Michael Murphy has written that Esalen was created to outgrow our “DNA,” our first structures and programs, and develop as the world around us develops. As our 2025 workshop calendar takes shape, and as we emerge from a necessary period of post-pandemic programmatic stabilization, we turn our gaze once again toward that which is edgy, experimental, unexplored, boundary-pushing, edge-cutting, and — my favorite — slightly disreputable.
We have long nurtured programming that bridges dualities: east and west, body and mind, science and humanities, often in novel ways. We want to continue these lines of exploration and keep honoring our lineages while also sensing into the next generation lineages establishing themselves now. We celebrate our popular offerings and also notice what is underrepresented in our catalog, such as explorations of eros and sexuality, LGBTQIA2S+ content, and offerings from BIPOC faculty.
We look forward to hosting workshops in the new year that are more expansive in their ontologies and epistemologies, intuiting the less explored realms of what is real and true and known, and playing in those proverbial sandboxes together.
In shaping the workshop calendar, we ask ourselves, what does the American countercultural movement look like in 2025? Who is midwifing that which our society is ready to birth? What topics and teachers does the human potential movement beckon in now? What alchemical experiments are underway, transforming and transmuting individuals, communities, societies, and beyond?
Many of the workshops that you know and love will continue. You will see some novel takes on existing themes and quite a few new faces. And, honoring the natural life cycle of a workshop concept, we are laying some workshops to rest with gratitude for what they have brought to the Esalen community.
We look forward to leaning more into academic offerings, not to fill workshops with more slides and data, lectures and critiques, but rather to make more accessible the rich intellectualism that is a hallmark of this place, especially those at the cutting edge of scientific empiricism and mystical thought. It’s not exactly that Esalen needs more academia, but academia does need more Esalen.
We are planning more programming that explores and fosters the latent supernature pressing to emerge in us, a pursuit of Esalen’s Center for Theory & Research (CTR) for many years. CTR is a private invitation-only exploration with conversations that the academic and scientific worlds have not felt safe openly engaging. These gatherings examine the extraordinary capacities that have been denied or repressed and appear to be reemerging — and even emerging, curiously, into more of the mainstream. Historically, CTR and public programming have occupied separate spaces at Esalen, and we’d like to bridge those spaces more in 2025.
So what can you expect from our digital catalog of offerings? Here are a few of our faculty newcomers scheduled for the first months of 2025, with more on the way:
We hope this whets your appetite for the new year, and stay tuned — more new and edgy workshops are in development. We invite you to join us in sensing into where you may feel called to stretch, take a risk, explore a new growth edge in 2025.
“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?
Receive email notifications and be among the first to know when these and more new workshops open for registration.
Frederica Helmiere is head of programming at Esalen.
Michael Murphy has written that Esalen was created to outgrow our “DNA,” our first structures and programs, and develop as the world around us develops. As our 2025 workshop calendar takes shape, and as we emerge from a necessary period of post-pandemic programmatic stabilization, we turn our gaze once again toward that which is edgy, experimental, unexplored, boundary-pushing, edge-cutting, and — my favorite — slightly disreputable.
We have long nurtured programming that bridges dualities: east and west, body and mind, science and humanities, often in novel ways. We want to continue these lines of exploration and keep honoring our lineages while also sensing into the next generation lineages establishing themselves now. We celebrate our popular offerings and also notice what is underrepresented in our catalog, such as explorations of eros and sexuality, LGBTQIA2S+ content, and offerings from BIPOC faculty.
We look forward to hosting workshops in the new year that are more expansive in their ontologies and epistemologies, intuiting the less explored realms of what is real and true and known, and playing in those proverbial sandboxes together.
In shaping the workshop calendar, we ask ourselves, what does the American countercultural movement look like in 2025? Who is midwifing that which our society is ready to birth? What topics and teachers does the human potential movement beckon in now? What alchemical experiments are underway, transforming and transmuting individuals, communities, societies, and beyond?
Many of the workshops that you know and love will continue. You will see some novel takes on existing themes and quite a few new faces. And, honoring the natural life cycle of a workshop concept, we are laying some workshops to rest with gratitude for what they have brought to the Esalen community.
