July 2008 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

The Esalen Catalog
July– December 2008
®
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
July – December 2008
Esalen — A convergence of mountains and sea,
mind and body, East and West, meditation and action.
Esalen — A center for alternative education, a forum for transformational
practices, a restorative retreat, a worldwide community of seekers.
Dedicated to exploring work in the humanities and sciences that furthers the full realization
of the human potential, Esalen offers public workshops, residential work-study programs,
invitational conferences, and independent projects that support our mission.
As a center designed to foster personal and social transformation, we offer those who
join us the chance to explore more deeply the world and themselves.
Welcome to
®
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contents
Volume xlvii, Number 2
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9546
Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000,
ext. 7100
Esalen Board of Trustees:
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Alyce Faye Eichelberger-Cleese
Mary Ellen Klee
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler ex officio
David Lustig
Anisa Mehdi
Michael Murphy
Carolin Phillips ex officio
Lyle Poncher
Marilyn Schlitz
Gordon Wheeler
Sam Yau
President & CEO:
Gordon Wheeler
Esalen Catalog Staff:
Editor: Peter Friedberg
Administrative Liaison: Kinga Pfeifer
Design & Production: Terry McGrath
Catalog Subscription Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
GazeboPark Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Esalen Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Friends of Esalen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
The Esalen Catalog is published
biannually by the Esalen Institute,
Big Sur, California 93920-9546.
Printed on recycled paper.
©2008 Esalen Institute. All rights
reserved. ISSN 1088-2782
Subscription Information:
Continuing Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Guide to Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Seminar Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Esalen Seminars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Special Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Work Study Program and Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83-86
Biographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Reservation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Scholarship Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Reservation Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96
I believe I found the missing link between
animal and civilized man. It is us.
—Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel laureate (1903–1989)
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Subscription cost for one year is $20
for the United States and $35 for all
other countries. Please send a check
or money order (U.S. currency) in the
enclosed subscription envelope, or
mail it to: Subscriptions, Esalen
Institute, Big Sur, CA 93920.
Although we’re delighted to provide you
with this issue of the catalog, if you
are not currently a subscriber we would
appreciate a $5 contribution to defray
postage and production costs. Please
use the enclosed subscription envelope.
cover photograph: Daniel Bianchetta
This catalog is printed on New Leaf Opaque, made
with 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine
free. By using this environmentally friendly paper,
Esalen saved the following resources:
trees: 197 fully grown
energy: 141 million BTUs
water: 84,518 gallons
greenhouse gases: 18,435 lbs.
solid waste: 9,451 lbs.
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general information
T
he esalen institute was founded in 1962 as an alternative educational center devoted to the exploration of
what Aldous Huxley called the “human
potential,” the world of unrealized human
capacities that lies beyond the imagination.
Esalen soon became known worldwide for its
blend of East/West philosophies, its experiential/didactic workshops, the steady influx of
philosophers, psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers, and its breathtaking grounds
blessed with natural hot springs. Once home
to a Native American tribe known as the
Esselen, Esalen is situated on the spectacular
Big Sur coastline with the Santa Lucia
Mountains rising sharply behind.
There are various ways to experience Esalen,
ranging from an overnight visit to a long-term
stay as a seminarian. The weekend and fiveday workshops described in the Seminars section of the catalog are the standard route for
coming to Esalen. The “Experiencing Esalen”
workshops, scheduled periodically, offer an
introduction to practices such as Gestalt, massage, sensory awareness, and meditation. From
such a sampling, participants can then choose
those approaches they are most attracted to
and pursue them in subsequent seminars.
Another way of being at Esalen which allows a
greater involvement at a lower expense is the
Work Study Program, an intensive monthlong
work-oriented program for individuals who
want to make a directed commitment to selfexploration and growth, and a contribution to
the Esalen community. For a full description of
the Work Study Program, please turn to page 83.
For those who wish an extended stay, there
are periodic long-term programs which
involve didactic seminars or professional
trainings as well as experiential workshops.
Yet another way to experience Esalen is a
Personal Retreat (available on a limited basis),
which gives guests the opportunity to nourish body, mind, heart, and soul without participating in an Esalen workshop. Those on
Personal Retreat may use the baths, attend
yoga and movement classes, meditate in the
Round House, and enjoy the Esalen grounds.
Finally, there are other events that enrich life
at Esalen. There are occasional forums in
which writers and thinkers, both visiting
and resident, share their ideas with the community. On Wednesday nights there may be
lectures, films, dance performances, or other
events. Bodywork of various kinds is avail-
able by appointment with individual practitioners. There is also a community event
schedule offered. Please check the bulletin
board when you arrive.
Esalen is a center for experimental education. We
offer neither psychotherapy nor assurances of change.
Esalen is a 45-mile drive south from
Monterey, 11 miles south of Nepenthe, on
Coast Route 1. From the south, we are 50
miles north of Hearst Castle. A lighted sign
on the ocean side of the highway reads:
Esalen Institute, By Reservation Only.
Esalen’s childcare program for children of parents taking a seminar is currently undergoing
restructuring. Through June 30, 2008, Esalen will
offer childcare during workshop hours in the
afternoon, evenings, and on weekends. Details
about the new structure of childcare after June
30th will be available soon.
If you are interested in having your child
participate in our program, please call the
Farmhouse at 831-667-3026 or e-mail us at
[email protected] for more details.
Disabled Access
The Hot Springs at Esalen
We would like those people who are planning
their first visit to Esalen to know that swimsuits are optional, and nudity common, in the
hot springs, massage area, and swimming pool.
We encourage each individual to choose what
is most comfortable, either wearing a swimsuit or not, and emphasize that the environment we strive for at Esalen is one of personal
sanctuary and respect for the human body.
Accreditation and
Continuing Education
Many formal educational institutions recognize the time spent at Esalen as being worthy
of credit in their own curricula; check with
your university or college. We would be glad
to supply information to your school regarding any of our programs.
Esalen is a provider of continuing education
for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses, and
bodyworkers. See page 5 for details.
Gazebo Park Preschool
Currently, our Gazebo Park Preschool is open
from 9:00-4:30, Monday through Friday, and
is available to children of seminarians and
personal retreatants. Esalen’s unique ecologically-based program serves children 3 to 6
years of age. The program is licensed and has
an average of 12 children in attendance daily.
The school offers the opportunity for full
immersion with the natural world through
our rich outdoor environment. Activities
include planting, harvesting, eating, and composting fruits and vegetables, exploring
nature, caring for animals, art projects, cooking, stories, and dramatic play.
Here at Esalen, many of our paths, though
paved, are extremely steep due to our cliffside
location. We are in the process of increasing
our disability access; however, access to
some parts of our property remains difficult.
Nonetheless, we are committed to accommodating guests who have disabilities. If you have
a disability and think you might need assistance during your stay at Esalen, please discuss
your needs when making your reservation, at
least 72 hours in advance of your arrival, so
that we can best accommodate your needs. If
you are in need of sign language interpretation
for an Esalen workshop, please notify us at
least 2 weeks prior to your workshop to enable
us to arrange for an interpreter. In all cases, we
will do our best to meet your needs.
Friends of Esalen
We invite you to become a Friend of Esalen.
Your donation of $50 or more will benefit our
programs and help build Esalen’s long-term
financial base (see page 4). As a Friend of
Esalen you will receive the following benefits:
• A $50 reduction in tuition for all workshops
over the next 12 months
• Friends of Esalen newsletters and the Esalen
Catalog for one year
• Eligibility to book Personal Retreats
• A tax deduction under IRS section 501(c)3
for the amount of the donation
Esalen Is Tax-deductible
Contributions to Esalen Institute are taxdeductible. The expenses of attending Esalen,
including travel, are deductible for federal
income tax purposes as an educational
expense if incurred to maintain or improve
professional or work skills.
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esalen notes
On-line Reservations
Available
Esalen Movement Arts
Free Classes
Scheduling Private
Conferences at Esalen
You can register for Esalen programs on-line
at Esalen’s website, www.esalen.org. Workshops
appear on the Web before the Catalog is
printed.
The Esalen Movement Arts Program has
evolved into a popular and varied schedule
of movement and meditation classes. Every
day of the week, classes are open to everyone
at Esalen, guests and staff, and all levels of
experience. Check the Movement Program
schedule when you are here.
It is possible to arrange for your group or
organization to hold its conferences at Esalen.
We can accommodate large groups of up to
124 on a space-available basis. Smaller groups
may schedule private conferences to meet in
one of our several meeting rooms.
An Unofficial Website
for the Global Esalen
Community
In an effort to provide ongoing support for
individuals who have live, worked, and/or
studied at Esalen, an informal collective of
former Esalen staff, work scholars, and seminarians have joined to form the seeds of a
global grassroots Esalen Alumni Group at
www.iThou.org. Daily meditation, weekly
weather reports, and the talking stick tradition are some of the practices available to anyone who has been touched by the spirit of
Esalen.
Point Houses Available
to Esalen Guests
Esalen’s Mid-Point House and North-Point
House are available as upgraded accommodation alternatives for seminarians and Personal
Retreat guests. Nestled behind the lush
Esalen Garden at the edge of the coastal cliff,
both Point Houses feature a redwood deck
overlooking the Pacific, a comfortably furnished living room, and a full kitchen.
Conferences can be two, five, or seven days,
and include a meeting room, meals, movement classes, hot springs, and Art Center use
when available. They are the perfect solution
for individuals and groups who would like to
design their own program, drawing on the
creative and healing energies of the Esalen
land.
We schedule all conferences at least one year
in advance. To schedule or for more information, please contact conference coordinator
Laura Doherty at 831-667-3028.
For details, please call the Esalen office at
831-667-3005.
the friends of esalen
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A
s a Friend of Esalen you can help ensure Esalen’s
place in the world. It is through the generosity
of friends like you that Esalen can continue its
mission of developing human potential. Your
support not only benefits current programs but helps secure
Esalen’s long-term financial future. Donations are tax-deductible
and provide support for the scholarship fund, the movement
program, Gazebo School, special projects such as renovations
and equipment replacement, and Esalen’s visionary Center
for Theory and Research.
As a way of showing our gratitude, Friends who donate $50
or more will receive a $50 reduction on all catalog workshops
for the next twelve months. Donors will also receive the
Esalen Catalog and a triannual Friends of Esalen newsletter
for one year and be eligible to book a Personal Retreat at
Esalen.
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Friends Circle.......................$50+
Hot Springs Circle............$200+
Sustaining Circle...............$500+
Benefactors Circle .........$1,000+
Founders Circle..............$5,000+
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Partners Circle ................$15,000+
Anniversary Circle ........$30,000+
Coast Circle......................$50,000+
Trustees Circle ..............$100,000+
Name_________________________________________________ Phone_______________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________
City _________________________________________ State ____________ Zip ________________
E-mail _________________________________________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to Esalen Institute, in U.S. currency
drawn on a U.S. bank, or use one of the charge cards listed below:
q MasterCard
q Visa
q American Express
Amount________________ Card No._________________________________________________
Many Friends choose to make Esalen a part of their longrange plans by including a bequest or deferred gift to Esalen
in their estate plans. A charitable bequest is one of the easiest
ways you can give that will make a lasting difference to the
Institute.
If you would like further information on donating to Esalen,
please contact Nancy Worcester at 831-667-3032.
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Signature____________________________________________ Exp. Date __________________
Please complete this form or the inside flap of the envelope insert included in the
catalog and return with your gift. Check the box on the outside of the envelope
marked “Friends of Esalen.” Thank you for your support.
Esalen Institute is a nonprofit public charity corporation, exempt from income
tax under IRC section 501(c)(3). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent
allowable by law.
continuing education programs
E
salen is approved by the American Psychological Association
to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. (Esalen
maintains responsibility for this program and its content;
California psychologists are required to report their hours to the
MCEP Accrediting Agency); Esalen is also approved for MFTs and
LCSWs by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (provider number PCE1594); and massage practitioners and bodyworkers by the
National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
(NCBTMB) as a continuing education provider under Category A
(provider number 043062-00). Workshops for which CE credit has
been approved are listed below and also noted in the Seminars section.
For further information, contact Brita Ostrom at 831-667-3040.
The Board of Registered Nursing has approved Esalen as a provider of
continuing education for registered nurses (provider number 01152).
For additional information on CE courses for nurses, contact Mary
Anne Will, R.N., 831-667-3010.
Psyche, Cosmos, and the Arts
Skillful Embodiment: Somatic Psychology
Forgiveness and Intimacy
The Endless Path—Freedom from Addiction
The Elements of Esalen Massage
Curiosity: 5Rhythms Movement Meditation
Gestalt Awareness Practice
Transforming Trauma with EMDR
Not For the Feint of Heart
Massage Intensive
Upledger Healing From the Core
Tibetan Buddhist Meditation
Social Justice, Reconciliation in Film
The Wisdom of Dreams
Sensory Awareness
The Listening Hand: Rubenfeld Synergy
Coming Home to Your Body: Massage
Core Zero Balancing—Part I
Changing and Healing the Emotional Body
Healing the Pelvic Floor
The Art of Happiness
For Women: Designing Path to Healing
Integrated Meridian Massage
The Embodied Life
Traditional Thai Massage
The Transformational Enneagram
How to Stay Sane in an Insane World
Living Love:Relationship Renewal
Deciphering the Romantic Attraction Code
Spinal Awareness (with Humor)
A New Beginning: Courage and Heart
Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
The Journey from Abandonment to Healing
Consciousness is Fundamental
In the Realm of Silent Wisdom
The Awakened Mind: Brainwave Training
The Advanced Awakened Mind
Loving What Is
Essence of the Elements
Tai Chi Easy Facilitator Certification
Hanna Somatics
Couples’ Communication
Awakening to Your Life: Using Dreams
Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality
Gateway to Soul:Process Acupressure
Empowering Diversity
Spirit In Action: Love, Life, Deep Healing
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Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
The Psychotherapeutic Touch
Rosen Method Bodywork
Gestalt Practice: Exploring Emotion
Spinal Awareness: Healing (with Humor)
Embodied Relationship
It’s Time: The Courage to Be You
Specialized Esalen Massage
SoulSalon
The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
Psychopharmacology & Health Food Store
The Intimate Couple
Finding Your Deepest Purpose
From Isolation to Intimacy
Esalen Massage Couples Weekend
Mother: Key to Her Daughter’s Self-Image
Men Who Love Men
Zero Balancing Open Forum
Death, Loss, and the Quest for Meaning
Esalen Massage Weekend
Self-Acceptance—The Heart of Healing
Emotional Healing
Advanced Bodywork: Touching the Core
The Art of Leadership
DreamTending
Prime of Life Yoga
28-Day Massage Training
Gestalt Practice and CFR
Awakening Your Healing Heart
Relationships: A Spiritual Journey
Thanksgiving Renewal: Massage and Yoga
Anxious to Please:
Healing through Deep Bodywork
Sexual Happiness Coaching
Being Present for Your Life
Add Life to Years and Years to Life
Love Yourself—For Everyone Else’s Sake
Stronger at the Broken Places
Spinal Awareness: Healing (with Humor)
A Big, New, Free, Happy, Unusual Life
Ageless Vitality
Awakening the Creative
Public Speaking
The Healing Art of Esalen Massage
Revealing, Reinventing, and Renewing
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Sept 28-Oct 3
Sept 28-Oct 3
Sept 28-Oct 3
Sept 28-Oct 3
Oct 3-5
Oct 3-5
Oct 5-10
Oct 5-10
Oct 10-12
Oct 12-17
Oct 12-17
Oct 12-17
Oct 17-19
Oct 24-26
Oct 24-26
Oct 24-26
Oct 24-26
Oct 31-Nov 2
Oct 31-Nov 2
Oct 31-Nov 2
Nov 2-7
Nov 2-7
Nov 2-7
Nov 9-14
Nov 9-14
Nov 14-16
Nov 14-16
Nov 14-16
Nov 16-Dec 14
Nov 16-21
Nov 16-21
Nov 21-23
Nov 23-28
Nov 30-Dec 5
Nov 30-Dec 5
Dec 5-7
Dec 5-7
Dec 7-12
Dec 12-14
Dec 19-21
Dec 19-21
Dec 21-26
Dec 21-26
Dec 21-26
Dec 26-28
Dec 26-28
Dec 28-Jan 2
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July 6-11
July 6-11
July 6-11
July 6-11
July 11-13
July 13-18
July 13-18
July 18-25
July 18-25
July 18-20
July 20-25
July 25-Aug 1
July 25-Aug 1
July 25-27
July 27-Aug 1
Aug 1-3
Aug 1-3
Aug 3-8
Aug 3-8
Aug 3-8
Aug 8-10
Aug 8-10
Aug 10-15
Aug 15-17
Aug 17-22
Aug 17-22
Aug 17-22
Aug 22-24
Aug 22-24
Aug 22-24
Aug 24-29
Aug 24-29
Aug 31-Sept 5
Aug 31-Sept 5
Aug 31-Sept 5
Sept 5-7
Sept 7-12
Sept 7-12
Sept 12-14
Sept 14-19
Sept 14-19
Sept 19-21
Sept 19-21
Sept 19-21
Sept 21-26
Sept 21-26
Sept 21-26
Sept 26-28
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Please note: All two-day workshops offer 10 hours of CE credit and all five-day
workshops offer 26 hours. If you wish to receive a certificate, please notify your workshop leader. There is a $10 fee for each certificate of completion, payable to the office.
D
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guide to workshops
T
his is a guide to the workshops
offered in this catalog. Although
many of them could be cross-referenced—and some resist easy categorization—
they are listed only in their main subject
area. If you have never been to Esalen or
taken an Esalen workshop, you might consider the “Experiencing Esalen” workshop
scheduled throughout the catalog and listed
in the Integral Practices section of this
directory. Please call the Esalen office if you
have questions concerning a workshop.
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ARTS & CREATIVITY
Visual Arts
July 20-25 • Watercolor and Drawing
July 25-Aug 1 • Intolerance, Justice, Reconciliation in
Film
Aug 3-8 • Painting with Light
Aug 24-29 • Filmmaking Journey into Nature
Sept 7-12 • Painting and Point Zero
Nov 14-21 • Watercolor and Mixed Media
Nov 21-28 • Master Class for Painters
Nov 30-Dec 5 • Art as a Spiritual Path
Dec 12-14 • The Passion of Painting
Dec 21-26 • Awakening the Creative
Dec 21-26 • The Art of Making Prayer Flags
Writing
Aug 31-Sept 5 • Ranting and Raving and Writing
Sept 5-7 • Writing About Our Lives
Sept 21-26 • Deep Thinking Through Writing
Nov 16-21 • Spinning Straw into Gold
Nov 23-28 • Writing and the Spiritual Life
Dec 7-12 • Writing and Knowing
Dec 19-21 • Mining the Self to Create Characters
Music / Rhythm / Dance
June 29-July 6 • Afro-Cuban Music and Dance
June 29-July 6 • Soul Voice Song: Music of SoVoSo
July 6-11 • Sufi Drumming and Dance
July 13-18 • Curiosity: 5Rhythms Movement
July 18-20 • Singing Gestalt
July 27-Aug 1 • Dance for Life
Aug 8-10 • Spiritweaves: Sanctuary of Self
Aug 10-15 • SoulMotion: Luminescent Heart
Aug 15-17 • Ecstasy of Sound: Music and Healing
Aug 17-22 • Building a Vocal Community
Aug 29-31 • The Healing Voice
Sept 19-21 • Drumming: Journey to the Source
Sept 26-Oct 3 • SoulMotion
Oct 24-26 • The Brazilian Soul: Dance and Drum
Oct 31-Nov 2 • When Drummers Were Women
Nov 2-7 • Songwriting from the Heart
Nov 23-28 • Harmonic Presence: Music of Spheres
Dec 19-26 • SoulMotion: Heart of the Dance
Dec 26-28 • Body of Sound
Dec 28-Jan 2 • The Natural Singer
Creative Expression
June 29-July 6 • Collage, Poetry, and Creativity
June 29-July 6 • Family Arts Celebration
June 29-July 6 • Mirror in the Waters
June 29-July 6 • Improv: Expanding with Laughter
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Aug 15-17 • Improv Wisdom
Aug 17-22 • Assemblage: Sacred Touchstones
Aug 22-24 • On the Bus: Multimedia Performance
Aug 24-29 • Sharing Your Life Story
Aug 29-31 • Sacred Space, Creating a Shrine
Sept 14-19 • Paint and Dance From The Source
Sept 19-21 • The Art of Nonviolent Woodturning
Sept 21-26 • The Magic of Metal: Blacksmithing
Oct 10-12 • SoulSalon: Creative Blockbusting
Oct 10-12 • Family Arts Experience
Nov 2-7 • The Moving Theater of the Soul
Nov 9-14 • Collaborative Creating
Nov 9-14 • Sacred Union: A Merging of Opposites
Nov 21-23 • Improv Alchemy
Dec 21-26 • A Big, New, Free, Happy, Unusual Life
Dec 21-26 • Ageless Vitality
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BODY & MOVEMENT
Massage
July 11-13 • The Elements of Esalen Massage
July 18-20 • Esalen Massage Intensive
Aug 1-3 • Coming Home to Your Body
Aug 10-15 • Integrated Meridian Massage
Aug 17-22 • Traditional Thai Massage
Sept 14-19 • Esalen Massage and LaStone Therapy
Oct 5-10 • Specialized Esalen Massage
Oct 24-26 • Esalen Massage Couples Weekend
Oct 31-Nov 2 • Esalen Massage Weekend
Nov 9-14 • Advanced Bodywork: Touching Core
Nov 23-28 • Esalen Massage and Yoga Retreat
Nov 30-Dec 5 • Healing through Deep Bodywork
Dec 26-28 • The Healing Art of Esalen Massage
Somatic Practices
July 27-Aug 1 • Sensory Awareness
Aug 3-8 • Core Zero Balancing—Part I
Aug 22-24 • Spinal Awareness (with Humor)
Sept 7-12 • Spinal Awareness (with Humor)
Sept 19-21 • Hanna Somatics
Sept 28-Oct 3 • Rosen Method Bodywork
Oct 3-5 • Spinal Awareness: Healing (with Humor)
Oct 12-17 • The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
Oct 31-Nov 2 • Zero Balancing Open Forum
Nov 2-7 • Spinal Awareness (with Humor)
Dec 19-21 • Spinal Awareness
Movement
Aug 31-Sept 5 • Continuum & Body-Mind Centering
Oct 17-19 • Golden Flower: Martial Art for Women
Oct 19-24 • The “Warrior of Life” Attitude
Sept 26-28 • Spirit In Action
Sept 28-Oct 3 • The Psychotherapeutic Touch
Sept 28-Oct 3 • Gestalt Practice
Oct 5-10 • It’s Time: The Courage to Be You
Oct 17-19 • Changes, Transitions: 30’s and 40’s
Oct 17-19 • Finding Your Deepest Purpose
Oct 24-26 • Isolation to Intimacy: Transform Shame
Oct 31-Nov 2 • Death, Loss, Quest for Meaning
Oct 31-Nov 2 • Rest, Rejuvenation, and Renewal
Nov 2-7 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
Nov 2-7 • Self-Acceptance—The Heart of Healing
Nov 9-14 • Emotional Healing
Nov 14-16 • DreamTending
Nov 14-16 • The Art of Leadership
Nov 16-21 • Gestalt Practice and CFR
Nov 16-21 • The MAX: Stretching Self-Expression
Nov 23-28 • Passion and Wisdom
Nov 30-Dec 5 • Practices for the Chronically Nice
Dec 5-7 • Sexual Happiness Coaching
Dec 21-26 • Find the Message: Exploring Dreams
Dec 21-26 • Transition: Having What It Takes
Dec 26-28 • This Year I Will…
Dec 28-Jan 2 • Revealing, Reinventing, Renewing
Relationship / Communication
July 18-20 • Getting the Love You Want
Aug 1-3 • Close Yet Free
Aug 8-10 • Financial Intimacy & Freedom: Couples
Aug 22-24 • Deciphering Romantic Attraction Code
Aug 22-24 • Living Love: Relationship Renewal
Aug 31-Sept 5 • Tantra: Art of Conscious Loving
Sept 5-7 • The Art of Conversation/Interview
Sept 14-19 • Transforming Relationships
Sept 19-21 • Couples’ Communication
Oct 3-5 • Embodied Relationship
Oct 12-17 • The Intimate Couple
Nov 14-16 • Happiness in Marriage
Nov 21-23 • Relationships: A Spiritual Journey
Dec 19-21 • Stronger at the Broken Places
Dec 26-28 • The Future of Love
Dec 26-28 • Powerfully Presenting Yourself
Gender Studies
Aug 8-10 • For Women: Designing A Personal Path
Aug 10-15 • Living a Passionate Life
Aug 10-15 • Challenge & Transition: Passionate Man
Aug 15-17 • Relationship: For Gay Men
Oct 10-12 • Divine Feminine: The Invitation
Oct 24-26 • Mother: Key to Daughter’s Self-Image
Oct 24-26 • Men Who Love Men
Neuropsychology / Neuroscience
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PSYCHOLOGY & RELATIONSHIP
Psychological / Transpersonal Process
July 6-11 • Skillful Embodiment
July 6-11 • Forgiveness and Intimacy
July 11-13 • A Tender Invitation
July 13-18 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
July 18-25 • Not For the Feint of Heart
July 25-27 • The Wisdom of Dreams
Aug 8-10 • The Art of Happiness
Aug 8-10 • Claiming Your Voice
Aug 24-29 • A New Beginning: Courage and Heart
Aug 31-Sept 5 • From Abandonment to Healing
Sept 19-21 • Awakening to Your Life: Using Dreams
Sept 21-26 • Community Healing and Leadership
Sept 5-7 • Awakened Mind: Brainwave Training
Sept 7-12 • Advanced Awakened Mind
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SOCIAL
/ POLITICAL ISSUES
Aug 29-31 • Disagreeing on Everything
Sept 26-28 • Cohousing: Creating Your Community
Nov 28-30 • Social Entrepreneurship
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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
TRAINING
/
July 18-25 • Transforming Trauma with EMDR
Aug 10-15 • Yoga Ed. Instructor Training
Sept 14-19 • Tai Chi Easy Facilitator Training
Oct 12-17 • Psychopharmacology and Health Food
Nov 16-Dec 14 • 28-Day Massage Certification
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PHILOSOPHICAL AND
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
July 6-11 • Psyche, Cosmos, and the Arts
Aug 1-3 • Surprises in Poetry and Science
Aug 1-3 • Perfectly Human: Meditation & Evolution
Aug 3-8 • The Dream Master: Dreams and Fantasies
Aug 29-31 • Morphic Resonance and Memory
Aug 31-Sept 5 • Consciousness is Fundamental
Oct 17-19 • Leonardo’s Brain
Oct 31-Nov 2 • Opening to the Infinite
Dec 12-14 • Leonardo—Goethe—Bateson
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NATURE / ECOLOGY
SUSTAINABILITY
/
July 6-11 • Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Aug 22-24 • Simply Wild: Experiencing Nature
Aug 24-29 • Belonging to Earth
Aug 29-31 • The Miracle of Water
Aug 31-Sept 5 • Urban Sustainability
Sept 21-26 • The Heart of Organic Gardening
Sept 26-28 • Nature and Contemplation
Oct 17-19 • Conscious Embodiment and Nature
Nov 9-14 • Feminine Eco-Leadership Skills
Nov 30-Dec 7 • Permaculture Teacher Training
Dec 5-7 • The Tao of Global & Personal Ecology
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SPIRITUALITY
Contemplative / Spiritual Studies
Aug 17-22 • The Transformational Enneagram
Sept 5-7 • Sailing Home
Sept 7-12 • Awakened Mind, Open Heart
Sept 12-14 • Loving What Is
Sept 26-28 • Spirit, Soul, and Body
Oct 10-12 • Arica Way of the Heart by Oscar Ichazo
Oct 17-19 • Against the Stream: Meditation Retreat
Oct 19-24 • Nine Faces of the Soul
Nov 2-7 • Introduction to Centering Prayer
Nov 28-30 • Passion and Grace: Devotional Singing
Nov 30-Dec 5 • Creative Tai Ji Practice
Dec 5-7 • Being Present for Your Life
Dec 19-21 • Exploring, Experiencing Subtle Body
Yoga
July 25-27 • Yoga: Practicing a New Way of Being
Sept 7-12 • Urban Yogi: Teacher Training
Oct 12-17 • Yoga Practice: Fueling the Inner Fire
Oct 24-26 • Yoga and Social Activism
Oct 26-31 • Nataraja’s Drum: Living Tantric Yoga
Nov 9-14 • Raja Yoga: Creating from Spirit
Nov 28-30 • Heart Fire: The Flame of Sva Shakti
Dec 12-14 • Advanced Yoga for Perfect Beginners
Dec 28-Jan 2 • Axé! New Year’s Ritual Retreat
Myth / Ritual / Shamanism
Sept 28-Oct 3 • Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
Oct 3-5 • Shapeshifting: Personal and Global
Oct 5-10 • Advanced Shapeshifting
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HEALTH
/ HEALING
July 6-11 • Endless Path—Freedom from Addiction
July 11-13 • Energy and How to Use It
July 13-18 • Practical Intuition Boot Camp
July 20-25 • Upledger Healing From the Core
Aug 3-8 • Healing the Pelvic Floor
Aug 3-8 • Walking on Clouds: Tai Chi
Aug 24-29 • Spiritual Massage
Aug 24-29 • Qi Gong: Energy and Meditation
Sept 21-26 • Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality
Oct 3-5 • Living Deeply: Transformation & Healing
Nov 14-16 • Prime of Life Yoga
Nov 16-21 • Awakening Your Healing Heart
Dec 7-12 • Add Life to Years and Years to Life
Dec 12-14 • Love Yourself
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INTEGRAL PRACTICES
July 18-20 • Experiencing Esalen
Aug 1-3 • The Listening Hand: Rubenfeld Synergy
Aug 3-8 • Seven Steps for Changing and Healing
Aug 15-17 • The Embodied Life
Aug 15-17 • Integral Consciousness
Aug 17-22 • How to Stay Sane in an Insane World
Sept 5-7 • Body and Mind: Spiritual Challenges
Sept 19-21 • Experiencing Esalen
Sept 21-26 • Gateway to Soul: Process Acupressure
Oct 10-12 • The Power of Practice
Nov 21-23 • Experiencing Esalen
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
July 25-Aug 1 • Tibetan Buddhist Meditation
7
Q
Seminar Spotlight—a
I
n our efforts to expand our programming in new directions,
we continue to present leaders whose names may not be as
familiar to you as others in the Catalog. In this section we highlight a few of these offerings by providing a bit more information
than you’ll find in the Seminars section.
Zoketsu Norman Fischer
Norman Fischer is a man with hands and feet
in many worlds. He is a Zen priest and former
abbot of San Francisco Zen Center; a devoted
husband and father; an avant-garde poet and
writer; and a spiritual teacher who is deeply
committed to inter-religious dialogue and to
bringing contemplative practice into the world.
