If you’ve visited Esalen in the last twenty years, chances are you’ve met JJ, Esalen Renaissance man of many hats, including orientation presenter, self-guided experience guide, massage therapist, alternative services provider, elder, mentor, and coach. “More roles than a baker,” he admits proudly. Currently, JJ leads sensory awareness meditations and ecstatic movement on our open class schedule. If you join the Live Extended Education Program (LEEP), you can experience JJ as he facilitates groups and provides private ‘embodied inquiry’ sessions (his term for a multi-disciplinary approach) as LEEP’s group facilitator, musician, and court jester. (His words, not ours!)
JJ describes his pre-Esalen self as a “clueless yokel from Indiana” — the middle child of six boys, “born poor, perpetually confused, raised on corn and really bad TV.” Until he hit his stride at 22, “when I joined the privileged ranks of bartenders and ne’er do wells and never looked back.”
“It was a calling of sorts that afforded me the use of previously questionable talents — humor, irreverence and obsequious behavior to thrive in a world gone crazy. It also provided just enough income to save me from becoming a respectable citizen,” JJ says. “I did this for 25 years and had more fun and adventures than ever dreamed of” — until he arrived at Esalen in 2002, and his real adventure began.
“I was at Harbin Hot Springs and heard about an old hot spring called ‘Esalen’ somewhere in California. I found out the only way to enjoy a bath there was to come at 1 AM — no way! — or do a workshop.” Ultimately, JJ joined the work scholar program. “Twenty-eight days in a cramped room with three other humans working in laundry with meals, housing, and classes included. Skeptical but excited, I arrived at the gate and the sheer beauty of the place slammed in between my shoulder blades and knocked the ignorance right out of me,” he remembers.
After taking Gestalt, some somatic experiences, and “about a hundred other classes,” JJ had what he calls “an uncharacteristic departure from ignorance,” an epiphany many have while at Esalen: “I discovered I could change who I was! This, I did not believe was possible, which helped explain my many failed relationships.”
“I started as an Esalen Office supervisor, which was like being a bartender. I was just dispensing a different kind of spirit! This enabled me to learn how to meet and mitigate disappointment, anger, and conflict. [From the workshops] Gestalt was the most influential work, coupled with sensory awareness, Hakomi, massage, dance, and energy work, to name just a few. Awareness, awareness, awareness!”
Eventually, I was asked to lead meditation, which I crafted to include music, sensory awareness, and the chakras. Then, when asked to do a dance, I chose to delve into my studies of early childhood development, attachment theory and many other somatic arenas as vehicles to transform dance into a format that put these theories into practice. The intention was "how do we connect without words and how do we discover our deepest desires by taking risks and being vulnerable together.” Letting the body and experiences be our pathways to joy.
JJ combines the breadth of his knowledge, skills and experience as a co-lead for EDGE (Esalen Deep Growth Experience), where he and other resident faculty members guide individual and group experiences that help people find the tools and the awareness to discover their paths to joy, transformation, and human potential. “I have grouped all these practices under one name: ‘Pathways to Joy,’ for that is my intention,” he explains. “Using any means and pathways possible to approach our potential. There isn’t just one path.”
Consider JJ’s wise words on the spirit of Esalen and perhaps the secret to him clocking in two decades and counting as a resident staff Esalenite: “I managed to be with the ever-changing and endless march of new people because there are unspoken agreements here. A culture that accepts risk, vulnerability, and change to grow and to learn how to live and thrive together with what is. Especially when ‘what is’ isn’t easy.”
“It’s a culture of the creative and curious, and I am really inspired by people embracing this intention. The huge amount of energy generated by the community affords me the capacity to keep my tank full, flowing in as well as out in a balanced way. Inviting joy, awe, and magic with continuous awareness enables me to experience moments as timeless.”
“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?
To experience JJ firsthand here at Esalen, sign up for the month-long LEEP or EDGE programs.
