“This is where the three waters meet.” You might have heard those words spoken as you stood along the creek and watched the cascading water from the mountains flow down to the ocean. But what does it actually mean for the land? For the people who pass through and breathe in the air, snap a photo or video to post to Instagram? Rather than a cool passing moment, this is in fact a sacred and rare convergence of mineral, sea, and fresh waters — with the fresh part providing our daily drinking water thanks to Esalen’s innovative in-house water system.
The famed hot springs, geothermally heated groundwater, are used at the baths for healing and rejuvenating, while the mighty ocean beneath us awes and inspires. However, it’s the mountain stream that nourishes our staff and visitors every day on campus through Esalen’s ingenious environmentally-sound H2O system. “We’re just grabbing it as it’s on its way to the sea,” says maintenance specialist Bryan Scott, who manages our supply while helping to guide the institute to water self-sufficiency.
To demystify the process, Bryan explains a little about how we process water here on campus.
“The watershed that feeds our artesian wells is amazingly pristine and the water quality is top-notch,” he says. “Basically, we have access to around 30,000 gallons of amazing water every day, guilt-free since we’re not taking it from anyone else who might need it. If we didn’t gather the water and store it in our tanks, it would just flow into the stream and make its way to the ocean.”
With access to clean water becoming increasingly scarce globally, building and maintaining a water system of this kind is exciting. Tucked into the mountainside, it provides for 13,000+ people annually — an incredible feat.
“We gather the water from spring boxes and average about 20 gallons per minute throughout the year, and we have about 90,000 gallons of water storage,” says Bryan. When demand is low, the storage units — 15-thousand gallon redwood tanks located within the hill across the highway and up into the canyon — fill in preparation for times of need. The tanks are located up the mountain at an elevation sufficient to provide great water pressure to all of Esalen’s main property. What does that mean in practical terms? Not only do we not need to pump the water from the outside, but we also are not reliant on water pumps to maintain pressure and distribution.
Bryan started working on the water system years ago, taking over the previous, less reliable “automatic” system. He has dedicated himself to managing this natural resource through methods that work with the power of the land — which is how he improved the temperature of the baths over 15 years ago.
Around 2007, the flow rate of the geo springs had fallen to approximately half compared to the year the wells were drilled. “The baths would not have hot water available for three minutes out of every five,” Bryan remembers precisely. After watching outside contractors struggle with solutions for months, he installed a simple monitoring device to track water diverted to the sea.
“We were basically dumping around 25 thousand gallons of unused hot water every day,” he says. With the help of Special Projects Manager Bruce Christiansen, Bryan installed a 2,500-gallon storage tank and Esalen’s first PLC to track water usage at the baths. The system was altered to only run pumps when needed, letting the levels in the geo aquifer build up. As a result, today’s downtime is almost non-existent. “We only remove the water from the aquifer that we need and the pump only runs when needed,” says Bryan.
That type of resource management and data analysis marks all of Bryan’s plans. “We have complete knowledge of how the system works and why. Any new need or feature that we’re interested in can be programmed in hours instead of days or months. This lets the system grow and get better over time.” His perspective has resulted in a more stable and high-functioning network, but he isn’t finished yet.
“I have many more modifications planned,” Bryan says. “Part of this design is to standardize a programmable logic control unit that will work for the main pool, the baths, the lift station below the baths, and the living machine.” That technology will provide a feedback loop that lets the water system adjust itself to maintain levels and chlorine exactly where we want them.
There’s also been a recent upgrade that allows the system to reach out via email as problems arise. Bryan created web pages that let bath attendants track their geo water storage tank and help the farm and garden monitor the amount of water they use.
Maximizing a limited resource is an incredible example of innovation. “The systems are much more energy efficient as they are being computer controlled and only work as hard as they need,” Bryan says. “All of this is made possible through the use of technology.”
And for a spiritual perspective on Esalen as "the land of the three waters," check out this video with Mac Murphy.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Photo: James Lemke
Join Mac Murphy and Ellen Watson May 7–12, 2023 for Transpersonal Breathwork Practices: Holotropic Breathwork®, Qigong, and Complementary Breathwork Katas.
