Search results

June 26–28, 2026 Teachers in Residence

As a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and creator of Awakening Joy: 10 Steps to a Happier Life, James Baraz has helped thousands of people open their minds and hearts to more awareness, authenticity and yes, joy. Together with his wife Jane, James has developed mindfulness-based courses for families, and now teaches with his son, Adam.

April 24–26, 2026 Teachers in Residence

July 24–26, 2026 Teachers in Residence

June 22–26, 2025 Teachers in Residence

Those of us who live at Esalen and in Big Sur, who were “stuck“ on the island during the recent closure of Highway 1 due to a slip out at the Rocky Creek Bridge, produced some truly beautiful ways to come together in community. In the face of sudden calamity, we choose to embrace joy.

This month marks what would have been Joseph Campbell’s 116th birthday. A revered mythologist who spent many of his birthdays teaching at Esalen, he once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

The author of the New York Times bestseller Thought Revolution spent a decade researching and developing a brain-enhancing methodology that tapped into his right brain, which he now refers to as his “better half.” This revolutionized his life, and for nearly three decades, he’s traveled the world sharing this creativity block hack.

June 22–26, 2026 Deva Munay

July 24–26, 2026 Francis Lu

April 24–26, 2026 Shauna Shapiro

June 26–28, 2026 Micha Merrick

November 7, 1936 – May 26, 2010

June 22–26, 2026 Dorothy Charles

June 26–28, 2026 Erin Prophet

June 26–28, 2026 Wendy Haines

April 24–26, 2026 Masood Ali Khan

April 26 – May 1, 2026 Russ Hudson

This podast episode aired on Jun 26, 2020. Listen to it now.

Hawah Kasat on why nature is his greatest love and what makes witnessing transformation “pure joy.” The celebrated teacher, author, and documentary filmmaker imagines the mind of a jellyfish, considers the language of music, and explains that returning to ritual and community during challenging times is more than a solitary act: “[It’s] something woven into the people and spaces that support me.”

As the weather cools and the kids settle back into in-person classes, September 15 marks National Hispanic American Heritage Month. To celebrate this confluence, we’re recommending some fantastic authors to enjoy with the clever teens and young adults in your life.

July 24–26, 2026 Silvia Guersenzvaig and Lori Lewis

Holistic therapist, ceremonial leader, and teacher Carlos Sauer shares his worries for the rainforest, the joys he receives from interacting with the spirit world, and his current wish: “that we can all learn from Native peoples how to be kind to one another.”

A cross-country journey lands this chef where he’s meant to be — a place he can nourish both bodies and souls: "I always receive joy when I am able to help others."

Internationally respected psychotherapist, executive coach, and Enneagram JEDI (justice, equality, diversity, inclusion) Dr. Deborah Egerton — "Dr. E," as she’s known on campus — tells us about her faith, greatest achievements, and her Spiritual board of directors: “They lead, but the backup chorus of angels is quite remarkable.”

Ask any organic farmer or gardener the key to growing healthy crops and they will reply with some variant of the phrase: “Start with the soil.” Abundant, healthy crops are truly an outgrowth of vibrant soil ecology; with the exception of oxygen and carbon (which plants absorb from the air), plants uptake all of the nutrients they need to build stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits from the soil through their root systems. In order for plants to thrive, it is essential that they have access to all the requisite building blocks for their development, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Trillions of microorganisms live in every handful of healthy soil, and these microorganisms effectively “store” nutrients in their bodies until they die, at which time those nutrients become available for the plants in their subterranean neighborhood.

When did you first connect to your breath? Jovinna Chan remembers being surprised by her own limitations. Today, she gives us insight into how she turns to breath to shift her confidence, mood, and attention.

Relish the power of film. The artform often goes beyond just “entertainment” to guide us through challenging times. As 2020 continues to offer its set of ongoing challenges, we turned to Esalen Inspirational Film Festival (EIFF) Co-founder Corinne Bourdeau who curated a stellar watch list to consider during this historic time. The following films make for great viewing—right now—and offer a powerful trifecta: they are uplifting, inspiring and educational.

June 22–26, 2026 Cristi Christensen with Guest Musician Marques Wyatt

“One of the teachings of Relational Mindfulness is turning towards rather than away,” says Esalen faculty, dharma teacher and author Deborah Eden Tull. “That principle really addresses the conditioned tendency in our world to turn away from all forms of difficulty, pain, discomfort and challenging emotion because we may not feel adequate to meet it. Instead, we can learn how to turn towards it, welcome it and everything that arises.”

This podast episode aired on Apr 26, 2018. Listen to it now.

This podast episode aired on Jul 26, 2016. Listen to it now.

This podast episode aired on Aug 26, 2022. Listen to it now.

This podast episode aired on Aug 26, 2016. Listen to it now.

This podast episode aired on Feb 26, 2026. Listen to it now.

