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.

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.

Raphael CushnirA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Raphael Cushnir

Raphael Cushnir is a leading voice in the world of emotional connection and present moment awareness. He lectures worldwide and has written six books, including Setting Your Heart on Fire.

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.

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."

Jennifer DumpertA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Jennifer Dumpert

Jennifer Dumpert is a San Francisco-based writer and lecturer, and the founder of the Oneironauticum, an international organization that explores the phenomenological experience of dreams as a means of experimenting with mind.

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.

Zuza EnglerA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Zuza Engler

Zuza Engler is a teacher of Soul Motion® and Open Floor Movement, creatrix of Embodied Inquiry, and a long-term Buddhism and Gestalt practitioner.

Elissa EpelA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Elissa Epel

Elissa Epel, Ph.D, is a best-selling author and a Professor at UCSF in the Department of Psychiatry. She is an expert on stress and contemplative practices, including mindful eating for optimal metabolic balance.

Robin Fann-CostanzoA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Robin Fann-Costanzo

Robin Fann Costanzo has been practicing and teaching Esalen® Massage nationally and internationally since 1993. She has a background in dance, yoga, and somatic therapies, with a specialty in trauma resolution.

Erika GagnonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Erika Gagnon

Erika Gagnon is a multi-racial ceremonial leader, wisdom keeper, medicine carrier and “curandera.” With the blessings of her elders, she leads a variety of healing ceremonies and personal healing sessions.

Rob GarzaA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Rob Garza

Rob is co-founder of Thievery Corporation, known for their electronic-infused modifications of dub, trip hop, reggae, and bossa nova.

Jocelyn GordonA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Jocelyn Gordon

Jocelyn Gordon is the mother of two daughters and is currently writing Make Space For Baby. She is the creator of HoopYogini™ and Bhakti Boogie, practices that merge dance with yoga and meditation.

Saeeda HafizA small white oval over a larger white oval, meant to represent a person.
Saeeda Hafiz

Saeeda Hafiz is the author of The Healing: One Woman’s Journey from Poverty to Inner Riches. She is a yoga teacher and wellness expert with certifications from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and the Natural Gourmet Institute.