He spent nearly thirty years in residence at San
Francisco Zen Center. When he retired as abbot
of Zen Center in 2000, he founded the Everyday Zen Foundation,
and now teaches throughout North America. Norman believes in the
path of “engaged renunciation”: living a fully committed religious life
that does not exclude family, work, and a compassionate response
to the troubles of the 21st century. He has published nine books of
poetry, a new translation of the psalms, and a book called Taking Our
Places: A Buddhist Guide to Truly Growing Up.
His workshop at Esalen will be based on his new book, Sailing Home:
Using the Wisdom of Homer’s Odyssey to Navigate Life’s Perils and Pitfalls
(Simon and Schuster, June 2008). He was inspired to write a book
on The Odyssey after realizing that his students often had trouble
identifying with the idealized story of the Buddha’s life. The story of
Odysseus is a life more like our own, full of mistakes and gifts, wisdom and foolishness, blindness and courage. As Norman writes in
the introduction to the book (©2008 Norman Fischer): “Maybe, like
Odysseus, we are finally ready simply to return home to what we
are… Maybe we’re ready finally to become the creatures that our
deepest stories and metaphors have always described: half heavenly,
half stupidly earth-bound, full of wonder and awe, powerful and vulnerable. Maybe the point of our life’s journey, our spiritual odyssey, is
not conquest or perfection, whether spiritual or worldly, but rather
the simple transformation into what we have been all along.”
See Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer’s Odyssey to
Navigate Life’s Perils and Pitfalls, September 5–7.
John Perkins & Llyn Roberts
LJ EXPOSURES
DANIEL MILLER
As this catalog went
to press, Llyn and
John were in Panama
working together to
shapeshift consciousness.
John was a keynote speaker at a conference of
North American executives who invited him to
help them better understand how to conduct business in ways that
promote a sustainable, peaceful, and socially just world. Llyn was
arranging meetings with indigenous communities to continue the
8
closer look
process of building bridges between cultures. Their experiences in
Panama, as well as years of working in the Amazon, Andes, Himalayas,
Asian Steppes, Mayan lands, India, Middle Eastern deserts, and
Africa, will be incorporated into the powerful workshop they bring
to Esalen.
Their organization, Dream Change (www.dreamchange.org), is a worldwide grassroots movement of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds dedicated to shifting consciousness and promoting sustainable lifestyles for the individual and global community. The objective
of inspiring earth-honoring changes in consciousness is accomplished through programs that educate and foster environmental and
social balance. Dream Change was founded to encourage new ways
of living and grew out of meetings held in indigenous communities
in the early 1990’s, initiated by author and environmentalist, John
Perkins. Its two main projects are the Waking Our World Community
Program (WCP!), designed to shift consciousness and inspire effective
community leadership, and the Shuar Conservation and Sustainable
Community Development Project, which supports indigenous ways
and preserves ancestral lands for Amazonian peoples.
Author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman, The Secret History of the
American Empire, and many more titles, John observes, “When you
look at the world we humans have created you may conclude that it
was created by sleeping people, because awake, aware, conscious
people would manifest a very different world. We have entered one
of the most important periods in human history…We have the
opportunity to lift ourselves to new levels of consciousness.”
See Shapeshifting to Higher Levels of Consciousness: Personal and
Global Transformation, October 3-5 and Advanced Shapeshifting:
Professional Training and Certification, October 5–10.
Leah Matson & Basho Fujimoto
“Do you ever find yourself
‘stuck’ in life—personally,
professionally, creatively?”
ask Leah and Basho.
“Creative Blockbusting
introduces a new process
of awareness for the
adventure of emergent
discovery. What does it
mean to say, ‘Out with the old, in with the new’? It’s not about the
creative block, it’s about the flow state that we all seek to engage in.
Rather than obsess about how, why, and when we are blocked, we
will focus on what we really want by activating a new creative reality—a perceptual shift—and examining the power of our values that
either imprison us in old patterns or liberate us. SoulSalon is designed
to provoke deep creative growth, provide inspiration, and open the
doors to new intended work. We’ll activate the ability to recognize
how the emergence of self-awareness can lead to manifesting creativity
in our daily lives. From the chaos of trauma to recovery and renewal,
we are led to discover a new process to practice. Whether it’s artistic
blocks, healing from old wounds, or trauma and addiction recovery,
Creative Blockbusting can jump-start a motivated response, rather
than a habitual response pattern. It’s habitual patterns that hold us
frozen in an old identity.”
Leah Matson is a Los Angeles-based licensed psychotherapist whose
clientele includes entertainment-industry individuals with creative
blocks. Basho Fujimoto, a performing musician who began to play
music once he discovered there were no rules, will present the
creative and performance pieces of the workshop. Leah’s process
expertise will round out the workshop so that, together, their
combined talents offer a creative sanctuary for all.
Leah and Basho write: “For us as teachers, this class is a destination,
inspiring our deepest creative growth. We can wholeheartedly
admit it: We are teaching the class we would most want to take.”
See SoulSalon: A Creative Blockbusting Workshop, October 10–12.
Stephan A. Schwartz
“For 40 years I have studied the nature of consciousness,” writes Stephan Schwartz, “both as
an experimenting scientist and as an experiential pilgrim, focusing particularly on that part of
us which is Gnostic, nonlocal, and often called
spiritual. It has left me with the conviction that
all life is interconnected and interdependent.
The network of life extends from the smallest
single-cell life-form to the highest, most complex mammal: we ourselves. Understanding this has also led me to
study how individuals and small groups actually create change by
employing this network. My workshop is about what it is like to
open to that part of yourself that exists outside of time and space, and
covers tools that show you how to do it. Most importantly, at each
step you actually have an experience of what this part of yourself is
like, so that you know that you can do it. I also talk about how the
network works, and the role it plays in creativity, moments of breakthrough, insights, and spiritual epiphany.
“If you want to know about me, please go to my personal website:
www.stephanaschwartz.com. My formal biography is there, as well as
many selections of my writing, including material for both scientific
and general readers, all of which is freely available for downloading.
You might particularly want to download the essay, ‘The Beingness
Doctrine,’ and take a look at my latest book, Opening to the Infinite,
which you can get from my site or Amazon.com. I also invite you to
read and, if you choose, subscribe to my daily web publication, The
Schwartzreport. There is no cost. You will find The Schwartzreport at
www.schwartzreport.net.”
See Opening to the Infinite, October 31–November 2.
Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
Contemplative Outreach, Ltd., is an organization that touches people of all faiths and
denominations, and recognizes that there is
unity in prayer. As the organization’s president
and CEO, Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler writes: “The
history and evolution of the Contemplative
Outreach organization demonstrate to me the
remarkable ways in which God orchestrates
our lives if we let go and put ourselves in God’s
hands. My life has been transformed through my experience and
commitment to live a contemplative life in the marketplace with
the support of this wonderful community without walls.”
When asked to describe the growth of Contemplative Outreach, she
quotes Thomas Merton’s approach of waiting on God: “… the best way
to prepare ourselves for the possible vocation of sharing contemplation with
others is not to study how to talk and reason about contemplation, but withdraw ourselves as much as we can from talk and argument and retire into
the silence and humility of heart in which God will purify our love of all its
human imperfections. Then in His own time He will set our hand to the
work He wants us to do, and we will find ourselves doing it without being
quite able to realize how we got there, or how it all started.”
Two great events seemed to have moved monastic life out of the
cloister and into the world: Vatican II in the West, and the exile of
the Dalai Lama in the East. These events opened the doors of interreligious dialogue for the first time, and the contemplative values of
silence, simplicity, and solitude were shared with ordinary people
seeking a deeper relationship with themselves, with others, and, most
importantly, with God. Like a weaving, Contemplative Outreach
came together with different textures, threads, fabric, and yarn in
various colors. In her Esalen workshop, Fitzpatrick-Hopler will
encourage all participants on their spiritual journey.
See Introduction to Centering Prayer Retreat, November 2–7.
Alejandro Chaoul
Alejandro Chaoul learned the Tibetan Yoga
called trul khor or “magical movement” at Tritan
Norbutse Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal in
1993. In this Tibetan physical and contemplative
yoga—which for centuries was available only to
yogis in caves and monks and nuns in monastic
settings—the breath and mental concentration
are integrated with particular body movements.
Where in Indian styles of yoga the practitioner
tries to hold a pose with the body still and breath flowing naturally, in
trul khor the practitioner keeps the breath still while the body moves
so as to guide the breath, which in turn guides the mind.
Continuing his training in the U.S. with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche,
Alejandro was authorized to teach this practice more widely. His
doctoral dissertation (Rice University, 2006) focused on Tibetan
mind-body practices and their applications in contemporary medical
settings. Since 1999, Alejandro has been applying Tibetan meditation
and yoga with cancer patients, their families, and caregivers at the
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Today
he is a mind-body intervention specialist at M.D. Anderson, an assistant professor at UT’s John McGovern Center for Health, Humanities,
and the Human Spirit, and director of the Center for Professional
Renewal at the Institute for Religion and Health. His teaching and
research focuses on Asian religions and their contemplative practices,
their interface with Asian and Western medical traditions, and with
complementary and alternative medicine. In 2006 his team at M.D.
Anderson received a five-year RO1 grant from the National Institutes
of Health to study the benefits of Tibetan Yoga with breast cancer
patients, the first grant of its kind.
In this course at Esalen, Alejandro will teach simple practices from
the ancient Tibetan yoga texts that can help you relate to your subtle
body, focus your mind, and use these powerful methods to help
release discomforts and obstacles (physical, emotional, and mental)
in order to bring a calmer and clearer state of mind not only into
your daily meditation practice but also into your every day life.
See Exploring and Experiencing the Subtle Body: Teachings from
the Ancient Tibetan Bon Mother Tantra, December 19–21.
9
S
esalen seminars
The 2008 Esalen International Arts Festival
a celebration of art, culture, and spirit
T
he Esalen International Arts Festival
is a seven-day celebration of the infinite creative force within us. The
Esalen grounds will be pulsating
with irresistible rhythms and sounds, acts
of truth and imagination, invocations of joy
and beauty, woven into a vibrant tapestry
of art, culture, and spirit .
The festival’s aim is to ignite the imagination
and awaken us to new possibilities within
ourselves and in the world. Gathering an
extraordinary group of artists, musicians,
performers, and teachers from around the
globe, the festival aims to passionately
honor, celebrate, and affirm the magic,
beauty, and mystery of life.
Participants will be in one of six designated
workshops. On July 4th Esalen will host
artists and performers from around the
world for an dazzling day of celebration.
June 29–July 6
Afro-Cuban Music and Dance
Francisco Aguabella
& Pedro “Muñeco” Aguilar
This workshop is a high-energy celebration
of Afro-Cuban music, dance, and culture.
Taught by two world-renowned Cuban
performers, the workshop weaves together
traditional and contemporary concepts of
Afro-Cuban percussion and choreography.
Drumming classes will provide students
with an introduction to techniques, strokes,
and basic patterns for the conga, batá (talking drum), and hand-percussion instruments such as cowbells, claves, shekere, and
more. Francisco will teach participants the
fundamentals of soloing and group playing.
The dance classes will focus on the three
basic types of Afro-Cuban Rumba—Rumba
Yambú, Rumba Guaguancó, and Rumba
Columbia—and traditional and folkloric
dances of the Orisha. Through singing,
movement, and infectious rhythms, the
group will create a joyful and passionate
week together.
Soul Voice Song:
The Music of SoVoSo
David Worm & Sunshine Becker
SoVoSo is a highly imaginative a cappella
ensemble that sings a unique, rhythmic mix
of jazz, gospel, world, and R&B music, all rendered in their trademark improvisational style.
This interactive workshop explores the
exciting world of a cappella singing, including improvisational singing, instrument
simulation, and vocal percussion. The workshop will go from learning the basic elements
of vocal improvisatory sound to singing in
front of a full a cappella rhythm section;
from creating the beginning sounds of a
complete drum kit vocally to being part of a
rhythm section as a competent vocal percussionist. The group will also create its own
arrangement of an a cappella song.
Come experience the voice and all its possibilities.
Mirror in the Waters:
Art, Ritual, and Performance
Luisah Teish & Leilani Birely
Yaocuauhtli Aztec Dancer
To understand the currents of the river, she who
wishes to know the truth must enter the water.
Join Luisah Teish and Leilani Birely in an
extraordinary journey into the rich artistic
and cultural heritage of Africa and Hawaii.
Utilizing traditional dances, songs, visual
arts, storytelling, and poetry, this workshop
will explore the sacred element of water—
an immersion into the mythical tales and
dances of waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and
oceans. Participants will draw from these
powerful, creative forces to create individual
and group works of art, theater, and ritual.
The beauty, sensuality, and power of Esalen’s
grounds, river, ocean, and hot springs will
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You can now register on-line at www.esalen.org. Workshops appear on the Web before the Catalog is printed.
Francisco
Aguabella
In this workshop, participants are guided
through simple improv exercises aimed at
personal expansion. Using tenets of improv
such as trust and spontaneity, participants
are encouraged to say “yes” to situations
offered to them in group play. They also
have the opportunity to try on personalities
that are hugely different from the ones they
use in their daily lives.
In this workshop—for non-artists and artists
alike—discover ways that creative expression
can enhance your thinking and your resilient
nature. Create with abandon in an environment free of doubt and criticism. Collage
and poetry allow us to say what we didn’t
know we could. Answer old questions, and
ask new ones. Unleash your imagination!
Make art for the fun of it!
The group will also explore one of the most
compelling tools in improv: status, the
human pecking order. Participants will
familiarize themselves with the subtle clues
they send and receive to define their status,
and have a chance to try out new status
choices. The payoff is successfully playing a
new way of being and incorporating it into
daily life.
Participants will create several collages and
poems, working both figuratively and
abstractly, small and large. Bring a pair of
scissors, a journal, copies of old photos,
receipts, birth certificates, small objects,
whatever catches your eye.
Laughter lessons stick. This workshop is for
people who want to rattle their personal status quo with laughter.
Mapping the Soul:
Collage, Poetry, and Creativity
Patrice Vecchione
serve as a renewing and inspirational source.
Exercises in sensory and emotional awareness, voice and movement, and ritual will
enable participants to deliver their stories in
the call-and-response style of village storytheater. Participants will work in small
groups to create body adornments, costumes, art pieces, and props using driftwood,
stones, shells, and seaweed from the river
and sea. This is an invitation to create and
embody the sacred arts and to share in an
unforgettable week of magic.
“Beneath the facade of daily life, just on the
other side of our skin, a wellspring of creativity waits to be tapped,” writes Patrice
Vecchione. “We’ll immerse ourselves in
that mysterious sea of imagination, finding
images and words to map our souls. The
exhilarating and democratic art form of collage unites pictures from various sources to
make something new, a visual mirror to tell
the stories of our lives. Who gave the small
child wings, and where might she fly?”
($75 materials fee paid directly to the leader)
Family Arts Creativity Celebration
Jayson Fann & Festival Artists
Come and join an extraordinary multicultural family-arts celebration. Painting by the
ocean, African stone-carving, mask-making,
Brazilian drumming, Tibetan monks teaching their traditional arts, fire-dancing, Native
American storytellers, and performances
under the stars will be among the many
creative, dynamic elements woven into this
unforgettable family week. Drawing from
a stellar group of artists from around the
world, this workshop is designed to be an
inspiration for both children and adults.
All ages are welcome, including parents with
small children. The family-arts program will
help you rediscover that “Yes, this is exactly
what I want to be doing!” feeling.
July 4th Featured Performances
Improv: Expanding Yourself
with Laughter
Clifford Henderson & Dixie Cox
Just as our muscles can tighten with stress
and age, so can our notions about ourselves.
Indeed, if these core beliefs aren’t stretched
and made flexible, we run the risk of growing into the stereotypical narrow-minded
“adult,” comfortable and unwilling to try new
things. One antidote to this curmudgeonly
affliction is the improvisational workout.
Deepak Ram
• Tuck and Patti—Exquisite virtuosity and
grace to take you on an unforgettable musical journey.
• Francisco Aguabella—Afro-Cuban jazz legend, “the John Coltrane of the conga drums,”
says Dizzy Gillespie.
• Claudia Villela—Called “the greatest expression of Brazilian music in the U.S. today” by
bossa nova great Helcio Milito. Imbued with
Improv is the adult equivalent to play. While
children love to stretch their sense of self
through this powerful medium, adults often
find it too scary. Their unwillingness to play
means they miss out on the potent tool of
trying out new ways of being or behaving
without the serious consequences of real life.
See pages 94-95 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts.
11
Tuck and Patti
MICHELE CLEMENT
the inexpressible longing Brazilians call
saudade, her voice moves like a bird, glowing,
sensual, and lush, as she transports the
listener to Brazil.
• Deepak Ram—Mysterious, passionate, and
haunting, a masterful fusion of classical
Indian and jazz.
• Yaocuauhtli Aztec Dancers—A whirling
array of feathers, sacred fire, and pounding
ancestral rhythms from the heart of the
Mexico.
• Virginia Iglesias Flamenco Music and
Dance Company—Duende (magic) surges up
from the soles of their feet with burning
passion, as voices, hands, and guitar echo
the gypsy soul.
• The Costanoan Rumsen Humaya California
Indian Singers & Dancers—Honoring Big Sur’s
indigenous people, these tribal dancers will
give a ceremonial blessing and performance.
• The Gaden Shartse Monastery Tibetan
Buddhist Monks—Bringing cultural exchange
of Sacred Earth and Healing Arts of Tibet.
• Asheba—Musician/storyteller born on
Trinidad, influenced by its spectacular
Carnival and the folkloric oral tradition.
Today, he is a renowned world musician
who playfully blends reggae, calypso, neofolk, and more.
• Aguas de Yemanja Brazilian Dance
Company—Dancers of the oceans and rivers,
led by dancer and choreographer Cida
Vieira, well-known inspirational dancer
and purveyor of Brazilian culture.
Festival Exhibits
Waters of Life Mural Exhibit—Founded by
Virginia Iglesias
artist and festival director Jayson Fann, the
Waters of Life project (www.bigsurspiritgarden.com) will be exhibiting ten large-scale
murals painted by students and artists from
around the world. The project brings together
artists and performers with leading oceanecology educators to promote care, respect,
and practical strategies for protecting our
planet’s most precious resource. Each mural
presents the sacred relationship between
people and water from cultures around the
world. Contributing artists include Betty
LaDuke, Julia Cairnes, Luisah Teish, Krista
Lynn Brown, Jill Gibson, Rachel Fann, Mara
Friedman, and William E. Marks.
Betty LaDuke—Betty LaDuke’s painted world
is a universe in which a multitude of mythic
visions come alive in the creative female
matrix. LaDuke enables us to see the Earth,
the mother, and the artists giving life, shelter,
and nurturance to all aspects of her creation
throughout the many stages of its growth.
“Betty LaDuke’s multicultural vision
enlarges our understanding of the symbolic
meaning of The Great Earth Mother in
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extremely important ways. She clarifies for
us the way in which the magical resonance
of the Goddess as an image of creation,
fertility, ecological balance, spirituality, and
political empowerment functions both
historically and cross-culturally to invest
creative works of art with sacred powers
of transformation.”—Gloria F. Orenstein,
USC professor and author
Crossing the Bridge: Love, Intimacy, and
Race in America by Heather Cohen—An
exploration of love, intimacy, and race in
America in a series of photographs and
personal interviews that are a window into
the lives of interracial couples and families.
Their stories serve as both inspiration to
the power of love and an unflinching look
at race relations in our increasingly diverse
communities. (www.Sacredcelebrations.com)
Lighting the Earth: Exhibit and Book
Signing—Written by Diana Hoffman and
illustrated by Mara Friedman. A timeless
and powerful tale, told in Sashi’s voice,
follows her on a journey of discovery and
transformation, ending in the joyful realization that the greatest expression of her light
is to protect the waters of Mother Earth.
Says Malidoma Somé: “In West Africa, it is
held that each of us comes into this world
with a purpose, a gift to deliver. Children
and adults alike will recognize the voice of
spirit in these pages as they take this gentle
journey into remembering who we are and
why we are here.”
Week of July 6–11
Psyche, Cosmos, and the Arts
Stanislav Grof & Richard Tarnas
“In this workshop,” the leaders write, “we will
explore deeper understandings of major
works of art (music, film, literature, painting)
through the insights of both depth psychology and archetypal astrology. We will also
study how such works of art can illuminate
deeper aspects of the human psyche and
bring greater insight into the major archetypal complexes that inform both individual
lives and entire cultural eras. Because the arts
affect not only the mind but the heart and
soul, the imagination, the body, and spirit,
they permit a more multidimensional experience than one can receive just by talking or
reading about these principles. The presentations will thus be multimedia-illustrated and
accompanied by numerous examples from
music and the other arts.
awareness; gathering information by tracking
and breath awareness; practicing recognition
of self-regulation problems and how to overcome them; learning to inhibit the overactivation of defensive responses to increase the
window of tolerance of arousal states; synthesizing bottom-up interventions with topdown approaches; assisting clients to move
from contraction to expansion; exploring personal and client capacity for real compassion
and increased felt sense of worth; learning to
discern, be informed by, and share how
somatic influences affect our relational stance
in the world.
This workshop is presented by the Santa
Barbara Graduate Institute. For further information, including special registration instructions, see Special Programs, page 80.
CE credit for psychologists; see page 5.
CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 5.
CE credit for nurses; see page 5.
The Way of Ecstasy:
Sufi Drumming and Dance
Banafsheh Sayyad & Pejman Hadadi
“Come join the sacred circle of Drum and
Dance,” write the leaders. “Explore your pas-
“This approach will allow us to compare the
insights of different schools of depth psychology (particularly Jungian and archetypal, psychoanalytic, pre- and perinatal, and transpersonal), and to clarify fundamental principles
of both psychological and astrological analysis. We will also explore the metaphysical possibility that the aesthetic dimension of existence is an essential mode through which the
deeper truths of the universe reveal themselves—that beauty and art are not simply
peripheral epiphenomena but are rather
intrinsic modes of the universe’s evolving selfdisclosure.”
Recommended reading: Grof, Psychology of the
Future; Tarnas, Cosmos and Psyche.
Skillful Embodiment: A Practicum in
Relational Somatic Psychology
Michael Sieck & JoAnna Chartrand
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This program is a forum for practicing the
skillful application of Relational Somatic
Psychology with case presentation, practice,
and collaborative consultation. Professional
application as well as practical and theoretical
dimensions will be explored and practiced
with emphasis on the therapist’s personal
comfort in the relational field. Working with
one’s own “issues” of embodiment and how
they affect the therapeutic process will be
emphasized.
Depending on the needs of the participants,
areas that may be covered are: learning to recognize, work with, and integrate the levels of
processing—emotional, cognitive, and somatic
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
sion, creativity, and peace through movement
and music. With deep exploration and letting
go, we delve into rhythm and movement that
take us out of our heads and into oneness. We
draw upon ancient Sufi practices, contemporary rituals that ground us, and the sensual,
ethereal waves of Persian dance to arrive at a
fullness of being.
“Sufi teachings and Rumi’s poetry inspire our
sessions as we awaken our bodies with yoga
and tai chi. We journey with the fiery Persian
drum, the Daf, and its corresponding movement and chanting. Central to Sufi circles, the
Daf induces altered states and purges negativity. We warm our way to Sema, or pure listening, in various manifestations, from highenergy movement to deep calm: shaking,
waves, and zikr—chanting, reverential bowing,
and whirling.”
With years of experience in Sufi teachings
and whirling, Banafsheh creates a loving,
rejuvenating atmosphere while master percussionist Pejman ignites the room. You will
have a chance to:
• Learn the moving meditation of whirling in
a simple method, open your heart, and
dissolve your perception of separateness
• Experience the purifying effect of the Daf
and learn to play powerful rhythms based
in the Sufi tradition
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• Take home an energizing practice that
supports being totally alive with fluidity
and openness
environment that will include taking risks,
intense bodywork, Gestalt imagery, dance,
and meditation.
The workshop is open to all levels. Participants
can focus on drumming, movement, or both.
Dafs will be provided. Other drums are welcome.
This workshop can be especially helpful for
those dealing with boundary issues, the
effects of a dysfunctional family life, or addictions that have been used as a defense against
intimacy. It is appropriate for everyone: individuals and couples, mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons, and healing professionals. The
workshop may have up to 34 participants.
Forgiveness and Intimacy:
A Time of Acceptance
Mary Goldenson
All life is about relationships. Creating an
alive and honest connection with an intimate
partner requires us to go deeply into our
hearts and allow the courageous self to emerge.
This journey to intimacy begins with the path
of forgiveness. How does forgiveness lead to
intimacy?
• It allows us to let go of anger, resentment,
and grief
• It allows the agitated mind to move more
deeply into the healing heart
• It resolves separation from ourselves and
from others
• It allows us to complete unfinished business
The workshop will present ways to help complete the past, be open to the present, and create the future. It will offer a safe, supportive
Recommended reading: Goldenson, It’s Time—
No One’s Coming to Save You.
Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Steven Harper & Michael Newman
Esalen is the trailhead to one of the most
spectacular mountainous coastlines in the
world. With the Big Sur wilderness as the
primary teacher, participants will explore
the beauty of this alive and wild coast, from
ancient redwood-forested canyons to dramatic coastal beaches, from rugged rocky mountains to the soft grassy slopes of the Big Sur
hills. Drawing from nature and various experiential awareness practices, individuals will
be encouraged to open both to the natural
world and to the landscapes of their inner
world. It is said that Big Sur is not just a place
but a state of mind. This wilderness experience seeks to merge mind and place, then to
embody what is learned.
Participants in this weeklong workshop will
venture out on five day-hikes, 4-10 miles in
length. The leaders will draw from a wide
range of contemporary and age-old wisdom
traditions, borrowing from psychology, meditation, aikido, and the natural sciences to
weave together a holistic experience of self
and the natural world. Each hike begins after
breakfast and concludes in time to enjoy the
hot springs and dinner at Esalen. Evening
sessions include informal sharing, basic
awareness practices, and useful outdoor skills,
with attention given to incorporating what is
learned into daily life. All levels of experience
are welcome. Be prepared for the invigorating
challenge of physical activity and the opportunity to simply sit still in quiet reflection. More
information will be sent upon registration.
($20 park-entrance fees paid directly to the leader)
The Endless Path —Freedom from
Addiction, Freedom to Live
Chris Chouteau & Julie Bowden
The leaders write: “In meditation, a boundless
experience may start with the simple act of
counting each breath, from one to ten, over
and over and over again. So it is in recovery
from addiction, ours or another’s, as we travel
undreamed-of distances to lands we never
imagined, taking the journey twelve steps at
a time.
“Many of us have found a new way of living
as a result of working the twelve steps.
Numerous programs follow these steps, first
set out by Alcoholics Anonymous, and
though the focus of early recovery may be
quite different in each program, eventually
the various paths lead us to the same questions of living. This search often takes us to a
new sense of ourselves and the possibilities
life offers.
“Sobriety is the necessary first step toward
learning how to live in a healthy, spiritual
way. Common ground arises as the initial
addictions or dysfunctions fall away and
deeper issues and truths rise to our attention.
The steps we initially applied to a troubling
area of our lives become an open exploration
of the possibilities of every aspect of living.
And, as we progress, we find our trials and
discoveries are shared by an ever-widening
circle of those we meet.
“In this workshop we will spend time with
each of the twelve steps as they relate to our
lives today. Come learn about the steps or celebrate the distance they’ve already taken you.
Explore your current obstacles and find new
answers. Share moments of joy, grief, curiosity, frustration, wisdom, and discovery with a
circle of your fellow travelers.”
sky, and mountains. To feel emotionally and
physically restored, healed, and cleansed.
To rediscover the lovingly creative inner
resources of our own music, poetry, and
prayer. To feel ready again to face whatever
comes next in our lives.
“Together we will create a mood of sanctuary
and a time to be met by kindred spirits. The
approaches utilized will be drawn from a
wide variety of practices aimed toward physical, emotional, and spiritual attunement in
order to restore our gratitude and appreciation for being alive.”
Weekend of July 11–13
Energy and How to Use It: Healing,
Intuition, and Creating Change
Laura Day
This intensive, experiential course is designed
to train your ability to read and direct energy.
Everything we are, everything around us,
everything that will be, is composed of energy. Energy can be read for information (intuition) and channeled toward better outcomes
in the future (healing). There is nothing mystical about energy. We have it, we are it, and
we are born with an innate, although often
repressed, ability to use it.
This workshop is about having a greater effect
on the people and situations around you, be it
in business, love, health, happiness, rejuvenation, or weight loss. You will also learn to
facilitate this process for others. Laura will
work with participants as an intuitive and a
healer, as well as receive their healing and
intuition. Although no experience is necessary, you will be expected to work toward
using these abilities professionally and powerfully, as well as be an agent of change for
fellow group members during this weekend.
The workshop is fast-paced and requires full
commitment. The rewards can be dramatic,
dynamic change and a skill that will help you
give to the world in an invaluable way.
Please bring a clean notebook, a list of the
things (personal, professional, relational) that
you want to change, and a willingness to work
hard, give generously, and change quickly.
Please note: This workshop is contactual, confrontational, and sometimes uncomfortable.
Recommended reading: Day, The Circle: How
the Power of a Single Wish Can Change Your Life,
and Welcome to Your Crisis: How to Use the Power
of Crisis to Create the Life You Want.
The Elements of Esalen® Massage
Brita Ostrom & Attila Thomas Vaas
Esalen Massage connects a meditative sense
of presence with sensitive, integrative strokes
to unite the body-mind-spirit into a sense of
inner peace. This evokes the natural impulse
toward self-healing and freedom of expression. The massage becomes a memorable
experience for giver and receiver alike.
Attila and Brita will highlight the basic
elements: beginning the session in a calm,
centered state; effortlessly incorporating the
slow, integrative strokes and using them as a
tool for deeper bodywork; specific skills to
unlock the muscles; and assisting stretches
on the table.
Participants will also explore the physiology
of breath and relaxation and the effects of
touch and awareness. Self-care for the practitioner will be emphasized. There will be
plenty of time for guided practice sessions,
including feedback, questions, and individual
attention to problem areas.
This course is suitable for beginners as well
as massage and bodywork professionals who
wish to refresh their skills. Esalen’s beautiful
natural setting will provide the foundation
for learning, growth, and well-being.
CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 5.
Week of July 13–18
Curiosity: A 5Rhythms™ Movement
Meditation Workshop
Andrea Juhan
A Tender Invitation
David Schiffman
“Our aims for this weekend are simple,” writes
David Schiffman. “To join together and share
the magical, timeless realities of Big Sur’s sea,
Other people inspire all sorts of feelings in us:
positive feelings, negative feelings, feelings of
every possible texture, tone, and frequency.
Sometimes we act out or amplify these feelings, sometimes we try not to notice them—
and sometimes, in an effort to stay with our
15
own experience, we avoid other people altogether. What would our lives—and our relationships—be like if, instead of investing and
reinvesting in our likes, dislikes, and prejudgments, we remained openly curious about the
feelings we inspire in one another?
will confront, challenge, and support you. Whatever
you are hiding will be seen by Laura and other perceptive intuitives in the group. This training can
be highly uncomfortable as well as potentially lifechanging, and is not recommended for those seeking a relaxing or process-oriented experience.
peutic method for healing trauma-based problems. Shedding new light on trauma survival—including sexual and physical abuse,
accident and surgical trauma, and grief—
EMDR is opening doors of the heart to genuine spiritual transformation.
