The Esalen Journal

“As we attempt to heal the collective and the planet, men’s work is a critical component. We as a society need to unwind toxic programming around masculinity so we can fully show up for our loved ones.” — Adam Christie, Iraq war veteran and In the Company of Men: The Embodied Masculine workshop student.

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!

It’s 1970. A smart kid from Newark drops out, grabs his guitar, and heads west to find magic and meaning in Big Sur. Half a century later, Dr. Ken Dychtwald is a psychologist, best-selling author, and world-renowned expert on aging — and yet he's still enchanted by those early days at Esalen.

Suddenly, Josef London had an epiphany: He knew he needed to make the pilgrimage to Esalen. He woke up one morning and realized he did not want to do the next 25 years like he’d done the last 25 years: “I knew I needed to change my life to heal my life, and that I needed to do it somewhere else.”

Drop into Big Sur to embody Wild Tao, immerse in Tibetan wisdom, and harness manifestational power through traditional West African ritual. Fall is our season to write, dance, cultivate awe, and find our true selves. Using ancient practices from around the world (enhanced by modern techniques and exercises), the invitation is open to discover — and rejoice!

Esalen’s Director of Healing Arts, Douglas Drummond opens up about connecting with his indigenous roots, the life wisdom he finds in his family motto, and why he’d like to come back in his next life as a humpback whale.

Back in the Day is a new feature that spotlights the colorful memories of long-time Esalen community members and alumni — to capture magical moments that happened once upon a time and are still treasured today. We start off by hearing from Brita Ostrom, founding member of the Esalen Massage School, who has been a part of Esalen since 1967.

Jess Siller felt invisible in her corporate job with a soul-sucking two-hour commute. She discovered Esalen while reading a book by Michael Pollan and moved across the country to find a new home — and her authentic self.

Shamini Jain, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI), Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego, and one of our esteemed faculty. Her work blends clinical psychology, psychoneuroimmunology, vocal performance, and East Indian spiritual practices. Here, she eloquently shares with Esalen what inspires her in both work and life.

This month, we’re celebrating freedom while contemplating its many forms. The responsibility of protecting and expanding our liberation is ongoing, noble, and challenging. It’s the work of a lifetime — and we can always reset and start again. Join us this month and try one of these brilliant titles, all available now at the Esalen store.

We often don’t recognize a lack of balance — until something really hurts. But some guidance and a touch of transformation can reveal just how good living harmoniously feels. Opportunity abounds here at Esalen for you to level up your joy, purpose, vitality, and all that comes with a deep connection to Mother Nature.

Our August and September offerings get physical via dance and movement, auditory with alchemic singing bowl journeys and yogic chanting. We go beyond the body by deep diving into the Other Side, and get emotional with connectivity through Gestalt techniques.

“Conversations We Should Be Having” is a new column intended to foster meaningful conversations that amplify diverse voices and issues. To start us off, Enneagram + Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism Specialist Dr. Deborah Egerton shares her thoughts concerning Juneteenth.

To celebrate Pride Month, we've selected a few of our favorite LGBTQIA titles that reflect on how incredibly far we’ve come — while sitting in recognition of the real inclusive work we still have ahead.

Whether it’s through the lens of compassion, bodywork, breathwork, Buddhism, tantra, communion with nature, or communication with your partner, these new August and September workshops arm you with the tools to bring your very best, most powerful self into sharper, more aligned, and self-aware focus.

By going to Esalen, our former Community & Advancement Associate Lacy Shannon's life changed direction. Leaving the city and her corporate life behind, she knew it was time to pivot to something more grounding.

The Proust Esalenaire is inspired by a list of thoughts and feelings-inspired questions by the 20th century French writer Marcel Proust. Here at Esalen we have created our own version to dig a little deeper and differently into our incredible faculty and staff, starting with Sianna Sherman and Masood Ali Khan.

When someone who teaches the skills on navigating change shares what helped her most, the best thing we can do is listen. Jennifer Ward also explains the difference between change…and transition.

