Esalen Institute is open!

However, Highway 1 south of Esalen is closed indefinitely. Don't let this stop you — there are other routes to reach us. Please review these alternate route driving directions and allow for a little extra travel time while on your transformational and healing journey.

We look forward to welcoming you to Esalen.

Faculty

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.

Interested in teaching at Esalen? Learn more.

Featured Faculty

Current and Recent Faculty

Mark AbramsonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Mark Abramson

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.

Xochitl AsheA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Xochitl Ashe

Xochitl (So-chil) Ashe is a trained herbalist with deep indigenous roots. A fifth generation medicine woman in the healing traditions of her Peruvian ancestral lineage, she has worked with sacred plant medicines since age 16.

Michaela BoehmA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Michaela Boehm

Michaela Boehm teaches and counsels internationally as an expert in intimacy and relationships. She is the author of The Wild Woman’s Way and founder of The Non-Linear Movement Method®.

Sravana Borkataky-VarmaA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Sravana Borkataky-Varma

Sravana Borkataky-Varma studies Indian religions focusing on esoteric rituals and gender and lectures at Harvard Divinity School and University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

Sadia BruceA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Sadia Bruce

Sadia Bruce teaches and practices in the tradition of Krishnamacharya as transmitted by Desikachar. She draws on an array of movement modalities to share an understanding of yoga that is integrative and vitalizing.

Keith Edward CantúA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Keith Edward Cantú

Keith Edward Cantú is an academic, musician, and polyglot with a deep professional and personal interest in South Asian religion and spirituality, especially tantra.

Dorothy CharlesA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Dorothy Charles

Dorothy Charles has been a student and teacher at Esalen since 1982. A student of Esalen co-founder Richard Price, she combines Esalen body-centered Gestalt with relational Gestalt theory.

Mark ColemanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman is an author and Buddhist meditation teacher who has been teaching insight meditation for 20 years. He leads nature-based meditation retreats and mindfulness teacher trainings in the U.S. and Europe.

Erik DavisA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Erik Davis

Erik Davis, PhD, is an author, journalist, and teacher based in San Francisco. His wide-ranging work focuses on the intersection of alternative religion, media, and the popular imagination.

Laura DavisA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Laura Davis

Laura Davis is the author of seven bestselling books. With a heart to teach others, she’s helped people find their voices, tell their stories, and hone their craft for more than twenty years.

Paola di FlorioA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Paola di Florio

Paola di Florio is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer, filmmaker, and TV producer whose critically-acclaimed work features extraordinary individuals and the triumph of the human spirit.

Dustin DiPernaA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Dustin DiPerna

Dustin DiPerna is a Harvard-trained scholar of world religions and adjunct professor at Stanford University. He is a senior teacher of Tibetan meditation. His books include Streams of Wisdom and Evolution's Ally, among others.

Diane DomondonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Diane Domondon

Diane Domondon is a Reiki Master with a private practice in NYC, where she teaches classes and treats clients in Usui Shiki Ryoho, the Usui Method of Natural Healing.

William DoniusA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
William Donius

A New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, ideation facilitator, and speaker, Bill assists both individuals and organizations in getting "unstuck."

Chandra EastonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Chandra Easton

Chandra Easton is a teacher, writer, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism. She has taught Buddhism and Yoga around the world since 2001, and was given the title of senior lead teacher, Dorje Lopön (Varjācharya) in 2015.

Dr. Deborah EgertonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Dr. Deborah Egerton

Dr. Deborah Egerton is a psychotherapist, an executive coach, and an inspirational Enneagram JEDI (justice, equality, diversity, inclusion) who teaches the value of the Enneagram for introspective self-discovery.

Eve EkmanA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Eve Ekman

Eve Ekman, PhD, MSW, is a writer, teacher, and contemplative social scientist who is designing, delivering, and evaluating tools to support emotional awareness.