If you’ve visited Esalen in the last twenty years, chances are you’ve met JJ, Esalen Renaissance man of many hats, including orientation presenter, self-guided experience guide, massage therapist, alternative services provider, elder, mentor, and coach. “More roles than a baker,” he admits proudly. Currently, JJ leads sensory awareness meditations and ecstatic movement on our open class schedule. If you join the Live Extended Education Program (LEEP), you can experience JJ as he facilitates groups and provides private ‘embodied inquiry’ sessions (his term for a multi-disciplinary approach) as LEEP’s group facilitator, musician, and court jester. (His words, not ours!)
JJ describes his pre-Esalen self as a “clueless yokel from Indiana” — the middle child of six boys, “born poor, perpetually confused, raised on corn and really bad TV.” Until he hit his stride at 22, “when I joined the privileged ranks of bartenders and ne’er do wells and never looked back.”
“It was a calling of sorts that afforded me the use of previously questionable talents — humor, irreverence and obsequious behavior to thrive in a world gone crazy. It also provided just enough income to save me from becoming a respectable citizen,” JJ says. “I did this for 25 years and had more fun and adventures than ever dreamed of” — until he arrived at Esalen in 2002, and his real adventure began.
“I was at Harbin Hot Springs and heard about an old hot spring called ‘Esalen’ somewhere in California. I found out the only way to enjoy a bath there was to come at 1 AM — no way! — or do a workshop.” Ultimately, JJ joined the work scholar program. “Twenty-eight days in a cramped room with three other humans working in laundry with meals, housing, and classes included. Skeptical but excited, I arrived at the gate and the sheer beauty of the place slammed in between my shoulder blades and knocked the ignorance right out of me,” he remembers.
After taking Gestalt, some somatic experiences, and “about a hundred other classes,” JJ had what he calls “an uncharacteristic departure from ignorance,” an epiphany many have while at Esalen: “I discovered I could change who I was! This, I did not believe was possible, which helped explain my many failed relationships.”
“I started as an Esalen Office supervisor, which was like being a bartender. I was just dispensing a different kind of spirit! This enabled me to learn how to meet and mitigate disappointment, anger, and conflict. [From the workshops] Gestalt was the most influential work, coupled with sensory awareness, Hakomi, massage, dance, and energy work, to name just a few. Awareness, awareness, awareness!”
Eventually, I was asked to lead meditation, which I crafted to include music, sensory awareness, and the chakras. Then, when asked to do a dance, I chose to delve into my studies of early childhood development, attachment theory and many other somatic arenas as vehicles to transform dance into a format that put these theories into practice. The intention was "how do we connect without words and how do we discover our deepest desires by taking risks and being vulnerable together.” Letting the body and experiences be our pathways to joy.
JJ combines the breadth of his knowledge, skills and experience as a co-lead for EDGE (Esalen Deep Growth Experience), where he and other resident faculty members guide individual and group experiences that help people find the tools and the awareness to discover their paths to joy, transformation, and human potential. “I have grouped all these practices under one name: ‘Pathways to Joy,’ for that is my intention,” he explains. “Using any means and pathways possible to approach our potential. There isn’t just one path.”
Consider JJ’s wise words on the spirit of Esalen and perhaps the secret to him clocking in two decades and counting as a resident staff Esalenite: “I managed to be with the ever-changing and endless march of new people because there are unspoken agreements here. A culture that accepts risk, vulnerability, and change to grow and to learn how to live and thrive together with what is. Especially when ‘what is’ isn’t easy.”
“It’s a culture of the creative and curious, and I am really inspired by people embracing this intention. The huge amount of energy generated by the community affords me the capacity to keep my tank full, flowing in as well as out in a balanced way. Inviting joy, awe, and magic with continuous awareness enables me to experience moments as timeless.”
“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?
To experience JJ firsthand here at Esalen, sign up for the month-long LEEP or EDGE programs.
