Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.
Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Esalen faculty represent a spectrum of disciplines, experiences, and perspectives — our faculty members have included Premal Shah, founder of Kiva.org; Robert Walter, Joseph Campbell’s longtime editor; mindfulness researcher Shauna Shapiro; and Wisdom 2.0 creator Soren Gordhamer.
Browse all past and present faculty below, or use the site search to look for someone specific.

LuviaJane Swanson D.C., CST-D is a certified CranioSacral Therapy 1 and 2 instructor and mentor for the Upledger Institute International. Her background in massage and chiropractic has shaped her approach to manual therapy, which is both energy-based and deeply rooted in body mechanics and structure.


Lynda Richtsmeier Cyr, PhD, is an integrative clinical psychologist and associate clinical director at the Center for Mind-Body Medicine.


Lynell George is a reporter/writer based in Los Angeles, who tells the city's story one sentence at a time. Her latest book, After/Image: Los Angeles Outside the Frame is a collection of essays and photographs exploring Los Angeles' ever-shifting terrain.


Machiel Klerk is author of Dream Guidance: Connecting to the Soul Through Dream Incubation (Hay House). He is founder of the Jung Platform, a website that offers online courses on psychological and spiritual perspectives, which was created as a result of a dream.


Mac Murphy is a practitioner of Esalen Massage & Bodywork and Human Transformation, and he guides students in harnessing their innate power. Mac teaches a variety of breathwork practices, including Daoist Qi Gong, Tumo breathwork, Kundalini, and Pranayama.


Maddie Lam is a body-based practitioner and somatic activist who focuses on using practices of embodiment as liberation to answer the question: how do we all get free? Using yoga and meditation as pathways to deeper self-exploration, Maddie creates spaces for joy, self-intimacy, and connection to the greater collective.

Margaret Gill, CST-D, MCSS, is certified with the Upledger Institute as a CranioSacral Diplomate therapist and as a teacher for CranioSacral Therapy 1 and 2 and SomatoEmotional Release 1 and 2. Her main practice is in Brighton (UK), and she travels regularly to Cyprus where she treats clients. She is on the board of directors of the CranioSacral Society.


Maggie Wheeler is internationally known for her acting work, most notably as Janice on “Friends.” Co-director of the Golden Bridge Community Choir, Maggie is a singer-songwriter, speaker, and teaches her vocal workshop, Singing In The Stream, in the U.S. and abroad.


Malachi Stone is an Esalen-trained massage practitioner and teacher who brings a wealth of knowledge from various modalities of the human potential movement. His other training during his eighteen years at the Institute includes Gestalt awareness practice, Dance, Cranial Sacral Therapy 1, Ayurveda, and Permaculture.


MaMuse founders Karisha Longaker and Sorah Nutting have spent nearly two decades leading communities in song. With a blend of experience, playful curiosity, and compassionate attunement, Karisha and Sorah cultivate spaces where people feel safe to sing, connect, and awaken their creative spark.


Manoj Dias is a globally recognized teacher and author celebrated for his transformative approach to meditation and movement. He is the co-founder of Open, a mindfulness studio based in Venice, CA, and previously founded A—SPACE, Australia’s first multi-disciplinary drop-in meditation studio.


Manuela Mischke-Reeds is the Chief Mental Health Officer at Abroad, a trauma expert, and an international somatic psychology and mindfulness educator with 25 years of experience. She is also a bestselling author and the founder of the Hakomi Institute of California and Embodywise.


Manuel Maqueda teaches applied circular economics and regenerative economics at Harvard University. He is co-founder of several notable NGOs, and advises international, forward-thinking governments, companies, and organizations. Manuel researches the interconnection between consciousnesses, personal transformation, and planetary regeneration.

Mara Abrams is the co-founder and co-director of Census Open Innovation Labs (COIL). She mobilizes industries, communities, and a diversity of influential people to create change within and outside some of the most complex institutions and environments in the world. In addition to her current role with COIL at the U.S. Census Bureau, she is also a writer, speaker, design-thinking workshop facilitator, and world traveler.


Marc Bregman is the founder of Archetypal Dreamwork, cofounder of North of Eden, and a master teacher at the Center for Archetypal Dreamwork. His books include Flesh Off the Bone: Dream Descent through Past Life Trauma and Sex, Trauma and Conjunctio.


Marcela Lobos, MA, has been initiated in the healing traditions of the Amazon and the Andes. She was born and raised in Chile, where she worked with shamans that belong to a matriarchal society that holds the wisdom of the feminine and the passion of Mother Earth.


Marc Freedman, president, CEO and founder of Encore.org, is a renowned social entrepreneur, thought leader and writer. Under Marc’s leadership, Encore.org has pioneered innovative programs and sparked a growing movement in the U.S. and beyond to tap the talent and experience of people past midlife as a human resource for solving our most vexing social problems.
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Marcia Baczynski is a coach, educator and facilitator, focusing on sexual communication, boundaries, consent, and desire. Marcia is the co-author of Creating Consent Culture: A Handbook for Educators and teaching faculty at the School of Consent and Shakti Shiva Academy.


