As the year closes and we take some time to consider everything that has passed, we also imagine what can come next — all there is to learn, to understand, and to become. Paths to be taken; choices to be made. We cannot alter what has passed, but we can decide what will be in the next great stage of life. To offer guidance, new passions, and hopes, we’re turning to new works from six brilliant Esalen workshop leaders, each with a different gift to share.
by Alejandro Chaoul
This book captures the hidden tradition of ancient Tibetan yoga of the Bön religion, Trul khor, and Dr. Alejandro Chaoul (who has studied Tibetan traditions since 1989 and for nearly 30 years in the Bön Tradition with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche) is your instructor. With this title, Alejandro lets his decades of expertise flow into clear, accessible teachings to help readers integrate body, breath, and mind for personal cultivation and enlightenment. In the words of Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change, “This book sets forth a clear path to aid in your journey toward wholeness.”
by Ken Dychtwald
A psychologist, a gerontologist, and the author of many, many books, Dr. Ken Dychtwald offers a call-to-action memoir that grapples with his extraordinary “first seventy years” (including five decades exploring human potential and longevity). With Radical Curiosity, the founder and CEO of Age Wave shares values and life lessons along with tales of great thinkers, colorful characters, and counterculture icons. Early on, a teen Ken notices that all the author bios of his favorite mind-blowing books point him toward California — “specifically, the Esalen Institute perched atop the mysterious cliffs of Big Sur” — and thus begins his extraordinary journey. Called a “modern-day Siddhartha story” by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy, this is a must-read for anyone interested in Esalen’s early days or this storyteller’s memorable times with the likes of John Lilly, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, and many more.
edited by Sravana Borkataky-Varma
An examination of religious folkways across cultures through a multitude of disciplines. This collection, which embraces “the non-elite and non-sanctioned,” is split into five sections: “What Is Folk Religion?,” “Spirit Beings and Deities,” “Performance and Ritual Praxis,” “Possession and Exorcism,” and “Health, Healing, and Lifestyle.” The concept first came to Sravana Borkataky-Varma in 2019 during her fieldwork at the Balaji temple, a healing center in Mehandipur, Rajasthan. With this volume, the historian, who focuses on esoteric rituals and gender and is currently a Center for the Study of World Religions fellow at Harvard Divinity School, and her co-editor Aaron Michael Ullrey aim “to include more religions, religious content, and religious actors living in the world today than are found in World Religions textbooks.”
by Chandra Easton
A Dharma teacher, author, chantress, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, Chandra Easton has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga around the world. With Embodying Tara, she guides her readers to manifest the Buddhist goddess of compassion and invites Tara’s awakened energy within. Chandra mixes relatable stories from Buddhist history and her own personal insights with meditations, mantra recitations, and journal exercises to help uncover the twenty-one manifestations of the sacred feminine. She also invokes Tara in heroic modern-day figures — Jane Goodall, Nawal El Saadawi, Oprah Winfrey, and more — for some contemporary context and to inspire creativity and social consciousness. From the foreword by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche: “Connecting to Mother Tara is one of the most powerful ways to bring peace and harmony to individuals and the world.” Pre-order your copy now before its December 12 release date.
by Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski
This new title by transformational speaker, recording artist, and best-selling author Justin Michael Williams (Stay Woke) and renowned mindfulness teacher and Pandemic of Love founder Shelly Tygielski (Sit Down to Rise Up) offers real possibilities for ending racial injustice, with an approximate delivery date somewhere around 2050. Considering the massive societal changes that can occur within a single generation, Justin and Shelly refuse to accept the idea that racism is something insurmountable or eternal. With eight pillars of possibility, they lay out the starting blocks and conditions needed for a profound paradigm shift to a post-racism world by leaning into a collective vision, by agreeing on truth, by learning about, offering, and asking for forgiveness, and much more. With this clear, inspiring message, the authors not only provide a vision of a better tomorrow but a roadmap for getting there.
by Marisa Radha Weppner
For those who wish to start their yoga practice at home, Marisa Radha Weppner, an Esalen faculty member, mother, author, DJ, teacher, minister, psychedelic therapist, community organizer, life coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur who has dedicated her life to the study of yoga, has a step-by-step beginner’s program perfect for anyone — especially you. You can begin this 27-day program right in your own living room. Simply place the book next to your mat and proceed at your own pace. With easy-to-follow guidance, beautiful photography, and access to online videos, this manual is an opportunity to discover a new path in less time than the shortest month.
“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?