“In this workshop,” Andrea Juhan writes, “we
will use the physical and energetic language
of the 5Rhythms to explore and express our
natural responses toward one another. Instead
of fixating on or ignoring these responses, we
will practice including them, with awareness,
in our dance. As we allow the many textures
of relationship to move through our bodies,
we can experience a new sense of fluidity and
authenticity in our needs, preferences, and
attachments. Using mindful movement practice, we will investigate and develop our
innate curiosity, including it in our range of
habitual responses so that we may move from
prejudgment and separation toward a sense
of openness, connection, and peace in the
company of others.”
Recommended reading and listening: Day,
(books) The Circle: How the Power of a Single
Wish Can Change Your Life, Practical Intuition,
and Welcome to Your Crisis; (CD) The Healing
Circle.
This course is limited to mental-health professionals who are licensed to provide treatment,
and mental-health interns who are currently
being supervised by an EMDR-trained supervisor. Through lecture, hands-on practice, and
demonstrations, participants learn:
• Protocols and procedures for using EMDR
with a wide range of diagnostic categories
• Client selection criteria and cautions
necessary for safe use of EMDR
• Techniques for working with blocked
processing and abreactions (catharsis)
• The use of imaginal and cognitive
interweaves
• How to use EMDR with adults traumatized
as children
• Methods for developing inner resources
used for interweaves, ego strengthening,
and client closure
Practical Intuition Boot Camp—
A Training in Intuition
Laura Day
Practical Intuition has been used by actors,
bodyworkers, therapists, healthcare professionals, fund managers, researchers—almost
anyone who has to be “on the mark” day after
day. In great demand in every arena—from
finance to medicine to the arts—practicing
intuitives are people who have trained their
ability to read and manipulate energy to create better outcomes. They are the futurists,
healers, and innovators of the 21st century.
In this workshop you will experience how to
interpret and change energy. Each session is
engineered to have you master a specific intuitive skill, including telepathy, precognition,
and healing, as well as the intuitive evaluation
of relationships, health, business, and world
events. Laura will teach you how to create an
intuitive practice based on your own life
experience and expertise.
You will also be part of a circle of intuitive
readers and healers with whom you can share
information on an ongoing basis. Laura will
do intuitive readings and healings along with
the group, so bring your personal questions
and concerns. Come prepared to work hard
and professionally, even if you have never
done this kind of work before. Bring a clean
notebook and pens. For more information
you can e-mail Laura at [email protected].
Please note: To be a clear and accurate intuitive,
you need to be clear within yourself. This training
16
Christine Stewart Price & Guest Leader
The Way, when declared
Seems thin and so flavorless.
Nothing to look at, nothing to hear—
And when used—is inexhaustible.
— Lao Tzu
Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived
from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by
Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard
and Christine Price. The work integrates ways
of personal clearing and development that are
both ancient and modern. To the extent that
awareness is made primary relative to action,
Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This
form is similar to some Reichian work as well,
in that emotional and energetic release and
rebalancing are allowed and encouraged.
The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than
interpersonal. Participants are not patients
but persons actively consenting to explore in
awareness. The leader functions to reflect,
clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this
process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness,
and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or
accomplishment. The workshop will utilize
group exercises, meditations, and discussion.
The format combines introductory group
work with the open seat form in which each
participant will have the opportunity to work
with the leader in a group context.
Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy
Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape.
July 18–25
Transforming Trauma with EMDR:
Comprehensive Training (Parts 1 & 2)
Laurel Parnell
Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful thera-
This course has been approved by the EMDR
International Association. In accordance with
the new standards for basic EMDR training,
participants must complete this course,
receive 10 hours of consultation from recommended EMDRIA-approved consultants, and
then take Laurel Parnell’s Advanced Clinical
Workshop and Refresher Course in order to
complete the requirements for basic EMDR
training.
Participants will be required to submit licensure documentation before attending and
must bring copies of their professional
licenses or certification to the training.
Interns must submit a letter from their
supervisors stating that they will supervise
the interns.
Required reading: Parnell, A Therapist’s Guide
to EMDR: Tools and Techniques for Successful
Treatment. Recommended reading: Parnell,
Transforming Trauma: EMDR; EMDR in the
Treatment of Adults Abused As Children; and
Tapping In; Shapiro, Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Not For the Feint of Heart
Mariah Fenton Gladis & Bruce Cornwell
This workshop is not for the feint of heart—
nor the faint of heart. It is designed for people
with a passionate commitment toward creat-
ing healthy relationships within healthy lives.
It offers each participant the opportunity
to benefit from intensive individual work,
which may involve emotional injuries rooted
in the past, recurring themes or patterns of
dysfunction, or personal longings in the hereand-now. Whatever the content of your work,
this workshop will help you:
• Discover the issues that are immediately
obstructing the quality of your life
• Learn contact skills and understand their
importance as a measure of healthy
functioning
• Risk working more deeply in an
atmosphere of trust and mutual support
• Develop more authentic and vital
communication skills
• Expand your capacity for generosity and
compassion for yourself and others
A twenty-seven-year survivor of ALS, Mariah
speaks with what she calls her “ALS accent.”
Getting the Love You Want:
A Workshop for Couples
Couples will be shown:
• New communication skills to break
destructive cycles of relating
• How to channel the energy from arguments
to create passion and stability
• How the unconscious forces that attract you
to your partner are also the source of conflict
• New tools for re-romanticizing your
relationship to reestablish the passion of
your early time together
• How to use your relationship for emotional
healing and spiritual evolution
Rick Brown
Having appeared on Oprah for his expertise in
helping even the most difficult couples create
intimacy, Rick Brown presents the same
workshop which Oprah Winfrey recognized
as one of her “Top 20 Best Shows Ever.” This
couples workshop is designed for partners
who wish to enrich a good relationship; who
are beginning a relationship they want to
keep; who are in a difficult relationship and
want to resolve long-standing conflicts; or
who are near a breakup or divorce and want
to decide if the relationship can be saved.
Singing Gestalt
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler
Old songs are more than tunes, they are little
houses in which our hearts once lived.
Within your unconscious sleeps a library of
wisdom, memory, and feeling catalogued in
the words of songs. From lullabies to songs of
love and longing, you have an inner language
you may be unaware of. Even if you think you
don’t know any songs or have forgotten them
all, your subconscious has been storing songs
and their meanings since birth.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop is particularly helpful for
adult children of dysfunctional families,
human-relations professionals, and those on
a path of personal betterment. This experiential and didactic workshop will blend individual and group Gestalt work, spiritual
practice, and bodywork. Mariah is also
known for her effective and innovative use
of music to enrich the workshop experience.
17
The power of Singing Gestalt is in experiencing a new connection to yourself—a self you
may not have met—expressed in your own
true voice through the wisdom of your songs.
Come alone or bring someone important to
you—a friend, a lover, a parent, someone with
whom you’d like to communicate in a different way. If you wish, bring photographs of significant people in your life, past or present.
If the idea of getting up and singing in front
of other people terrifies you, this workshop is
for you. If you love to sing in front of other
people and want to stretch yourself further,
this workshop is for you. If you have trouble
listening to your own voice, this workshop is
for you. If you’ve been too shy to try, this is
your chance.
Some guided imagery and Gestalt may be
used. Accompaniment and lots of lyrics are
available.
Weekend Massage Intensive
Daniela Urbassek & Jessica Fagan
Week of July 20–25
Watercolor and Drawing
and integrity, and those with experience to
find new parts of themselves to expand as
artists. With an open mind, the act of making
marks frees us to break out of imagined
blocks to our creativity.
And there are so many ways to draw and
paint! Using these two media separately or
together is challenging and exciting. Students
will work both in the studio and outside in
Esalen’s beautiful grounds. Emphasis will be
on deepening participants’ perception and
their understanding of visual language itself.
There will be brief demonstrations but basically technique takes care of itself and is never
a problem. Individual and group discussions
and critiques will be an integral part of the
course.
($75 materials fee paid directly to the instructor)
Leigh Hyams
“Actually making art yourself changes you”
says Leigh Hyams. “All of a sudden you are
somebody else—namely your real self. When
you draw or paint or take part in any of the
arts you encounter and inhabit the universe
in a different way.”
Leigh Hyams’s unusual teaching methods
enable beginning students to work immediately with courage, inventiveness, sensitivity,
The Upledger Institute’s Healing
From the Core: Grounding and
Healthy Boundaries
Suzanne Scurlock-Durana
To thrive in today’s demanding world we
need full access to our inner resources. This
course teaches how the deep wisdom of the
body can help navigate our living, working,
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This weekend workshop will introduce the
core techniques of Esalen® Massage. Through
brief lectures and demonstrations, and with
lots of personal supervision of hands-on
work, the workshop will present essential
tools and knowledge that can be effortlessly
applied. Fundamental elements of bodywork,
such as breath awareness, grounding, movement, and quality of touch will also be introduced. The goal will be to create a firm foundation of massage to build upon. The workshop is designed to enable each student to
return home with the ability to give a fullbody Esalen-style massage.
18
healing, and relating. Listening to this bodywisdom as the ground of knowing enables
us to rediscover our innate spirituality and
develop our emotional intelligence.
Many of us are inspired to be a healing influence, to have a strong and beneficial presence
in our work and personal lives. Yet unless we
know how to hold a healing space for ourselves, the outcome is often burnout. This
course presents a step-by-step process of
reclaiming and transforming the tight, numb,
or painful places within so that we can feel,
in each moment, our wholeness—the sense
of aliveness that allows us to be in a state of
grace with our core.
Although each person’s journey is different,
the underlying principles are the same. These
principles will be explored first conceptually,
then experientially. You will learn about your
unique energy flow and how to create new
energy habits that will help you heal your
internal blocks. This will take place in a safe,
supportive circle, through guided explorations, conscious intention, gentle movement, breath, journaling, and dream work.
This course is especially beneficial for healthcare professionals or anyone wanting to be a
healing influence in the world.
Note: Registration for this workshop is
through The Upledger Institute only; please
call 1-800-233-5880.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Required listening: The first three sessions
of Healing From the Core: A Journey Home to
Ourselves audio series (available from
Upledger Institute at 1-800-233-5880, or on
the web at www.upledger.com and www.healingfromthecore.com).
July 25–August 1
The “Pointing Out” Way of Tibetan
Buddhist Meditation
Daniel Brown
This workshop—designed for either novice or
advanced meditators—serves as an integrative
approach to the practice of meditation, with
an emphasis on intensive concentration meditation using the traditional Tibetan Buddhist
“Nine States of Mental Calming/Staying,” a
widely used method for training the mind
to stay on its meditation object and to calm
mental content. This approach was developed
to correct common problems that develop in
meditation practice, such as bad habits that
prevent realizations or reaching a plateau that
makes progress difficult.
The course will also introduce classic Tibetan
emptiness-meditations as well as the “directly
pointing out” practices about the nature of
mind. A balance of mental-stabilization and
realization-of-emptiness practices will serve
as a foundation for many types of advanced or
“extraordinary” practices, such as tantric meditations based on complex visualizations to
transform affective states, and working with
energy transformations within the body, both
of which serve direct realization of the nature
of mind. This relational-based instructional
style emphasizes directly pointing out the
meditation methods used and the states likely
to occur, balanced with actual practice, followed by a description of experiences and further instructions. The emphasis is on short,
repeated meditation-practice periods, with
additional, more refined instructions inter-
spersed between each practice set.
Please bring a meditation cushion, if you have
one.
Intolerance, Social Justice, and
Reconciliation in Film
Francis Lu & Brother David Steindl-Rast
We will either learn to live together as brothers
or perish as fools.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
The current state of world affairs, marked by
racial, ethnic, political, and religious irrational
hatred, cries out for social justice and reconciliation. Yet how can this be achieved?
19
Nelson Mandela has said, “True reconciliation
does not consist of merely forgetting the past.”
This seminar will face with compassion
human darkness worldwide, from past eras to
the present moment. What emerges from the
12 films shown during this seminar is a message of timely hope. Again and again, tiny
miracles of humanity are revealed in these
films, in accord with the words of the Talmud:
“Whoever saves one life, saves the entire
world.”
Film-viewing seminars led by Francis and
Brother David have become a tradition at
Esalen since 1990; this one will be their 17th
together. Year after year, old-timers return
for these festive events, and newcomers are
amazed at the impact produced by a unique
combination of ingredients: fine films, carefully prepared hand-out materials, state-ofthe-art home theatre equipment, and processing of the experience through group interaction and through personal silent reflection,
say, on a bench in Esalen’s fragrant garden or
in a hot tub under the stars.
For further information, contact Francis Lu at
[email protected].
The Wisdom of Dreams: Insight,
Healing, and Creativity
Mariah Fenton Gladis & Bruce Cornwell
To me, dreams present a series of symbolic
projections of our current existence. They serve as
guides to the steps our organism presently needs to
take in order to heal and/or progress to our full
capacity. I find that dreamwork keeps me
accurately on course with each client, especially
those that are more advanced. When I’m working
with dreams, I often feel like I’m painting. Dreams
are the ultimate medium for creativity, precision,
and excellence in personal growth work.
— Mariah Fenton Gladis
Do you know what you currently need in life?
This workshop will not only provide you
a rare opportunity to explore the primal,
elusive world of dreams, it will also let your
dreams reveal to you a deeper vision of the
steps essential for your growth. Mariah’s innovative and compelling approach to dreams
is Gestalt-based and complemented by the
power of music, movement, role-play, and the
spontaneous creation of exact moments of
healing. Yet, in this workshop, you will experience something unique and profound that
stretches beyond the bounds of traditional
Gestalt methods. In a compassionate and
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heartfelt environment, Mariah takes dreamwork to a whole new level of insight and
awareness that offers you healthier options
for your future. During the weekend, you will
have time to relax, integrate the personal discoveries, and heal in this magical environment. Bring props that represent persons or
objects in your dreams.
A twenty-seven-year survivor of ALS, Mariah
speaks with what she calls her “ALS accent.”
Yoga: Practicing a New Way of Being
Thomas Michael Fortel
The great saints and sages of India have
repeatedly told us that the Divine lies within,
that the body is a temple for the indwelling
Lord. The practice of hatha yoga is an honoring of the body as a vessel of this energy, this
life force, this prana. Yoga is a tool of healing
that works on many levels. The physical body
heals gradually through the compression and
stimulation of the internal organs and glands.
The musculoskeletal system gains greater
mobility and overall strengthening and toning.
Yet there’s much more to yoga than a physical
practice. The rhythm of the breath is like a
mantra for calming and healing the mental
and emotional bodies. In this way, the veils of
illusion in the mind drop away and over time
an enduring peace develops. The practice of
yoga allows a balance of mind and heart and
an integration of inner and outer, of the individual with the Supreme. “What we practice
on the yoga mat,” says Thomas, “becomes a
way of being in the world.”
Mornings will begin with pranayama and
meditation, a light breakfast, and an active
morning practice. In the afternoon the practice
will be restorative. Please have a minimum of
three months of recent yoga experience.
Week of July 27–August 1
Dance for Life
Anna Halprin, with Taira Restar
(live music with Billy Cauley)
Throughout time, people have used dance to
affirm community, connect with the vital
forces of life, and evoke a higher power.
Dance is a road back to the soul, an invocation
of deep truth and knowing.
For over fifty years, dance pioneer Anna
Halprin has been exploring contemporary
dance to reinvest it with this kind of power.
Her explorations have led to the creation of
the Halprin Life/Art Process, an approach
that facilitates the creation of dance rituals
springing from real-life issues of self and community. Using movement, visualizations,
imagery, music, and language to access the
stories that make our lives meaningful, this
process is a joyful return to the body to
reclaim our primal heritage. As we tap into
deep sources of bodily wisdom through
creative expression, we dance the renewal, recreation, and healing of ourselves, each other,
and our relationship to the environment.
Participants will have the opportunity to create personal dance rituals using improvisation, individual and group interactions, and
nonstylized movement. The workshop will
also present structured movement techniques
to strengthen, stretch, and reanimate the
body. This process integrates the physical,
emotional, and spiritual aspects of the self in
a joyous celebration of life. The workshop is
open to everyone.
Recommended reading and viewing: (books)
Halprin, Moving Towards Life: 5 Decades of
Transformational Dance; Returning to Health:
With Dance, Movement, and Imagery; Ross,
Anna Halprin: Experience as Dance; (films)
Wilson, Returning Home; Forbord, Intensive
Care: Reflections on Death and Dying.
Sensory Awareness—Being All There
Seymour Carter
Sensory Awareness is a profound practice that
helps to reintegrate the many facets of life.
The focus of this workshop is the degree of
embodied presence that we can bring to
everyday activities to free us from habitual
patterns that restrict movement and cause
emotional problems. Working with simple
activities—walking, sitting, listening, standing,
approaching another person, breathing—
Sensory Awareness reconnects us with the
organism’s innate tendency to balance and
heal.
“Through experiential exercises,” writes
Seymour Carter, “we will learn how we have
employed effortful habitual patterns that
have led us to feel discomfort and fatigue.
We will get back in touch with the pull of
gravity and our breathing, two forces in a
constant interplay that keeps us alive. We will
restore our innate wisdom and trust in our
bodies and processes. Our inherent ability
for experience and understanding is alive
and available in every moment we choose to
be fully present for anything that captures
our interest.”
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Weekend of August 1–3
• Heighten awareness and sensory
awakenings
The Listening Hand:
The Rubenfeld Synergy Method®
The workshop atmosphere will be one of
healing, laughter, tears, and inspiration—
encouraging you to experience your inner
resources, new choices, and integration.
Ilana Rubenfeld
What people communicate verbally is not
always congruent with their body’s stories.
They may say “I forgive” while their bodies
radiate steel-like rage. Using the Rubenfeld
Synergy Method, a dynamic healing system
for the integration of body, mind, emotions,
and spirit, Ilana presents body/mind exercises, conducts demonstrations, and leads handson teachings to develop a compassionate “listening hand” that can open gateways for contacting and expressing feelings. With humor
and compassion, Ilana presents how to:
• Identify your body metaphors and hear
their messages
• Contact and listen to your intuitive wisdom
• Use laughter and humor for healing
• Recognize the relationship between
emotions and posture
• Deal with stress and use tools for self-care
This workshop fulfills one of the requirements for acceptance into the Rubenfeld
Synergy Training Program. Ilana is teaching
a five-day workshop August 3-8.
Recommended reading: Rubenfeld, The
Listening Hand; Mechner, Healing Journeys: The
Power of Rubenfeld Synergy.
ally changing. But this dilemma of competing
needs can be dealt with in ways that will add
to the aliveness in the relationship. In fact, a
thriving relationship will enhance each person’s deepest growth.
Much of the participants’ time during this
weekend will be spent with their partners,
separate from other couples. The workshop
will use verbal, nonverbal, and written exercises to increase openness, support, and affection, as well as skills to resolve differences
without producing “scar tissue.” Also, since
play is an essential part of a vital relationship,
there will be experiences to spark the imagination and willingness to play together.
Enrollment is limited to 12 couples.
Close Yet Free: The Path to Making
a Good Relationship Even Better
Surprises in Poetry and Science
Gerald Smith
Pier Luigi Luisi &
Brother David Steindl-Rast
How can we be open and vulnerable to love
another person and, at the same time, free in
order to continue to grow as an individual?
The balance of merging and still maintaining
a clear sense of self is never completely
worked out, because each partner is continu-
The world will never starve for lack of wonders,
but only for want of wonder.
— G. K. Chesterton
Wonderment is the spark that sets both the
scientific mind and the poetic imagination on
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JOHN WERNER
fire and connects them with the spiritual
dimension. The measure of our aliveness is
our ability to be surprised. What is it that
triggers in you the thrill of surprise?
Throughout his career, biochemist Pier Luigi
Luisi has been at the forefront of research into
the origins of life. Benedictine monk Brother
David Steindl-Rast knows how to find the
wonder at the core of a good poem. These two
friends share a love for life and a passionate
concern with ultimate questions. Together
they will explore the realms of surprise
through their presentations and personal
interaction with participants.
It would be difficult to find a place that is
better suited for this seminar than Esalen
with its ever-new surprises of natural beauty
and human companionship.
Perfectly Human: Buddhist Insight
Meditation and Evolutionary Science
Wesley Nisker
We share 25% of our DNA with bananas.
Get over yourself.
explore and experience the human condition,
aided by some of the latest findings of evolutionary biology and neuroscience. As we
come to know ourselves as part of the wider
web of cosmic and biological evolution, our
lives gain meaning and we begin to feel a new
sense of enchantment and connection with
the world.
“The workshop sessions will feature meditations on: the evolutionary origin of thoughts
and emotions; the elements that constitute
our bodies; our ‘three brains’; death and
dying; and the nature of consciousness. The
talks and discussions will present traditional
Buddhist views of self and reality as well as
some of the latest information from evolutionary science. We will find that Darwin and
the Dharma come together, as the wisdom of
the East meets the genius of the West to aid in
our liberation and, ultimately, in our survival
as a species.”
Coming Home to Your Body:
Esalen® Massage
Dean Marson & Brita Ostrom
— T-shirt slogan
“In this workshop,” Wes Nisker writes, “we
will use Buddhist insight meditation to
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In the realm of Esalen Massage, there is a
remarkable web of interdependence: a listening touch, the sound of the ocean, the ner-
vous system soothed in the calm contact with
another. When we receive a massage, we
remember an easier time and “come home.”
Dean and Brita have taught Esalen Massage
around the world: They know that the joy and
healing that touch can bring is universal.
Esalen Massage seeks the interface between
form and energy, physical structure and the
soul, I and thou. The long integrative strokes
build a sense of presence. Deeper focused
work allows release of tension patterns.
Centering, grounding, and self-care exercises
allow the practitioner to give a massage safely
and effortlessly.
During this weekend retreat, you will receive
a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals
of Esalen Massage. Through brief demonstrations, one-on-one guidance, and plenty of
practice time, you can awaken your own talent
and resources to easily give and receive the
basics of Esalen Massage.
This course offers foundational skills to the
newcomer and a fresh approach for the seasoned practitioner. There will be plenty of
time to breathe in the beauty of the Big Sur
coast.
twelve moves, which, if practiced regularly,
increase Chi ( personal energy), improve balance, and promote strength and well-being.
In addition to the Tai Chi postures, students
will learn Feldenkrais Awareness Through
Movement and Chi Kung techniques.
Week of August 3–8
Core Zero Balancing—Part I
Fritz Smith
Zero Balancing (ZB) is a nondiagnostic system of healing which clarifies and coordinates energy fields in the body, balances body
energy with body structure, and focuses on
bone energy and the skeletal system. Science
has shown that energy and matter are fundamentally coupled; psychology has shown that
the mind and body are interconnected. ZB
embodies both perspectives. It is based on the
experience that balancing the body’s energy
with its structure has a direct positive effect
on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
health. Imbalances often lead to loss of vitality, chronic pain, and decreased potential for
vibrant health. The body’s structural/energetic interface is beneath conscious awareness. When imbalances occur at this level,
the body tends to compensate around them
rather than resolve them. Rooted in both
Eastern healing and energy and Western
medicine and science, ZB brings unique
touch and relevant design to overcome imbalanced patterns.
This program, Part I of two-part Core Zero
Balancing, is the entry level program. Didactic
and experiential, it is open to all healthcare
professionals. The workshop will teach newcomers how to perform a complete hands-on
session and for the experienced it will deepen
understanding and enhance skills. It also
includes theory and practice of the ZB protocol, methods for evaluating and balancing the
body’s structural/energetic interface, and how
to use energy as a tool. This workshop qualifies for credit toward Zero Balancing
Certification.
Recommended reading: Smith, Inner Bridges:
A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure;
Hamwee, Zero Balancing: Touching the Energy of
Bone.
CE credit for acupuncturists.
The workshop will culminate in a group
excursion to the New Camaldoli Hermitage
for meditation followed by a trip to beautiful
Sand Dollar Beach for Tai Chi by the sea.
The Seven Steps for Changing and
Healing the Emotional Body
Ilana Rubenfeld
Ilana Rubenfeld has been called a healer, a
stand-up comic, a pioneer in integrating psychotherapy, intuition, and bodywork. Ilana
directs body-mind-emotional energies as if
conducting a symphony—and well she should.
The creator of the Rubenfeld Synergy
Method® graduated from the Juilliard School
of Music and enjoyed a career in conducting
until a debilitating back spasm re-orchestrated her life journey to become a teacher and
workshop leader. She has been teaching at
Esalen for nearly four decades.
Memories and emotions stored in our bodies
often become energy blocks, tensions, and
psychospiritual imbalances. Ilana will guide
participants through a seven-step change
process drawn from her book The Listening
Hand. She will present the Rubenfeld Synergy
Method, an elegant, holistic healing method,
using group exercises and individual demonstrations, hands-on practice, theory and discussions, music, and humor—all in an environment of safety, trust, and learning. Be
ready to laugh, cry, move, and have a great
time.
This workshop fulfills one of the requirements for acceptance into the Rubenfeld
Synergy Training Program. Ilana is also teaching a weekend workshop August 1-3.
Recommended reading: Rubenfeld, The
Listening Hand; Mechner, Healing Journeys:
The Power of Rubenfeld Synergy.
Walking on Clouds: Tai Chi
Kenn Chase
Healing the Pelvic Floor: Reclaiming
Your Power, Sexuality, and Pleasure
Potential
Move like a river,
Walk like a cat,
Be still as a mountain.
Suzanne Scurlock-Durana
— Tai Chi Classics
The focus of this Tai Chi workshop is effortless movement, with grace and serenity. A
special shortened version of Yang-style Tai
Chi will be introduced. This health form has
“As women we have a unique power of creativity in our reproductive system,” Suzanne
Scurlock-Durana writes. “That power is used
not only to create new life, but also to bring
personal projects into being. However, that
energy can be blocked by physical, emotional,
or spiritual trauma to the pelvic floor and the
female organs. This workshop for women
uses guided imagery, movement, and handson exercises (while clothed) to heal the pelvic
floor, including the vagina and uterus, places
that often hold our deepest wounds: sexual
abuse, rape, abortions, childbirth tearing and
scars, self-esteem, and negative images about
our femininity. Because self-knowledge is
important, scientific and anatomic information will be presented.
“Rarely does a workshop offer the opportunity for the depth of healing that women desire.
You can experience new possibilities for
renewed feminine energy, greater health, and
a deeper sense of pleasure. There will be time
to explore nature and use our connection to
the earth to deepen our connection with ourselves. The week will culminate with an
evening of nurturing at the Esalen baths.”
This course is valuable for healthcare professionals and anyone wishing to learn alternative approaches to women’s health.
Required listening: The first three sessions of
Healing From the Core: A Journey Home to
Ourselves audio series (available from Healing
From the Core at 703-620-4509, or on the web
at www.healingfromthecore.com,
www.amazon.com, or www.iahe.com).
Painting with Light: Inspirations
from the Forces of Nature
Sharon Virtue
“Gauguin, Matisse, Klimt, Niki de Saint
Phalle, and Frank Stella, to name only a few—
these have been my inspiration,” Sharon
Virtue writes. “Bright, bold, and fearless, these
artists explore color, surface, and design in an
exhilarating, self-expressive way.”
Color and light are the theme and focus of
this weeklong painting workshop. “Traveling
around the world, I have developed a love
affair with Mother Nature. The most incredible beauty is within her realms; it makes me
come alive to behold such genius! In this
workshop we will be doing just this: working
outside inspired by the landscape, finding
a place that lifts your spirit, then looking
into the vision to recreate your experience
in a painting. It can be either figurative or
abstract, depending upon how you choose to
express your story.”
Sharon will share her knowledge and experience in drawing and painting, along with
techniques to achieve particular effects.
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Working on canvas or watercolor paper and
using mixed media to achieve different
effects, participants can explore watercolor,
acrylic, tempera, colored pencils, and oil
pastels, to create layers of color and light.
No experience is necessary, just an open
mind.
The Dream Master:
Dreams and Fantasies
Pierre Grimes
This workshop explores how dreamwork,
contemplation, recollection, and examination
of idle fantasies weave themselves together
into something wondrous to ponder. Focusing
thus on the intuitive brings an awareness that
our everyday existence can be the doorway to
the profound. To discover this level of existence is to awaken to what is often ignored
and can be key to our inner development.
The self is always seeking completion: hence,
even the simple fantasies that occur to us are
fragments of unresolved conflicts. These conflicts manifest themselves in our dreams. As
we become aware of the forgotten elements of
our existence, a growing realization of their
importance becomes part of our lives.
In this way, the ancient art of recollecting
becomes a natural part of one’s life. When this
is complemented by dreamwork and selfreflection our waking days are infused with a
new kind of significance. As we become our
own object of study, our work gains a luster
since we are presenting ourselves with a way
to discover a personal meaning to our existence in all its particular richness. To ponder
and reflect on this existence unfolds an unexpected depth and majesty to our lives.
belong in life, that we are who we need to be,
and that the world is right as it is.
This is not a Pollyanna-ish concept that
denies life’s challenges and difficulties, but
rather a state of mind in which there is a
sense of goodness, wholeness, and sufficiency
that allows us to see life’s possibilities and
blessings with clarity and hopefulness. In cultivating happiness, we don’t deny suffering
but rather bring a perspective that allows us
to experience ever-present grace and to see
with eyes unclouded by delusion and fear.
Perennial wisdom reminds us that happiness
is to be found within, not in pursuit of external rewards, yet the compulsion to look outside of ourselves is relentlessly reinforced by
our culture. The focus of this seminar is to
de-condition the internalized tendencies to
focus on changing external conditions and
to strengthen our capacity to cultivate inner
happiness. Thus we can more fully tap into
the happiness that has always been within us,
regardless of the external conditions of our
lives.
The workshop will include interactive exercises, meditation, dialogue, and group process.
It will also include suggested practices for the
cultivation of happiness.
Spiritweaves: Sanctuary of Self
Anneli & Michael Molin-Skelton
the human portrait is a prayer
rising and falling on the current of our breath
each movement
a revelation, an emerging dance
given shape by the threads of spirit
woven in this moment
Charlie & Linda Bloom
“Spiritweaves is a calling: a silent wakening,”
write Anneli and Michael. “Its cries and whispers stir a deep longing in our soul to fall
toward the core of our desire. It is a gathering:
a living tribal tapestry, a braiding of the rare
and common strands of our collective movements. Spiritweaves is a journey: a journey
of destiny, not destination. Its steps can be
traced, faint and deep, in the dark soil of our
dance.
The desire to experience happiness is the
underlying motivation behind nearly all of
our behaviors. Acts characterized as altruistic
as well as those seen as selfish are all driven
by an expectation that we will be happier as a
result. Happiness does more than make us
feel good; it enhances our health, our wellbeing, our relationships, the quality of our
lives, even our longevity. Happiness is the
experience that affirms that we are where we
“As Spiritweaves we are invited to dance
together the disparate parts of ourselves, to
dance the gap between ourselves and others,
to dance in the grace that we belong, to dance.