Marci Graham is a facilitator for the Human Awareness Institute and has been teaching to its mission for nearly 20 years. She has a 30-year history of soul searching and personal transformation through movement, painting, writing, sculpting and bodywork. Her journey in Continuum Movement has illuminated the power of inquiry and embodiment as essential to personal growth.

Marc Lesser is CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. He was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center and former director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center. He is the author of Know Yourself, Forget Yourself, and Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader.


Margaret Cullen, MFT, was a co-developer of Compassion Cultivation Training and is currently a senior teacher at the Center for Compassion, Research and Education at Stanford University and founding faculty at the Compassion Institute. She has been a meditation practitioner for almost 40 years, was one of the first ten people to be certified as an Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction instructor and has taught worldwide.


Margaret Harrsen is a spiritual healer and teacher. Her work covers the disciplines of traditional shamanic medicine, meditation, and biodynamic craniosacral therapy. Mar’s practice of the subtle healing arts is distinctly rooted in her study of nature (form) and spirituality (emptiness). She supports the well-being of humans and our shared earth.


Margot Anand is a leading authority on integrating spirituality and sexuality. She is a best-selling author, much-beloved teacher, and founder of SkyDancing Tantra®. She has taught with Deepak Chopra and Tony Robbins, and has appeared on national and international TV and radio.


As Lead SoulCollage® trainer and founder of the School Of The Origins, inspired by the intelligence of nature, indigenous wisdom, perennial philosophy, and Jungian psychology, Mariabruna facilitates programs and rituals internationally, inviting creativity at the service of freedom and change.


Maria Finn is the author of the cookbook Forage. Gather. Feast. and the founder of Flora & Fungi Adventures. In 2024, she launched The Institute for Ecosystem Based Living, an organization that produces pop-up events combining science, art, and regenerative food.


Marian Goodell is CEO of the Burning Man Project and leads the nonprofit’s efforts to extend the Burning Man ethos globally. She provides strategic direction and leadership to Burning Man’s global network, including 100+ year-round employees, 270+ representatives in 39 countries, and an annual operating budget of $40M.


Dr. Maria Ramos is a meditation coach and physician. She found meditation a decade ago, after the sudden loss of her partner of 13 years. Grief was the doorway into a renewed connection to herself and to all of life. Maria works with healthcare professionals and has a gift for making meditation as accessible as a cup of coffee.


Dr. Marilyn Schlitz is an award-winning social scientist, writer, teacher, and filmmaker. She is a professor of Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University and president emeritus at the Institute of Noetic Sciences.


Marion VanNamen became a songleader after careers in music therapy, education and marketing. She's a pioneer, entrepreneur, instrument maker, African drummer, cellist and pianist. Marion leads Sing Portland! (200 members) and teaches vocal improv. She studied with Rhiannon & Bobby McFerrin.


Radha is driven to understand what it means to be human, what is the nature of reality and what is God. Her classes and offerings aim to create a state of union within oneself for a felt sense of the ineffable.


Dr. Mark Abramson is the founder of Stanford University Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program. He teaches at Stanford, conducts programs in mindfulness for corporations, and has a private dental practice.


Mark Coleman is a Buddhist meditation teacher who has been teaching insight meditation for 20 years. He is author of Awake in the Wild, From Suffering to Peace, and Make Peace with Your Mind, and leads nature-based meditation retreats and mindfulness teacher trainings in the U.S. and Europe.


Mark Fairfield, LCSW, BCD, is executive director of The Relational Center. Formerly the clinical director for Common Ground in Santa Monica, California, he has a private practice coaching and consulting for a wide range of clients. Mark has presented and trained internationally and has published in journals and books.


Mark Hyman, MD, is a family physician, ten-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate. He is director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and founder of The UltraWellness Center.


Mark Matousek is a best-selling author, teacher, and speaker. His work focuses on personal awakening and creative excellence through transformational writing and self-inquiry. His workshops, classes, and mentoring have inspired thousands of people around the world to reach their artistic and personal goals.


Mark Nicolson is an executive coach in Silicon Valley. He helps visionary entrepreneurs, cultural leaders, and catalysts for social change to move through upper limits and find their zone of genius.


Mark Putnam, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist and has been leading workshops and gestalt trainings at the Pennsylvania Gestalt Center for over 30 years. Mark teaches Gestalt Breath, Body, and Movement, a workshop designed to deepen your awareness and integration of body and heart.

Mark Stevens is a professor and psychologist at California State University, Northridge. He is a featured therapist in the APA video series of counseling and psychotherapy with men. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and past President of Division 51, the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity.

Mark Watts is the son of philosopher Alan Watts. He is a filmmaker and archivist, and currently is growing the Alan Watts Mountain Center in Pt. Reyes, north of San Francisco, California.