“This is where the three waters meet.” You might have heard those words spoken as you stood along the creek and watched the cascading water from the mountains flow down to the ocean. But what does it actually mean for the land? For the people who pass through and breathe in the air, snap a photo or video to post to Instagram? Rather than a cool passing moment, this is in fact a sacred and rare convergence of mineral, sea, and fresh waters — with the fresh part providing our daily drinking water thanks to Esalen’s innovative in-house water system.
The famed hot springs, geothermally heated groundwater, are used at the baths for healing and rejuvenating, while the mighty ocean beneath us awes and inspires. However, it’s the mountain stream that nourishes our staff and visitors every day on campus through Esalen’s ingenious environmentally-sound H2O system. “We’re just grabbing it as it’s on its way to the sea,” says maintenance specialist Bryan Scott, who manages our supply while helping to guide the institute to water self-sufficiency.
To demystify the process, Bryan explains a little about how we process water here on campus.
“The watershed that feeds our artesian wells is amazingly pristine and the water quality is top-notch,” he says. “Basically, we have access to around 30,000 gallons of amazing water every day, guilt-free since we’re not taking it from anyone else who might need it. If we didn’t gather the water and store it in our tanks, it would just flow into the stream and make its way to the ocean.”
With access to clean water becoming increasingly scarce globally, building and maintaining a water system of this kind is exciting. Tucked into the mountainside, it provides for 13,000+ people annually — an incredible feat.
“We gather the water from spring boxes and average about 20 gallons per minute throughout the year, and we have about 90,000 gallons of water storage,” says Bryan. When demand is low, the storage units — 15-thousand gallon redwood tanks located within the hill across the highway and up into the canyon — fill in preparation for times of need. The tanks are located up the mountain at an elevation sufficient to provide great water pressure to all of Esalen’s main property. What does that mean in practical terms? Not only do we not need to pump the water from the outside, but we also are not reliant on water pumps to maintain pressure and distribution.
Bryan started working on the water system years ago, taking over the previous, less reliable “automatic” system. He has dedicated himself to managing this natural resource through methods that work with the power of the land — which is how he improved the temperature of the baths over 15 years ago.
Around 2007, the flow rate of the geo springs had fallen to approximately half compared to the year the wells were drilled. “The baths would not have hot water available for three minutes out of every five,” Bryan remembers precisely. After watching outside contractors struggle with solutions for months, he installed a simple monitoring device to track water diverted to the sea.
“We were basically dumping around 25 thousand gallons of unused hot water every day,” he says. With the help of Special Projects Manager Bruce Christiansen, Bryan installed a 2,500-gallon storage tank and Esalen’s first PLC to track water usage at the baths. The system was altered to only run pumps when needed, letting the levels in the geo aquifer build up. As a result, today’s downtime is almost non-existent. “We only remove the water from the aquifer that we need and the pump only runs when needed,” says Bryan.
That type of resource management and data analysis marks all of Bryan’s plans. “We have complete knowledge of how the system works and why. Any new need or feature that we’re interested in can be programmed in hours instead of days or months. This lets the system grow and get better over time.” His perspective has resulted in a more stable and high-functioning network, but he isn’t finished yet.
“I have many more modifications planned,” Bryan says. “Part of this design is to standardize a programmable logic control unit that will work for the main pool, the baths, the lift station below the baths, and the living machine.” That technology will provide a feedback loop that lets the water system adjust itself to maintain levels and chlorine exactly where we want them.
There’s also been a recent upgrade that allows the system to reach out via email as problems arise. Bryan created web pages that let bath attendants track their geo water storage tank and help the farm and garden monitor the amount of water they use.
Maximizing a limited resource is an incredible example of innovation. “The systems are much more energy efficient as they are being computer controlled and only work as hard as they need,” Bryan says. “All of this is made possible through the use of technology.”
And for a spiritual perspective on Esalen as "the land of the three waters," check out this video with Mac Murphy.
Photo: James Lemke
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Join Mac Murphy and Ellen Watson May 7–12, 2023 for Transpersonal Breathwork Practices: Holotropic Breathwork®, Qigong, and Complementary Breathwork Katas.