As the year closes and we take some time to consider everything that has passed, we also imagine what can come next — all there is to learn, to understand, and to become. Paths to be taken; choices to be made. We cannot alter what has passed, but we can decide what will be in the next great stage of life. To offer guidance, new passions, and hopes, we’re turning to new works from six brilliant Esalen workshop leaders, each with a different gift to share.
by Alejandro Chaoul
This book captures the hidden tradition of ancient Tibetan yoga of the Bön religion, Trul khor, and Dr. Alejandro Chaoul (who has studied Tibetan traditions since 1989 and for nearly 30 years in the Bön Tradition with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche) is your instructor. With this title, Alejandro lets his decades of expertise flow into clear, accessible teachings to help readers integrate body, breath, and mind for personal cultivation and enlightenment. In the words of Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change, “This book sets forth a clear path to aid in your journey toward wholeness.”
by Ken Dychtwald
A psychologist, a gerontologist, and the author of many, many books, Dr. Ken Dychtwald offers a call-to-action memoir that grapples with his extraordinary “first seventy years” (including five decades exploring human potential and longevity). With Radical Curiosity, the founder and CEO of Age Wave shares values and life lessons along with tales of great thinkers, colorful characters, and counterculture icons. Early on, a teen Ken notices that all the author bios of his favorite mind-blowing books point him toward California — “specifically, the Esalen Institute perched atop the mysterious cliffs of Big Sur” — and thus begins his extraordinary journey. Called a “modern-day Siddhartha story” by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy, this is a must-read for anyone interested in Esalen’s early days or this storyteller’s memorable times with the likes of John Lilly, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, and many more.
edited by Sravana Borkataky-Varma
An examination of religious folkways across cultures through a multitude of disciplines. This collection, which embraces “the non-elite and non-sanctioned,” is split into five sections: “What Is Folk Religion?,” “Spirit Beings and Deities,” “Performance and Ritual Praxis,” “Possession and Exorcism,” and “Health, Healing, and Lifestyle.” The concept first came to Sravana Borkataky-Varma in 2019 during her fieldwork at the Balaji temple, a healing center in Mehandipur, Rajasthan. With this volume, the historian, who focuses on esoteric rituals and gender and is currently a Center for the Study of World Religions fellow at Harvard Divinity School, and her co-editor Aaron Michael Ullrey aim “to include more religions, religious content, and religious actors living in the world today than are found in World Religions textbooks.”
by Chandra Easton
A Dharma teacher, author, chantress, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, Chandra Easton has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga around the world. With Embodying Tara, she guides her readers to manifest the Buddhist goddess of compassion and invites Tara’s awakened energy within. Chandra mixes relatable stories from Buddhist history and her own personal insights with meditations, mantra recitations, and journal exercises to help uncover the twenty-one manifestations of the sacred feminine. She also invokes Tara in heroic modern-day figures — Jane Goodall, Nawal El Saadawi, Oprah Winfrey, and more — for some contemporary context and to inspire creativity and social consciousness. From the foreword by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche: “Connecting to Mother Tara is one of the most powerful ways to bring peace and harmony to individuals and the world.” Pre-order your copy now before its December 12 release date.
by Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski
This new title by transformational speaker, recording artist, and best-selling author Justin Michael Williams (Stay Woke) and renowned mindfulness teacher and Pandemic of Love founder Shelly Tygielski (Sit Down to Rise Up) offers real possibilities for ending racial injustice, with an approximate delivery date somewhere around 2050. Considering the massive societal changes that can occur within a single generation, Justin and Shelly refuse to accept the idea that racism is something insurmountable or eternal. With eight pillars of possibility, they lay out the starting blocks and conditions needed for a profound paradigm shift to a post-racism world by leaning into a collective vision, by agreeing on truth, by learning about, offering, and asking for forgiveness, and much more. With this clear, inspiring message, the authors not only provide a vision of a better tomorrow but a roadmap for getting there.
by Marisa Radha Weppner
For those who wish to start their yoga practice at home, Marisa Radha Weppner, an Esalen faculty member, mother, author, DJ, teacher, minister, psychedelic therapist, community organizer, life coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur who has dedicated her life to the study of yoga, has a step-by-step beginner’s program perfect for anyone — especially you. You can begin this 27-day program right in your own living room. Simply place the book next to your mat and proceed at your own pace. With easy-to-follow guidance, beautiful photography, and access to online videos, this manual is an opportunity to discover a new path in less time than the shortest month.
“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?