Marla Apt is a senior-level Iyengar yoga teacher who leads workshops and teacher trainings throughout the U.S. and abroad. Marla has studied with BKS Iyengar and his family in India for more than 20 years and has been involved with medical research on yoga at UCLA.


Marlon A. Guarino's unique approach to healing is deeply rooted in the mind-body-spirit-nature connection. He facilitates resolving issues using body-mind-spirit centered (somatic) experiential psychotherapies and integrating contemplative traditions and Indigenous practices.


Marlon Williams joined Living Cities in February 2017 as the assistant director of Public Sector Innovation. Marlon’s career has focused on improving the economic, social and physical well-being of all urban residents with particular emphasis on increasing access and opportunity for low-income families and communities of color. Marlon previously served as director of Cross Agency Partnership for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he worked with city agencies to identify opportunities for various city programs, policies and planning processes to maximize the potential to improve the health of local residents. His previous work has created impact through the creation of innovative new programs and policies including the Jobs-Plus workforce development program for public housing residents of New York City and financial empowerment programs and policies for the United Way of NYC. He also served as a policy adviser for the Deputy Mayor of New York City, focused on housing, economic empowerment and aging.


Dr. Marques Redd is a traditional African cosmologist, independent scholar, filmmaker, sculptor, and art curator based in Pittsburgh, PA. He has degrees from Harvard and UC-Berkeley and has trained in Afro-Cuban, ancient Egyptian, Yoruba, Dogon, Igbo, and Dagara spiritual systems.


Marques Wyatt is a seminal pioneer and one of the most respected DJs in the United States. A West Coast legend and founder of the long running (20 years) institution for dance music, DEEP-LA, Marques' selections are sure to stir up some emotions and are known to turn huge dance floors into intimate rituals.


Marsha Rosenbaum is director emerita of the Drug Policy Alliance in San Francisco where she founded the Safety First drug education project. She was principal investigator on several NIDA-funded studies and author of numerous books and articles about drug policy.


Martha Peabody is a Poet and the Founder of 5Rhythms Visual. She met Gabrielle Roth at Esalen Institute in Big Sur California in 1974, the beginning of a 39 year Artistic relationship spanning the development of the 5Rhythms Practice as it is known now.

Martine Amita Algier is a certified trainer with The Center for Nonviolent Communication and a founding member of the West Marin Community Mediation Board, teaching and consulting with families, business groups, schools, and other organizations in California and Europe since the 1960s.


Martin Fisher, BSc, co-founder of 9 Energies, teaches and guides, while utilizing his extensive technical expertise for research and continued understanding of the 9 Physiologies. He is a trained pilot with 40 years in the high-tech industry.


A truly gifted teacher, Marti is known for motivating her students through her own passion. She is certified in Yoga and the Pilates Method and has worked in the wellness community for the past 18 years; she teaches from a deep understanding of movement dynamics and the body. Using unique modifications and variations to the classic repertoire, her sessions encourage focus and concentration. She desires to create space for greater depth, awareness, and overall wellbeing in one’s practice.


Martin A. Lee is the director of Project CBD and the author of several books including Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD - the CIA, the Sixties and Beyond, and Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational and Scientific.

Mary Ann Kraus, PsyD, is a clinical/community psychologist and faculty member at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. She has co-created and co-chaired training programs in Working with Individuals, Working with Couples, Working with Groups, and the introductory Gestalt Training Program.
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Marya Stark is an award-winning vocalist, music producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. She is a bard, storyteller, and poet. Her body of work is steeped in the transformational arts of music therapy, mythical folklore, energetic alchemy, and womb empowerment.

Mary Elizabeth Murphy is an expert at creating innovative grassroots campaigns for independent films that target niche markets. She has worked on the Academy Award®-winning film The Cove, and other indie hits such as Pina, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Buck, and The Way.


Marysia Miernowska is a medicine woman, teacher, author, gardener, green witch, formulator, earth activist, and herbalist rooted in the Wise Woman tradition of healing. She is the director of the School of the Sacred Wild, an online healing journey and course in herbal medicine, plant shamanism, regenerative farming, and Earth magick.


Masood Ali Khan is a shadow work guide, completing the professional apprenticeship with Robert Augustus Masters. A recording artist, Rasa Yoga teacher, with founder Sianna Sherman, a meditation instructor, and a father. He leads Rasa Heart Warrior men’s groups live and online.

Matt Englar-Carlson is a professor of counseling and co-director and founder of the Center for Boys and Men at California State University, Fullerton. A fellow of the American Psychological Association, he specializes in educating helping professionals about the mental health needs of men.

Matthew Engelhart is co-owner of Café Gratitude. He has coauthored three books with Terces Engelhart, and when they are not on the road speaking or teaching, he and Terces live on “Be Love” Organic Farm where they grow food for their seven restaurants.