In this workshop, using the awakening energy of the 5Rhythms™ as a catalyst and the hallowed ground of SoulMotion™ as a container,
we will move to unveil and unmask the
unique and sacred expression of our own
dance.”
Please bring writing material and a small tape
recorder to record your dreams.
The Art of Happiness
24
Mary Oliver wrote, “One day you finally
knew/what you had to do, and began …”
Come begin again.
Everyone called is welcomed, no previous
experience needed.
Financial Intimacy and Freedom
for Couples
Spencer Sherman & Anne Watts
What’s the biggest source of difficulty in love
relationships? Not sex. It’s money. Money
really is the last taboo. As money is a major
cause of divorce and conflict, this workshop
helps couples not only to prevent separation,
but to use money as a tool for transformation
and for deepening their intimacy.
This program offers couples a way to shift
their relationship to money from one of stress
and frustration to one of ease and compassion. Through physical, emotional, spiritual,
and quantitative exercises, couples can recognize their patterns, learn how to achieve their
goals, and take advantage of the strengths
each partner brings to the relationship.
Even after a year, graduates of this workshop
have reported less stress around money, the
ability to speak calmly about difficult money
topics, a sense of financial freedom, and a
markedly deeper experience of intimacy. As
participants articulate their hopes, fears, values,
and habits around money, and learn to honor
their differences, their harmony, intimacy,
and net worth increase. Ultimately, they learn
that awareness of emotions around money is
the greatest teacher.
Claiming Your Voice
Meredith Haberfeld
Some of the greatest leaps in personal development come when we stop believing that
others have more access to deep wisdom than
we do, have superior opinions to ours, or hold
sway over us—when we finally know at the
end of the day that we can trust ourselves.
This workshop will address many aspects of
claiming your voice—in writing, in vocal
work, and, most importantly, in daily life
through the choices you make in it. The program will help you gain access to your many
inner voices as well as different aspects of
your character, many of which you suppress
and ignore, but which can each provide
important insights and wisdom in your everyday life. Finally you can get comfortable in
your own skin.
You will deepen the ability to hear yourself—
and all that there is to hear. What does your
places within that need healing and engage
your own inner healer. We will travel through
all of the seasons of a woman’s life—from menstruation and sexuality to motherhood, work
issues, and life balance, to menopause and
aging. There will be time for sharing wisdom
and experience as a community of women.
By the end of our workshop, you will have a
clearer understanding of your most pressing
health issues, concrete ideas of how you can
help yourself, and the knowledge of whom
you can reliably consult to assist in your healing. The intention of this workshop is to support you in claiming your power as a full and
vital woman at every age.”
For workshop questions, e-mail:
[email protected].
Yoga Ed.™ High School Instructor
Training
Leah Kalish
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This five-day certification prepares qualified*
yogis to teach the Yoga Ed. Curriculum to
teens as physical education and the High
School Tools for Teachers to educators as professional development. Four units (36 weeks)
of lesson plans, Illustrated Teacher’s Guide with
resources, and Tools for Teachers Manual and
Training Handout are provided.
body say about how you feel right now? What
do your emotions have to tell you? What feelings and messages have you been resisting?
This workshop will teach you to allow them
to surface so you can come deeper into your
own power.
The days of being guided by pleasing others
and trying to fix yourself are over. This program is for anyone of any age ready to sink
into the experience of being and trusting
yourself.
For Women: Designing Your Personal
Path to Healing, Wholeness, and
Vitality
Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, Rachel Carlton
Abrams & Lisa Carlton
This workshop is an informative and playful
program of learning, laughing, and explo-
ration. It is an opportunity for you as a
woman to:
• Ask all the questions you want about how to
get excellent healthcare
• Find the right bodyworker to feel at home
and aligned in your physical being
• Commit to the steps needed to pursue your
dreams and aspirations from a place of
physical balance and joy
“In our present-day culture,” write the leaders,
“it is vital that a woman take responsibility for
her own wellness. In fun, interactive sessions,
we will explore the gifts that healing traditions offer—from Traditional Chinese
Medicine to traditional Western medicine,
from CranioSacral work to coaching, from
nutrition to naturopathy. Through movement, meditation, and the expressive arts, you
can access your body intuition to find the
The High School Curriculum integrates a science-based exploration of the body, mind, and
self within the practice of yoga and self-reflection to support and enhance adolescents’
physical, mental, emotional, and social development. The focus is the transference of yoga
practices to personal awareness and life skills.
The goal: to help teens embrace life with confidence, calm, and clarity
The Tools for Teachers program teaches high
school teachers how to enhance teens’ health,
behavior, and learning through yoga-based
activities designed for the classroom. These
simple, accessible techniques—breath, movement, relaxation and visualization practices—
require no extra equipment or space and take
only 5-15 minutes. They have been shown
effective in enhancing focus, attention, communication, productivity, and well-being.
Throughout the training participants will
learn how to:
• Present engaging, fun, and relevant lessons
to teens
• Teach life skills and healthy choice-making
through yoga
25
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
• Develop teen awareness, self-management,
and responsibility
• Share yoga in a universal, educator-friendly
way
• Lead professional-development in-service
workshops at schools
• Empower teachers to use yoga tools as
effective class management
• Model and share yoga as a daily wellness
practice
*To qualify for the Yoga Ed. Instructor
Training, you must have completed a yoga
teacher training or equivalent. If requesting
approval for equivalency, e-mail a resumé
and a letter of explanation to Leah Kalish
([email protected]).
CE credit available; contact leader.
SoulMotion™:
The Kiss of the Beloved
Zuza Engler & Scott Engler
There is some kiss we want with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body.
SoulMotion is an invitation to drop down
into the messy and magnificent event of this
body, breathing and sensing, opening and
closing, living and dying: now. Following
this invitation, the body in motion becomes
suffused with attention and presence. Life
is experienced as it is actually happening, in
both its grit and glory. According to some
spiritual traditions, every instant of such
direct contact with life can be recognized
as the kiss of the Beloved, no matter what
experience it brings: wonder, delight, ache,
sorrow, or bliss.
Stepping through the portal of dance into the
vivid immediacy of each movement moment
is like falling in love and opening to the Kiss.
We converse in this love affair with life using
the wordless inquiry of rising and falling,
revolution and rotation, weight shifting and
shape shifting. Kinesthetic intimacy with
experience becomes intimacy with existence.
No credentials are necessary, only the willingness to risk the security of a known sequence
of steps for a passionate communion with life.
— Rumi
Many of us know at the core of our being
the longing for spirit of which the poets and
mystics speak, though it’s often forgotten and
buried under the weight of our to-do list.
SoulMotion opens a portal to a direct experience of this longing and at the same time,
offers a promise of its fulfillment.
26
Integrated Meridian Massage
Paméla Espinoza & Jim Gallas
Relaxation and healing can be accessed more
fully when we learn to work with the body’s
energetic pathways. This workshop is a synthesis of Eastern and Western bodywork
styles, designed to open awareness in participants so they can sense the subtle movement
of energy (chi) in themselves and in those
they massage. Students will explore the
Chinese energetic map as well as movement
patterns through the fascial layers. By using
Yang (active and deep) and Yin (nurturing
and receptive) qualities of touch, we can both
energize and relax the receiver. Specific acupressure points will be demonstrated for
release of tension in major problem areas
such as shoulders, neck, and lower back.
Bodyworkers will benefit from learning body
mechanics which flow from the organic ease
of Tai Chi, Chi Kung, and Lomi Lomi, and
open one to the abundance of energy that is
ever present.
Jim and Paméla have a combined fifty years of
experience in the healing arts.
Living a Passionate Life:
Reawaken Your Sensual Power
and Abundant Energy
Rachel Carlton Abrams & Lisa Carlton
Do you want to explore your passion and in
the process unfold your unique creative gifts?
Do you want to play with a group of other
dynamic women who are re-imagining their
greatest potential?
“In this ‘women-only’ workshop,” the leaders
write, “we will create sacred community
together through deep exploration, laughter,
and artistic expression. We will draw on the
wisdom of ancient Taoist practice to help
unlock and refine our vital energy and sexual
desire. The Taoist energetic practices help us
cleanse our emotional state and get in touch
with our fundamental power. You will be
invited to explore your own body’s limitless
capacity for pleasure, health, and vitality. Each
woman can explore what prevents her from
experiencing the fullness of her desire and
sexual pleasure and have the opportunity to
heal those places that hold her back.
“We will work individually and with one
another using personal and group processing,
dance and movement, meditative practices,
connecting with nature, artistic expression,
and empowering and celebratory rituals.
Our emphasis is always on creating a safe
environment, remaining present and honest,
and having a lot of fun!
“In parallel with our workshop, a men’s workshop, Challenge and Transition, will be
exploring similar issues for men. We will be
meeting with the men’s group to practice Chi
Kung most mornings and for mixed sessions
on some afternoons. Our workshop stands
alone for any woman, whether single or in
partnership with a man or a woman.”
For workshop questions, e-mail:
[email protected].
Challenge and Transition:
On Becoming a Passionate Man
Mark Nicolson & Lee Holden
The leaders write: “As men, we instinctively seek
challenge as a way to transform, yet our experiences tend to be unstructured and unsupported.
We have no place to bring our stories: this culture inhibits the vital engagement of male mentoring, community, and friendship. However,
with support and guidance this journey can be
joyous and lead to a life of meaning and desire;
without them, we can lose heart, health, and
aliveness. Companionship and collaboration
enable us to be real and honest and expect the
same from others.
“In this workshop we will be drawing on the
wisdom and practices of Taoism, the ancient
Chinese philosophy, to help unlock and
refine our vital energy. We will delve into this
primordial energy and learn how to use it a
source of empowerment. We will also learn
how to use sexual energy as a catalyst for creativity, adventure, and pleasure in our partner
relationships. Our days will start with Chi
Kung practice together. Then we’ll bring our
stories and core questions about being a man
in this culture to each other and draw on our
male connections to support our authentic
self-expression, to celebrate ourselves, and to
renew our vision for our lives.
by thoughts, feelings, sensations, and movements all emanate from one unified center. It
also relates to integrity and harmony of
mind/body/spirit in both action and stillness.
“For a part of each day, we will join with
women from the Living a Passionate Life
workshop to play with and explore some of
our questions in the company of women.” The
workshop is suitable for every man, whether
single or in partnership with a man or a
woman.
The Embodied Life: The intention to live into
the above qualities, expressed through presence, awareness, authenticity, and vitality.
Integral Consciousness:
Experiencing the Power of the
Emerging Integral Worldview
Steve Mcintosh
Those who are familiar with the leading edge
of progressive culture are beginning to recognize that the emerging integral worldview represents the next step for humanity’s cultural
evolution. More than a “new paradigm,” the
integral perspective harmonizes and integrates all previous existing worldviews within
a new and inclusive whole. When you begin
to make meaning from the vantage point of
the integral worldview, it literally wires up
new parts of your brain.
This workshop provides a comprehensive orientation to the beauty, truth, and goodness of
the integral way of seeing and knowing. You
will receive a direct experience of integral
consciousness. You’ll learn about the origins
and development of this new perspective, and
how it can be applied to produce “spectacularly tangible results.” The workshop also
includes an in-depth examination of both
integral politics and integral spirituality.
An original member of Ken Wilber’s Integral
Institute, Steve McIntosh is one of the leading voices in the integral movement whose
energy and intellect demonstrates the consciousness-raising power of this new development along the timeline of human history.
According to What Is Enlightenment? Magazine,
McIntosh is “an integral thinker par excellence.”
Recommended reading: McIntosh, Integral
Consciousness and the Future of Evolution.
The Embodied Life™: Meditation,
Reflective Inquiry, and the Teachings
of Moshe Feldenkrais
Russell Delman
Definitions and Practices for this workshop:
Embodiment: A condition of wholeness where-
Presence: All methods exploring human potentials emphasize living in the present moment.
All of these explorations will enhance this
essential capacity.
Meditation: This practice is based in the classic
Zen approach of “just sitting.” Rather than trying to control the mind, the practice is to
develop a kind and curious relationship to
mental habit. This bare-bones, nonsectarian
approach allows the moment to unfold without manipulation or anticipation. Both experienced meditators and novices find this
approach helpful (chairs are available).
Reflective Inquiry: Through a variety of practices students will learn to identify unhelpful
physical and mental habits and uncover the
somatic basis for becoming unbound from
the past. Participants will also reflect on their
deeper intentions in this life and learn neurologically-based tools for manifesting one’s
destiny.
Moshe Feldenkrais: Feldenkrais developed a
sophisticated, neurologically-based approach
in which participants use gentle, interesting
movement lessons to literally change patterns
in the brain. The lessons are fun, engaging,
and easy to do.
Sessions will include movement lessons,
meditations, and practices for cultivating a
deepening of presence and intentionality.
Improv Wisdom:
Showing Up for Your Life
Patricia Ryan Madson
Improvising can be seen as a way of approaching life mindfully with both common sense
and chutzpah. This course is designed for the
person who never imagined himself as an
improviser.
While some improv classes emphasize playing the games as comedy, this course focuses
on the life lessons that can be learned. You
don’t need to be Robin Williams to use the
techniques of attention, cooperation, spontaneity, and trust, both on stage and in life.
Weaving advice from the paradigm known as
Constructive Living® (created by Dr. David K.
Reynolds and based on two Japanese psychotherapies) with theory and improvisation
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games based on the work of Keith Johnstone
(founder of Theatresports™), this class provides a safe environment to explore your
natural spontaneity. Life lessons emerge as
you laugh, play, make up stories, flounder, fall,
pick yourself up and help others to do so.
Improvisation games foster quick thinking
on your feet, social awareness, and risk taking.
Learn how to handle mistakes with grace, and
create stories and worlds together.
We are all natural improvisers. This class
promises action, laughter, and commonsense
advice in the format of simple and playful
games.
Recommended reading: Madson, Improv
Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up, and
Johnstone, Impro.
The Ecstasy of Sound:
A Music and Healing Workshop
Jennifer Berezan
At the core of all that exists in the universe is
vibration. Many cultures have long believed
that the world itself was created through
sound. Some peoples believe that illness is a
musical problem, a result of a lack of harmony
in the system. This workshop will explore
music as a spiritual practice and a path to
opening one’s heart and uncovering one’s
true nature.
Participants will engage in a wide range of
musical experiences, from traditional and
contemporary traditions, designed to open
the heart and create equanimity, joy, ecstasy,
and healing. The workshop will include
sessions of toning, chanting, harmony and
rhythm, improvisational sounding, meditation, and silence, in a safe, humorous, and
sacred environment. No musical experience
is necessary. To learn more, visit www.edgeofwonder.com.
Relationship: What Holds Us Back?
A Workshop for Gay Men
Rob Bauer
“We dream,” writes Rob Bauer, “of loving and
being loved. This springs from the healthy
aspect of our nature. Yet we often deny this
need for love, support, and nurturing from
another, even when in a committed relationship. We struggle to find our true selves, but
shut our hearts down. Denying feelings, we
lose connection with ourselves and others.
Emotions and needs that we suppress, however, stay inside our bodies and psyches,
affecting health and well-being.
“In this workshop we will learn what keeps us
alone and apart, and how to be present in the
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moment with another. We will explore how
we keep alive memories of Mr. Right—or Mr.
Wrong—that sabotage new beginnings. We
will find new ways to be together, emotionally and physically, learn communication skills,
and make contact with other men in respectful and nonthreatening ways. We will share
our laughter, stories, and feelings, and reclaim
our souls. Whatever our history and whatever
our heartbreak, the fulfillment of our dreams
is achievable, because through learning about
ourselves we can understand our relationship
with others.”
All gay, bi, and trans men are welcome, regardless of age, HIV status, single or in relationship. Join Rob, find your true self, and learn
what holds you back from relationship.
Building a Vocal Community®
Ysaye Barnwell
There is an awesome power in the human
voice, and when uncommon voices are blended for the common good they become a “vocal
community” at its best. Masterfully led by
Ysaye Barnwell, composer and longtime performer with Sweet Honey in the Rock®,
singers and non-singers alike will share the
common experience of learning in the oral
tradition and singing rhythms, chants, traditional songs from Africa and the Diaspora,
and a variety of songs from African-American
culture including spirituals, ring shouts,
hymns, gospels, and songs from the civil
rights movement. The historical, social, and
political context will be provided as an introduction to the songs.
Throughout this experience, the group will
explore from an African-American worldview
the values imbedded in the music, the role of
cultural and spiritual traditions and rituals,
ways in which leadership emerges and can be
shared by and among community members,
the nature of cultural responses to and influences on political and social struggle, and,
finally, the significance of a shared communal
experience in one’s personal life.
A willingness to sing is all that is required.
Traditional Thai Massage:
Sacred Bodywork
Richard Gold
What in the West we call Traditional Thai
Massage is known in Thailand as “Nuad
Bo’Rarn.” Nuad is a Thai word that translates
as “to touch with the intention of imparting
healing.” Bo’Rarn is derived from Sanskrit and
translates as “something ancient and revered.”
Historians date this traditional medical practice from approximately 500 B.C. Thai
Massage fulfills the Buddhist principle of
bringing spiritual philosophy into everyday
life and work, allowing both practitioner and
recipient an opportunity to experience the
four Divine States of Mind: Loving Kindness,
Compassion, Mental Equanimity, and
Vicarious Joy.
This workshop is an immersion into the practice of Thai Massage. An extensive curriculum
in Northern (Chiang Mai) style will be taught
and practiced. The course will focus on the
meditative aspects of this traditional healing
art, with emphasis on proper body mechanics.
Combining aspects of yoga, acupressure, and
assisted stretching, Thai Massage is a highly
therapeutic and deeply relaxing form of bodywork.
Practitioners learn to work with their feet,
knees, forearms, and elbows, as well as with
their hands. Thai Massage is practiced slowly,
on a futon or mat placed on the floor, with the
client dressed in loose-fitting clothing. No
oils or lotions are utilized.
Come and join this comprehensive immersion into an ancient healing art.
Required reading: Gold, Thai Massage:
A Traditional Medical Technique.
The Transformational Enneagram:
Mindfulness, Insight, and Experience
Russ Hudson
A growing number of people are aware of the
Enneagram as an accurate and profound map
of personality. The nine Enneagram types
are based on the three primary centers of
intelligence: thinking, emotion, and instinct.
However, in almost all human beings, distortions or blockages in these centers have led
to a loss of connection with our essential
nature and to the arising of ego structures to
compensate for this loss. Thus, while our
Enneagram type usually obscures our true
nature with a characteristic web of defenses,
it can also serve as an opening to the deeper
reality of spirit.
This workshop will emphasize recognizing
the ways that each of the nine types plays out
in our own personalities. It will combine psychological insight into the inner workings of
the types with meditation practices and exercises to lead participants toward a more direct
experience of qualities of essence such as
presence, clarity, compassion, and joy.
Conversational instruction will be combined
with group meditations, small-group work,
physical movements, and music so that participants can more fully integrate the richness of
the Enneagram material into their daily work
and relationships.
Recommended reading: Riso & Hudson, The
Wisdom of the Enneagram; Personality Types
(Revised Edition, 1996); Understanding the
Enneagram (Revised Edition, 2000).
How to Stay Sane in an Insane World
Jeffrey Rubin
• Open and turn toward life instead of
tightening and turning away
• Approach fear and pain with grace and
dignity
• Access the beauty in the world and the
creativity within
• Learn the difference between genuine selfcare and false substitutes
• Balance altruism and self-care
• Bring more spirituality into everyday life
• Feel more sanity and fulfillment
Sessions will include lecture, discussion, and
experiential exercises drawn from the psychotherapeutic, meditative, and yogic traditions (including dream work, mindfulness
meditation, and pranayama). The workshop
will be of interest to spiritual seekers, mentalhealth professionals, personal and leadership
coaches, undergraduates, graduate students,
teachers, and anyone who is either genuinely
interested in personal transformation or who
is troubled by the state of the world and is
looking for ways to better deal with it.
Assemblage: Making Sacred
Touchstones
Virginia Ray
Here is a chance to do something with all of
those treasures you’ve found and saved!
Gathering is a universal practice used in daily
life by many cultures. The theme of this
workshop is the transformation of everyday
items, collected treasures from nature, and
found objects into inspiring art.
The workshop will use a series of exercises
to engage your personal style of creativity.
Explore the art of placement and the impact
of shapes and textures. Learn the value of
visual simplicity, a benefit which can be carried
into all facets of life. Discover how conscious
intention, coupled with ingenuity and various
art mediums, can change common objects
into sacred touchstones. Expand your imagination to include the rich array of ordinary
elements that surround us every day.
Each participant will create a unique wall
piece, as well as experiment with a variety of
images throughout the week. Most materials
will be provided. Bring some special personal
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
In the terrifying and bewildering days since
9/11 literally millions of Americans have
been afflicted with feelings of anguish and
rage, despair and powerlessness. This workshop—a combination of lecture, yoga and
meditation practice, dream work, and dialogue—will explore how the psychological
and ethical wisdom of the yogic, Buddhist,
and psychotherapeutic traditions can help us
stay sane in an insane world. Topics to be
addressed will include how to:
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objects to include in your work, a pair of scissors, a hammer, a canvas bag for collecting
treasures, a journal or blank book, an apron
(if you are messy), and comfortable shoes for
walking down to the rocky beach.
Beginners are welcome. You can view examples of Sacred Touchstones and related art
work at: www.epicarts.org/artists/virginiaray.
Living Love: The Ingredients of
Successful Relationship Renewal
Jon Carlson
idle and blessed”—will be shared with the
group as well as the wonders of the rich natural history of Big Sur. No previous experience in simplicity or nature is required.
Further information will be sent upon registration.
On the Bus: A Multimedia
Performance Workshop—
Mythmaking in the Movies,
Music, Art, and Poetry
Phil Cousineau, R.B. Morris
& Gregg Chadwick
On the bus we go. All of us who go. And we are
diverse, a simultaneity in different mediums.
— R.B. Morris
Happiness in life and satisfaction in relationships can be learned. This workshop offers
practical hands-on training in the skills of
effective relationships. Couples no longer
need to live a life of miserable coexistence.
The workshop will use lecture, demonstration, videotape, and experiential activities to
teach satisfying relationships. The skills
include:
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This unique multimedia workshop explores
what it means to gain access to what Joseph
Campbell called “the key to the realm of the
muses,”—that magic place where myth and art
converge. To explore these powerful forces,
the workshop will use readings from myth,
poetry, and film clips to illustrate the role of
archetypes, symbols, and metaphor in the
work of artists of all stripes, from writers and
painters to musicians and sculptors. The program also explores how the responsible use of
myth can inspire new depths in one’s work—
but also how it can hinder art-making if used
irresponsibly.
“Together as a group,” the leaders write, “we
will become modern mythmakers by creating
and performing a new multimedia work over
the course of the weekend. Our spark will be
musician R. B. Morris’s song, ‘On the Bus,’
which will serve as a template for a one-act
play. Writer Phil Cousineau will help to stoke
the creative fire of the group by bringing the
mythic dimension into the story; painter
Being present
Understanding your relationship
Choice awareness
Acceptance
Communication
Problem solving
How to co-create a new relationship
Simply Wild: Experiencing Nature
Steven Harper
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through
the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done.
“The weekend is simple,” Steve Harper writes.
“We stroll through the wilds of Big Sur on
hikes, soak in the natural mineral hot springs,
eat good, wholesome food, commune with
ourselves, others, and nature. With wilderness
as our teacher and the bare attention of awareness we show up for life as it unfolds moment
to moment. We come into deep contact with
the raw beauty of this mysterious world.”
The group will venture out on two hikes 2-6
miles in length. Simple practices that encourage awareness and contemplation—“how to be
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
— Mary Oliver
Gregg Chadwick will take the lead in helping
us visualize the story and the set; and Morris
will help us write and arrange the score. On
Sunday morning we will stage and perform
the piece together.”
workshop will use movement, touch, and
group interaction. Spinal Awareness is based
on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, TaoistChinese-Indonesian martial art, and the
Esalen experience, and it continues to evolve.
This workshop will appeal to creative people
in all fields, from the arts to business, teaching to therapy. It is for anyone who is searching for ways to enliven their personal work
as well as their group dynamics.
The movements are quite different from normal exercises in that they emphasize learning
how to move in ways that stimulate your
awareness of your own body. They involve
learning to use the floor to organize and integrate your own spinal column. The standing
lessons lead to a new awareness of ways to
move with better balance and fluidity.
Deciphering the Romantic Attraction
Code: How We Choose the Lovers
We Choose
Ayala Pines
When we fall in love we are sure that our
beloved is not only perfect, but perfect for us.
In time, many of us realize that neither is
true. Disappointed and disillusioned, we wonder, How is it that we choose whom to fall in
love with? And why are we so often wrong?
In this workshop, participants will explore
theories and research findings that apply to
their own romantic choices, right or wrong.
More importantly, the workshop will help to
examine what to do about these choices, both
to enhance current romantic relationships
and to avoid making the same mistakes in the
future. Through group discussions and experiential exercises, the workshop is designed
to increase understanding of the causes, conscious and unconscious, of romantic choices.
In addition, it will present tools to improve
the quality of relationships.
Lessons inspired by Indonesian Silat will be
used to stimulate the energy body, effecting
internal health and increasing energy. These
movements, originating from the monasteries
of China and Tibet, further increase healing
possibilities. Safe and noninvasive hands-on
lessons will be introduced that greatly accelerate improvements.
This workshop will evolve with humor and
playfulness. Fun partner lessons will help bring
about not only freedom in the body but the
return to childlike energy essential to us all.
This program is designed both for the beginner and the professional. For more information visit www.spinalawareness.com.
This workshop is for anyone who seeks better
understanding of his or her romantic choices,
especially those who seem unable to make the
“right choice,” and for counselors who work
with couples or individuals with a problem in
romantic choices. Individuals may take this
workshop more than once.
Sharing Your Life Story—
From the Page to the Stage
Recommended reading: Pines, Falling in Love:
Why We Choose the Lovers We Choose and
Romantic Jealousy.
Everything in your life, from the mundane
to the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be
told. In this workshop, you will discover your
own unique and powerful story. Michel de
Montaigne, the great personal essayist said,
“Every man has within himself the entire
human condition.” The intention of this
workshop is for you delve deep into your
own personal narrative.
Spinal Awareness (with Humor):
Feldenkrais and Energy Work for
Health and Healing
Patrick Douce
Spinal Awareness improves body awareness,
flexibility, posture, and most chronic and
acute conditions of the body. In this workshop, special emphasis will be placed on any
difficulties participants may have, such as
lower-back pain, hip trouble, tension in the
neck and shoulders, and knee injuries. The
Ann Randolph
As we write, we are both describing and deciding
the direction that our life is taking.
— Julia Cameron
Writing from your deepest source, you will
gain insight and self-understanding that can
bring peace and healing. You will then make
your words leap from the page to the stage,
sharing them orally to uncover the power of
story to transform your life and your listeners.
Through improvisation, writing exercises, and
group discussion, you will find your authentic
voice, along with an honest, organic way to
express your truth. Ann Randolph creates a
supportive, fun, and dynamic space to create.
All levels are welcome. This is a workshop for
those seeking to explore personal essay, memoir, solo performance, or the sacred practice of
journaling. Topics include:
• Writing exercises to stimulate memory
• Learning to structure the narrative in a
compelling way
• Discovering ways to create spontaneously
• Overcoming performance anxiety
• Tools to release yourself from the inner
critic
• Transforming your ideas/stories into
performance
A New Beginning: Courage and Heart
Mary Goldenson
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began…
— Mary Oliver
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear,
not absence of fear.
— Mark Twain
“In this workshop,” Mary Goldenson writes,
“we will courageously peer into the depths of
our hearts and minds to ask:
• Does my life reflect my heart’s desires?
• If fear did not stop me, what might I be
doing differently?
• What truths do I need to tell to live?
• To whom or what have I given power over
my life? What must I do to reclaim it?
• How shall I live, knowing I shall die?
“More than the answers, our questions define
where the real meaning of our life resides.
Firmly grounded in the moment, we will
explore ways to reconnect with our source of
creativity and spirituality.”
This workshop offers ways to help complete
the past, be open to the present, and create the
future. A safe, supportive environment will be
provided. Didactic and experiential exercises
will draw from Gestalt, Reichian work,
imagery, dance, and meditation.
This workshop may have up to 34 participants.
Qi Gong: The Art of Energy
Cultivation and Meditation
Matthew Cohen
Qi Gong is an ancient Asian system of health
and self-development in which slow, circular,
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repetitive movements invoke an inner peace
and well-being. In this workshop, you can
learn to cultivate and manage a high grade of
energy. Special emphasis will be placed on
intention, alignment, and Taoist “natural
breath.” Included will be moving, standing, and
sitting meditations. You will leave with several
new Qi Gong “sets”—rare material directly
from China—that you can take home with you.
This class builds strength, grace, and calm.
Please bring a notebook and dress in loose
comfortable clothes. All levels are welcome.
Belonging to Earth:
Finding Our Place in Nature
Steven Harper & Michael Newman
In every moment of our lives we are supported by natural systems both seen and unseen.
Yet, in our culture, many of us are cut off from
the natural world. We have little contact with
wild nature, little idea of where we live, and
little notion of what directly sustains our
daily life. Esalen, surrounded and sustained
by wild natural systems, is an ideal place to
learn more about our sense of place, of nature,
and of belonging to this earth.
This program will explore our relationship to
the earth through increasing our knowledge
of the basic life and earth sciences, and
increasing awareness of self and nature.
Participants will be introduced to an overview
of the natural sciences and then to the geology, weather, ecology, native peoples, flora, and
fauna that make up the incredible landscape
we call Big Sur.
This workshop will include evening introductory lectures, dialogue, and day-hikes that
venture into Big Sur’s backcountry for field
sessions that expand our practical knowledge
of nature and, more specifically, of Big Sur.
Attention will be paid to how we take our
newfound ecoliteracy and integrate it with
how we sense our belonging so that we may
more fully inhabit this extraordinary third
planet from the sun.
This program is open to all levels of experience
in hiking and the natural sciences. Participants
should be prepared to hike in varied terrain
(4-6 miles), enjoy periods of silence, and have
a curiosity about nature and our place in the
world.
A Filmmaking Journey into Nature:
The Camera as Meditative Tool
Andy Abrahams Wilson
This workshop is an opportunity to use the
camera’s eye to express both nature’s voice and
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your own vision—a visual and sensorial
adventure to discover the sights and secrets
of the abundant natural world at Esalen.
The moving-image camera enables us to view
the world differently—to focus intently, find
detail, alter perspective, notice tension
between parts, and follow the dynamic energy
between things. This altered “framing” and
heightened “focus” is in itself a meditation. It
is a way to encourage being present and in
relationship with our environment—sparking
connections and insights, and creating an art
that informs your life.
This inward and outward journey will explore
basics of camera and editing, emphasizing the
aspect of “relationship” in all stages of the
filmmaking process. Through filming, writing, and critiquing, the workshop will explore
how the video camera can change the way
you see. After this workshop, you may never
see the natural world the same again.
The workshop is designed for people with all
levels of video experience (or inexperience)—
from beginners to industry professionals.
