COVID update: learn more about our protocols to keep you safe.
Travel advisory: a detour is available if you are driving north to reach Esalen.
Esalen is more than a retreat center or an educational institute. Anchored by the inspiring beauty of Big Sur and an incomparable intellectual history, Esalen is a worldwide network of seekers who look beyond dogma to explore deeper spiritual possibilities, forge new understandings of self and society, and pioneer new paths for change.
The first installment of our new, free quarterly digital summit, The Way Forward: How To Stay Inspired, Reintegrate, and Find Hope in the Shadow of the Pandemic will explore the concept of collective trauma, how it both unifies and divides us, and most importantly, how we can face it together to heal on a local and national level. Offered for a sliding scale contribution, the two-day program includes multiple tracks to dig into, from interviews with incredible thought leaders and activists to a session on prolonged somatic grief processing through dance and movement. Each speaker interview will be followed by a live Q&A with the Speaker, and every attendee is welcome to join in connecting with our luminaries. In true Esalen style, we will open the event on Saturday and close it on Sunday with a group awareness practice.
* Sliding scale contribution
Be a leading center for exploring and realizing human potential through experience, education, and research.
Work toward the realization of a more just, creative, and sustainable world, seeking answers to questions unlikely to be explored by traditional universities and religions.
Sponsor pioneering initiatives and offer personal, spiritual, and social transformation programs for residents, interns and workshop participants.
Esalen is a major catalyst in the transformation of humankind, working with individuals and institutions to integrate body, mind, heart, spirit, and community in a nurturing relationship with the environment.
Interviews with teachers and thinkers from the Esalen universe including Cheryl Strayed and Michael Pollan, innovators Stan Grof and Dr. Mark Hyman, Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy, and many more!
Twice weekly interviews with Esalen faculty and change agents about timely topics — coping with the pandemic, perspectives on racial justice, and overall well-being.
The Esalen Journal is our blog, with posts encompassing everything from inspiring conversations with cultural luminaries and Esalen instructors to timely news announcements, book recommendations, and soul-nurturing recipes.
In addition to unparalleled access to the leading minds of the day and rejuvenating virtual gatherings, we also welcome visitors to our California estate and retreat center, which boasts natural hot springs, an organic farm and garden, serene guest suites, and more, all set on over 100 acres along the gorgeous Big Sur coastline.
COVID update: learn more about our protocols to keep you safe.
Travel advisory: a detour is available if you are driving north to reach Esalen.