Our ethos (“Nobody captures the flag”) reminds us that we triumph in community — at play in a constantly evolving “non-zero-sum game” of learning and healing. Our newest workshop offerings, stretching into the upcoming holiday season, embrace transformation through togetherness.
Published August 9 – August 12, 2022
Star Maps and Ritual Magic: Astrology and Ceremony as Tools for Transformation, November 4–7, 2022 with Day Schildkret and Heidi Rose Robbins
Ritual brings astrology to life, and the power of the celestial bodies is best understood through embodiment practices and ceremony. Students will learn to invoke the potency of archetypal energies through meaning- and presence-making tools such as altars, guided meditation, nature connection, and movement.
Compassion & Connection: 5Rhythms® Heartbeat & Mindfulness Workshop, November 7–11, 2022 with Lucia Horan
In this workshop, we will embody the art of being a fluid emotional athlete with Gabrielle Roth’s Heartbeat map as our guide. We will integrate the stillness of Buddhist mindfulness meditation with the moving meditations of the 5Rhythms®. Two polarities together mirror the dance of life and open the door to peace, well-being, and balance.
The Healing Voice, November 4–7, 2022 with The Brothers Koren
The Brothers Koren — transformational voice leaders, artists, and musical journey-men — invite you to experience the power of your own voice medicine. Enjoy a weekend filled with embodied voice experiences to awaken the healing voice and experience more wholeness, vitality, and connection.
Tantra: The Body and The Release, an Esalen Signature Series | Legends of Lust and Love, November 11–14, 2022 with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Keith Edward Cantú
Let’s talk about sex, baby! This will explore Tantra and Neo-Tantra, including the concept of sex for procreation versus sexual rituals for living liberation (jīvanmukti). We’ll investigate the foundations of Tantric theory and immerse ourselves in the latest findings to reframe our conception of Tantra. Indian folk music performances and guided meditations will be included.
Wisdom Teachings for Agents of Change, November 11–14, 2022 with Susan Collin Marks and John Marks
In a world turned upside down by the excesses of inequality, climate change, and political hostility, society needs change agents working for the common good. Discover how to access and listen to your inner wisdom, and explore tools to act on it. Rediscover what you are here to do, right now, at this time of unprecedented turbulence and transformation.
Gratitude Retreat, November 18–20, 2022 with Janet Stone
Come together in community to remember that you are enough, just as you are. Through dynamic yoga asana practices, breathwork, and meditation, as well as time for reflection, cliffside bathing, and walking on Esalen’s healing land, you’ll have the opportunity to return to your heart. Watch Janet’s Esalen Live! interview here.
Meditation and Modern Life: A Zen Meditation Retreat, December 2–4, 2022 with Dan Zigmond
Disconnect, slow down, and meditate. Receive instruction in traditional Zen meditation, enjoy discussions that unpack obstacles to meditation plus how to overcome them, as well as times of guided practice. You will leave this retreat with everything you need to start, revive, or deepen a daily meditation practice. Learn more about Zigmond’s approach in The Journal.
Designing the Life We Want, December 2–4, 2022 with Mark Nicolson
What brings you joy and purpose? Rarely do we allow ourselves the time to stop and look at what is changing and what we need. Drawing on psychological principles, movement practices, and ancient wisdom traditions, you’ll have the opportunity to cultivate a vision that serves as a foundation for both the next year and next phase of your life.
Awakening the Heart of Belonging: An Embodied Inquiry into Curiosity, Courage, and Compassion, December 12–16, 2022 with Steven Harper
Now more than ever, during this uncertain “new normal,” we need to let our somatic system know safety by connecting to our somatic and emotional intelligence. We will draw from various wisdom traditions, contemplative practices, neuropsychology, and more to explore ancient, yet new ways of belonging to ourselves, to others, and to the other-than-human world in which we participate.
RENEW: A Ritual of Awakening for the New Year, December 16–19, 2022 with Justin Michael Williams
This is your moment to reset, renew, overcome fear and self-doubt, and say “yes” to the year that lies ahead. Participants will become more authentically inspired and motivated using practical tools to overcome those hidden patterns holding them back. Create your personal action plan for 2023!