How we feel on the inside informs and affects how we present to the outside world. From heart-opened leadership and Enneagram exploration, to deep-dive mindfulness and discovering new pathways of happiness, our newest workshops support the seachange from gloom to bloom.

There’s a gluten-free “happy” snack you’ll find at every konbini and at every sakura celebration. Celebrating Asian Pacific Islander Heritage month, get the easy, heart-felt recipe for onigiri.

Expand your world and discover freedom with the strokes of your own paintbrush. Michele Cassou, founder of Point Zero Painting, explains how to let go of the rules and embrace all the layers of life.

Out of the dark and into the light… a journey we have all experienced once, and perhaps many times. Jovinna Chan shares her dark night of the soul and the journey to the light as we kick off #myEsalen.

“Me and mine” versus “us and ours.” Our way of being illuminates a type of mindfulness for how we relate to “other” human beings. Dr. E shares how the Enneagram model might help heal our divided societies.

Life can overwork our character muscles with adversities. Tis’ the season for overcoming through a compendium of traditional and natural world practices. From Toltec paths to happiness, and healing via biofield science, to humbly communing on Esselen Tribal land, and busting through blockages to clear our chakras — the tools are aligned, ready for activation.

Every pho aficionado will tell you that the secret to this Vietnamese staple is the broth, a two-plus hour process of breathing and waiting. We wouldn’t recommend shortcutting personal transformation, but we’ll hungrily allow it for pho in honor of API Heritage Month 2022!

Approaching death, people see they need to heal in three areas, according to Dale Borglum, the founder and Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project. Understanding this concept now can illuminate each day while you’re here on earth.

Love and yoga are an alchemy that can turn wounds into wisdom, pain into love. Sianna Sherman kicks off our digital hybrid program with Phoenix Rising and lights up our hearts.

Our new workshops for July and August offer ways to live in right relation with the Earth, unlock renewed feminine energy and creativity, develop new strategies for thriving, and experience greater connection and inter-relatedness. Plus, a reminder about exciting options for a meaningful month away at Esalen between June and September with LEEP.

Is there such a thing as over-meditating that gets in the way of real healing? That’s one topic Dr. Lissa Rankin covered on her quest to understand “sacred medicine.” Read her insights about the relationship between healing, belief, community, and miracles.

We can never get rid of the myths that have made us who we are, but we can re-vision them and imagine new possibilities? Get ready to play and gain profound insights into your journey with Bob Walter, President of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and Campbell’s editor for years.

Explore, play, and tap into your vulnerabilities with a gentleness that makes space for personal journey. Our workshop offerings are ever expanding; peruse our latest and choose your own adventure.

Can you put into words what happens when your heart beat comes alive just by stepping onto the land at Esalen? All of it just flowed out of Cara Chandler — words like unfolding, wild, seeker. What would you say?

This question is harder than it may seem: are you at home within yourself? The Divine Abodes — brahmavihārās — is one approach to bring you home.

As we continue to unfurl from our cocoons of the past two years, the desire to blossom cannot be ignored. Immerse yourself in community once again and take advantage of opportunities for mindful rebuilding with these new workshops for May, June, and beyond.

Is it true that the Esalen land is a maṇḍala unto itself? Through the lens of Tantra and her own Hindu and Buddhist studies, Sravana Borkataky-Varma (Board Member and Lecturer at Harvard Divinity School) explains why the answer is undoubtedly yes.

The mother knot… how much are you tied to memories, images, or traumas related to this critical relationship? Author Laura Davis graced us with a story of her own bond with her mother, and the power of obsession when it comes to healing.

Even as we celebrate the March equinox and welcome spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s not too early to make plans for summer. New workshops for July and August offer opportunities for yoga, creative expression, mindfulness, hiking, and more; plus, two new LEEP programs are open for applications.

Is it possible to design your life? Make it exactly what you want it to be? According to executive coach Mark Nicolson, if you can align your head and heart, you might be getting very close.