As the year closes and we take some time to consider everything that has passed, we also imagine what can come next — all there is to learn, to understand, and to become. Paths to be taken; choices to be made. We cannot alter what has passed, but we can decide what will be in the next great stage of life. To offer guidance, new passions, and hopes, we’re turning to new works from six brilliant Esalen workshop leaders, each with a different gift to share.
by Alejandro Chaoul
This book captures the hidden tradition of ancient Tibetan yoga of the Bön religion, Trul khor, and Dr. Alejandro Chaoul (who has studied Tibetan traditions since 1989 and for nearly 30 years in the Bön Tradition with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche) is your instructor. With this title, Alejandro lets his decades of expertise flow into clear, accessible teachings to help readers integrate body, breath, and mind for personal cultivation and enlightenment. In the words of Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change, “This book sets forth a clear path to aid in your journey toward wholeness.”
by Ken Dychtwald
A psychologist, a gerontologist, and the author of many, many books, Dr. Ken Dychtwald offers a call-to-action memoir that grapples with his extraordinary “first seventy years” (including five decades exploring human potential and longevity). With Radical Curiosity, the founder and CEO of Age Wave shares values and life lessons along with tales of great thinkers, colorful characters, and counterculture icons. Early on, a teen Ken notices that all the author bios of his favorite mind-blowing books point him toward California — “specifically, the Esalen Institute perched atop the mysterious cliffs of Big Sur” — and thus begins his extraordinary journey. Called a “modern-day Siddhartha story” by Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy, this is a must-read for anyone interested in Esalen’s early days or this storyteller’s memorable times with the likes of John Lilly, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, and many more.
edited by Sravana Borkataky-Varma
An examination of religious folkways across cultures through a multitude of disciplines. This collection, which embraces “the non-elite and non-sanctioned,” is split into five sections: “What Is Folk Religion?,” “Spirit Beings and Deities,” “Performance and Ritual Praxis,” “Possession and Exorcism,” and “Health, Healing, and Lifestyle.” The concept first came to Sravana Borkataky-Varma in 2019 during her fieldwork at the Balaji temple, a healing center in Mehandipur, Rajasthan. With this volume, the historian, who focuses on esoteric rituals and gender and is currently a Center for the Study of World Religions fellow at Harvard Divinity School, and her co-editor Aaron Michael Ullrey aim “to include more religions, religious content, and religious actors living in the world today than are found in World Religions textbooks.”
by Chandra Easton
A Dharma teacher, author, chantress, and translator of Tibetan Buddhist texts, Chandra Easton has taught Buddhism and Hatha Yoga around the world. With Embodying Tara, she guides her readers to manifest the Buddhist goddess of compassion and invites Tara’s awakened energy within. Chandra mixes relatable stories from Buddhist history and her own personal insights with meditations, mantra recitations, and journal exercises to help uncover the twenty-one manifestations of the sacred feminine. She also invokes Tara in heroic modern-day figures — Jane Goodall, Nawal El Saadawi, Oprah Winfrey, and more — for some contemporary context and to inspire creativity and social consciousness. From the foreword by Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche: “Connecting to Mother Tara is one of the most powerful ways to bring peace and harmony to individuals and the world.” Pre-order your copy now before its December 12 release date.
by Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski
This new title by transformational speaker, recording artist, and best-selling author Justin Michael Williams (Stay Woke) and renowned mindfulness teacher and Pandemic of Love founder Shelly Tygielski (Sit Down to Rise Up) offers real possibilities for ending racial injustice, with an approximate delivery date somewhere around 2050. Considering the massive societal changes that can occur within a single generation, Justin and Shelly refuse to accept the idea that racism is something insurmountable or eternal. With eight pillars of possibility, they lay out the starting blocks and conditions needed for a profound paradigm shift to a post-racism world by leaning into a collective vision, by agreeing on truth, by learning about, offering, and asking for forgiveness, and much more. With this clear, inspiring message, the authors not only provide a vision of a better tomorrow but a roadmap for getting there.
by Marisa Radha Weppner
For those who wish to start their yoga practice at home, Marisa Radha Weppner, an Esalen faculty member, mother, author, DJ, teacher, minister, psychedelic therapist, community organizer, life coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur who has dedicated her life to the study of yoga, has a step-by-step beginner’s program perfect for anyone — especially you. You can begin this 27-day program right in your own living room. Simply place the book next to your mat and proceed at your own pace. With easy-to-follow guidance, beautiful photography, and access to online videos, this manual is an opportunity to discover a new path in less time than the shortest month.
“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?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
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