This podast episode aired on Aug 26, 2025. Listen to it now.

More than ever, men are stepping into spaces of reflection, growth, and vulnerability. Explore embodiment, intimacy, purpose, and transformation through upcoming workshops and practices that invite presence, emotional fluency, and deeper connection, designed for anyone called to evolve the way they relate, feel, and live.

With this insightful and diverse assortment, we face the many tests before us and embrace them as a grand set of brilliant opportunities. Everything can be met with grace, and it can all become a chance for growth. And we can rise to any challenge — with support.

Warren Farrell, leader of the popular "Role Mate to Soul Mate: The Art and Discipline of Love" workshop, shares the biological reasons behind conflict, the evolutionary shift of his “Caring and Sharing” practice, and how he has transformed relationships for over 30 years. “Over time, couples tell me that what once provoked anxiety becomes a cherished opportunity for intimacy,” says Farrell.

Sadia Bruce tells us about living enthusiastically, cultural fluidity, internalized belonging, and maintaining her practice: “What we need today will differ from what we’ll need tomorrow.” An expert in breath-based movement, Sadia shares an integrative, vitalizing understanding of embodied movement to challenge her students and also herself: “I heal and grow even as I offer experiences for others to do the same.”

International speaker and award-winning author Mirabai Starr shares some real-life heroes, explains how she maintains her practice with a weekly Sabbath, and talks about bringing together those who have experienced great loss: “...the fragrance of the sacred fills the broken-open heart and connects us with unexplainable beauty, even joy.”

If you’ve ever been at Esalen during Thanksgiving week, you’ve probably noticed that our Thanksgiving feast is the best, ever. That’s because we love Thanksgiving. We put tons of love into sharing our favorite dishes, from our own traditions, with the Esalen community.

Former scholar-in-residence and current REEP faculty member Marleen Thaler on being at Esalen: “And is there anything more beautiful than feeling comforted at the place closest to your heart?”

This month, to honor Women’s Equality day and the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment, we’re celebrating the brave suffragists, learning about other sheroes of American herstory, and considering the challenging future facing us all. Here are four titles to enjoy this August that will inspire us all to strive for even greater equality!

An Interview with Raphael Cushnir, Author and Emotional Connection Coach

An oily little fish with a big role in Big Sur local history delivers heart health and a heartwarming memory just up the road on Highway 1. This is a simple, salty recipe you’ll want to rediscover, again and again.

Summer is in full swing and our Garden is producing carrots in a wide spectrum of colors that are both lovely to behold and tasty to eat. As the heat starts to climb, it's a good time to enjoy a nice cool, refreshing salad that is easy to pack for an afternoon picnic or having friends over for a backyard BBQ. Carrots can be the star of a salad and even surpass the more famous versions of summer salads like potato and macaroni.

April 24–26, 2026 Fletcher Tucker and Mike Smith with Wildtender Guides Ali Goodman, Rachel Goldberger, Thomas Strickland, and Bryan Goldberger

Novelist Vikram Chandra opens up about his happiness, achievements, loves, and challenges. The award-winning author pinpoints every writer’s greatest fear and tells us how choosing the right tools and embracing patience help make art. A true creative spirit, Vikram blesses the musicians — while accepting his own lack of musicality — and explains why giving just one of his readers a single moment of joy is “enough for me.”

Award-winning author (A Master Plan for Rescue, Mary; Mrs. A Lincoln, The Russian Word for Snow) and long-time Buddhist practitioner Janis Cooke Newman reveals the mutually reinforcing powers of writing and mindfulness. She tells us about building community, pearls of wisdom she's gained from fellow writers Sharon Salzburg and Ruth Ozeki, and even one perfect motto from His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

We delve into books for so many different reasons: guidance, knowledge, curiosity and oftentimes to lose ourselves in a captivating tale that can take us to the farthest stretches of our imagination. Esalen faculty and author Steve Almond shares his insights on the book he found to be a true “page-turner.”

What does it mean to reach toward your growing edge? It might involve some discomfort, perhaps a bit of vulnerability. There is an activated art to pushing into what we typically avoid, and it takes a bit of self-aware stretching to move beyond our fears. Esalen is now producing its own homespun programming — Esalen Deep Growth Experience (EDGE), a new transformational accelerator, to help you explore your edge.

Cultural sociologist and Gomti River ceremonialist Roksana Badruddoja tells us about connecting to hir (pronoun of choice) ancestors through ritual, drawing strength from decolonial feminist teachings, and remembering that “spirituality is an act of resistance and reclamation.”

Janne Larsen guides fellow seekers in cultivating intimate bonds with the diverse flora thriving across the Esalen campus — and honors them through art. “Communing with plants, finding those elusive pigments and seeing what gifts they have gives me so much joy,” says Janne. “Finding that joy is so essential to living life as an artist.”