We look forward to leaning more into academic offerings, not to fill workshops with more slides and data, lectures and critiques, but rather to make more accessible the rich intellectualism that is a hallmark of this place, especially those at the cutting edge of scientific empiricism and mystical thought. It’s not exactly that Esalen needs more academia, but academia does need more Esalen.
We are planning more programming that explores and fosters the latent supernature pressing to emerge in us, a pursuit of Esalen’s Center for Theory & Research (CTR) for many years. CTR is a private invitation-only exploration with conversations that the academic and scientific worlds have not felt safe openly engaging. These gatherings examine the extraordinary capacities that have been denied or repressed and appear to be reemerging — and even emerging, curiously, into more of the mainstream. Historically, CTR and public programming have occupied separate spaces at Esalen, and we’d like to bridge those spaces more in 2025.
So what can you expect from our digital catalog of offerings? Here are a few of our faculty newcomers scheduled for the first months of 2025, with more on the way:
We hope this whets your appetite for the new year, and stay tuned — more new and edgy workshops are in development. We invite you to join us in sensing into where you may feel called to stretch, take a risk, explore a new growth edge in 2025.
“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?
Receive email notifications and be among the first to know when these and more new workshops open for registration.
Frederica Helmiere is head of programming at Esalen.
Michael Murphy has written that Esalen was created to outgrow our “DNA,” our first structures and programs, and develop as the world around us develops. As our 2025 workshop calendar takes shape, and as we emerge from a necessary period of post-pandemic programmatic stabilization, we turn our gaze once again toward that which is edgy, experimental, unexplored, boundary-pushing, edge-cutting, and — my favorite — slightly disreputable.
We have long nurtured programming that bridges dualities: east and west, body and mind, science and humanities, often in novel ways. We want to continue these lines of exploration and keep honoring our lineages while also sensing into the next generation lineages establishing themselves now. We celebrate our popular offerings and also notice what is underrepresented in our catalog, such as explorations of eros and sexuality, LGBTQIA2S+ content, and offerings from BIPOC faculty.
We look forward to hosting workshops in the new year that are more expansive in their ontologies and epistemologies, intuiting the less explored realms of what is real and true and known, and playing in those proverbial sandboxes together.
In shaping the workshop calendar, we ask ourselves, what does the American countercultural movement look like in 2025? Who is midwifing that which our society is ready to birth? What topics and teachers does the human potential movement beckon in now? What alchemical experiments are underway, transforming and transmuting individuals, communities, societies, and beyond?
Many of the workshops that you know and love will continue. You will see some novel takes on existing themes and quite a few new faces. And, honoring the natural life cycle of a workshop concept, we are laying some workshops to rest with gratitude for what they have brought to the Esalen community.
We look forward to leaning more into academic offerings, not to fill workshops with more slides and data, lectures and critiques, but rather to make more accessible the rich intellectualism that is a hallmark of this place, especially those at the cutting edge of scientific empiricism and mystical thought. It’s not exactly that Esalen needs more academia, but academia does need more Esalen.
We are planning more programming that explores and fosters the latent supernature pressing to emerge in us, a pursuit of Esalen’s Center for Theory & Research (CTR) for many years. CTR is a private invitation-only exploration with conversations that the academic and scientific worlds have not felt safe openly engaging. These gatherings examine the extraordinary capacities that have been denied or repressed and appear to be reemerging — and even emerging, curiously, into more of the mainstream. Historically, CTR and public programming have occupied separate spaces at Esalen, and we’d like to bridge those spaces more in 2025.
So what can you expect from our digital catalog of offerings? Here are a few of our faculty newcomers scheduled for the first months of 2025, with more on the way:
We hope this whets your appetite for the new year, and stay tuned — more new and edgy workshops are in development. We invite you to join us in sensing into where you may feel called to stretch, take a risk, explore a new growth edge in 2025.
“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?
Receive email notifications and be among the first to know when these and more new workshops open for registration.
Frederica Helmiere is head of programming at Esalen.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