Bring your own mini-DV camcorder if you
have one. Otherwise, cameras are provided.
Enrollment is limited for an optimal and intimate group experience.
Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Maria Lucia Bittencourt Sauer
Spiritual Massage is a hands-on healing practice that works directly on the energy body,
balancing the chakras, cleansing old thought
forms, and gently facilitating release of emotional, physical, and spiritual blockages, allowing for infusion by the Lightbody.
Born into a family of healers with a generations-old tradition, Maria Lucia studied with
healers in her native Brazil, where Spiritism—
receiving healing knowledge from the spirit
world—is familiar to much of the population.
In 1979 she came to Esalen and was sponsored by Esalen cofounder Dick Price while
she learned Spiritual Massage from Brazilian
healer Luiz Gasparetto.
This workshop presents practical methods for
using the hands as instruments of physical and
spiritual healing. Incorporating both hands-on
and energetic work, it emphasizes intentionality as the fundamental tool of any healing art
for moving energy. The course includes exercises for grounding and attuning to energy as
well as Afro-Brazilian shamanic practices for
self-protection. Special exercises will help prepare the group energy field for channeling sessions done by Maria Lucia (please bring questions). Emotional release work and group
process will be integrated as they emerge.
This work is accessible to anyone—nurses,
bodyworkers, businessmen, therapists, and all
those interested in working with energy and
people’s bodies.
Disagreeing on Everything:
A Look at the Middle East
Anisa Mehdi & Michael Lame
People come to Esalen in search of transformation: to find common ground, to discover
new ways of seeing, to transcend limiting
beliefs. But deep down there are still differences among us—profound differences—to
address. The most contentious conflict in the
world today is the Arab-Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. It touches Christians, Jews, Muslims,
and others across America and around the
world. Before we try bridging our differences
about this or any other conflict, shouldn’t we
openly acknowledge what those differences
are?
For the Middle East, the question “Which
side are you on?” is usually resolved by reference to one’s religious or ethnic identity.
Typically, Jews side with Israelis and Muslims
side with Palestinians. There is nothing
wrong with taking sides. But can you articulate your own side? And can you see beyond
your side by stepping into the shoes of those
on the other side(s)? The course leaders, an
Arab American Muslim and an American Jew,
are longtime friends who disagree on everything about the Middle East conflict—from its
definition to its history, politics, and religious
dimensions. They will guide you through
conversations, activities, and games to deepen
your appreciation of the conflict and its players. They’ll leave you with tools to be more
effective in discussing this and other tensionfilled topics.
Come explore your own unexamined beliefs
as well as challenge your informed partisan or
nonpartisan positions about Israel, Palestine,
Arabs, Jews, Islam, Judaism, Zionism, and all
the rest of that complex thicket of issues and
ideas that constitute “the Middle East conflict.”
The Healing Voice: Chanting, Ritual,
and Resonance
Jill Purce
Liberate your voice, your heart, and your
mind in a joyful and uplifting exploration of
breathing, chanting, mantra and sonic medita-
JOHN WERNER
tions, sacred chants, trance healing, and
shamanic ceremony. Discover and master the
power of your voice to free you from anxieties
and negative thought patterns. Develop
breath and sound in ways that set parts of the
body and mind into resonance while experiencing the healing capacity of sonic massage.
In this workshop, Jill Purce guides participants in pursuit of the lost voice. Working
with ancient vocal purification practices,
you’ll learn to cleanse and tune the chakras
and experience the nature of the radiant
body. You’ll enter subtle dimensions of reality
through magical voice techniques and
Mongolian and Tibetan overtone chanting.
You’ll work with powerful, healing, sonorous
ritual to be acknowledged and safely give up
those parts of yourself that no longer support
you. You’ll discover an unlimited source of
power through the encounter of your own
voice in resonant and ritual community.
Working with the voice in this way—freeing
the voice to find physical health, emotional
joy, and spiritual ecstasy—is one of the most
effective ways to empower your life, balance
the mind and body, and ultimately achieve
enlightenment. For more information, visit
www.healingvoice.com.
Morphic Resonance and Memory:
The Interplay of Habit and Creativity
in Nature and in Human Life
the frontiers of current scientific inquiry, and
to show how they could affect you and the
way you live your life.
Rupert Sheldrake
All nature may have an inherent memory,
according to Rupert Sheldrake’s hypothesis
of morphic resonance. Even the so-called
laws of nature may be more like habits. Each
species has its own collective memory, on
which every individual draws and to which
it in turn contributes. We too draw upon a
collective human memory, similar to Jung’s
collective unconscious. Even our individual
memories depend on morphic resonance
rather than on physical memory-traces
stored within the brain. Our brains are more
like TV receivers than like DVD recorders.
Both the cosmic evolutionary process and
our own lives involve an interplay of habit
and creativity.
Rupert Sheldrake will summarize recent
research and show how this hypothesis of
morphic resonance and morphic fields can
make sense of our own experiences of interconnectedness. He will also lead participants
in simple tests of their own abilities. This
workshop is designed to take you to some of
The Miracle of Water
John Murphy & Peter Zimmermann
If you’ve been to Esalen, you already love the
hot tubs, fed by natural springs originating
deep beneath the Santa Lucia Mountains. You
already love the sound of the pounding
waves. You love the rush and tumble of the
creek as you cross the bridge to the Big
House. Now use your mind and all your senses to explore the wonders of Esalen’s waters.
The course leaders are recognized experts in
the world of water. They will guide you
through a variety of settings, from tubs to
woods to beach, and you will immerse yourself—literally and figuratively—in ocean,
stream, and hot spring waters. Your experience will bridge the science and spirituality
of aquatic systems, connecting you to a key
element of our world’s past, present, and
future. Your experience of water will never
be the same again, anywhere.
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Designating Sacred Space,
Creating a Shrine
Dana Zed
This is a workshop for designing and creating
your own personal shrine. “Whether you are
aware of it or not, shrine making is something
you already do,” writes Dana Zed. “It can be as
simple as a special object selectively placed. In
this workshop, a shrine can take many forms:
an individual panel, a diptych, a triptych, a
box, or a house-like construction. We are not
interested in portraying a religion but in
expressing our own divinity. The conversation we will have with our higher self as we
create will manifest finally in the shrine.”
Week of August 31–
September 5
Urban Sustainability:
The Nuts and Bolts of City Repair
and Urban Permaculture
Mark Lakeman & Kat Steele
This is a workshop of dialogue and design, a
forum to hear stories and learn strategies for
neighborhood organizing and the planning
of co-creative urban permaculture projects.
Bring your ideas, questions, and projects for
networking opportunities.
City Repair (www.cityrepair.org) was formed in
Portland, Oregon in 1996 by citizen activists
who wanted a more community-oriented and
ecologically sustainable society. Born out of a
successful grassroots neighborhood initiative
that converted a residential intersection into
a neighborhood public square, with the idea
that localization—of culture, of economy, of
decision-making—is a necessary foundation
of sustainability, City Repair reclaims urban
spaces to create community-oriented places,
plant the seeds for greater neighborhood
communication, empower our communities,
and nurture our local culture.
Now a national movement, City Repair is
about cities, towns, grids, and the intersections where our lives can converge. City
Repair combines architecture, urban planning, anthropology, community development,
public art, permaculture, and ecological
design in projects that transform public
space. City Repair was conceived as an “antivirus” to combat the isolation and commodification of conventionally designed cities by
literally inserting villages into cities.
This workshop will explore the roots of empire
and the historical choice-point moments that
have led up to the urban design we presently
live within. Its intention is to inspire you to
co-create the world you want to live in.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
A variety of media will be available, as will the
abundant natural surroundings of Esalen.
Glass fusing will be one of the media, as art
making is a happy kind of magic and glass is a
particularly magical medium. Clear like water,
strong like stone, transparent yet solid, glass
can be invisible and yet act as a barrier. A synthesis of opposites, glass is an ideal medium
for physical human beings to express their
spiritual nature. Also, it lets the light shine
through.
Participants may also incorporate drawings
and objects brought from home. The workshop is designed to be nonjudgmental and
accessible. Participants will be encouraged to
find the magician within. No art experience
is necessary.
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The Journey from Abandonment
to Healing
Susan Anderson
“Abandonment is the most primal and the
main underlying issue of most emotional distress and dysfunction,” says Susan Anderson.
Author of The Journey from Abandonment to
Healing; The Journey from Heartbreak to
Connection; and Black Swan: Twelve Lessons of
Abandonment Recovery, Anderson is a psychotherapist and founder of the Abandonment
Recovery movement and has studied this
field for over twenty-five years.
In this workshop, Susan presents a highly
effective program of emotional and spiritual
healing that provides the means to reverse the
universal wound of abandonment. Participants
will learn specific exercises for each of the
five stages of abandonment (shattering, withdrawal, internalizing, rage, and lifting); how
to identify outer child behaviors and overcome
deeply entrenched patterns of self-sabotage;
how to overcome abandoholism (the tendency
to attach to unavailable partners); and how to
set and achieve your goals and make new connections. She will also share recent findings
from the field of brain science that shed new
light on the biological and chemical processes
that underlie our emotional response to loss.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Whether you’re experiencing a recent breakup,
a lingering wound from the past, or having
trouble finding a relationship, this workshop
can help to restore your sense of self, increase
your capacity for love, and fulfill your dreams.
Recommended reading: Anderson, The Journey
from Abandonment to Healing; Journey from
Heartbreak to Connection; and Black Swan:
Twelve Lessons of Abandonment Recovery.
Consciousness is Fundamental
Donald Hoffman
In the figure above you probably see a gray
translucent square hovering over concentric
black circles. In fact there is no gray square,
only gray arcs of circles. You can check this by
covering the arcs; the gray square then disappears. You create the gray square. Indeed, you
create all the objects, colors, motions, depths,
and shapes that you see in everyday life. Your
consciousness is the creative source of all that
you see, smell, hear, touch, taste, and feel. It is
the source of all your emotions, and of space
and time themselves.
Donald Hoffman writes: “In this workshop
we explore the creative power of your consciousness, using dozens of interactive visual
demonstrations and insights from cognitive
neuroscience, philosophy of mind, artificial
intelligence, and quantum physics. We
explore the fundamental principles that
underlie the creativity of consciousness. In
this exploration, we find that science and
spirit are not opposed, but are instead mutually illuminating and enriching. We find new
insight into the human condition, and the
role of meditative practice in its healing. And,
at the deepest level, we find the ultimate symmetry, the final mystery, and the only
uncaused cause: Love.”
Recommended reading: Hoffman, Visual
Intelligence: How We Create What We See.
Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving
Charles Muir & Leah Alchin
Few of us have been blessed with healthy
childhood conditioning and education
regarding the mysteries of sexual love and
sexual energy. This can leave individuals less
successful and conscious in their sexuality
than they are in other aspects of their lives.
Tantra transforms sex into a loving meditation, putting more consciousness, energy, intimacy, joy, and love into sexual exchanges.
It is time to study sex as an art form. Sexual
loving is a vital skill to be mastered by every
conscious individual. Sexual energy is a sacrament that, rightly used, brings great harmony
35
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
and joy into one’s relationship so that love
continues to grow over the course of a lifetime, deeply bonding the partners in joyous
spiritual union.
This workshop offers couples ways to
increase intimacy and passion in their relationship. The course will introduce practices
to free female sexual orgasm and methods to
increase pleasure for both partners, along
with hands-on sexual healing and awakening
skills. Esoteric practices of kiss, movement,
and touch, along with many other exotic lovemaking skills will be introduced in class, then
practiced in the privacy of your own room.
This seminar presents Tantric wisdom with
insight, gentleness, humor, and love.
The workshop is open to couples only. It is
not recommended for same-sex couples.
In the Realm of Silent Wisdom:
Continuum Movement© and BodyMind Centering©
Vicki Topp & Gael Ohlgren
The body reveals itself to the world and to itself
through the intersection of a tactile sensation
that is on the outside and a kinesthetic sensation
that is on the inside
— Maurice Merleau-Ponty
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This workshop will pose experimental, somatic questions: How do we access kinesthetic
intelligence? How can we change the context
of interaction with self and environment in a
way that excites, refreshes, and renews? How
do we create space for ourselves and spaciousness in our perspectives? Developing new
kinesthetic edges creates more permeability
both to our embodied meanings and to new
possibilities.
The program will begin with a kinesthetic
remembrance of our embryonic and oceanic
origins when our tissues were shaped by
fluid. Using movement, breath, and sound
explorations, the workshop will seek to awaken access to our body’s wisdom and to replenish our sense of well-being and belonging.
Increasing our understanding of these more
internal and fluid movements can become the
underlying support for more balance and flexibility of all other movement. Participants will
explore the integration of these more internal
states through healing touch, walking, and
somatic resonance with each another. This
will be facilitated by brief lectures, demonstrations, movement explorations, experiential anatomy, and hands-on practice.
This workshop is for all those interested in
blending BMC and Continuum approaches
into their bodywork, dance, yoga, meditation,
psychophysical practices, and life. All levels of
experience, from beginner to professional, are
welcome.
Ranting and Raving and Writing
Gillian Kendall
“The best writing results from loose living
and tight editing,” says Gillian Kendall. “This
workshop encourages writers from novice to
novelist to write into new feeling, and feel
their way into writing. Having lived some
years on earth, you may have broken your
heart or your back. Maybe you’re worn down
or wrought up by the sheer effort of living.
But having healed yourself, your family, or
the place you live, or having faced some
unhealable, humbling, personal dross or
dreck, you can share those stories. In a spirit
of trust and fun, we will generate right-brain,
Gestalt-y, celebratory, or self-indulgent drafts.
We will borrow techniques from other disciplines, including theater and drawing—and
from no discipline at all. It might get ecstatic
or Bacchanalian (in a twelve-step-recovery
kind of way). After that comes revision. We
will take deep, cleansing breaths, plop butts
on cushions, and get words on pages.”
Participants may expect to spend about half
of the class time writing, and half engaged in
giving and getting feedback. You are welcome
to bring work in progress, and/or laptop
computers and printers, but doing so is not
necessary.
What to bring: your heart (in any state of
repair), your ears, your excess emotional baggage, your rotten and/or glorious childhood, a
sense of humor, your appetite for true stories,
and a tolerance for exaggeration.
What to leave at home: weaponry, enemies (real
and imagined), high and/or low expectations,
grammar books, and your inner (or outer)
critic. Please consider abandoning your need
to be the center of attention or to hide in
groups.
Weekend of September 5–7
Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of
Homer’s Odyssey to Navigate Life’s
Perils and Pitfalls
Zoketsu Norman Fischer
“Whether we know it or not, we are all on a
spiritual journey,” writes Norman Fischer.
“The more we are aware of this the more we
can reflect on it. And our reflection will make
the journey more satisfying. The world’s great
religions speak of the journey, but so idealistically we often have difficulty seeing ourselves
in them. Suppose, then, we used The Odyssey
to help us appreciate what the journey is really like for ordinary people like us. Odysseus is
battered and weary, as we so often are. He
makes mistakes, as we so often do. How does
he handle his problems, and what does he
learn from them? In this retreat we’ll view our
lives as spiritual journeys as seen through the
lens of The Odyssey. We’ll practice meditation,
listen to teachings, and engage in dialogue.
Come ready to dream, to write, to speak, and
to wonder.”
The title of the retreat is the title of Norman’s
latest book (to be published in June, 2008),
which will form the basis of this program.
See Seminar Spotlight, page 8.
Body and Mind: The Spiritual
Challenges of Our Time
Huston Smith & Gael Ohlgren
Huston Smith, who has taught at Esalen
almost since its founding, is joined by his
daughter Gael, as they share their respective
competencies in this workshop that pretty
much covers who we human beings are and
what it means to live a human life.
Huston, for whom the word Mind includes
soul and spirit, wrote what is still the classic
text in his field, The World’s Religions. He was
the subject of Bill Moyers’ 1996 five-part PBS
series, “The Wisdom of Faith with Huston
Smith.” His expertise delineates the common
threads which weave through all spiritual traditions.
Gael began her lifelong study of somatic practices as a member of the Esalen massage crew.
She went on to train with Ida Rolf, Judith
Aston, and Peter Levine, and has studied with
Emilie Conrad, founder of Continuum movement, for over thirty years. Gael is an emerita
Rolf Institute faculty member and international Continuum teacher. In this workshop
she will guide meditations that invoke breath
awareness, sound, and movement.
Both instructors believe that modern Western
culture, with its glorification of scientism,
creates blind spots. It turns our lives over to
scientific data and authority and undermines
the intuitive wisdom of our body and spirit.
Underneath cultural programming, which
tends to numb us, the wisdom of our physical
and spiritual promptings can lead us to balance our lives and reconnect with the primary awe and mystery of existence. This workshop seeks to recover human wholeness.
Writing About Our Lives
Ellen Bass
“The philosophy behind this workshop experience,” writes Ellen Bass, “is best expressed by
Martha Graham, who said, ‘There is a vitality,
a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is
translated through you into action. And
because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique. And if you block it,
it will never exist through any other medium,
and be lost. The world will not have it. It is
not your business to determine how good it
is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares
with other expressions. It is your business to
keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the
channel open.’
“This workshop will help keep the channels
open. It will be an inspiring environment in
which to write, share our work, and receive
supportive feedback. We’ll help each other to
become clearer, go deeper, express our feelings and ideas more powerfully. From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcome.
Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, or journal writing, this workshop
will provide an opportunity to explore and
expand your world.”
The Awakened Mind:
Brainwave Training
Anna Wise
Inside each person lives a wealth of knowledge, capacities, and power rarely transmitted
to the conscious mind. Brainwave training,
combined with meditation and biofeedback
monitoring, can help develop these deeper
resources, allowing access to greater creativity,
reduced stress, and a deeper awareness and
understanding of the inner self.
For more than three decades we have measured the brainwave patterns of people whose
states of consciousness inspire emulation—
spiritual masters, meditation teachers, people
of optimum creativity in all walks of life. The
brainwave pattern that was found, named the
Awakened Mind, is a combination of all four
categories—beta, alpha, theta, and delta—in the
right relationship and proportion.
Brainwaves are affected in specific ways by
different methods of meditation, visualization, and psychophysiological relaxation, as
well as by specific acts such as tongue, eye,
and body positions. This workshop will present techniques for brainwave development
to help you access these optimal states as well
as determine which practices are best for your
particular brainwave pattern. It will also
address how to use these optimum states for
creativity, mental flexibility, self-healing, problem solving, and spiritual development.
The Mind Mirror™ EEG will be utilized to
demonstrate brainwave patterns, and
Electrical Skin Resistance Meters will be used
to measure the depth of arousal or relaxation
of the nervous system.
The Art of Conversation/
The Art of the Interview
Michael Krasny
Michael Krasny writes: “We will look at ways
to create enlivening conversation that stimulates, enlightens, and excites us. Conversation—
ideal conversation—has an aesthetic and can
move us and take us well beyond the ordinary
give and take or exchange of ideas. How and
where do we find it and what methods are
available that help us to create it?
“We will concern ourselves as well with the
art of the interview, not only as a dynamic
process but as an integral part of the art of
conversation. The medium will be our message—both conversation and interview will
be used as ways to enhance our understanding of the art of both.”
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Week of September 7–12
Creativity Without Limits:
Painting and Point Zero
Michele Cassou & Carol Levow,
with Cathy Williams
For many of us it is difficult to simply let go
and create. Programmed to fear being judged,
we set narrow boundaries on our creativity.
The “dragons” of product, meaning, and control limit our choices of subjects, colors, and
forms. However, once we find Point Zero, the
ground from which creation springs, we can
push these fears aside and recapture the magic
of spontaneous creation. This work offers
practical ways to dissolve creative blocks and
find inspiration so that, in a state of infinite
possibility, art becomes not a means to an end
but a place we inhabit, a place to explore our
true selves and the mystery of our lives.
Michele Cassou has created an original
approach to painting as a tool for self-discovery
and spiritual exploration, guiding students for
more than twenty years. This workshop is five
days of painting, support, stimulation, free
play, and self-realization for artists and seekers
of all stripes, educators, counselors—anyone
with a thirst to revitalize the creative juices.
No experience is necessary, just the desire to
unleash your spontaneous self-expression.
Michele will teach the morning sessions;
Carol and Cathy will teach the remaining sessions. For more information call 415-459-4829
or visit www.michelecassou.com.
Recommended reading, viewing, and listening: (books) Cassou, Point Zero: Creativity
Without Limits; Life, Paint and Passion; Kids Play:
Igniting Children’s Creativity; (DVDs) Birth of a
Process; Point Zero; and The Flowering of
Children’s Creativity; (CDs) Creativity Without
Limits; and Creativity Rediscovered.
($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader
includes all painting materials.)
Urban Yogi: Contemporary Teacher
Training in Mind-Body Yoga
Hala Khouri & Julian Walker
Bringing together asana, energetics, anatomy,
and somatic psychology, Hala Khouri and
Julian Walker place modern yoga in a truly
East-meets-West context. This intensive
explores yoga as both an ancient shamanic
ritual practice and as a contemporary mindbody process, incorporating transformational
flow, deep stretch, and ecstatic dance, as well
as group process and practical healing and
teaching tools.
38
Yoga teachers find themselves in a unique role
as contemporary spiritual guides. Julian and
Hala use their experience creating and facilitating a support group for yoga teachers to
address common roadblocks and misconceptions about what it means to be a teacher
today. Their post-New Age philosophy challenges some current beliefs about spirituality
and invites participants to think critically
about what spiritual and psychological
growth means.
Anatomy, psychology, energy, and consciousness all come together on the mat. How do
we map out a landscape that includes these
rich and meaningful elements in a grounded,
pragmatic, and authentic way?
Other topics covered include creating sacred
space, working with trauma, boundaries, and
transference.
The Advanced Awakened Mind:
Biofeedback, Meditation, and
Consciousness Training
Anna Wise
Many people who have participated in Anna
Wise’s weekend and five-day workshops have
requested a follow-up or a more advanced
version. This seminar is designed to pick up
where the basic training left off, using the
basic building blocks of beta, alpha, theta, and
delta brainwave training to deepen your
knowledge and experience of your own higher states of consciousness. From an extended
version of “The House of Doors” theta-development meditation for accessing material in
the subconscious, to adding the brainwaves
of conscious thought to the brainwaves of
meditation for high performance and creative
manifestation, to increased experience and
awareness of the kundalini energy system, as
well as advanced Yoga Nidra Meditation, this
workshop will continue the journey you
began in your original workshop. You will
work with the interrelationship of the state
and the content of consciousness to develop
increased access to your higher spiritual
being.
As always, you will learn about your brainwaves from the Mind Mirror EEG and your
level of relaxation/arousal from Electrical
Skin Resistance Meters. Participants must
have completed a basic seminar with Anna
Wise (see September 5).
Recommended reading: Wise, Awakening the
Mind and The High-Performance Mind.
The Essence of Feldenkrais®
and Energy Work
Patrick Douce
Spinal Awareness is a way of learning, not a
therapy or treatment. It is taught with movement, touch, and group interaction. The work
is based on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais,
Taoist-Chinese-Indonesian martial art, the
Esalen experience, and continues to evolve.
Spinal Awareness will improve body awareness, flexibility, posture, and many chronic
and acute conditions of your body. Problems
in your lower back, neck, shoulder, hips,
knees, elbows, ankle, wrist, and jaw are only
some of the physical limitations that will
often benefit from this approach.
These movements are quite different than
normal exercises. Spinal Awareness emphasizes learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your own body. The
workshop will present a new understanding
of how tension and injury are often involved
with the disorganization in the skeletal-muscular parts of the body. Safe and noninvasive
hands-on lessons will be learned that greatly
speed up your improvements.
The workshop will integrate approaches
derived from ancient energetic systems with
the fields of bodywork, movement, and yoga.
Touch and movement methods of protecting
and energizing you—grounding, generating,
circulating, and extending energy—will be
shared. The use of joy and humor will be the
undertone of this week. Real freedom in the
body is also freedom of spirit and fun.
This is a program designed for both the beginner and the professional. For more information visit www.spinalawareness.com.
Awakened Mind, Open Heart:
Embodying our Natural Freedom,
Love, and Creative Joy
Jim Dreaver, with Lee Chiacos
Awaken to your natural freedom, love, and joy
through this simple yet powerful practice,
from Jim Dreaver’s new book, End Your Story,
Begin Your Life (www.endyourstory.com):
Welcome Your Experience: Whenever conflict or
suffering arises, welcome it. It is showing you
where you are not free. Notice The Story:
Behind every reactive emotion (self-doubt,
guilt, anger, jealousy, loneliness, anxiety, or
fear) there is always a story, belief, or thought.
Remind yourself: “I am not my story… I am
the pure awareness that is present right
now…” Be Present: Relax and breathe into the
feeling of being present. Notice any residual
emotions, but don’t create a new story around
them. Notice how “you,” as an aware being,
the witness, are still very much here. Feel the
shift in energy, the new sense of ease and
well-being.
As we get freer of the stories that bind us, we
connect with the beauty, authenticity, and
flow of the present moment. We honor the
past and keep an eye on the future, but live
right here, now. From this place of heartfelt
presence, life becomes fun. We then create a
new, conscious story for ourselves.
Participants will practice chi gong, meditate,
dialogue, and explore the practice of awakening the mind and opening the heart.
Loving What Is
Byron Katie
Anyone with an open mind can do The Work.
Join Katie in a workshop designed to take you
on a journey of self-discovery. With her
humor and lovingly incisive clarity, Katie will
show you how to identify and question the
stressful thoughts that cause all the suffering
and violence in the world, and how doing The
Work can bring you a happy life. She will
introduce The Work and participate with
audience volunteers.
Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, says,
“The Work is like a razor-sharp sword that
cuts through illusion and enables you to
know for yourself the timeless essence of your
being.” Always accessible through her three
best-selling books, at worldwide events and
workshops, and on the web at
www.thework.com, Katie’s wisdom and unconditional love are tangible.
Essence of the Elements: Esalen®
Massage and LaStone® Therapy
Deborah Ardell Hill & Char Pias
Over the past thirty years Esalen Massage—
with its focus on a full-hearted presence, an
emphasis on working with intention, and the
principle of working with rather than on
clients—has become the foundation for many
modalities. Learning Esalen Massage can help
practitioners develop the unique quality of listening with both heart and hands. The trademark Esalen long strokes underlie the entire
massage, bringing a wonderful sense of relaxation and integration, a feeling of wholeness
and connection, to the client’s experience.
At its foundation, LaStone Therapy shares the
principles of Esalen Massage—the long connected strokes, staying in dialogue with the
client, and feeling the instantaneous response
to touch (that is, the temperature of the
stones) on the tissue.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Byron Katie has one job: to teach people how
to end their own suffering. As she guides peo-
ple through her simple yet powerful process
of inquiry, called The Work, they find again
and again that their stressful beliefs—about
life, other people, or themselves—can radically
shift.
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Tai Chi Easy™ Facilitator
Certification Training
Roger Jahnke
The most profound medicine for body, mind, and
spirit is produced in the human system for free.
Bring the best of ancient Tai Chi and Qigong
to your community as a Tai Chi Easy
Facilitator.
In the Chinese language, Tai Chi means the
“balance and harmony” of natural forces within ourselves and our world. Tai Chi also
means “supreme ultimate,” pointing to the
awesome nature of all life and our own lives
within the universe. Tai Chi is a form of the
ancient self-healing art known as Qi Gong. Qi
Gong means to cultivate (Gong) healing life
energies and resources (Qi).
In this Facilitator Certification training,
Roger Jahnke, one of the nation’s foremost Tai
Chi and Qigong writer/teachers, will train
participants in a step-by-step program for
bringing Qigong and Tai Chi home to their
schools, community centers, faith institutions, hospitals, social service agencies, etc.
In the new healthcare system, health professionals and inspired citizens will help to
empower people to improve health, enhance
longevity, and reach inner peace. Tai Chi Easy
is a mind/body practice which combines
exercise and meditation (in motion) to activate inner self-healing forces that the ancient
Chinese texts call the “healer within” and the
“elixir of life.”
Today, as in ancient times, Qigong and Tai Chi
are revered as some of the most powerful selfhealing and self-empowering arts ever developed by the human race. In this program you
will learn to share simple Qigong and Tai Chi
practices with others and join the holistic
health revolution.
Paint and Dance From The Source:
A Magical Journey to the Beloved
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Aviva Gold & Toni Bergins
This course will explore both modalities,
blending their shared elements and finding
new ways to expand both practices. Join Char
Pias, longtime Esalen Massage practitioner
and teacher, and Deborah Ardell Hill, Master
LaStone instructor, for a week of Esalen
Massage combined with the LaStone method.
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There will also be time to enjoy the healing
waters of the Esalen baths and the natural
beauty of the Esalen land. Please bring your
favorite CDs, loose comfortable clothing, and
a sense of humor.
“Come, venture into the Dance Painting
Temple,” the leaders write. “Allow breath and
evocative music to move your body. Allow
your curious sensuality to apply paint to
paper. Painting and Dancing: each a powerful
ancient ritual for healing, here combined
within a tribal community. The Dance hastens connection to Painting Source and the
Painting thrives on embodiment in the
Dancing Source. Back and forth, building
steam on a journey to radical breakthrough—
to the Beloved. Clearly, painting or dance
experience is of no advantage here. Anyone
with a willing heart and adventurous spirit
can embark on this journey to the authentic
Self.
“Paint and dance as deep prayer. Paint and
dance your worst fears and deepest passion.
Paint not for outcome, but to simply be in the
moment. Paint and dance till your mind
releases judgments, comparisons, and personal stories. Paint till the painting paints you,
till the dance dances you, until you paint the
dance and dance the paint. This is living poetic
myth. Alter an image from this place and your
body, dance, and dreams are altered. In this
sacred container, painters and dancers bond
into an openhearted community: a triumph
for one becomes a triumph for all.
Synchronicities abound.”
This workshop uses paint, dance, and other
modalities to dive deep into the source of all
creation and healing. It is not a painting or
dance class, but the subsequent beauty and
grace can far surpass any formal class.
Please note: This workshop requires a commitment to an extended schedule, abstinence
from overstimulating substances, being
present with possible strong emotions, and
following guidelines that will be sent upon
registration.
Required reading: Gold, Painting From the
Source.
reactive patterns and provide tools for managing them.
In a safe and supportive environment, the
workshop will incorporate discussion, role
play, and exercises in communication and
conflict situations. Material for post-workshop study and practice will be provided.
Experiencing Esalen
Experiencing Esalen Staff
We must answer anew the old questions. “What
are the limits of human ability, the boundaries of
the human experience? What does it mean to be a
human being?”
— From the 1965 Esalen Catalog
This workshop is an introduction to some of
the transformational practices of Esalen.
Designed for first-time participants or those
renewing their acquaintance with Esalen, the
emphasis is on finding those approaches to
personal growth that work most effectively
for each participant. Sessions may include:
meditation, sensory awareness, Gestalt
Practice, group process, art, movement, and
massage. There will also be time to explore
the magnificence of the Big Sur coast.
tional states and the joy that comes from the
body’s renewed awareness and freedom. The
workshop presents:
• How to recognize basic postural reflex
patterns that can become habituated
• How emotions affect muscular contraction
patterns
• How muscle-contraction patterns affect our
somatic disclosures and somatic perception
of experiences
• How to use the daily maintenance exercise
series and other somatic exercises
This workshop is designed for professionals
seeking to enhance the somatic dimension of
their work as well as for individuals seeking
further personal development.
