Resting on the cliffs of Big Sur, where the mountains drop into the Pacific in a long exhale, Esalen has always been more than a destination. It is a place where learning unfolds with the elements shaped as much by the salt air and shifting fog as by the teachers who arrive here. At the edge of the world, pedagogy is infused with the sound of waves, the warmth of the baths, the shared rhythm of meals and movement.
I first came here in 2021 as a visiting teacher, moving between leading experiences at Esalen and Kripalu. The two places felt like different constellations: Kripalu with its subtle and contained energy, Esalen with its wildness and wide-open horizons. Before either, I had cut my teaching teeth in New York City, holding space for a kaleidoscopic range of human beings in a city that demanded both rigor and adaptability. Stepping into this coastline’s charged beauty was like entering a different classroom — one where the land itself insists on being part of the exchange. That insistence transformed my teaching. My listening deepened. My ancestral connection grew louder. My relationship to time recalibrated, loosening the grip of urgency. I found myself returning to a naturalness I hadn’t known I’d lost — a returning to a way of teaching that felt less manufactured, and more in rhythm with something older and more elemental..
The land works on everyone who comes here. The seekers who pass through are altered by it — softened, opened, unsettled even. That shift inevitably reframes how we meet one another, as though it’s already tilting the dialogue before a word is even spoken.
Teaching at Esalen is never just about delivering material — it’s about attuning to a living dialogue between self, student, and environment. That dialogue can happen anywhere in the world: in a city studio, a rural retreat, even in an online gathering space. But here on this coastline, something in that conversation is amplified. The land, the rhythm, and the openness invites us into our most expansive teaching — they stretch our sense of what’s possible and deepen the ways we meet one another.
Still, even the most experienced teachers can feel a gap between what they know and what they transmit. Many are well-trained, fluent in their material, and committed to the role of teacher — yet the spark of authentic transmission doesn’t always ignite. This is the threshold we’ll explore in October during The Embodied Teacher: Purpose, Practice, Presence, Power.
Over five days, we’ll step directly into this space between mastery and embodiment. Together, we’ll explore how to close the distance between information and transmission — so our teaching is not only clear, but alive. It is not only competent, but compelling. It is not only informed, but infused with presence. Esalen will hold us, but what we cultivate here — skills, insights, and renewed clarity — will travel with us, transforming how we teach wherever we go.
“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?
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Resting on the cliffs of Big Sur, where the mountains drop into the Pacific in a long exhale, Esalen has always been more than a destination. It is a place where learning unfolds with the elements shaped as much by the salt air and shifting fog as by the teachers who arrive here. At the edge of the world, pedagogy is infused with the sound of waves, the warmth of the baths, the shared rhythm of meals and movement.
I first came here in 2021 as a visiting teacher, moving between leading experiences at Esalen and Kripalu. The two places felt like different constellations: Kripalu with its subtle and contained energy, Esalen with its wildness and wide-open horizons. Before either, I had cut my teaching teeth in New York City, holding space for a kaleidoscopic range of human beings in a city that demanded both rigor and adaptability. Stepping into this coastline’s charged beauty was like entering a different classroom — one where the land itself insists on being part of the exchange. That insistence transformed my teaching. My listening deepened. My ancestral connection grew louder. My relationship to time recalibrated, loosening the grip of urgency. I found myself returning to a naturalness I hadn’t known I’d lost — a returning to a way of teaching that felt less manufactured, and more in rhythm with something older and more elemental..
The land works on everyone who comes here. The seekers who pass through are altered by it — softened, opened, unsettled even. That shift inevitably reframes how we meet one another, as though it’s already tilting the dialogue before a word is even spoken.
Teaching at Esalen is never just about delivering material — it’s about attuning to a living dialogue between self, student, and environment. That dialogue can happen anywhere in the world: in a city studio, a rural retreat, even in an online gathering space. But here on this coastline, something in that conversation is amplified. The land, the rhythm, and the openness invites us into our most expansive teaching — they stretch our sense of what’s possible and deepen the ways we meet one another.
Still, even the most experienced teachers can feel a gap between what they know and what they transmit. Many are well-trained, fluent in their material, and committed to the role of teacher — yet the spark of authentic transmission doesn’t always ignite. This is the threshold we’ll explore in October during The Embodied Teacher: Purpose, Practice, Presence, Power.
Over five days, we’ll step directly into this space between mastery and embodiment. Together, we’ll explore how to close the distance between information and transmission — so our teaching is not only clear, but alive. It is not only competent, but compelling. It is not only informed, but infused with presence. Esalen will hold us, but what we cultivate here — skills, insights, and renewed clarity — will travel with us, transforming how we teach wherever we go.
“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?
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Resting on the cliffs of Big Sur, where the mountains drop into the Pacific in a long exhale, Esalen has always been more than a destination. It is a place where learning unfolds with the elements shaped as much by the salt air and shifting fog as by the teachers who arrive here. At the edge of the world, pedagogy is infused with the sound of waves, the warmth of the baths, the shared rhythm of meals and movement.
I first came here in 2021 as a visiting teacher, moving between leading experiences at Esalen and Kripalu. The two places felt like different constellations: Kripalu with its subtle and contained energy, Esalen with its wildness and wide-open horizons. Before either, I had cut my teaching teeth in New York City, holding space for a kaleidoscopic range of human beings in a city that demanded both rigor and adaptability. Stepping into this coastline’s charged beauty was like entering a different classroom — one where the land itself insists on being part of the exchange. That insistence transformed my teaching. My listening deepened. My ancestral connection grew louder. My relationship to time recalibrated, loosening the grip of urgency. I found myself returning to a naturalness I hadn’t known I’d lost — a returning to a way of teaching that felt less manufactured, and more in rhythm with something older and more elemental..
The land works on everyone who comes here. The seekers who pass through are altered by it — softened, opened, unsettled even. That shift inevitably reframes how we meet one another, as though it’s already tilting the dialogue before a word is even spoken.
Teaching at Esalen is never just about delivering material — it’s about attuning to a living dialogue between self, student, and environment. That dialogue can happen anywhere in the world: in a city studio, a rural retreat, even in an online gathering space. But here on this coastline, something in that conversation is amplified. The land, the rhythm, and the openness invites us into our most expansive teaching — they stretch our sense of what’s possible and deepen the ways we meet one another.
Still, even the most experienced teachers can feel a gap between what they know and what they transmit. Many are well-trained, fluent in their material, and committed to the role of teacher — yet the spark of authentic transmission doesn’t always ignite. This is the threshold we’ll explore in October during The Embodied Teacher: Purpose, Practice, Presence, Power.
Over five days, we’ll step directly into this space between mastery and embodiment. Together, we’ll explore how to close the distance between information and transmission — so our teaching is not only clear, but alive. It is not only competent, but compelling. It is not only informed, but infused with presence. Esalen will hold us, but what we cultivate here — skills, insights, and renewed clarity — will travel with us, transforming how we teach wherever we go.
“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?
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