The longer days and warmer temperatures of spring are just around the corner here in California, and our newest batch of workshops offer a variety of enticing ways to shake off the shackles of winter and reconnect to yourself, others, creativity, and the grandeur of Nature.

Big Sur experienced an unexpected visitor this January: a winter wildfire. One of our Friends of Esalen witnessed it in the first few hours and took to words in a moment of inspiration and reflection. We share her poem — “The World Flipped On Its Head” — in our latest post in The Journal.

LEEP enters a new era and leaves its imprint on the hearts of the first cohort since its return. Learn how the Live Extended Education Program changed one soul, plus, three words to describe the forever impact of Esalen.

Our newest batch of workshops help you deepen intimacy with your partner, your brain, your sense of awe and wonder, your messy-yet-sacred life, your meditation practice, and your personal myth.

Once upon a time, a former Esalen chef lost her healthy path and fought her way back from yo-yo dieting to get her life back on track. Today, this holistic nutritionist and coach leans into plants, creating delicious recipes like this one.

At the baths, have you ever thought…I wish I could bottle this up? Our newest addition to the Esalen store taps you into a bit of healing at home. Learn about the Bathing & Spa collection inspired by local woods, meadows, and historical bathing rituals.

Does your relationship “check a box?” Rev. Erika Allison, a queer interfaith minister and author, tackles moving beyond the labels established long ago to embrace individual self-journeys to love for the LGBTQ+ community.

A diverse group of four women lead workshops that are right around the corner. Deepen your knowledge of somatic pathways, the biofield, Chinese medicine, and Tantra for vitality, spiritual connection, and saying goodbye to old patterns.

This drink is pure gold when it comes to creating more ease in your life. Combining a historical concept from India, coconut oil, some spices, and California’s famous almonds, discover a five-minute ritual for well-being and comfort.

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.

Rebirth is right around the corner. With spring not far off, we welcome the fresh comeback of LEEP (Live Extended Education Program, formerly the work scholar program). Each month, transformation awaits 12 students from around the world.

Find healing, balance, and guidance in our new workshops and our month-long Live Extended Education Program (LEEP) offerings for February through April; plus, save 50% on standard tuition for an online workshop.

We've added two special opportunities to transform your reality with help from master teachers Laura Day, Gahl Sasson, and Nancy Winston, a chance to spread your creative wings and transform recycled materials into art, and a whole lot more.

Did we forget how to communicate love and compassion through touch? Social distancing dominated our lexicon for the past two years. Two experts in Esalen massage give us insight into the comeback of a forgotten language.

More new workshops for February and new workshops for the spring season. Renew your body and your mind with Ulrika Engman, Janet Stone, and Lucia Horan on our Big Sur campus.

Dan Zigmond returns to help open the path to modern meditation practices, Internal Family Systems work to explore leadership and love, and wild eros to help you fall in love with the natural world around you.

One of our staff members shares the story of learning about the relationship of her community’s trauma in relation to the local, Indigenous community. Learn how you can help us be committed to this work and be contextual stewards of this land.

We've got brand new collections for kids and babies, newly-designed hoodies and tees that honor our sacred place on earth, gifts for rituals, energy, candle gazing, or cozying up at home. We have digital gift certificates too! Each purchase from our online store supports our programs and the land.

The first time Sarana Miller experienced kirtan, she felt like she had found a piece of herself. Learn how chanting changed her life and how she honors this ancient practice as a person from the Jewish faith.

The return of an iconic Esalen Massage workshop, celebrating LGBTQ+ love in a safe space, human potential with Paul Selig, and Enneagram for expansion are all available in this round of January and February workshop experiences.

When you say “I’m going to be present,” is this a demand of yourself, a practice, or a way to bring it into your body so you actually embody the present? Russell and Linda Delman eloquently describe both and share why it’s more important than ever to understand the difference.

One family’s baby blessing, a ceremonial fire, and the ritual of connecting to the spirit world became kindling for a new collaboration with a California woman. Her artistry with nature frames a ritual to honor family, friendship, and self-nourishment.