Recommended reading: Hanna, Somatics, The
Body of Life, and Bodies in Revolt; Criswell
Hanna, Biofeedback and Somatics.
Drumming: A Journey to the Source
Jayson Fann
Everything in the universe is in rhythm. Rhythm
is a living fabric of time in which we are all woven
and making music is one of ultimate ways of
creatively participating with life itself.
— Anu Binbinjene
($30 materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
Transforming Relationships:
Communication and Conflict
Resolution for Everyday Life
Hanna Somatics: An Almost Magical
Approach to Muscular and Emotional
Freedom
Eleanor Criswell Hanna
Georgia Kelly & Kim Weichel
Conflicts provide an opportunity to improve
relationships and increase understanding.
Successfully managing conflicts greatly
enhances our quality of life, reduces stress, and
gives us more self-confidence in daily interactions. All too often, however, conflicts consume unnecessary time and energy because
communication has been unclear, or because
we hold onto a position without understanding how conflicts get resolved. Resentment,
denial, and avoidance are some of the unsuccessful ways people cope with conflict.
This interactive workshop is an in-depth
exploration of how to understand and transform conflicts in everyday situations. Practical
skills include clear and nonthreatening communication, active listening, how to establish
ground rules that effectively deal with an
imbalance of power, and how to deal with
difficult people and situations. The program
will also examine conflict tendencies and
Our bodies resonate with the concerns of
others. These interactions, along with stress,
repetitive use, and accidents, can lead to
chronic muscle-contraction patterns and
restricted movement. This workshop introduces somatic theory and exercises for assessing and somatically transforming ourselves.
As we are able to transform ourselves, freeing
muscles and emotions, we move toward actualizing our full potential.
Chronic muscle-contraction patterns are
unconsciously maintained. Thomas Hanna
named this tendency sensory-motor amnesia
(SMA). He developed Hanna Somatics, which
enables us to use our brains to overcome SMA
and negative effects of stress, trauma, and aging.
Hanna Somatics can also enhance performance
and well-being. We can more accurately receive
feedback from our bodies and continue to
develop somatically throughout life.
Through somatic exercises, dyad work, and
hands-on demonstrations, this program
explores neuromuscular responses to emo-
Embark on a rhythmic journey to the heart
and soul of the drum. Immerse yourself in
the waters of rhythm—rhythms of healing,
rhythms of strength, rhythms of celebration
and joy. This class—for all levels—is a playful
exploration of rhythmic music and percussive
instruments from around the world. You’ll
have the opportunity to learn rhythms from
Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, and the
Caribbean. In addition, you’ll explore voice
and body percussion, create your own rhythmic compositions, learn to play with others,
and, most important, you’ll find your way to
the heart and soul of music: rhythm.
Couples’ Communication
Warren Farrell
I’ve never heard someone say, “Warren, I want
a divorce—my partner understands me.”
At the deepest level, most coupled individuals
do not feel understood by their partners.
Promises of honesty and love begin to fade
when we express genuine feelings that our
partners perceive as criticism. Criticism
begets criticism, and soon the fear of escalation leads to stuffing feelings and “walking on
eggshells.” The children consume too much
41
time for unraveling the feelings, even as they
also create a reason to stay together. The
result: Couples remain legally married but
psychologically divorced, developing a “silent
deal” that looks too much like our parents’
and not enough like the initial promise.
Despite many inaccuracies and errors of some
of his theories and techniques, Freud’s recommendation that dreams are the “Royal Road
to the Unconscious” has stood the test of a
century’s worth of research and evolution
within the vast array of psychotherapies.
The most important component in this cycle
is the inability to handle personal criticism
from our loved ones—criticism our partner
nevertheless perceives as “feelings designed
to create intimacy.” Active listening, the best
solution, is rarely used. Dr. Farrell has modified active listening to avoid what prevents
most couples from using it. Once conflict can
be fully expressed, he helps develop “conflictfree zones.” Once the fear of walking on
eggshells disappears, he works with couples
to replace that fear with an atmosphere of
positive associations. The outcome: reigniting
passion without sacrificing stability.
However, dreamwork can be also be used on
one’s own, outside of psychotherapy. The purpose of this workshop is to teach both clinicians and non-clinicians how to use dreamwork to gain access into our intrapsychic and
emotional conflicts, hidden motives, character/personality issues, self-discovery, and for
creative problem-solving and inspiration.
Classic dream analysis concepts will be covered, as well as more novel techniques such as
creating dream glossaries and dramas, using
a personal dream journal, dream dialogues,
dream-sharing groups, dream drawings,
dream incubation techniques, using dreams
as a source for music, creative writing, and art
work, and creative physical and improvisational movements with dreams.
Once these methods are mastered with partners, Dr. Farrell helps participants apply them
to children, co-workers, and finally our own
parents.
Required reading: Farrell, Women Can’t Hear
What Men Don’t Say, chapters 1-3.
This is an interactive, experiential workshop,
and participants will learn skills through
practice and application with fellow participants.
The Art of Nonviolent Woodturning
Jerry Kermode
Learn the discipline of carving wood on a
lathe, turning lamps, weed-pots, bowls, and
plates—while simultaneously discovering
more about yourself. In this workshop, Jerry
Kermode will assist you in using breath, posture, and attitude to change fear into curiosity.
Gain an understanding of how the fibers lie
within the wood and how the chisel slices
those fibers, as you learn to make utilitarian
items in which the spirit of the wood and
your own spirit commingle. The final project
is turning a bowl: create your own vessel, a
symbol of both holding and releasing.
Nonviolent woodturning is all of the above—
not making the cut, but allowing the cut to be
made. Let your spirit soar with the shavings,
all in the Art Barn at the edge of the Pacific.
Awakening to Your Life:
The Creative Use of Dreams
Eric Simon
Dream analysis has long been used as a therapeutic tool in a variety of psychotherapies,
beginning, of course, with psychoanalysis.
42
Deep Thinking Through Writing
Linda Trichter Metcalf & Tobin Simon
For thirty-five years, Linda Trichter Metcalf,
originator of Proprioceptive Writing® (PW)
and coauthor of Writing the Mind Alive: The
Proprioceptive Method for Finding Your Authentic
Voice, has pioneered writing as a way to access
inner thoughts and set them free.
Inner thoughts maintain power over us
because we don’t recognize them: mostly
they’re unspoken and unwritten. The
Proprioceptive Method is a writing meditation that brings these thoughts forward,
allowing you to hear and see them. This
recognition creates change.
In this workshop, Linda Metcalf guides two
writing meditations daily, and explores them
individually and creatively, to help you hear
and see them. As these inner thoughts come
into focus, your perspective on them shifts—
from distant and obscure to up-close and
clear—producing a sense of greater mental
space, with more room for both play and profundity.
Learning about your own thinking is one of
the high pleasures of life. Like the practice of
yoga, meditation, a musical instrument, or art
form, a PW practice can bring you to the center of your experience, where your sense of
self is rooted and a creatively expressive life
rightly belongs, and from there expand your
connection with the world. As a bonus, every
practice session leaves you with a gift: a tangible record of your thinking in writing.
No prior writing experience is required.
Optional special evening bonus: Toby Simon’s
mini poetry-writing workshop.
Recommended reading: Metcalf & Simon,
Writing the Mind Alive.
The Heart of Organic Gardening:
Digging Deeper
Robert Hartman & Shirley Ward
If you are curious about organic gardening,
this intensive workshop will provide you
with the information, perspectives, resources,
and initial hands-on experience that you will
need to succeed. The program focuses special
attention on the complementary roles of
plants, living soils, water, and air, along with
the enthusiastic community of gardeners, all
of which will help you create a flourishing
garden or delightful edible landscape. Topics
include:
• A history of the Esalen Farm and Garden
• The Esalen approach to sustainable organic
gardening
• The annual gardening cycle
• Plants and plant nutrition
• Compost and how to make it
• Living soils as plant incubators
• Irrigation—maintaining the balance of air
and water
• Organic prevention of weeds, diseases, and
pests
• Tools, machines, and ergonomics
• Cool- vs. hot-season crops and succession
planting: how to harvest all year
• Food preservation techniques
• Maintaining habitat for beneficial wildlife
• Principles and practices for garden design
and layout
The Esalen Farm and Garden is a unique
teaching resource that allows workshop participants like you to explore the practical and
spiritual dimensions of gardening as a means
of personal growth. Explore your connection
to the Earth and your local community
through the practice of organic gardening.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality
Master Share K. Lew
Master Lew, a monastery-trained Taoist priest
from southern China, will introduce traditional Taoist concepts of health, longevity, and
harmony with nature. The core of the workshop will be instruction in the Shen, a set of
twelve Chi Kung exercises (six standing, six
sitting) whose primary purpose is self-healing. These rare exercises can also help develop
better concentration, increase visual and auditory acuity, and enhance sensitivity to oneself
and others. Master Lew will tell stories from
his Taoist practice as well as his life in the
monastery.
Master Lew, now 90, was among the first to
openly teach Chi Kung (Taoist internal energy
cultivation) to non-Chinese. His monastery
style, Tao Ahn Pai, dates back 1300 years to
Lui Dong Bin of the Tang Dynasty, who is one
of the Eight Immortals of Taoism.
Recommended Reading: Porter, Road to
Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits; Deng
Ming-Dao, The Wandering Taoist.
Gateway to Soul: The New Process
Acupressure I
Aminah Raheem
Process Acupressure (PA) works with the
body/mind/emotions matrix as a gateway to
soul. It teaches how to uncover the wise guidance that lies at the core of every person. PA
research has demonstrated that the soul is
more accessible than we have imagined. The
new PA more easily and quickly processes
through personal history and personality
development to discover the deeper reaches
of human consciousness beneath them. Now
it focuses on transformation, from outer to
inner guidance.
This class teaches a combination of body/mind
skills, including hands-on work to the body
(fully clothed), movement, meditation, and
dialogue. The acupressure protocol strengthens
and balances the body’s vital energy (chi) flow
that opens to soul consciousness and the
Infinite Source. Psychological and spiritual
43
process skills facilitate more awareness in body,
emotions, and thought. This combination of
bodywork and conscious processing reveals
the whole person and facilitates individual
organic growth.
The skills can be applied with healthcare
clients, family, or on oneself alone. PA is helpful for bodyworkers who want to know more
about processing psychological material, and
for psychological helpers who want to learn
more about the body. It is valuable for anyone
who wants to understand more about integrative development.
Recommended reading: Raheem, Soul Return:
Integrating Body, Psyche, and Spirit and Soul
Lightning: Awakening Soul Consciousness.
Empowering Diversity—Community
Healing and Leadership Training
Bill Say
Community can be your greatest vehicle for
transformation. In community there is the
support, diversity of people and perspectives,
and fire to accelerate your healing and
empowerment.
Diverse people are often marginalized for reasons of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or perspective. Yet this very
position of being marginalized and different
often makes you an essential and missed
voice in the larger world.
In this workshop you will help create a community experience in which to identify and
exercise your deepest gifts, resolve conflicts,
and develop your capacity to hold diverse life
experiences in and around you. Facing the
unacceptable, both inner and outer, you’ll
deepen the sustainability of relationships
with your self, others, and the world.
This experiential seminar will include: awareness, relationship and leadership training,
community process and conflict resolution,
and inner/outer diversity development. Come
create the world where we all have a place.
An interview with Bill Say is requested prior
to enrollment (510-548-8703).
Recommended reading: Mindell, Sitting in the
Fire.
The Magic of Metal: Blacksmithing,
Welding, and Sculpting
Steve Dulfer & TS O’Grady
There’s a magic about metal that mesmerizes
those who appreciate it and energizes those
who work with it. The ability to take hard
metal rods and bars, heat them, twist them,
hammer and shape them in a clay-like fashion… the result can be beautiful—and infinitely
useful.
The focus of this workshop will be on learning the basics of blacksmithing and welding.
Technical skills will be emphasized through
hands-on instruction and practice, with the
goal of each student creating his or her own
sculptural or functional piece.
All levels are welcome. No experience is necessary. Bring long-sleeved work clothes and
leather boots.
Recommended reading: Meilach, Decorative
and Sculptural Ironwork.
September 26–October 3
SoulMotion™: Dance Practice,
Reflection, and Extension
Vinn Martí
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Vinn writes: “In the tradition of expressive
and conscious ecstatic dance, let’s gather
together in the land of the native Esselen peoples and begin once again to walk the sacred
ground we inhabit—both the inner dance hall
of sense and sensation and the outer world
of sight and sound. We can extend our sight
lines to broaden the appreciation of our
unique voice in the body-choir of our souls in
motion.
“We will create conditions of stillness to witness the sunset of silent reflection, as well as
44
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
time to move and bathe in the waters of
extension. We can expect moments of Pause
to restore the vanishing of the story we
presently carry in favor of the eternal saga
of motion that is always dancing as us.
“Each day we will allow time and space to
reflect on what is ready to rise up and become
expression. There will be time to inquire
about the ‘body as presence’ in a field of nonverbal dialogue. We will bring our attention
to the awe of embodied presence as fields of
wonder and platforms for elevation, expression, and extension, for ourselves and others.
“SoulMotion creates a portal through which
we move and echo a range of sensitivity to
the sacredness of the everyday dance. In this
practice we extend our vision to experience
the mindful movements of everyday conscious dancing.”
Participants should have some prior experience in Soul Motion points of view. For more
information about workshops and events,
visit www.soulmotion.com.
Cohousing: Creating Your Own
Community
Charles Durrett & Kathryn McCamant
Spirit, Soul, and Body:
The Universal Call to Contemplation
Cyprian Consiglio
The call to contemplation and mystical depth
is not only found in every spiritual tradition,
it is meant for every person, not just the “professional religious.” Based on the pioneering
work of the English monk Bede Griffiths and
his predecessor Abhishiktananda, Cyprian
Consiglio has built a practice and program
that integrates the study and techniques from
the East—notably Hinduism and Buddhism—
with the wisdom of Eastern and Western
Christianity for an experience aimed at the
whole person—spirit, soul, and body. As Bede
Griffiths taught the need to integrate all three
of these aspects of the person at all times—
what Ken Wilber would later call “integral
spirituality”—the workshop sessions will
include yoga, meditation, music and chanting,
sacred reading, teaching, prayer, and discussion.
Isolation, childcare crises, and chronic time
crunches are but a few issues experienced by
today’s households. A sense of family, community, and belonging—once taken for granted—
must now be actively sought out. Cohousing
communities are a way of addressing these
needs.
Initiated by the residents themselves, cohousing communities are made up of private
dwellings complemented by extensive common facilities, such as a dining hall, children’s
play areas, workshops, guest rooms, and laundry facilities. Each dwelling is autonomous,
yet the common house, with the opportunity
for shared dinners and other activities, is a
focal point of the community.
This hands-on workshop offers practical
information about organizing, planning, and
designing a cohousing community—from site
acquisition through group process, develop-
45
ment and design, and management—enabling
participants to take the next steps in making
their dream community a reality. Topics
include:
ductive, and integral a life as ‘humanly’ possible. Spirit in action means breathing life, love,
balance, and excitement into all our relationships as well.”
• An overview of the cohousing development
process, from initial meetings to moving in
• Development strategies and the
advantages/disadvantages of working with a
developer
• Forming and working with a group and
organizing for effective decision-making
• Financial options, ownership structures, and
money realities
• Designing for community: architectural
considerations
• The next steps: your role, the group’s role,
and the services of professionals
Dr. Miller will share the principles he has discovered for embodying essence and guiding
it wisely and intentionally to create peak performance and creativity. The sessions will
include deep relaxation, imagery, music,
movement, and good conversation to enrich
and enliven the experience.
Required reading: McCamant & Durrett:
Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing
Ourselves (available through www.amazon.com
or by calling the Cohousing Company at 510549-9980).
Nature and Contemplation
Steven Harper
From time immemorial, nature has inspired
the human heart to contemplation. Can we
make this experience our own today? This
weekend is designed to help participants
experience, directly and deeply, both nature
and contemplation. Earth underfoot on dayhikes into the wilds, water of the Pacific
pounding against the shore, air of Big Sur’s
refreshing breezes, fire that heats Esalen’s hot
springs—all the elements combine to touch
our bodies and to raise our minds and spirits.
Contemplative practices will be shared that
encourage our relationship to Self and Nature.
The group will venture out on two hikes, 2-6
miles in length, balancing the day between
walking and sitting, inspirational readings
and quiet contemplation, active awareness
exercises and simply being. Further information will be sent upon registration.
“When we surrender to truth, accept ourselves as we are, and become attuned to our
inner rhythms, we discover they reflect the
rhythms of the world around us,” says Dr.
Miller. “The result can resemble a beautiful
and pleasurable dance with our loved ones,
and harmony in every phase of our lives.
Excellence appears in our every endeavor and
we radiate a sense of peace that empowers
others to accept themselves. Our every word
and action thus contributes to our own
growth and betterment as well as that of our
fellow human beings and the peace and
wholeness of our planet.”
Week of September 28–
October 3
Visionseeker II: Spirit Medicine
Hank Wesselman & Jill Kuykendall
Today interest in complementary and alternative therapies is increasing, and increasing
numbers of people are rediscovering the healing modalities pioneered by indigenous peoples. Among them, the time-tested techniques
of the traditional shamans are being reconsidered and reworked, providing nontribal
Westerners with effective methods for healing and problem solving.
Who are you, really? What is your life’s
purpose, and how should you be expressing
it at this point in time? These are crucial questions.
This workshop provides in-depth training in
shamanic healing. At its core lies a cross-cultural overview of the nature of illness, healing, and healthcare. Hank Wesselman writes:
“We will expand our connections to inner
sources of power and wisdom, and deepen
our contacts with ancestral spirits and healing
masters, as well as the elementals. We will
experience the initiation of spiritual dismemberment, work with shamanic extraction
methods, and Jill will provide her unique
approach to soul retrieval.”
Dr. Emmett Miller writes: “We will explore
the awakening of the human spirit—the Self—
that lives at the core of your being, and how
to nurture it to flower into as long, joyful, pro-
The Visionseeker workshops provide a
shamanic perspective derived from the
Hawaiian kahuna tradition in which knowledge of the personal soul cluster, as well as the
Spirit In Action:
Love, Life, Deep Healing
Emmett Miller
46
nature of reality, forms the foundation. This
training will be most useful to those who
have completed the Visionseeker I workshop
or its equivalent. If in doubt, please contact
Hank Wesselman before registering at PO
Box 369, Captain Cook, HI 96704, or e-mail
him at [email protected].
Note: Bring a rattle, a drum, a notebook, a bandanna or eyeshade, and a light blanket. Please
refrain from alcohol use during the workshop.
Recommended reading: Wesselman &
Kuykendall, Spirit Medicine; Wesselman,
The Journey to the Sacred Garden, and The
Spiritwalker Trilogy.
The Psychotherapeutic Touch:
Integrating Somatic Awareness and
Breath into Clinical Practice
Kathy Kain & Dyrian Benz
This course provides the fundamental skills
for the somatic-infused clinical practice,
including the use of breath awareness, the
potential of touch, and the presence of the
somatic experience. Working with breath,
touch, and mindful presence are some of the
oldest and most fundamental forms of helping and healing. This course explores the
application of these modalities in healing and
in the contemporary psychotherapy practice.
Skills of presence include self-awareness
skills of orienting, centering, sensory awareness, and personal boundaries. Topics include
body and breath awareness, the psychotherapeutic touch, self-regulation, and the embodied therapist.
This course is part of the Santa Barbara
Graduate Institute Certificate Program in
Relational Somatic Psychology. The
Certificate Program is inspired by the SBGI
somatic psychology post-graduate academic
curriculum and consists of a rotating series
of practice-oriented and academically sound
Relational Somatic Psychology courses. For
further information, including special registration instructions, see Special Programs,
page 80.
Rosen Method Bodywork: Accessing
the Unconscious through Touch
Jane Malek
Marion Rosen’s vision of Rosen Method
Bodywork and Movement has brought her
recognition as an international pioneer in the
field of body-oriented therapies. At the heart
of Rosen Method is the practitioner’s keen
sense to see a person’s true essence, often hidden underneath chronic holding patterns.
Using skillful touch, gentle yet deep, the practitioner contacts the client’s unconscious,
allowing essence to emerge. During her
career as a physical therapist and health educator, Marion Rosen developed her unique
approach to bodywork, movement, and selftransformation by observing the process of
her patients.
This workshop introduces the touch that
accesses the emotional material held in the
unconscious parts of our bodies. Participants
will be taught to deepen awareness, observe
the wisdom of the natural breath, and experience living more from personal truth. The
group process will amplify the opening to
feelings that have long been stored as muscular tension. Rosen Method Movement helps
to integrate these feelings and physical shifts
into daily life. The workshop explores how
both modalities complement each other and
emerge from the same theory. Students will
be shown how to:
• Use hands that listen rather than
manipulate
• Notice how chronic muscle tension is held
in the body
• Use subtle changes in the breath to follow
the relaxation process
• Allow unconscious feelings, attitudes, and
memories to emerge
• Remain vital and joyful while moving to
music
This workshop qualifies toward certification
as a Rosen Method Movement teacher. See
www.RosenWest.org.
Gestalt Practice: Exploring Emotion
Dorothy Charles
Experiencing and expressing emotions are
integral to being alive. Yet, for many people
emotions remain mysterious, confusing, and
difficult to constructively express, especially
those that were unwelcome in our early environment. As a result, relationships may be
unsatisfying and the choices we make may
not reflect our innermost desires or our true
selves. Learning to fully experience feelings
and express them in healthy ways enables us
to be authentic and to have more fulfilling
relationships.
This experiential and didactic workshop will
blend individual and group Gestalt work with
dyadic exercises. Participants will experiment
with tracking emotions as sensations in the
body and learn to recognize them as signals
calling for attention rather than problems to
be fixed
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Weekend of October 3–5
Shapeshifting to Higher Levels
of Consciousness: Personal and
Global Transformation
We have entered a time prophesied by many
cultures for shapeshifting into higher consciousness. Siberian and Brazilian shamans
shapeshift into balls of light, Amazon warriors transform into anacondas, Andean birdpeople and Tibetan monks bilocate across
mountains. These shamans have taught John
Perkins and Llyn Roberts that shapeshifting—
the ability to alter form at will—is innate in us
all and can be used to create positive change.
“In this workshop,” the leaders write, “we
learn that all life is energy and that new forms
become possible by altering energy patterns—
on both individual and global levels. We delve
deep into the three levels of shapeshifting: (1)
cellular (transforming into animals, healing
cancer, shedding weight), (2) personal (living
in the now, dropping addictions), and (3)
institutional change (changing society). We
learn time-tested methods for connecting
with nature, sacred guides and councils, animal and plant spirits; releasing limitations,
materializing our dreams, and realizing our
48
missions; engaging in life-changing ceremonies; ‘walking without looking at our feet’
into new shapes; soaring to cosmic planes;
and shapeshifting into forms that bring positive personal and communal change.”
This workshop (or special permission by the
facilitators) is a prerequisite to Perkins and
Roberts’s Advanced Shapeshifting workshop
October 5-10. This workshop will have a special schedule.
Recommended reading: Perkins, Shapeshifting
and The Secret History of the American Empire;
Roberts, The Good Remembering.
Spinal Awareness: Healing
(with Humor)—Feldenkrais
and Energy Work
Patrick Douce
Spinal Awareness is a blend of movement,
touch, and group interaction, based on the
work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Taoist-ChineseIndonesian martial art, and the Esalen experience. It continues to evolve. In this workshop
you can increase your flexibility, improve
your posture, and help most chronic and
acute pain, stiffness, and stress conditions.
There will be special emphasis on any diffi-
culties participants may have, such as lower
back pain, hip trouble, tension in the neck
and shoulders, and knee injuries. The workshop will evolve with humor and playfulness.
Fun partner lessons will help bring about not
only freedom in the body but a return to the
childlike energy essential to us all.
The movements of Spinal Awareness are quite
different from normal exercises. You will
learn how to move in ways that stimulate
your body awareness as they help you
improve. Experience how you can use the
floor to organize and integrate your own
spinal column. Learn standing lessons which
lead you to a new awareness of ways to move
with better balance and fluidity.
possibilities.
Safe and noninvasive hands-on lessons will
be shared that greatly speed up your improvements.
Embodied Relationship
moments. We can develop the ability to move
into these moments with aliveness and passion.
This choice is an act of courage.
Week of October 5–10
Michael Clemmens
From the moment we first use our senses, we
co-create the world we live in through our
physical presence. We develop relationships
with ourselves and others through the physicality of our vision, smell, touch, and movement. This leads us to our sense of “I,” “thou,”
and “we.” As we develop, these relationships,
or dances, shape what we believe is possible.
The focus of this workshop will be on the
ways in which we create relationships
through our bodies. The program will also
explore the stories we make from these relationships and how we can creatively expand
our relationships through our physicality.
Participants should expect to interact directly
with others and engage in experiential exercises as well as group discussion and lectures.
Recommended reading: Clemmens &
Bursztyn, “Culture and Body” (British Gestalt
Journal, Vol. 12, Part 1).
Living Deeply: Transformation and
Healing in Everyday Life
Marilyn Schlitz & Cassandra Vieten
Opportunities to actively engage in your
own transformation and that of our world
are woven into the fabric of everyday life.
Learning more about the terrain of consciousness transformation can not only give you
a map, but can help you become the cartographer of your own transformative journey.
Research over the last decade at the Institute
of Noetic Sciences has systematically surveyed hundreds of people’s stories of their
own transformations, as well as more than
fifty in-depth interviews with teachers and
masters of the world’s spiritual, religious, and
transformative traditions. It was found that
dramatic and lasting change for the better
springs from radically shifting your perspective on who you are, where you stand, and
what you stand for.
No matter who you are, where you come from,
or what your current path is—whether you
seek to transform your life completely or simply make adjustments that will add a layer of
richness and depth to your life—exploring the
many ways that transformation is stimulated
and sustained can hold great power. Weaving
together cutting-edge science with wisdom
from teachers of the world’s transformative
traditions, this workshop explores what we
have learned about how people experience
deep shifts in their consciousness, and how
those shifts can lead to healing and wholeness.
Advanced Shapeshifting: Professional
Training and Certification
This program builds on John Perkins and
Llyn Roberts’s workshop, Shapeshifting to
Higher Levels of Consciousness. Joining
humor, healing, spirituality, and global
activism with masculine and feminine
wisdom, it is for shamanic practitioners and
others who want to deepen their work in
response to the call to “resonate at higher
vibrations.” The program offers powerful
approaches to shapeshift yourself and the
world. You will have opportunity to:
• Perfect your abilities to cosmically travel
• Perform retrievals: soul, past-life, core, and
essence self
• Journey out of fear into the immortal,
multidimensional self
• Heal with non-dual light energies and
Ascended Beings
• Generate community, “clan wisdom,” and
healing vortexes
• Integrate expanded frequencies into your
physical day-to-day world
• Create ceremonies for personal and global
transformation
• Work with spirit guides, teacher plants, and
the “breath of fire”
Upon completion of this program, you will
receive Perkins and Roberts’s Shapeshifter
Practitioner Certification, authorizing you to
lead and teach these shapeshifting practices.
Please note: Perkins and Roberts’s weekend
workshop, Shapeshifting to Higher Levels of
Consciousness (October 3-5), other workshops with Perkins, Roberts, or their certified
instructors, or special permission by the facilitators is prerequisite for this training. This
workshop will have a special schedule.
Required reading: Perkins, The Secret History of
the American Empire and Shapeshifting; Roberts,
The Good Remembering and Shamanic Reiki.
It’s Time: The Courage to Be You
Mary Goldenson
Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom.
How do they learn it?
They fall, and falling, they’re given wings.
— Rumi
Much in life is beyond our control. Our
choices lie in how we respond to these
This workshop will help you explore what
you are holding in, holding onto, and holding
back that keeps you from experiencing who
you truly are. “The courage to be you” means
the ability to appropriately express the
repressed anger, fear, resentments, sadness,
joy, and laughter that keep you stuck in old
patterns. Using emotional release work, writing, movement, Gestalt, meditation, and
silence, the workshop will provide a safe environment to explore your deepest emotions.
The focus will be on:
• Having adult relationships with partners,
parents, and children
• Taking full responsibility for your life
• Discovering your own personal rhythm of
closeness
• Distinguishing accountability from blame
The workshop constitutes an in-depth lifereview. All that is required is a willingness to
engage wholeheartedly. This workshop may
have up to 34 participants.
Specialized Esalen® Massage: Head,
Neck, and Shoulders
Robin Fann-Costanzo & Sylvia Guersenzvaig
This workshop presents the specialized
moves and strokes of Esalen Massage—from
the sensual, long integrating strokes to the
gentle rotations/twists, to the more defined,
detailed moves that are essential to the Esalen
Massage practice—with an emphasis on the
head, neck, and shoulders. The instruction
will take place through plenty of demonstrations, movement exercises, and hands-on
class time.
The essence of Esalen Massage flows organically from the fundamentals of presence,
breath, and quality of touch, making this
approach an integrating and healing form
of massage. This workshop will teach these
aspects that make Esalen Massage unique.
The instructors will also demonstrate an array
of self-care and movement practices essential
to the maintenance plan for the massage practitioner.
The workshop is designed for both established bodyworkers and novices—for anyone
desiring to learn to touch and be touched
with love, respect, and care.
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SoulSalon: A Creative Blockbusting
Workshop
Leah Matson & Basho Fujimoto
When the voice of the soul is blocked we may
struggle mightily to free ourselves. In our
imaginations we can create inspired homelands, but then we hide them in journals,
mask them with social roles, speak in code.
Much remains secret, lost before translation,
unsaid, unheard even by ourselves. How do
we break through that silence, that hiding?
This workshop is designed to provide teachable tools and breakthrough experiences of
collective and individual authenticity for
those who seek a true voice with authority
and agency. It is for individuals who are irresistibly attracted to expanding their creative
authentic voice, building courage, seeking
magic, community, and mentorship. The
workshop will take place in Esalen’s natural
resources, baths, and meditation house, as
well as in the inner landscapes, minds, and
hearts of the participants. The focus will be a
practice inspired by new sciences and ancient
arts. Participants will engage in:
• Developing their response and relationship
muscles
• Fine-tuning skills in truthful interaction
and unashamed creative expression
• Awakening and activating improvisational
perception
• Practices of theater, drumming, storytelling,
body awareness
• Cultivating a unique audio fingerprint, a
personal tone and timbre
Leah and Basho write: “Join us in the heat of
transformation and inspiration. Walk the
edge of your current identity, dare expansion,
and make magic from the mystery. “
The Power of Practice: An Integral
Approach to Realizing Your Potential
Pam Kramer & Barry Robbins
Each of us has an infinite capacity for creative
evolution. Our destiny may well be to evolve
our capacities to live a life that would now be
termed extraordinary. A most effective path to
our latent powers lies in a long-term practice
which integrates body, mind, heart, and soul.