“This is where the three waters meet.” You might have heard those words spoken as you stood along the creek and watched the cascading water from the mountains flow down to the ocean. But what does it actually mean for the land? For the people who pass through and breathe in the air, snap a photo or video to post to Instagram? Rather than a cool passing moment, this is in fact a sacred and rare convergence of mineral, sea, and fresh waters — with the fresh part providing our daily drinking water thanks to Esalen’s innovative in-house water system.
The famed hot springs, geothermally heated groundwater, are used at the baths for healing and rejuvenating, while the mighty ocean beneath us awes and inspires. However, it’s the mountain stream that nourishes our staff and visitors every day on campus through Esalen’s ingenious environmentally-sound H2O system. “We’re just grabbing it as it’s on its way to the sea,” says maintenance specialist Bryan Scott, who manages our supply while helping to guide the institute to water self-sufficiency.
To demystify the process, Bryan explains a little about how we process water here on campus.
“The watershed that feeds our artesian wells is amazingly pristine and the water quality is top-notch,” he says. “Basically, we have access to around 30,000 gallons of amazing water every day, guilt-free since we’re not taking it from anyone else who might need it. If we didn’t gather the water and store it in our tanks, it would just flow into the stream and make its way to the ocean.”
With access to clean water becoming increasingly scarce globally, building and maintaining a water system of this kind is exciting. Tucked into the mountainside, it provides for 13,000+ people annually — an incredible feat.
“We gather the water from spring boxes and average about 20 gallons per minute throughout the year, and we have about 90,000 gallons of water storage,” says Bryan. When demand is low, the storage units — 15-thousand gallon redwood tanks located within the hill across the highway and up into the canyon — fill in preparation for times of need. The tanks are located up the mountain at an elevation sufficient to provide great water pressure to all of Esalen’s main property. What does that mean in practical terms? Not only do we not need to pump the water from the outside, but we also are not reliant on water pumps to maintain pressure and distribution.
Bryan started working on the water system years ago, taking over the previous, less reliable “automatic” system. He has dedicated himself to managing this natural resource through methods that work with the power of the land — which is how he improved the temperature of the baths over 15 years ago.
Around 2007, the flow rate of the geo springs had fallen to approximately half compared to the year the wells were drilled. “The baths would not have hot water available for three minutes out of every five,” Bryan remembers precisely. After watching outside contractors struggle with solutions for months, he installed a simple monitoring device to track water diverted to the sea.
“We were basically dumping around 25 thousand gallons of unused hot water every day,” he says. With the help of Special Projects Manager Bruce Christiansen, Bryan installed a 2,500-gallon storage tank and Esalen’s first PLC to track water usage at the baths. The system was altered to only run pumps when needed, letting the levels in the geo aquifer build up. As a result, today’s downtime is almost non-existent. “We only remove the water from the aquifer that we need and the pump only runs when needed,” says Bryan.
That type of resource management and data analysis marks all of Bryan’s plans. “We have complete knowledge of how the system works and why. Any new need or feature that we’re interested in can be programmed in hours instead of days or months. This lets the system grow and get better over time.” His perspective has resulted in a more stable and high-functioning network, but he isn’t finished yet.
“I have many more modifications planned,” Bryan says. “Part of this design is to standardize a programmable logic control unit that will work for the main pool, the baths, the lift station below the baths, and the living machine.” That technology will provide a feedback loop that lets the water system adjust itself to maintain levels and chlorine exactly where we want them.
There’s also been a recent upgrade that allows the system to reach out via email as problems arise. Bryan created web pages that let bath attendants track their geo water storage tank and help the farm and garden monitor the amount of water they use.
Maximizing a limited resource is an incredible example of innovation. “The systems are much more energy efficient as they are being computer controlled and only work as hard as they need,” Bryan says. “All of this is made possible through the use of technology.”
And for a spiritual perspective on Esalen as "the land of the three waters," check out this video with Mac Murphy.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Join Mac Murphy and Ellen Watson May 7–12, 2023 for Transpersonal Breathwork Practices: Holotropic Breathwork®, Qigong, and Complementary Breathwork Katas.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org