Voices of Esalen Podcast

Michael Ableman is a farmer, author, photographer and urban and local food systems advocate. Michael has been farming organically since the early 1970s and is considered one of the pioneers of the organic farming and urban agriculture movements.

He is a frequent lecturer to audiences all over the world, and winner of numerous awards for his work. He is also the founder of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens; co-founder and director of Sole Food Street Farms, and founder and director of the Center for Arts, Ecology and Agriculture based at his family home and farm on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia.

He's an awesome person, and this interview is well worth a listen.

Peggy Horan is a long-time Esalen staff member, known far and wide for her exceptional work as an Esalen massage therapist and massage teacher. She has been practicing and teaching Esalen Massage for four decades and is the author of Connecting Through Touch, A Couples Massage Book.

Voices of Esalen host Sam Stern recently visited Peggy at her home on Gorda mountain, which she shares with her husband, artist Richard Horan. Sam is joined in the interview process by Lucia Horan, Peggy’s eldest daughter, who assisted in delving into the rich legacy and history of a beloved and respected community member.

They spoke about a host of topics, including the evolution of Esalen massage, midwifery in Big Sur in the 1980s, and what Esalen was like when she arrived in 1969.

Look for upcoming workshops with Peggy Horan.

The esteemed Michael Murphy is the co-founder of Esalen Institute, and a very smart guy; this is accepted as established fact. What’s somewhat less known about Michael is that he is a sports nut - and an expert on mysticism within the realm of sports.

In 1972, Murphy published his first book, Golf in the Kingdom, which went on to sell more than one million copies, becoming a cult classic among athletes, with many celebrity fans, among them Phil Jackson, Bill Murray, and Tom Smothers.

He is also the author of In the Zone: Transcendent Experiences in Sports, (with Rhea White), which, in the words of historian Jeffrey Kripal, “makes the case that there is a kind of spiritual underground in the sports world, and that the psychodynamics of athletics — extreme discipline, physical suffering, risk-taking, scripted trauma — bear some rather striking resemblances to the earlier cultural patterns of shamanism and mysticism.”

In the Zone, in fact, is a book of case studies that make the compelling argument that sports may constitute an arena made for shifting consciousness and spontaneously inducing mystical states. So let’s dive deep — with the golfing yogi, the shaman of San Francisco ... 49ers — Mr. Michael Murphy.

Paul Selig is a psychic gifted with the skill of clairvoyance. He is sometimes described as a “medium for the living.” Paul is also the award-winning author of many channeled texts, including I am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, The Book of Mastery, and most recently, The Book of Freedom.

Of course, Paul will tell you he transcribes these books, rather than writes them – that the true authors of these books are his guides. Today he brings us into the "upper room," offers insight into his own guides, speaks about the importance of Esalen on his work, and indulges Sam with a bit of channeled guidance regarding some of his personal concerns.

Look for upcoming workshops with Paul Selig.

Mark Coleman is the author of Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Help Free You from the Inner Critic and Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery.

Mark is a senior meditation teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught there since 2000. He also holds a MA in Clinical Psychology. We spoke about the unique path that brought Mark to mindfulness meditation and how presence awareness lies at the heart of the work he does.

Look for upcoming workshops with Mark Coleman.

In this episode Dustin DiPerna, Harvard-trained scholar of world religions, meditation teacher, and author of several books, including Streams of Wisdom, Evolution's Ally, and Earth is Eden, takes on the concept of transpersonal psychology and Ken Wilber's Integral Theory with host Sam Stern.

The interview covers a host of topics, including Dustin's brief foray into the fashion industry as a young man, which led to his attempt to become a monk, which then lead to his years of study with philosopher and creator of Integral Theory, Ken Wilber, and a prosperous career as a heart-centered intellectual.

Dustin leads a short and beautiful meditation to close the conversation.

Look for upcoming workshops with Dustin DiPerna.

Dr. Rick Hanson is a psychologist and author whose interests lie in the confluence of modern neuroscience and ancient contemplative practices.

Hanson is the author of Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, Hardwiring Happiness, and most recently, Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, which discusses using positive neuroplasticity to develop vital inner strengths like grit, gratitude, and compassion.

Rick is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and is basically a wise, compassionate, and thoughtful resource.

Mikey Siegel is the founder of the Consciousness Hacking movement. Siegel studied computer engineering at UC Santa Cruz, then worked at NASA in the field of Intelligent Robotics.

He’s also worked at the MIT Media Lab, focusing in part on social robotics. He uses technology to facilitate a path toward higher consciousness, self-realization, awakening, and transcendence.

Look for upcoming workshops with Mikey Siegel.

Perry Holloman is an internationally renowned massage instructor—he has been a teacher and practitioner of Esalen Massage, Deep Bodywork, and body-oriented approaches to Relational Gestalt Process work for more than 30 years.

He and his wife Johanna Holloman teach in the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and enjoy legions of faithful followers with their brand of Deep Bodywork. Together we explored a bit of the history of the last 40 years of the Esalen institute, from dishwashing to dancing, to his mentors at Esalen, and the tribal nature of the community in the 1980's.

He's one of the more articulate people running around the good state of California, so sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana is one of the world’s leading authorities on conscious awareness. A longtime leader at Esalen, Suzanne is a Craniosacral therapist and an instructor with the Upledger Institute.

She created the comprehensive Healing From the Core training curriculum, empowering her audience with practical tools that enable them to experience joy in each moment without burning out. She also teaches a popular women-only course at Esalen called Healing the Pelvic Floor.

Suzanne is about using full body presence to improve every aspect of your life, from your health and well-being to your relationships, your career, your creativity, and your financial health.

Look for upcoming workshops with Suzanne Scurlock-Durana.