Esalen News

Facing multiple doorways for growth, all you must do is decide. Do you wish to cultivate gratitude and love? Or unlock creativity through art? There are even two chances to learn from one of Esalen’s most revered teachers. There are no wrong answers now. Just follow your heart and step into your new future! It’s waiting for you.

Tom “Little Bear” Nason, Tribal Chairman of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, takes us back to a moment in time when arriving at Esalen was like entering a tribal village.

Has your creativity, voice, or vision somehow been disconnected, silenced, or dimmed? Even if they feel lost forever, your truest, most powerful aspects are eager and ready to shine, and they are longing to live again. With so many different ways to reconnect — be it art, meditation, mindfulness, ritual, or community — Big Sur is where you’ll rediscover those precious, cherished selves. Choose your paths! They’re waiting here for you.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Flow into 2022 with new workshops for December and January. Learn the art and the science of transformation, align and reset with a Winter Solstice yoga retreat, and find the keys to well-being and creativity through dance.

Dance, flow, and meditate with Zuza and Scott Engler, Raphael Cushnir, and Chandra Easton. Unlock your creative potential with Esalen Artist in Residence alum Darnell Walker and explore the truth about Tantra with Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Keith Cantú.

Are you curious about your own capacity to heal? Do you wonder how you can create a different relationship with the land around you that is not rooted in dominance? Check out new workshops from Erika Gagnon and Vivien Sansour to find out how you can heal yourself and reconnect to the land around you.

Dan Zigmond returns to help clear the obstacles of a daily meditation practice, Steven Harper explores the richness of Gestalt for radical aliveness in his return visit, and Miranda Macpherson helps us to rise to meet change with spiritual maturity.

Navigate your soul path with a spirit dive, guided by East Forest and Radha Weppner, transform grief into beauty with artist Day Schildkret, or flow into gratitude with Janet Stone. New workshops are open for discovery right now.

Are you ready to change along with the natural shift in the seasons? Fall’s new workshops support your healing journey through sound, wisdom, ancient medicine and science, nature, and more.

What’s in a bag? Aside from your essentials, there is a story behind our latest must-have from the book store. Find out how a simple stop over at a coffee shop turned into our new item of the season.

As we head into Fall 2021, dance your way to ecstasy, deepen your relationships, and cultivate joy with a new crop of workshops.

As we approach the days of late summer, two, brand new fall workshops are coming your way for September! Get liberated… and get busy crafting your future, because some of your favorites are back for an encore.

Three new workshops just opened up for August. Whether you unlock your right brain, dive into a numerical map for social change, or learn how to move like the ocean and sit like a mountain… transformation awaits.

We’re pleased to announce a new slate of upcoming workshops heading to Esalen this July, August, and October! Choose from four new workshops designed to help you navigate our changing times.

We’re pleased to announce a new slate of upcoming workshops heading to Esalen this summer and fall! Choose from seven new workshops designed to help you meditate, engage, move, feel, and sing your way toward your highest spiritual self.

Delve into the inspiration and craft that went into the making of our luxurious new robe, available now in the Esalen store.

An exciting array of new summer workshops are coming to Esalen in July and August! Choose from 10 new workshops to help you round out your summer in the spirit of healing and self-exploration.

‍The schedule of summer workshops has expanded by leaps and bounds since our last update! Choose from six new workshops to give your June and July an empowering boost.

The sun is shining, the whales are out along the coast, and it’s a great time to spend a few days at Esalen, soaking in the natural wonders while you explore the wonders within. A range of spring and summer workshops are open for enrollment, including an 8-week online course through Modern Elder Academy.

Esalen has always been a tricky place to summarize — how do you capture an expansive experience into a static piece of text? But anything is possible with enough creativity and love, so we are pleased to share our newly published 2020 Annual Report.

The only constant in life is change. Whether you’re working through a difficult time — the stress and pain of the past year, or an acute loss — or are preparing for the joyful chaos that comes with welcoming a child into your life, these just-added workshops will support you through the challenges of transformation.

This is a complete list of workshops and events that are currently open for registration. Check the Journal every other Monday to see the latest additions to the schedule!

Did you know that Friends of Esalen has a book club? This month, we’re reading Dr. Qing Li’s 2018 book, "Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness."

Earlier this year we began offering limited edition Seasonal Boxes in the Esalen shop — specially chosen items to help you bring a little Esalen into your daily life — curated by our buyer, Heather Martin. Here she describes her selection process and the intention behind three new offerings for spring.

This is a complete list of workshops and events that are currently open for registration. Check the Journal every other Monday to see the latest additions to the schedule!

This is a complete list of workshops and events that are currently open for registration. Check the Journal every other Monday to see what new workshops have been added to the schedule.

The upheaval and change of the past 12 months leaves us all looking for a new way forward. Here at Esalen, conversations about our role in helping to heal this collective trauma are constant. Our new summit series, The Way Forward, is an outgrowth of these internal discussions. As we move into this important but difficult work, we wanted to share some insight into what we’ve been grappling with internally and the work we’re invested in thus far.

Earlier this year, Emmy-award winning journalist, author and yoga instructor Christine Chen joined us as the host of Esalen Live! on Facebook. Christine interviews Esalen faculty and change agents about timely topics — coping with the pandemic, perspectives on racial justice, and overall well-being.

“Esalen is a mecca for mythic transformation,” says Corinne Bordeau, co-founder of the Esalen Inspirational Film Festival, “and that is the heartbeat of the upcoming 25th anniversary celebration Chris Vogler’s book, The Writer’s Journey.” The online event on Oct. 22, 2020 is free to the Esalen community.

Since 1980, Track Two: An Institute for Citizen Diplomacy, formerly the Russian American Center, has provided new spheres of influence for Esalen. For Track Two, in partnership with Esalen's Center for Theory & Research, traveling to Russia, the Middle East and now the Far East, brings with it the culture and practices that Esalen embodies.