Soul Motion®: Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance, December 19–25, 2022 with Zuza Engler and Scott Engler
Reclaim your body-in-motion as a doorway to the soul’s flow, to the life that is unfolding just under the surface of everyday forgetting. Soul Motion is a meeting with self and others in a dance that is deeply nourishing, creative, intelligent, emotionally savvy, heartbreaking, soul-making, spirited, and transforming. Watch Zuza Engler on this episode of Esalen Live!
Ready to renew and jumpstart your metamorphosis before the year’s end? These exciting upcoming programs still have openings. Reserve now before they fill up!
We have even more workshops for healing and self-exploration. Enroll now, or join our waitlist!
What would happen if you pressed pause on your everyday life and gave yourself four full weeks to evolve and transform at Esalen? If you’re ready to take the LEEP, we’re accepting applications for these exciting programs.
Esalen® Massage Intensive: Presence and Practice, September 24 – October 21, 2022 with Brita Ostrom, Char Pias, and Dean Marson
Learn how to connect with others through the healing touch of massage. Esalen Massage melds hands-on technique with awareness practices, recognizing the unity of body, mind, and spirit. This is not a professional training course; however, professionals can refresh their technique. All students will receive an incredible array of new awarenesses and skills, including the ability to give a basic Esalen massage.
Integrative Gestalt Coaching, October 22 – November 18, 2022 with Perry Holloman
Integrative Gestalt Coaching™ (IGC) is a method developed by coach and bodyworker Perry Holloman over the last 40 years while living and working at Esalen. Ideal both for people wanting a month of self-exploration as well as those wanting to develop Gestalt Coaching skills to enhance their work, this well-rounded program will help you develop awareness of how your internal experience influences your relationships, and how your relationships transform you to powerfully impact the quality of your life.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
If you’ve always wanted to visit Esalen but haven’t been able to find the room in your budget: Do you know about our scholarship program?
Our ethos (“Nobody captures the flag”) reminds us that we triumph in community — at play in a constantly evolving “non-zero-sum game” of learning and healing. Our newest workshop offerings, stretching into the upcoming holiday season, embrace transformation through togetherness.
Published August 9 – August 12, 2022
Star Maps and Ritual Magic: Astrology and Ceremony as Tools for Transformation, November 4–7, 2022 with Day Schildkret and Heidi Rose Robbins
Ritual brings astrology to life, and the power of the celestial bodies is best understood through embodiment practices and ceremony. Students will learn to invoke the potency of archetypal energies through meaning- and presence-making tools such as altars, guided meditation, nature connection, and movement.
Compassion & Connection: 5Rhythms® Heartbeat & Mindfulness Workshop, November 7–11, 2022 with Lucia Horan
In this workshop, we will embody the art of being a fluid emotional athlete with Gabrielle Roth’s Heartbeat map as our guide. We will integrate the stillness of Buddhist mindfulness meditation with the moving meditations of the 5Rhythms®. Two polarities together mirror the dance of life and open the door to peace, well-being, and balance.
The Healing Voice, November 4–7, 2022 with The Brothers Koren
The Brothers Koren — transformational voice leaders, artists, and musical journey-men — invite you to experience the power of your own voice medicine. Enjoy a weekend filled with embodied voice experiences to awaken the healing voice and experience more wholeness, vitality, and connection.
Tantra: The Body and The Release, an Esalen Signature Series | Legends of Lust and Love, November 11–14, 2022 with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Keith Edward Cantú
Let’s talk about sex, baby! This will explore Tantra and Neo-Tantra, including the concept of sex for procreation versus sexual rituals for living liberation (jīvanmukti). We’ll investigate the foundations of Tantric theory and immerse ourselves in the latest findings to reframe our conception of Tantra. Indian folk music performances and guided meditations will be included.
Wisdom Teachings for Agents of Change, November 11–14, 2022 with Susan Collin Marks and John Marks
In a world turned upside down by the excesses of inequality, climate change, and political hostility, society needs change agents working for the common good. Discover how to access and listen to your inner wisdom, and explore tools to act on it. Rediscover what you are here to do, right now, at this time of unprecedented turbulence and transformation.