Experience the revolutionary work, Integral
Transformative Practice (ITP), created by
George Leonard and Michael Murphy of
Esalen. This workshop introduces a practice
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that involves movement, meditation, and
mind/body practices leading you on an inner
journey to realize your inborn genius. The
Power of Practice, led by certified ITP trainers
Barry Robbins and Pam Kramer, offers the
direct experience of Integral Transformative
Practice, an exploration and study of consciousness, and a daily practice for increased
vitality, fulfillment, and joy. In this workshop,
you will learn about:
• Body as a wise teacher using Leonard
Energy Training (LET) exercises
• Creation of effective affirmations to
manifest healthy changes in your life
• ITP Kata, a 40-minute integration of
physical, mental, and spiritual exercises
• Balancing and centering, breathing
practices, and focused surrender
• Heartful, effective communication with
yourself and others
This experiential workshop involves physical
movement but is not strenuous. All that’s
needed is a generous heart and a willingness
to participate.
Recommended reading: Leonard & Murphy,
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery and
The Way of Aikido; Murphy, The Future of the
Body.
Divine Feminine: The Invitation
Caroline Muir & Joan Heartfield
Would you like to live a more sensually integrated life and connect with the sacred in sexuality? This workshop—for women only—is
an education and practice in advancing your
intelligence, understanding, and consciousness of human sexuality. This weekend you
will explore your ideas and feelings about
what it is to be a woman, discover what the
Divine Feminine means to you, and allow
your feminine essence to awaken your aliveness. You will also have the opportunity to:
• Enjoy the nurturing company of women
• Cultivate the connection between your
heart (love) and sexuality (passion)
• Heal sexual issues/wounding in order to
set pleasure free
• Demystify the myths about orgasm
• Expand your ability to have longer, deeper,
and more powerful orgasms
• Learn to cultivate both surrendered and
ecstatic states
This transformative weekend will include:
chakra blessing to activate nurturing, awakening, and healing; Opening to Love (a puja, or
sacred ceremony); sacred sexual language; and
partner yoga.
Please note: Wear comfortable clothes that you
feel delectable in. Optional: “goddess gear” for
Sunday’s Opening to Love ceremony.
Recommended reading: C. & C. Muir, Tantra:
The Art of Conscious Loving.
Arica® Way of the Heart
by Oscar Ichazo
SM
Katherine Anderson, Christian Intemann
& Molly Williams
The leaders write: “The Arica Way of the
Heart is a group training with the purpose of
expanding the State of Pure Divine Love in
our hearts. We all search for real love, and the
work of this training awakens an experience
of a deep and abiding love for all humankind,
giving us true happiness, fulfillment, joy, and
love in our lives.
“The Arica Way of the Heart training presents
profound yet easy-to-practice methods that
give each of us an awakening of real love in
our hearts. Introductory material makes each
aspect of the training understandable and
straightforward. Clarification processes give
us the opportunity to recognize beliefs that
obscure love in our life. Meditations affirm
and support our experience of Pure Love.
Group work allows us to unite together in a
State where All Is Love can be found.
Relaxation exercises ensure we can embody
love at an in-depth and most meaningful
level. Mantram will resound in our hearts as
we enter states of joy and ecstasy.
“We will leave the Arica Way of the Heart
training with an open heart, full of love for all
humanity. We will have at hand transforming
methods that will allow us to continue generating this State of Pure Divine Love in our
lives for the benefit of all.”
©2007 Oscar Ichazo. Arica is a registered trademark of
Oscar Ichazo. The Arica Way of the Heart training is a
service mark of Oscar Ichazo. Used with permission.
All rights reserved.
Family Arts Experience:
A Celebration
Jill Casey & Terri Hague
This workshop, at the Esalen Art Barn, is for
parents, children, and young people of all
ages who want to share a weekend dedicated
to fun, laughter, and creative play. Arts, crafts,
singing, drumming, games, and outdoor
explorations of the magnificent Esalen
grounds are just some of the activities participants will explore during this holiday weekend.
Indulge your inner child and come out to
play. The facilitators believe in the power of
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
fun and play to create memories that last and
relationships that uplift.
All children must be accompanied by an
adult.
its functions in health, and its relationship to
the disease processes. Half of the class time
will be hands-on, developing the sensitive
palpatory skills needed to detect subtle stimuli in the human body.
The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
Michael Morgan
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, noninvasive, hands-on technique to help detect
and correct imbalances in the CranioSacral
System that may cause sensory, motor, or
intellectual dysfunction. It is used to treat
a myriad of health problems, including
headaches, neck and back pain, TMJ dysfunction, chronic fatigue, motor coordination difficulties, eye problems, endogenous
depression, hyperactivity, and central nervous system disorders.
Participants will learn the detailed anatomy
and physiology of the CranioSacral System,
Class material will concentrate on palpation
and its potential as an evaluative and therapeutic process; fascial and soft-tissue release
methods; and the pressurestat model which
explains the mechanism of the CranioSacral
System. Participants will learn a ten-step protocol for evaluation and treatment of the
entire body. By the end of this intensive program, participants will be able to identify and
localize significant restrictions and imbalances in the CranioSacral System.
Please note: Registration for this workshop is
through The Upledger Institute only. Please
call 1-800-233-5880.
Recommended reading: Upledger &
Vredevoogd, CranioSacral Therapy (chapters
1-6); Upledger, Your Inner Physician and You.
Psychopharmacology and the Health
Food Store: The Integration of
Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical
Treatments
Andrew Stoll
This course is designed so that participants
will be able to:
• Understand and apply new and
comprehensive knowledge regarding
herbal, nutritional, and other
complementary-medicine treatments in
psychiatry
comprehensive knowledge regarding the
drug treatment of the major psychiatric
disorders, including antidepressants, mood
stabilizers, anxiolytics, antipsychotics,
stimulants, and others
comprehensive knowledge regarding new
somatic therapies, such as vagal nerve
stimulation and transcranial magnetic
stimulation, as well as more traditional nonpharmacological somatic therapies, such as
ECT, light therapy, and sleep deprivation
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comprehensive knowledge regarding the
integration of psychotropic and
nonpsychotropic herbal and nutritional
treatments into a conventional
psychopharmacology practice, including
medical-legal considerations
This program is offered in conjunction with
Harvard Medical School Department of
Continuing Education. For more information,
including how to register, see Special
Programs, page 80.
Approved CMEs for physicians.
The Intimate Couple: An Integrative
Body Psychotherapy (IBP) Workshop
Jack Rosenberg & Beverly Morse
Trust, love, erotic sexuality, and a core experience of self are building blocks for a vital relationship. Yet, unless our bodies are awakened,
these remain elusive ideas rather than familiar body feelings. Until we recognize the
themes that distort our views, cause our prejudgments, and perpetuate old defensive patterns, it is difficult to trust or be trusted. For a
conscious relationship, or even just one that
works well over time, we must know ourselves and have practical body-mind mentalhealth tools to resolve the inevitable dilem-
mas that interrupt our sense of well-being.
Today, most couples want an equal and reciprocal relationship, but few know how to
accomplish this attunement of partnership.
Once you simultaneously experience the
internal feeling of self and attunement with
your partner—and know what gets in the
way—you will know how you got there and
how to achieve it again and again.
Designed as a preventive model, this workshop can help you uncover the key undermining themes in your relationship and provide tools to deal with them before they
become terminal problems. It will also provide tools for experiencing heightened aliveness, sustaining a sense of self in the body,
making sex better, and an opening to existential/spiritual themes of intimacy and aging.
With IBP, couples can learn how to regain
their hope and excitement.
Please note: This workshop is for couples only.
Recommended reading: Rosenberg & Morse,
The Intimate Couple; Rosenberg, Rand & Asay,
Body, Self, and Soul; Rosenberg, Total Orgasm.
Yoga Practice: Fueling the Inner Fire
Thomas Michael Fortel
“As with any of the spiritual practices, no one
is able to perform our yoga for us,” writes
Thomas. “Therefore it is up to us to give ourselves and our time to the discipline. Divine
grace assists us along the path, but in the end
it is for us to show up. It’s natural that we get
caught up in our normal routines, both emotionally and physically. For the student to
keep coming to the yoga room means opening oneself to being physically uncomfortable
and emotionally vulnerable, and for many of
us this is not an easy process.
“The practices of yoga—asana, pranayama,
meditation, and chanting—ignite and fuel an
inner fire (tapas) which brings up our issues
and burns our impurities. In yogic terms, we
are working with our karmas and samscaras,
which opens a way for the deeper experiences
of divine love and bliss. Over time, a yoga student develops discipline, commitment, perseverance, clarity, and an enduring peace. These
qualities eventually emerge with an ongoing
practice.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
“In this weeklong retreat we will focus on
stoking this inner fire. We’ll begin in the early
morning with pranayama and meditation,
have an active midmorning asana practice, and
a more restorative practice in the afternoon.”
All yoga props are provided. Please have a minimum of three months of yoga experience.
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Conscious Embodiment and the
Path of Nature
Steven Harper & Wendy Palmer
There is within each of us the power of presence, wisdom, and compassion. Many of us
aspire to manifest this power but return again
and again to unskillful reactions and habits,
especially when stressed or faced with conflict. How can we embody the changes we
desire? This workshop builds primarily from
two traditions: Conscious Embodiment and
the path of nature.
Throughout the ages and across cultural traditions, nature has inspired the human spirit.
The wilderness of Big Sur allows us to
imprint the beauty of this alive and wild coast
in our bodies. The ancient redwood-forested
canyons, dramatic meeting of earth and sea,
and soft grassy hills remind us of the presence, wisdom, and compassion that live in
each of us.
Conscious Embodiment draws on the traditions of Aikido and mindfulness practice to
offer ways of understanding mental and emotional habits of attention from an energetic
viewpoint. The workshop will present simple
yet deep techniques to illuminate reactive
energetic patterns and to access more skillful
and unified responses. Through simple physical forms, work in pairs, group discussions,
and direct experience of nature you will gain:
• Tools to help you increase your presence,
confidence, compassion, and sense of
humor as you deal with change
• Increased capacity to live with paradox and
the tension between opposites
• Renewed connection and aliveness with
self and nature
All levels of experience are welcome. More
information will be sent upon registration.
to perform many operations on the arteries to
the brain, and he has pondered this unique
neuroconfiguration for years. The result: a
midnight writer who has put forth startling
and compelling theories and observations
linking hemispheric lateralization to the
battle of the sexes, culture and history, art,
religion and science, and the taproots of
patriarchy and misogyny.
This freewheeling give-and-take workshop
will explore the evolutionary reasons behind
the rapid propulsion of the human species
away from the other animals and the direction toward which the human species is
evolving. Some of the topics covered: homosexuality, the strange rite of circumcision, the
roots of creativity, the neurologic differences
between the sexes, the appeal of religions,
fear of death, the longing for immortality, the
search for meaning, universal mind, and artistic intuition. Cameo appearances by Picasso,
McLuhan, Augustine, Plato, and Leonardo
will enliven the experience. In other words,
be prepared to let your brain ride through a
car wash in a convertible with the top down.
The program will explore topics including:
intimacy, self-esteem, fulfillment in work,
money, doubts and insecurities, and life balance. Each day there will be teachings, smallgroup discussions, personal inquiry, and participatory exercises. You’ll have the opportunity to assess the issues in your life, develop
options, and create a plan for making decisions. Each day there will also be some form
of movement practice and a meditation experience. The workshop will emphasize making
wise choices through clarification of your values. Additionally, there will be written assignments to allow you to get clearer on where
you are presently in life and also create a
vision for yourself. This retreat will specifically focus on looking within versus dwelling on
external circumstances. Expect a weekend of
self-exploration, self-inquiry, and ultimately,
self-knowing for people in their 30’s and 40’s.
Against the Stream: A Weekend
Meditation Retreat
Noah Levine
The path of awakening was described by the
Buddha as being one of rebellion and subversive action. He said that the experience of
freedom from suffering was “against the
stream.” This weekend meditation retreat is
especially appropriate for social workers,
teachers, and anyone interested in how the
Buddha’s teachings relate to personal and
societal transformation. Retreat participants
will learn to rebel against greed, hatred, and
delusion through the meditative practices
of mindful investigation and compassionate
action. Teachings on the Buddhist path to
freedom will be offered and meditation
instructions will act as a guide in the
upstream journey to liberation.
($10 park-entrance fees paid directly to the leaders)
The retreat is suitable for both beginners and
seasoned practitioners.
Leonardo’s Brain: A Weekend with
Leonard Shlain
Leonard Shlain is the author of three national
bestsellers, Art and Physics, The Alphabet Versus
the Goddess, and Sex, Time, and Power. A unifying theme connecting the trilogy is the duality inherent in the human brain, manifested
in the extraordinarily different functions
performed by the right and left hemispheres.
His work in progress, Leonardo’s Brain: The
Right/Left Roots of Creativity, will continue to
mine this rich lode. Shlain’s day job as a vascular surgeon has afforded him the opportunity
ituality, and children point to the big questions: How do I know what will make me
happy? What is meaningful? How can I be
more authentic? Who am I anyway? And
how do I make big decisions? This workshop
offers tools, practices, and principles that can
help you answer these questions.
Changes and Transitions in Your
30’s and 40’s: How to Stay True
to Yourself
Phillip Moffitt
The 30’s and 40’s are a transitional time in life.
For most people it is a time of creating your
own unique choices as to how you want your
life to be and finding and stepping into your
power. Yet these years can be fraught with
questions, concerns, and fears. Concerns
about career, relationship, finance, home, spir-
The Golden Flower: An Empowering
Martial Art for Women
Flora Bardet
This gentle martial-art approach is designed
for women who long to contact their essence
or who are in the midst of a challenging life
transition. By cultivating full expression
of her inner power, a woman increases her
capacity for health, wisdom, and spontaneity.
It radiates out into the world as a woman
discovers her own perfection.
The workshop introduces a rare system of yin
forms that makes use of a woman’s natural
energy center: the pelvis, hips, and thighs.
The hands and arms, in turn, then become
satisfying instruments for delivering power.
Using a combination of heart-opening and
assertive movements, participants will be
taught the warrior way of softness—without
denying their fierceness. Fostering flexibility,
coordination, stamina, centering, and balance,
this flowing art form allows women to gain
self-confidence and dignity while finding
new expressions for their feelings. Blockages
and limitations can be faced and transformed.
Chi circulation dissolves tension and opens
women to the sacred.
Primarily practiced individually, this form
encourages women to attune to the vibrancy
of being that lies in their core, rather than to
simply doing. Secure in the women’s circle,
participants open gently, like flowers, self-con-
53
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
tained in their graceful strength, attuned to
their own lovingkindness.
Finding Your Deepest Purpose
Rich Berrett
We often live our lives without awareness and
presence to the way we are living. It is as
though our lives are living us rather than us
living our lives. Finding “emptiness” in our
accomplishments can reveal this. Degrees,
monetary wealth, success, status—all can
leave us asking, “Is that all there is?” Joseph
Campbell recommended, as the most significant purpose of living, that we seek our bliss.
In addition, most spiritual traditions affirm
the importance of service to others as a purpose in life. This program offers time to
explore what is all too often unexplored,
that which is deeply satisfying: purpose that
honors self and serves others.
This experiential workshop includes imagery,
movement, art, reflective writing, and music
54
to help you contact and express your deepest
desires. The course is designed to help you
connect with the wisest and most loving part
of yourself, your inner wisdom. By listening
to this inner wisdom you can become more
present to who you really are, underneath
your familiar and habitual thoughts and patterns of living. Moreover, an understanding of
how our lives have the potential to affirm the
worth and dignity of all, as well as make a significant difference in a troubled world, will
affirm the place of service in a purposeful life.
Gestalt Coaching: Contact, Intention,
and Development in the Gestalt Model
This program is open to all students and practitioners of Gestalt and/or Coaching. See Special
Programs, page 80, for details.
Nine Faces of the Soul:
The Enneagram and the
Diamond Approach
Sandra Maitri & Joyce Lyke
The enneagram of personality describes nine
cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns
that our consciousness—our soul—takes as a
result of losing contact with our spiritual
ground in early childhood. While much information about the psychology of the nine types
is available, the spiritual context for this shaping of our souls is seldom recognized or taught.
This workshop will explore some of the characteristics of the soul and how they are reflected in the enneagram. Focus will be on the
inner flow—the dynamic movement from one
point to the next—in terms of what it represents regarding the loss of contact with our
spiritual depths. The Diamond Approach provides an invaluable perspective on inner work,
showing us how we can use the enneagram as
a guide to help us wind our way back through
the labyrinth of the personality to the spiritual
dimensions within. In the process, the continuum of our psychological patterns and our
spiritual depths becomes apparent, indicating
skillful means for inner development.
The program will also explore the movement
of each type backward and forward along the
lines of the inner flow, exploring what this
movement within our souls symbolizes in
terms of our development. Additionally, the
workshop will explore what the inner flow
describes about the child within—our soul
child—and its relationship to our ennea-type.
Although not necessary, some prior knowledge about the enneagram is suggested, as the
program will not be covering the basic information on the ennea-types in depth.
Recommended reading: Maitri, The Spiritual
Dimension of the Enneagram: Nine Faces of the Soul.
Foundation Steps for Embodying
the “Warrior of Life” Attitude
Flora Bardet
This workshop presents a movement program
based on White Crane Silat, a ChineseIndonesian martial-art system which traces
its lineage to Shaolin Kung Fu. This workshop offers an initiatory journey into the
essence of Silat, gently demonstrating its
empowering and healing qualities to inspire
self-exploration and to build a practice for
health-enhancement, self-defense, and centering in moments of life transition.
Primarily practiced individually, Silat teaches
self-management by methodically establishing constructive patterns, bringing into balance emotions, mind, and spirit, so that spaciousness of self, clarity of mind, and greater
compassion permeate our lives and guide us.
Participants will:
• Learn breathing techniques that build and
store Chi energy
• Practice comfortable meridian stretches
• Learn dynamic movements—at first done
slowly, with awareness—to develop
grounding, balance, and fluidity, and release
layers of energetic constrictions, stress, and
mental noise
• Cultivate coordination and stamina, as the
flowing Silat moves improve focus,
alertness, and deep relaxation
• Practice alternatives to unskillful responses,
such as exchange instead of predominance
These tools can benefit anyone, regardless of
age or physical fitness, and can be easily integrated into one’s schedule to develop the
foundation steps for inner harmony. This
training is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a deeply rejuvenating atmosphere.
From Isolation to Intimacy:
Tools to Transform Shame
Deborah Ullman & Gordon Wheeler
Shame and our defenses against it are among
the hardest of all experiences to deal with—
often paralyzing our best intentions, sabotaging our deepest desires for connection and
intimacy. Paradoxically, experiences of shame
also open a royal road to wholeness and intimacy—if we know how to use them.
“In this workshop,” the leaders write, “we’ll
begin the work of developing skills for
transforming shame into intimacy, support,
and a new centeredness in the world.
Building on a carefully guided personal
journey through the weekend, we’ll learn
how shame came to have this peculiar
power in our lives—and what we can do
about it. Using our own longings and sharing our deeply felt hunger for satisfying
relationships, together we will create a safe
space for vulnerably experiencing parts of
the self that were not received by key others
in our own history. At the end of this experience we will have access to a set of specific
tools for transforming shame and fear of
isolation and reinjury into a greater sense
of freedom, empowerment, and belonging.
These transformative tools can then be used
in our relationships, with our co-workers or
clients—and in our own lives.”
Esalen® Massage Couples Weekend
Peggy Horan & Tom Case
This will be a weekend for couples to renew
their relationship while exploring touch and
learning massage. The workshop will present
simple massage techniques, developed by
Esalen Massage practitioners, which have
proven valuable to anyone who wants to help
a partner, friend, or family member feel better.
Techniques that help relieve pain, increase
vitality, or simply soothe the nerves will be
demonstrated briefly and practiced with
lots of hands-on instruction. Couples will
exchange massages at each session, following
a demonstration and warm-up exercise. There
will be ample time off to explore the beauty
of Esalen’s land and to enjoy the warmth of
the mineral baths.
Yoga and Social Activism
Nina Zolotow & Melitta Rorty
Mohandas K. Ghandi was arguably the most
influential social activist of the 20th century.
What’s less well known about him is that he
was also a devoted yogi who practiced the
“yoga of action.” He found that his yoga practice reduced stress and balanced the zeal of
his activism. This workshop is an opportunity
to learn the yoga philosophy that enabled
Ghandi to pursue his difficult lifelong work
with a sense of inner peace. It also offers an
opportunity to learn yoga poses and breath
practices that will reduce your stress levels
and allow you to face the challenges of being a
social activist—or just a hardworking human
being—without burning out.
Mother: The Key to Her Daughter’s
Self-Image
Jaqueline Lapa Sussman & Suzie Galler
Mothers, have you ever wondered how much
you influence your daughter’s identity? The
answer may startle you: You are your daughter’s most powerful role model. Your feelings
about your own self and body are absorbed by
her in both overt and subtle ways, and will
shape her view of herself for the rest of her
life. Fortunately, you are also the strongest ally
of her self-worth.
In this workshop, you will discover how
mothers are the key to their daughters’ sense
of identity and body-image. There are six
critical ways that a daughter’s personality is
shaped by her mother. Once these influences
are understood, mothers can break the patterns of ineffective communication and see
their daughters in a new light, naturally promoting closeness. Through fostering strong
bonds with daughters, mothers can help their
daughters overcome the devastating effect of
the negative messages that women absorb
through the media. To counteract negative
media imagery, this program will use a documentary film, I Am My Mother’s Daughter,
about the mother-daughter bond as a catalyst
for awareness. This film weaves the stories of
four different mother-daughter pairs, as well
as a number of celebrity mothers and daughters, to explore the complex nature of this
relationship and the power it has in shaping
a woman’s self-image.
Participants will also work with experiential
Eidetic Imagery exercises, a simple, nonthreatening way to create clarity of one’s
unique mother-daughter interaction to help
facilitate deep understanding and effective
communication.
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The Brazilian Soul: A Dance and
Drumming Workshop
Cida Vieira & Jayson Fann
identify themselves as gay or bi and to all men
questioning. The workshop can be especially
useful for those in the helping professions.
In Brazil dance and music are a large part of
everyone’s life—a box of wooden matches
becomes a musical instrument; a soccer field
becomes a dance floor during games. Dance
and music are everywhere, present in all
events in which people celebrate love, friendship, sensuality, and zest for life. The premise:
Life is happening right now, and this alone is
enough to become a celebration among
friends, family, and community.
During this weekend, Cida and Jayson offer
a chance to experience the joyful spirit of
Brazil-away-from-Brazil. This hands-on (and
“feet-on”) workshop will explore the instruments, rhythms, music, and the samba dance
do jeitinho brasieliro (“of the Brazilian way”).
Cida writes: “My teaching focuses more on
movement than on technical aspects, so that
participants can achieve a lively workout and,
most important, have fun, until they begin to
feel the movement emerging from their own
body, heart, and soul.”
Drumming and dancing are for everyone
with the desire to join in. This workshop is
for anyone, of any age, who enjoys or wants
to learn more about the aliveness of Brazilian
dance, music, and spirit. Please bring drums
and/or any instruments (if you have them),
along with a significant item to place on a
communal altar as a way of sharing your
essence.
No previous dance or drumming experience
is necessary.
Men Who Love Men: Celebrating an
Alternative Lifestyle
Arnie J. Vargas
This weekend workshop will focus on the
dynamics of same-sex male love. The program
will explore current theories of homosexuality and offer support on how to develop and
sustain:
•
•
•
•
Positive relationships
Community
A positive self-image
Self-confidence in one’s identity and
lifestyle
Through stimulating experiential exercises as
well as a theoretical framework, the workshop
is designed to help participants walk away
with a renewed sense of self and a joy in being
who they are. Different is not bad—it’s simply
different.
This celebration is open both to men who
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Nataraja’s Drum: Living Tantric Yoga
Come to move, chant, meditate, bathe in the
ocean of ancient wisdom, and rejoice in the
experience of the great dance of consciousness.
Please note: This special workshop with Shiva
Rea and Paul Muller-Ortega, the only program at Esalen this week, is scheduled in
place of Esalen’s regular fall yoga retreat. The
next fall retreat will be held in November,
2009.
Shiva Rea & Paul Muller-Ortega
This intensive retreat is presented by two
of the most renowned Western teachers of
Tantric Yoga, Shiva Rea and Paul MullerOrtega. Together they write:
“As he dances in the golden Hall of
Consciousness, the graceful Shiva Nataraja
brandishes aloft the Damaru—the drum that
lays down the intricate and tantalizing beat
of his dance. A profound symbol of divine
creativity, the Damaru is the beating Heart
and pulsational vibration of the life-force
itself. From its supreme rhythms, time and
space—all that exists—are danced and pulsated
into being.
“This sacred symbol of Nataraja’s drum speaks
eloquently to yogic practitioners who seek to
understand, embody, and live the most profound vision of the authentic Tantric Yoga.
Damaru is the symbol for the Spanda principle, the subtlest vibrational energy from
which reality emerges. Tantra teaches that the
fabric of being is composed of mysteriously
interconnected sequences of intelligent vibrational flow. Within this vision, a human being
arises as a reverberating wave of consciousness.
“As with every great symbol, the Damaru presents a great paradox to be explored and lived
in the practice of Tantric Yoga. By its beat, the
Great Lord of the Dance expresses his intrinsic freedom, spontaneity, and anomic wildness. At the same time, the improvisational
and divinely expressive freedom of the drum
assembles itself into patterns and sequences
that invite and require elaboration, refinement, and cultivation. Practice, repetition,
mastery, penetration into the depths—these
can only take place in the context of assiduous and sustained persistence.
“This is the essence of Tantric Yoga that this
workshop will explore: the skillful dance of
disciplined wildness, disciplined spontaneity,
and the transparency and responsiveness of
the yogin to the living connection with the
divine Shakti. This intensive will thus constitute a living and experiential exploration of
this great Tantric vision emerging through the
ecstatic dance of the body and the visionary
dance of insight and understanding.”
Weekend of October 31–
November 2
Opening to the Infinite
Stephan A. Schwartz
Of all of the most mysterious things one can
experience—spiritual ecstasy, verifiable nonlocal awareness (or Remote Viewing), the Aha!
moment of creative genius—Remote Viewing
is the one that can be learned. In doing so,
one can obtain both sense impressions and
“knowingness” concerning persons, places, or
events about which one should have no
knowledge due to shielding by time or space.
Closely related to nonlocal awareness is the
expression of nonlocal intention, traditionally
called healing, which uses many of the same
techniques as Remote Viewing, but in a proactive way that affects the well-being of another.
Taught by one of the founders of Remote
Viewing and a pioneering researcher in healing, this workshop is built on thirty-five years
of laboratory and field research. The techniques presented have been repeatedly tested
and have shown themselves capable of allowing almost everyone to open to the experience of nonlocal awareness and to express
healing intent.
This seminar also covers meditation, offering
an approach especially designed for the
Western mind. (Meditation has been shown
to be the most important discipline a person
seeking to open to nonlocal awareness can
develop.) The workshop both presents concepts and allows participants to experience
firsthand these aspects of extraordinary
human abilities.
Zero Balancing Open Forum
Fritz Smith
This weekend is an opportunity for people
practicing Zero Balancing to reconnect with
Fritz Smith, with Zero Balancing, and with
each other.
“It is critically important,” says Fritz, “to periodically meet with like-minded people and to
openly, freely, and safely discuss problems,
insights, and successes of your work—in this
case, the leading-edge therapy of balancing
energy and structure.”
The workshop’s agenda will vary with the
needs of those who attend, but will focus on
personal nurturing and recharging, and will
include giving and receiving sessions, refining touch, honing the ZB protocol, observing
demos by Fritz, and looking at the newer
emerging possibilities of ZB. Come and
rekindle your sense of belonging, of not being
isolated in the world.
David Schiffman
Rest, Rejuvenation, and Renewal:
The Courage to Pause
This is a workshop for people who need a
break—from working too hard, from concentrating too much, from being stuck under
pressure too long, or who are just plain tired
from the perplexity and strain over what
comes next.
“While we pause,” writes David, “we’ll study
the three R’s and how they can be used to cultivate a climate of renewed energy and enthusiasm, the ability to think wisely ahead, and
the presence to relate honestly and authentically with others. This weekend will emphasize breathing space and ease of being for
deep contemplation. There will be soulful,
encouraging company as well as wise counsel
available for emotional nourishment.
“We will draw on the power and spirit medicine of Big Sur’s natural gifts for healing and
inspiration. A special blend of music and
Prerequisite training: Core Zero Balancing I.
This open forum qualifies for 12.5 hours of
class credit toward Zero Balancing
Certification.
CE credit for acupuncturists.
Death, Loss, and the Quest
for Meaning
Robert Neimeyer
Long after the immediate emotional impact
of a loss has faded, the death of someone close
to us can disrupt the assumptions that allow
us to find meaning and purpose in life. This
workshop—designed for both the professional
and the nonprofessional—presents new evidence about the variety of pathways that people follow through bereavement, some of
which lead to resilience or recovery, and others of which lead to chronic grief and depression. Considering grief as both a biological
and psychosocial process will prepare participants to identify signs of traumatic loss and
complicated grief and to understand the risks
to physical and mental health that these pose.
By conceptualizing the ways in which survivors’ basic life-narratives are disrupted by
loss, participants will also learn methods that
will enable them to listen beneath the stories
that we tell ourselves and others about loss,
and reveal resources to find the seeds for our
restoration of stability and future growth.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Using a blend of systematic instruction,
demonstration, therapeutic video, and handson practice with new concepts and methods,
participants will be introduced to several
practical methods for diagnosing and treating
grief-related difficulties, from in-session
process interventions to self-help strategies
that can be used in daily life. The ultimate
goal will be to explore a range of ways to help
us adapt constructively to bereavement by
finding meaning in loss, while also charting a
path forward in a transformed world.
57
practices of the frame drum. Participants will
learn the basic sounds of the frame drum and
how to organize them into powerful rhythms.
No prior musical experience is necessary.
Appropriate frame drums will be provided.
Esalen® Massage Weekend
Johanna Holloman & Nora Matten
Esalen Massage is best known for its long
flowing strokes and quality of touch. When
touch is connected to our sensing and feeling
nature, massage can move beyond technique
into the art of healing.
“During this weekend,” the leaders write, “we
will unravel the secret of loving touch to
show you how it can actually be practiced and
learned. We will explore the profound effect
touching with presence, sensitivity, and listening hands has on another being. Yoga and
dance will help bring more awareness and
presence into our immediate experience,
while also offering valuable tools for self-care.
From this deepened contact with ourselves,
we will move into touching each other, practicing creative variations of Esalen massage
strokes both gentle and deep in an effortless
flow over the whole body, each session
becoming a wavelike dance of listening and
responding, breath and movement, giving and
receiving. Massaging in this way helps us to
release the stresses of everyday life and reconnect to the source of our being, leaving us
with a sense of presence, deep relaxation,
wholeness, and vibrant well-being. Come and
join us in the breathtaking beauty of Esalen’s
grounds and healing hot springs. Let yourself
move and be moved within a community of
kindred spirits.”
