.”
“I came back into myself again.” LaVerne remembers how she processed her traumas, transformed through dance, and giggled all through some coed naked volleyball back in the Esalen of the 1970s.
Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, teachers of this fall’s The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, share their deep desires to “speak the language of music” and “be resiliently playful.” The pair even reveal how they’d like to reincarnate as “a blue whale” and “mountains,” respectively, and so much more.
As the weather cools and the kids settle back into in-person classes, September 15 marks National Hispanic American Heritage Month. To celebrate this confluence, we’re recommending some fantastic authors to enjoy with the clever teens and young adults in your life.
Before coming to Esalen, Sam Nichilo was living that all-too-familiar corporate rat race and quickly approaching burnout in New York City, just surviving within the concrete jungle: “I was just desperately trying to figure out my next move.”
“I came back into myself again.” LaVerne remembers how she processed her traumas, transformed through dance, and giggled all through some coed naked volleyball back in the Esalen of the 1970s.
Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, teachers of this fall’s The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, share their deep desires to “speak the language of music” and “be resiliently playful.” The pair even reveal how they’d like to reincarnate as “a blue whale” and “mountains,” respectively, and so much more.
As the weather cools and the kids settle back into in-person classes, September 15 marks National Hispanic American Heritage Month. To celebrate this confluence, we’re recommending some fantastic authors to enjoy with the clever teens and young adults in your life.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