Gratitude Retreat, November 18–20, 2022 with Janet Stone
Come together in community to remember that you are enough, just as you are. Through dynamic yoga asana practices, breathwork, and meditation, as well as time for reflection, cliffside bathing, and walking on Esalen’s healing land, you’ll have the opportunity to return to your heart. Watch Janet’s Esalen Live! interview here.
Meditation and Modern Life: A Zen Meditation Retreat, December 2–4, 2022 with Dan Zigmond
Disconnect, slow down, and meditate. Receive instruction in traditional Zen meditation, enjoy discussions that unpack obstacles to meditation plus how to overcome them, as well as times of guided practice. You will leave this retreat with everything you need to start, revive, or deepen a daily meditation practice. Learn more about Zigmond’s approach in The Journal.
Designing the Life We Want, December 2–4, 2022 with Mark Nicolson
What brings you joy and purpose? Rarely do we allow ourselves the time to stop and look at what is changing and what we need. Drawing on psychological principles, movement practices, and ancient wisdom traditions, you’ll have the opportunity to cultivate a vision that serves as a foundation for both the next year and next phase of your life.
Awakening the Heart of Belonging: An Embodied Inquiry into Curiosity, Courage, and Compassion, December 12–16, 2022 with Steven Harper
Now more than ever, during this uncertain “new normal,” we need to let our somatic system know safety by connecting to our somatic and emotional intelligence. We will draw from various wisdom traditions, contemplative practices, neuropsychology, and more to explore ancient, yet new ways of belonging to ourselves, to others, and to the other-than-human world in which we participate.
RENEW: A Ritual of Awakening for the New Year, December 16–19, 2022 with Justin Michael Williams
This is your moment to reset, renew, overcome fear and self-doubt, and say “yes” to the year that lies ahead. Participants will become more authentically inspired and motivated using practical tools to overcome those hidden patterns holding them back. Create your personal action plan for 2023!
Soul Motion®: Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance, December 19–25, 2022 with Zuza Engler and Scott Engler
Reclaim your body-in-motion as a doorway to the soul’s flow, to the life that is unfolding just under the surface of everyday forgetting. Soul Motion is a meeting with self and others in a dance that is deeply nourishing, creative, intelligent, emotionally savvy, heartbreaking, soul-making, spirited, and transforming. Watch Zuza Engler on this episode of Esalen Live!
Ready to renew and jumpstart your metamorphosis before the year’s end? These exciting upcoming programs still have openings. Reserve now before they fill up!
We have even more workshops for healing and self-exploration. Enroll now, or join our waitlist!
What would happen if you pressed pause on your everyday life and gave yourself four full weeks to evolve and transform at Esalen? If you’re ready to take the LEEP, we’re accepting applications for these exciting programs.
Esalen® Massage Intensive: Presence and Practice, September 24 – October 21, 2022 with Brita Ostrom, Char Pias, and Dean Marson
Learn how to connect with others through the healing touch of massage. Esalen Massage melds hands-on technique with awareness practices, recognizing the unity of body, mind, and spirit. This is not a professional training course; however, professionals can refresh their technique. All students will receive an incredible array of new awarenesses and skills, including the ability to give a basic Esalen massage.
Integrative Gestalt Coaching, October 22 – November 18, 2022 with Perry Holloman
Integrative Gestalt Coaching™ (IGC) is a method developed by coach and bodyworker Perry Holloman over the last 40 years while living and working at Esalen. Ideal both for people wanting a month of self-exploration as well as those wanting to develop Gestalt Coaching skills to enhance their work, this well-rounded program will help you develop awareness of how your internal experience influences your relationships, and how your relationships transform you to powerfully impact the quality of your life.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
If you’ve always wanted to visit Esalen but haven’t been able to find the room in your budget: Do you know about our scholarship program?
If you’ve always wanted to visit Esalen but haven’t been able to find the room in your budget: Do you know about our scholarship program?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org