If you’ve visited Esalen in the last twenty years, chances are you’ve met JJ, Esalen Renaissance man of many hats, including orientation presenter, self-guided experience guide, massage therapist, alternative services provider, elder, mentor, and coach. “More roles than a baker,” he admits proudly. Currently, JJ leads sensory awareness meditations and ecstatic movement on our open class schedule. If you join the Live Extended Education Program (LEEP), you can experience JJ as he facilitates groups and provides private ‘embodied inquiry’ sessions (his term for a multi-disciplinary approach) as LEEP’s group facilitator, musician, and court jester. (His words, not ours!)
JJ describes his pre-Esalen self as a “clueless yokel from Indiana” — the middle child of six boys, “born poor, perpetually confused, raised on corn and really bad TV.” Until he hit his stride at 22, “when I joined the privileged ranks of bartenders and ne’er do wells and never looked back.”
“It was a calling of sorts that afforded me the use of previously questionable talents — humor, irreverence and obsequious behavior to thrive in a world gone crazy. It also provided just enough income to save me from becoming a respectable citizen,” JJ says. “I did this for 25 years and had more fun and adventures than ever dreamed of” — until he arrived at Esalen in 2002, and his real adventure began.
“I was at Harbin Hot Springs and heard about an old hot spring called ‘Esalen’ somewhere in California. I found out the only way to enjoy a bath there was to come at 1 AM — no way! — or do a workshop.” Ultimately, JJ joined the work scholar program. “Twenty-eight days in a cramped room with three other humans working in laundry with meals, housing, and classes included. Skeptical but excited, I arrived at the gate and the sheer beauty of the place slammed in between my shoulder blades and knocked the ignorance right out of me,” he remembers.
After taking Gestalt, some somatic experiences, and “about a hundred other classes,” JJ had what he calls “an uncharacteristic departure from ignorance,” an epiphany many have while at Esalen: “I discovered I could change who I was! This, I did not believe was possible, which helped explain my many failed relationships.”
“I started as an Esalen Office supervisor, which was like being a bartender. I was just dispensing a different kind of spirit! This enabled me to learn how to meet and mitigate disappointment, anger, and conflict. [From the workshops] Gestalt was the most influential work, coupled with sensory awareness, Hakomi, massage, dance, and energy work, to name just a few. Awareness, awareness, awareness!”
Eventually, I was asked to lead meditation, which I crafted to include music, sensory awareness, and the chakras. Then, when asked to do a dance, I chose to delve into my studies of early childhood development, attachment theory and many other somatic arenas as vehicles to transform dance into a format that put these theories into practice. The intention was "how do we connect without words and how do we discover our deepest desires by taking risks and being vulnerable together.” Letting the body and experiences be our pathways to joy.
JJ combines the breadth of his knowledge, skills and experience as a co-lead for EDGE (Esalen Deep Growth Experience), where he and other resident faculty members guide individual and group experiences that help people find the tools and the awareness to discover their paths to joy, transformation, and human potential. “I have grouped all these practices under one name: ‘Pathways to Joy,’ for that is my intention,” he explains. “Using any means and pathways possible to approach our potential. There isn’t just one path.”
Consider JJ’s wise words on the spirit of Esalen and perhaps the secret to him clocking in two decades and counting as a resident staff Esalenite: “I managed to be with the ever-changing and endless march of new people because there are unspoken agreements here. A culture that accepts risk, vulnerability, and change to grow and to learn how to live and thrive together with what is. Especially when ‘what is’ isn’t easy.”
“It’s a culture of the creative and curious, and I am really inspired by people embracing this intention. The huge amount of energy generated by the community affords me the capacity to keep my tank full, flowing in as well as out in a balanced way. Inviting joy, awe, and magic with continuous awareness enables me to experience moments as timeless.”
“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?
To experience JJ firsthand here at Esalen, sign up for the month-long LEEP or EDGE programs.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
