What happens at Esalen doesn’t only have to exist at Esalen. Every person who soaks in the hot springs baths under the Milky Way, who breaks warm, fresh bread with a stranger-turned-friend, who finds stillness in the Meditation Hut or renewed creativity in the Art Barn carries that spark back to their communities, their families, their friend circles, their work, and into the world.
Since 1962, Esalen has been a home for seekers, dreamers, and visionaries. It is a living experiment in human potential, and an epicenter for ideas and practices that have shaped how the world understands growth and transformation. Gestalt. Somatics. Mindfulness. Integral studies. Art, movement, and philosophy — the early seekers who gathered here became teachers, healers, and visionaries. Their work then expanded into homes, schools, hospitals, and creative spaces across the globe.
Today, every person touched by Esalen carries that flow outward and into the wider world. This is the Esalen ripple effect: one seeker, one scholarship recipient, one meaningful and enlightening experience can extend healing and growth to many. The Esalen magic multiplies — through family, friends, lovers, community, and work.
As a nonprofit, Esalen relies on the generosity of its community — people like you who believe in human potential. Your donation directly funds scholarships for those who could not otherwise come and supports the stewardship and sustainability of Esalen’s sacred land, ensuring these transformative experiences remain possible for generations to come. Your gift sends ripples of transformation far beyond Big Sur.
With 2025 coming to a close, we invite you to take the leap with us into 2026 and beyond. Your gift doesn’t just impact one life, it strengthens our entire community and the work we do together.
Esalen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, tax ID number 94-6114235. Your gift is tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. View our 990 and additional information.
When you give to Esalen, you help keep those lineages alive and make space for the next generation of seekers to enter the portal and find their way home.
We honor that legacy with six decades of seekers, leaders, innovators gathered together in one vibrant, liminal scene, and within that portrait, you’ll find the outline of someone new — a silhouette in the embodiment of you or someone you know and love dearly.
Esalen Institute
548 Market St
PMB 48853
San Francisco, CA 94104-5401
US
Please note: This mailbox accepts items sent via USPS, UPS, and DHL. It cannot accept items sent via FedEx.
Many employers support charitable giving through matching gift programs. Your employer or Human Resources department will be able to confirm if this benefit is available to you. You may be asked to complete a form for your employer requiring Esalen’s tax identification number: 94-6114235.
Please contact friends@esalen.org with any questions.
Appreciated stock is a great way to support Esalen and receive additional tax benefits. You can provide written gift instructions to your bank or broker.
Stock may be transferred to Esalen Institute via DTC as follows:
Esalen Institute at Charles Schwab
Schwab Account #2489-9222DTC Clearing 0164
Please contact friends@esalen.org to let us know when you’ve transferred any stock to Esalen, or with any questions.
Please consider recommending Esalen Institute as an organization to support through your donor advised fund. Our tax identification number is 94-6114235.
Grants can be mailed to:
Esalen Institute
548 Market St
PMB 48853
San Francisco, CA 94104-5401
US
Your aspirations for Esalen can live on as your legacy through a bequest in your will or trust. Bequests can be made in the form of cash, stock, bonds, IRAs, real estate, or other personal property.
Reach out to friends@esalen.org.
Since coming to Esalen, I’ve noticed just how open I am in this world, and I don’t want it to be any other way. That openness has led to others finding the light in me and searching for ways to be light themselves. As a death doula, this has been essential, since the largest part of the work is being open, being a listener, being a witness, and holding that space. — Darnell Lamont Walker
Esalen lives in the way I teach, the way I hold space for others to remember their own wholeness. I witness students carrying the weight of their lives and then leaving with a renewed sense of belonging — to the earth, to one another, and to themselves. That same sense of awakening has shaped the communities I serve…as a reminder that transformation isn’t something to attain, but something to remember, together. — Janet Stone
Being at Esalen has become my baseline for what it feels like to be energized, relaxed, and contemplative all at once. It’s a rare and balanced state — one that’s difficult to sustain outside of Esalen. I’ve learned, though, that taking long walks in nature, six to eight miles at a time, while staying mindful and present, helps me reconnect with that same sense of calm vitality. — Bill Donius
When I first came here, I was terrified to be heard, seen, or share a deeply intimate moment with a stranger. After a week surrounded by others courageously engaging in those practices, something in me shifted. I wanted to live in that kind of openness and be part of a life rooted in authentic connection. This is the foundation of my own practice — cultivating spaces where others can feel that same sense of safety, belonging, and presence. — Cara Chandler
The transformative field of Esalen and Big Sur continues to shape how I live, teach, and relate — with myself, others, and the natural world. What begins here as embodied awareness and heartfelt connection ripples outward, informing my work, relationships, and sense of belonging in community and in life itself. The healing and growth cultivated at Esalen live on through everyday presence, gratitude, and spontaneous gestures of compassion in the wider world. — Steven Harper
I came to Big Sur to recoup from burnout in the music industry, and discovered the profound healing properties of Esalen Massage. Now, I teach this beautiful art form as a way to honor my instructors and the legacy of Esalen Massage. Everyday I’m grateful for this healing modality that changed my life, keeps me grounded, and helps me connect others to a deeper understanding of their integrated wholeness. — Nick Ayers
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