No previous experience in massage, yoga, or
dance is required.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Week of November 2–7
movement will create a mood of playfulness
and spontaneity for the rejuvenation of spirit.
Simple activities, including ceremony and
personal practices, will be used to deepen our
feelings of being lively and hopeful about our
futures.”
When the Drummers Were Women:
Invoking the Sacred Feminine
through Ritual and Rhythm
Layne Redmond
The first sound we hear is the pulse of our
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mother’s blood, and drumming is the musical
expression of this primal truth. Throughout
the ancient Mediterranean world the Great
Goddess is portrayed with her frame drum,
the oldest known drum, traditionally played
by priestesses in the religious rites of Inanna,
Hathor, Isis, Cybele, Aphrodite, and other
goddesses. Find out why women were the
primary percussionists in Mesopotamia,
Anatolia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome—and why
they are not today.
This retreat—for women only—is designed to
introduce women to the healing rhythmic
Introduction to Centering Prayer
Retreat
Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler
Centering Prayer is a practice that provides
the balance and the open space within to
strengthen our inner being and increase our
ability to maintain peace and equanimity in
the midst of not only our personal struggles
but in the horrendous struggles that are taking
place in our world today. Centering Prayer
is a Christian contemplative prayer practice
designed to quiet the mind and open the
heart. It is an attempt to present Christian
mystical teachings in an updated form.
This program offers an introduction to
Centering Prayer. The retreat will offer time
for silence, practice, and discussion in a
relaxed atmosphere.
Christine Stewart Price & Guest Leader
The Way, when declared
Seems thin and so flavorless.
Nothing to look at, nothing to hear—
And when used—is inexhaustible.
— Lao Tzu
Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived
from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by
Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard
and Christine Price. The work integrates ways
of personal clearing and development that are
both ancient and modern. To the extent that
awareness is made primary relative to action,
Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This
form is similar to some Reichian work as well,
in that emotional and energetic release and
rebalancing are allowed and encouraged.
The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than
interpersonal. Participants are not patients but
persons actively consenting to explore in
awareness. The leader functions to reflect,
clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this
process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness,
and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or
accomplishment. The workshop will utilize
group exercises, meditations, and discussion.
The format combines introductory group
work with the open seat form in which each
participant will have the opportunity to work
with the leader in a group context.
Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy
Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape.
The Essence of Feldenkrais®
and Energy Work
Patrick Douce
Spinal Awareness is a way of learning, not a
therapy or treatment. It is taught with movement, touch, and group interaction. The work
Taoist-Chinese-Indonesian martial art, the
Esalen experience, and continues to evolve.
Spinal Awareness will improve body awareness, flexibility, posture, and many chronic
and acute conditions of your body. Problems
in your lower back, neck, shoulder, hips,
knees, elbows, ankle, wrist, and jaw are only
some of the physical limitations that will
often benefit from this approach.
These movements are quite different than
normal exercises. Spinal Awareness emphasizes learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your own body. The
workshop will present a new understanding
of how tension and injury are often involved
with the disorganization in the skeletal-muscular parts of the body. Safe and noninvasive
hands-on lessons will be learned that greatly
speed up your improvements.
The workshop will integrate approaches
derived from ancient energetic systems with
the fields of bodywork, movement, and yoga.
Touch and movement methods of protecting
and energizing you—grounding, generating,
circulating, and extending energy—will be
shared. The use of joy and humor will be the
undertone of this week. Real freedom in the
body is also freedom of spirit and fun.
This is a program designed for both the
beginner and the professional. For more
information visit www.spinalawareness.com.
The Moving Theater of the Soul
Camille Maurine
The Moving Theater process is a potent catalyst for transformation and inspiration. Our
bodies and psyches are brimming with creative impulses—a rich inner theater of sensations, emotion, images, and perceptions. This
workshop offers a time to listen deeply, to
feel and imagine, to breathe and move your
visions and dreams. Drawing from dance, theater, meditation, body awareness, Continuum,
and Jungian soulwork, Camille provides a
safe, fertile environment to delve deeper into
your inner world and dare new forms of
expression to emerge.
You will learn how to access your creative
wellspring and give shape to internal characters and energies. All expressions are welcomed with curiosity and compassion. Beauty
and Beast, Spirit and Sensuality, Sorrow and
Mirth, Fury and Tenderness, Madness and
Magic—each holds a key to deeper freedom.
All lead us back into the flow of life and love.
What stories are pulsing in your heart, ready
to be revealed? What characters are in the
wings, itching to come onto stage? What ways
are you longing to let go? You don’t have to
know in advance. You only need to be willing
to explore.
Activities include subtle and dynamic movement, theater improv, voice and breathwork,
journaling, and quiet reverie. The format
accommodates beginners and experienced
players, allowing each to go to a new level of
vibrancy and presence.
Recommended reading: Maurine & Roche,
Meditation 24/7 and Meditation Secrets for Women.
Songwriting from the Heart—
Bridging Inspiration and Craft
Johnsmith
This workshop will explore the technical “nuts
and bolts” of songwriting, as well as break open
the emotional heart, encouraging participants
to cultivate their own unique songwriting
voices. The craft of songwriting involves many
technical skills—verse, chorus, and bridge writing; melody, rhythm, rhyming—and all will be
covered. Participants will be met where they
are in their songwriting development, enhancing their ability to translate their vision and
story into well-crafted, heartfelt songs.
Through visualization exercises, writing
assignments, group performances, co-writing
with other group members, and personal
demonstrations, each participant’s inner muse
will be coaxed and cultivated. In a safe, supportive workshop climate, the group will give
and receive constructive feedback, and participants will be guided in incorporating feedback into their work. At week’s end the group
will share its songs, new and old, with the
Esalen community.
This workshop is for individuals who have
had some experience in songwriting and are
working on refining their musical voice. It is
not required to play a musical instrument. If
the group shows interest, recording issues may
be incorporated. Simple recording devices are
encouraged. Feel free to bring samples of songs
and poems that inspire you. Dress casually—
there may be a need to do a little dancing.
Bring an open heart and a curious mind.
For additional information, visit www.johnsmithmusic.com.
Self-Acceptance—
The Heart of Healing
Joe Cavanaugh
The heart has reasons which reason
knows nothing of.
— Blaise Pascal
We commonly hear the axiom “Love is letting
go of fear.” There is, however, another possibility: “Love means loving ourselves even when
we are afraid.” This applies to all so-called
59
“negative emotions”: fear, anger, doubt, jealousy,
and so on. We simply cannot be who we are
not. Accepting who we are allows healing to
begin. Judging ourselves, we lose sight of the
deeper message our feelings bring to us, reinforcing the very negativity we are attempting
to dissolve.
“Through personal and interpersonal processes,” Joe Cavanaugh writes, “we will see how
our judgments, beliefs, and attitudes can
undermine our self-esteem and personal
Weekend of November 7–9
The Way Forward:
Esalen’s Annual Benefit Weekend
Amory Lovins, Robert Reich, Michael
Murphy, Sam Keen, Chungliang Al Huang,
Anna Halprin, Patricia DeJong, Joseph
Montville, Anisa Mehdi, Ken Dychtwald,
plus guests to be announced
Whatever the outcome of the November ’08
elections, the new administration and the
world community will face unprecedented
challenges and opportunities in the years
ahead. For over four decades, Esalen has
been a leader and an experimental laboratory
in a multitude of areas that are in crisis
today. Sustainability, global economics,
creative initiatives, international politics,
health and healing, education for leadership,
creativity, our common search for meaning
through religion, spirituality, and authentic
personal commitments—these are just some
of the fields where Esalen has served as a
multidisciplinary melting pot and a conceptual pioneer, reaching out from this magic
crucible to influence and often tip much
larger systems of thought, cultural forms,
and policy.
In these areas and more, our world urgently
needs inventive solutions, “outside the box”
experiments and initiatives, new relationships among old adversaries. Each of the
speakers at our November gathering is a
leader in one or more of these areas, and
each brings fresh ideas, new energy, and creative perspective that can transform crisis
into opportunity. The dialogic synergy
among them—and with you the participants—promises a weekend that former
Labor Secretary Robert Reich has characterized as “a true growth experience… a true
pleasure… a community of people that
understands… that personal development
and social development go hand in hand.”
In a format both intimate and integrated,
this weekend promises to inspire and
empower, drawing on your creative ideas as
60
effectiveness. We will create a space to heal
our wounds from the past while enhancing
our capacity for greater love and compassion.
In a context of mutual support and safety, we
will learn to accept ourselves for who we are
in the present moment. We will then discover
how these so-called ‘negative emotions’ were
in fact angels in disguise, guiding us toward
our Authentic Self.”
This workshop is designed for all those wishing to enrich the quality of their lives, as well
well as those of the presenters, with ample
opportunity for questions, dialogue, and
informal conversation and contact in the
magic setting of Esalen. In the stimulation
and camaraderie of our time together, we
will encounter new possibilities for ourselves, for our shared world, and for Esalen’s
unique programming and contributions.
With the guiding hand of our visionary
facilitator Ken Dychtwald, each of us may
find new opportunities to make a difference
in these unprecedented times—through
philanthropy and through our own roles as
change agents and leaders, as we envision
together the Way Forward.
Join us for this seventh annual benefit weekend that combines inspiration and creative
personal contact with the chance to give
back to Esalen and support its continuing
role as an incubator and midwife of new
solutions for our culture.
“Unique and magical—a rare combination of
mind-opening ideas, direct contact with activists
and thought leaders (both presenters and fellow
participants!) and, on top of that, a whale of a
good time. We ranged from tears to hilarity,
from sober contemplation to excited dialogue to
moments of sheer raucous fun. And we found
ourselves stretching our pocketbook for Esalen
initiatives and also auction items just too good to
pass up. Wouldn’t miss it for anything—we came
straight home and put it on our calendar for ’08.”
— A participant at the 2007 weekend
As this catalog goes to press, we are excited
to share this year’s list of presenters: Amory
Lovins, long recognized among the world’s
foremost visionary voices in energy, sustainability, and global economic solutions;
Robert Reich, leading economist, author,
political historian, and former Cabinet
member; Michael Murphy, Esalen cofounder
and leading author in the evolutionary
vision of a new human story, integrating
consciousness studies, science, political
realities, and spiritual practices; Sam Keen,
renowned author and mentor/teacher in the
exploration of passionate engagement and
as for therapists seeking to enhance their
therapeutic skills.
Prerequisite: Be willing to abstain from alcohol
and nonprescription drugs for the duration of
the workshop.
Recommended reading: Cavanaugh, Who Am
I, Really? How Our Wounds Can Lead to Healing.
the essential integration of the shadow;
Chungliang Al Huang, philosopher, musician, teacher of Tai Ji, East/West synthesis,
and the art of movement meditation; Anna
Halprin, author, teacher, and seminal figure
in the world of dance; Patricia DeJong,
prominent progressive voice for religious
dialogue; Joseph Montville, founding spirit
and longtime leader in Citizen and “Track
Two” Diplomacy, central figure in Esalen’s
Soviet/American project and today’s outreach initiatives to the world of Islam and
the Abrahamic Family Reunion; Anisa
Mehdi, award-winning documentary filmmaker and creative voice for Arab-American
dialogue; Ken Dychtwald, gerontologist, psychologist, author, and the nation’s foremost
authority on economic and cultural effects
of the “Age Wave.” For updates on additional
presenters, please visit www.esalen.org.
In addition to the inspiring, provocative,
interactive presentations, activities will
include movement and meditation classes,
a silent and live “What’s the Value of
Anything?” auction, an opportunity to meet
other supporters of Esalen, to have fun,
relax, enjoy the baths, and just be.
All speakers are generously donating their
time. By participating or sponsoring others
to participate, you join in shaping the Way
Forward, while providing funding support
for Esalen’s green renewal and subsidized, nonrevenue-generating programs and initiatives.
Register early—this unique event is expected
to sell out. The cost is:
$1,500/person for shared room ($895 taxdeductible); $2,800/couple ($1,590 taxdeductible); $2,100 guaranteed single (limited availability, $1,295 tax-deductible); North
Point House: $3,500 ($1,860 tax-deductible).
Off-site rates (which include program and
food) are: $1,215/person ($895 tax-deductible);
$2,230/couple ($1,590 tax-deductible).
To sign up or learn more, please contact
Nancy Worcester, Friends of Esalen,
831-667-3032 or [email protected].
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Sacred Union:
A Merging of Opposites
Paul Horn & Ann Mortifee
Many cultures throughout the world have
used the Wheel to symbolize unity, stillness,
and movement through the cycles of renewal:
the Wheel of Life (Buddhist), the Medicine
Wheel (Native American), the Mandala
(Hindu), among others. This workshop will
use The Wheel of Integration (the subject of
Ann’s latest book) to create a map to help
identify where we need to focus our attention
if we wish to become more balanced and
integrated as individuals.
In their first workshop as husband and wife,
jazz-music legend Paul Horn and Canadian
arts-and-culture icon Ann Mortifee bring
together their unique and shared life experiences. After many years on parallel and intersecting journeys in music and the spiritual
life, they have learned that to become fully
alive in all our humanness as well as vibrant
in our spiritual essence, a merging of opposites needs to occur—strength with vulnerability, the active with the receptive, the
known with the unknown. Through music,
story, improvisation, meditation, and work
with the Wheel, the intention will be to stabilize yet free the body, express yet contain the
emotions, expand yet focus the mind, and
awaken and embody the spirit.
Discernment, embodied by Paul, together
with compassion, embodied by Ann, creates
a sacred vessel into which you are invited.
Come ready to dive deep and to have a lot
of fun along the way.
Emotional Healing: The Transformation
of Addiction, Codependency, and
Other Relational Wounds
Terry Hunt
Low self-esteem, feeling “stuck,” difficulty in
being assertive, anxiety, low-grade depression,
substance abuse—these symptoms can arise
from the avoidance of pain. Children of alcoholic, abusive, depressed, or otherwise dysfunctional parents often learn to stifle their
feelings to survive, maintaining a connection
to the parent at the cost of being real. In
the long run, we become codependent,
addictive, controlling, inhibited, shut down.
Transformation occurs through the ability
to embrace all of our feelings and become
fully alive.
Terry Hunt writes: “We’ll provide tools to help
transform traumatic life events into steppingstones of emotional healing. The workshop
offers ways to discover effective and loving
responses to stressful situations in families,
intimate relationships, and friendships, as
well as with authority figures. We’ll access
buried feelings and learn that they will not
kill us. In fact, developing a ‘container’ for all
of our feelings—hurt, sad, mad, glad, afraid—
allows us to become more fully alive”.
Participants can identify and work through
the emotional wounds that lead to selfdestructive habits. The workshop uses concentrated attention, music, breathing, meditation,
and bioenergetic movement to help access,
express, and release blocked emotions from
childhood. During the workshop participants:
• Learn physical exercises that can impart a
better sense of reality
• Explore ways to increase feelings of
aliveness and the capacity for deep emotion
• Learn techniques to deepen connectedness
• Move from codependence to aliveness, learn
to self-validate, and discover intimacy
through healthy personal boundaries
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Collaborative Creating and the
Healing Narrative
Joanne Beaule Ruggles
This workshop will focus on collaborative
art-making as a means to foster individual
growth and healing. Daily themes that have
universal application—oppositions, control,
fear, safety, and the unknown—will provide
participants a safe base to initiate their own
survival stories. Participants will be encouraged to work collaboratively on mixed-media
art exercises during the creative process as a
means to build a community of trust and
support, develop comfort for the unknown,
and demonstrate the shared aspects of their
narratives. The art that is created will not only
focus on each individual’s story but will also
testify to the inner strength and survival
instincts that allowed them to move beyond
these challenges.
In 2006, Professor Emerita Joanne Ruggles
was awarded a James Irvine Foundation “Art
Inspires” grant to direct Indomitable Spirits, a
collaborative art project including a dozen
Central Coast California artists, each with a
dramatic story of survival. Subjects of the
completed work range from surviving breast
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cancer (a journey Ruggles herself recently
made) to coping with the loss of a child, caring for a dying parent, suffering depression,
fighting testicular cancer, overcoming anorexia, dealing with physical scars, and coming
out as a gay person.
A supply list will be provided to all participants.
Recommended reading: Bayles & Orland, Art
and Fear.
Raja Yoga: Creating from Spirit
your own creative project that you are ready
to birth. The yoga-based sessions are intended
to release self-doubt and limiting thought
patterns, allowing you to awaken and open to
new fields of creativity. In a spiritually supportive environment, you will experience a
unique blend of sessions: daily hatha yoga,
breathwork, yoga nidra, meditation, and inner
exploration.
“We will join together as a group,” the leaders
write, “to support and give birth to our individual talents, intentions, and creative expression.”
Please bring your own yoga mat.
Michele Hébert & Mehrad Nazari
Every moment I shape my destiny with a chisel
—I am the carpenter of my own soul.
— Rumi
Unleash your creativity and let your spirit
soar! This raja yoga workshop is designed for
yoga students, teachers, artists, writers, musicians, poets—anyone desiring to expand their
creative powers through the ancient teachings and practices of yoga.
During this transformational workshop you
will set intention, dive into stimulating and
inspirational yoga practices, and work on
Feminine Eco-Leadership Skills
Kat Steele
In the world of increasing ecological and economic instability a new pattern of “feminine
leadership” is emerging. This style, characterized by cooperation, participation, sharing of
power and information, teamwork, and energizing others, is a leadership style of the future.
As such, it needs to be implemented in today’s
organizations. Many contemporary surveys
have shown that women are primary holders
of the “feminine leadership” style. A growing
number of men as well have embraced this
powerful trend towards holistic leadership.
Collaboration, emotional intelligence, and
relationship are keystones in this way.
Hewlett Packard’s CEO Carly Fiorina states:
“Leadership in this new landscape is not
about controlling decision-making… It’s about
creating the right environment. It’s about
enablement, empowerment. It is about setting
guidelines and boundaries and parameters
and then setting people free… Leadership is
not about hierarchy or title or status; it is
about having influence and mastering
change. Leadership is not about bragging
rights or battles, or the accumulation of
wealth; it’s about connecting and engaging at
multiple levels. It’s about challenging minds
and capturing hearts… Leadership is about
empowering others to reach their full potential. Leaders can no longer view strategy and
execution as abstract concepts, but must realize that both elements are ultimately about
people.”
as misalignment in the lumbo-sacral spine,
resulting in rotations, uneven height of
the iliac crest, and/or tipping of the pelvis.
Combined stretching and manipulation are
vital to change the alignment of the pelvis,
allowing body weight to subside through the
pelvis and into the legs.
Incorporating deep tissue techniques,
active/passive release, and joint mobilization
to address these muscles, as well as movement
exercise, restorative yoga, and pranayama
(yogic breathing), we can gain an inner sense
of the body/mind connection and ways in
which we can support and shift these energetic/structural imbalances.
Prior bodywork training is required.
November 14–21
Watercolor and Mixed Media
Leigh Hyams
Watercolor is a versatile, tough, beautiful
medium in itself, interesting and challenging
to use in many ways. Combining it with pastels, charcoal, graphite, and inks plus a myriad
of unconventional media opens up yet another world of possibilities.
Students will explore many of them this
week, working in a large, white, domed studio-tent on the very edge of the Pacific Ocean,
and outside in Esalen’s lovely gardens, canyon,
deep woods, and shoreline.
This workshop will be a week of exploration
and practice of the skills, strategies, and
processes of powerful change-making.
Whatever your temporary gender assignment, come and tap into your feminine side.
Explore what it takes to lead from the heart
into a sustainable and regenerative future.
Advanced Bodywork:
Touching the Core
Char Pias & Jessica Fagan
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop focuses on the abdominal and
pelvic regions of the body, addressing both
energetic and structural dynamics. Often the
abdomen is treated superficially, when in fact
it is our center, our core, the place of digestion
and assimilation of all life experiences. The
pelvic region is the “cradle,” our seat of power,
the bridge between the upper body and the
legs. The psoas muscles, considered the
“fight/flight” muscles of the human species,
span this bridge. During any emotional or
physically traumatic experience, the psoas
muscles contract to protect the underbelly of
the human animal. Chronic psoas contraction
and abdominal tension can produce lumbar
pain as well as referred cervical and shoulder
pain. Chronic tension of the piriformus muscles also contributes to lower back and sciatic
nerve pain.
Pelvic alignment manifests as a function of
balance via the paired “antagonist muscles”:
the abdominal /erector spinae groups,
psoas/gluteus groups, hamstring/quadriceps
groups. Low back pain typically presents itself
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Experience is not necessary. Just be curious,
fearless, and ready to do some deep work.
($75 materials fee paid directly to the instructor)
The Art of Leadership:
Communication, Creativity, Vision
Ron Alexander
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
but in the expert’s mind there are few.
— Suzuki
The workshop includes Gestalt open seat
work, sharing feedback on leadership and
communication styles, improving coaching
skills, developing the unconscious to creatively solve problems, and role-playing exercises
for real-life work situations.
Recommended reading: Heider, The Tao of
Leadership; Bennis, On Becoming a Leader;
Hargrove, Masterful Coaching; Crum, The Magic
of Conflict.
DreamTending
Stephen Aizenstat
The “heartbeat” of DreamTending, Dr.
Stephen Aizenstat’s orientation to dreams, is
the recognition that dream images are alive.
In this workshop, he will describe his
approach to dreamwork and invite participants to experience dream images as living,
embodied beings—engaged in their own activity and not ours alone.
DreamTending will be introduced as a system
of healing, useful in working with the afflictions of personal life as well as the conditions
of the world soul, the anima mundi. Dr.
Aizenstat will elaborate on the idea that
images are alive and, at root, elemental—part
of Nature’s Dreaming. Participants will learn
methods of phenomenological dream animation and tools to work with the “indigenous
image.” Attending to these potent “seed”
images enhances psychological health and
authentic being.
This workshop combines DreamTending
demonstrations by Dr. Aizenstat with experiential activities. Also, he will offer training in
skills intended to help participants work with
their own core images.
Happiness in Marriage
Steven Stroud
Want to live a longer, healthier, more prosperous life? Study after study shows that all you
have to do is get married and stay married. Of
course, the stresses of a bad marriage can out-
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop is for individuals interested in
exploring an intensive experiential process to
become more effective leaders, both in personal and professional life settings. Designed
for entrepreneurs, executives, managers, and
others committed to improving their communication and leadership skills, it is especially
intended for those open to doing deep personal work to transform the self and thereby
become more effective leaders. The major
areas of focus will be: resolving conflict, developing trust with those who feel threatened,
addressing blind spots in self-esteem, healing
blocks in creativity, and building support for
transforming vision into reality.
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weigh the benefits of a good one. So, make it a
happy marriage.
chanical reeducation, healthy lifestyle tools,
and guided meditation.
The workshop offers a way to use self-responsibility to make changes in your relationship
that will help you find, nourish, and enhance
happiness. Couples will explore:
Please note: This workshop is not recommended for acute back problems. It is also not recommended for those seeking a vigorous Yoga
workout. For more information, please call
800-359-0171. Please bring your own yoga mat.
• How to use agreement as a dynamic engine
for intimacy, trust, and love
• How active listening can channel the energy
from conflict to intimacy
• How to deepen commitment and process
together without constantly questioning the
relationship
• Keys to happiness
• A radical new paradigm for an equal
partnership
All types of marriages—from the traditional
nuclear family to gay couples, from good marriages to bad—can benefit from this workshop. It is designed for people in any stage of
marriage—those enjoying the golden years,
those just starting out, and those in between;
couples who are contemplating spending the
rest of their lives together, as well as those
contemplating divorce. Even though there
are many stages of marriage, there are certain
tools and behavioral patterns relevant for any
stage—e.g., openness, honesty, and good will—
that promote communication, trust, and love.
This workshop will help to reawaken the
love and passion that brought you together.
Steven Stroud has been happily married for
26 years.
Prime of Life Yoga: Optimum Health
for the Second Half of Life
Larry Payne & David Allen
Prime of Life Yoga reflects the adaptations recommended for the majority of our population
which is now in the second half of life. In a
balanced format of lecture and movement, two
health professionals provide an introduction
to the Prime of Life Yoga™ lifestyle program.
This year’s lecture topics by Dr. David Allen
include the latest concepts on nutrition,
mind-body medicine, and longevity. The Yoga,
taught by Payne, offers a safe, gentle, breathoriented approach, based on the needs of participants and inspired by the teachings of
Indian Yoga master T.K.V. Desikachar. In addition to the emphasis on breath and movement for general conditioning, focus will be
on function over form and movement of the
spine, with special consideration for lower
and upper back problems, as well as chronic
knee and hip ailments.
The workshop will also include effective
stress-reduction techniques, advanced breathing methods simplified for all levels, biome-
Please note: Due to the intense and sequential
nature of this workshop, attendance at all
sessions is necessary.
Requirement: Bring a 1-3 minute memorized
piece—monologue, poem, song, etc.
Spinning Straw into Gold:
The Alchemy of First-Person Writing
Katy Butler
Month of November 16–
December 14
28-Day Massage Practitioner
Certification Training
Vicki Topp & Tom Case
For workshop description see Special
Programs, page 80.
THE MAX: Expanding the Limits of
Your Self-Expression
Paula Shaw
The purpose of THE MAX is to discover yourself beyond who you know yourself to be. It
is an exhilarating voyage through your own
humanity—a journey to discover the extent
of your self-expressive power. Employing a
variety of acting, communication, and observation techniques, it’s designed to expand
your limits “to the max” and move you into a
whole new arena of personal creativity and
self-expression.
In THE MAX, participants undertake a challenging exploration of the sources of their
emotional limitations. Working individually,
“on stage,” each person is encouraged and
supported to go at their own pace, playing to
and with other group members. With strong
guidance, people move through lifelong fears
of being “on the spot,” emerging into greater
authenticity and enhanced “presence” in their
public presentations.
There are exercises that use raw emotion, roleplaying, and dress-up assignments. This is an
opportunity to experience yourself in ways
you may have dreamed about but never
thought possible. The course is full of heart,
humor, and irreverence, for those committed
and courageous in their process. And the program has been constructed with the understanding that this kind of risk requires a very
safe workspace. If your heart beats faster
when you think of taking this workshop, it
may be just “the thing to do.” For details visit
www.themaxwithpaulashaw.com.
Do you have a story you are longing to tell?
This is your chance to take a great leap forward with the help of a writer whose literary
nonfiction has appeared in the New Yorker
and The New York Times. In this five-day creative sanctuary, you’ll begin writing in a spirit of spontaneous play, letting your pen glide
rapidly over the paper in short bursts. Be
prepared to be surprised by what turns up,
and to draw deeply from wells unfamiliar to
you. Later, you’ll spin straw into gold, refining first drafts into polished scenes that can
electrify other readers, even strangers. The
workshop will pay careful attention to questions of craft, voice, and narrative structure.
This is a perfectionism-free zone. Nothing is
off-limits.
Although this workshop is not therapy, writing your truth and unleashing your creativity
can be joyful and, almost by accident, therapeutic. You may tame your inner critic and
take home tools that deepen the resonance
and immediacy of everything you write from
now on. Be prepared to give birth to a story
that represents a personal writing breakthrough. This workshop is suitable for both
beginning and experienced writers. Please
bring 250 pages of lined paper, a favorite passage of published memoir, and plenty of
smooth-flowing pens.
Gestalt Practice and Cortical Field
Reeducation®: Developing Emotional
and Somatic Resources
Dorothy Charles & Patrice Hamilton
This workshop integrates the approaches
of Gestalt Practice and Cortical Field
Reeducation. By increasing awareness of our
bodies we come in touch with the here and
now—the present moment where change and
growth are possible.
Awareness of our somatic sense of self provides new options for developing more effective psychological and physical patterns. This
is a relational process. To nurture this process,
this workshop will provide a safe, supportive
group setting to create a field in which new
ways of moving and being can be expressed
and explored.
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This experiential and didactic program will
blend slow, developmental movement with
individual and group Gestalt work.
Awakening Your Healing Heart: A
Holoenergetic® Training Intensive for
Healing Practitioners and Therapists
Leonard Laskow
A practitioner’s greatest gift is to be so fully
present that the client’s essential nature,
which is one with the practitioner’s, is resonantly activated. Ideally, this shared field of
undistorted, nonjudgmental awareness or
witnessing then becomes the context in
which all subsequent therapeutic interaction
transpires. Since “problems” for which clients
seek help ultimately derive from the illusion
of separation from one’s essential nature, true
healing can only occur in this contextual field
of wholeness, which simultaneously includes
and transcends all phenomena.
This intensive training is designed to teach
four powerful therapeutic tools that will
enhance the effectiveness and depth of the
practitioner’s work. At the same time, by
using these techniques with an awakened
heart, the practitioner will be more fulfilled
and enlivened by his/her work. The intensive
will focus on these four processes:
• Accessing conscious heart space
• Establishing transpersonal alignment with
patients and clients
• Learning to “trace” illness, suffering, and
distress to its source—apparent separation
from the whole—and transform this energy
of separation into unitive love
• Engaging the grace and power of
forgiveness to release the inherent capacity
to heal oneself
As the heart opens, the truth and splendor of
who we really are is finally revealed and
expressed as inner peace, love, joy and freedom.
November 21–28
Master Class for Painters
Leigh Hyams
When the process of making art becomes an
essential part of one’s daily life, the need to
spend time with similarly obsessed human
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beings becomes a necessity. These quiet seven
days with painter/teacher Leigh Hyams are
designed to offer new ways of thinking about
art, to present new techniques and possibilities for experienced artists to consider, and to
help each person see the pattern and path of
his or her work with fresh eyes.
Participants will bring their own art materials
(no oil paints, please) and ideas for individual
work in the studio or onsite with Esalen’s
mountains, forest, waterfalls, and wild ocean
coastline. Each morning there will be a critique
of the previous day’s work and each artist may
schedule a private session with the instructor
during the week. There will be time set aside
for informal discussion on questions such as
“What is this open channel—the space created
inside us by the act of painting—and how do
we continue to deepen it?”
This workshop offers experienced artists a
rare opportunity to exchange practical, imaginative, and philosophical ideas with their
peers and unlimited, uninterrupted time to
work, surrounded by beauty.
Experiencing Esalen
For workshop description see September 19-21.
Relationships: A Spiritual Journey
Mary Goldenson
Relationships present profound opportunities
for personal development and spiritual fulfillment. Healthy relationships are the foundation of healthy families and ultimately a
healthy society. If we embrace the challenges
of our relationships they become great teachers, mirrors reflecting unseen and often
rejected parts of ourselves. Relationships
provide the opportunity to experience both
our greatest pain and joy. The challenge of
this journey is to:
• Open ourselves to all of life—suffering and
joy, success and failure, gain and loss
• Fully acknowledge to ourselves the truth
of who we are
• Commit to living our deepest values and
dreams, and make powerful choices to
actualize them
This workshop is for all who wish to look
deeply into themselves and their lives
through their relationships: fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, lovers and partners.
Come alone or together. In a supportive envi-
ronment, you will have the opportunity to
heal old wounds, learn new skills to help you
in troubled times, and actively create the
heartfelt and spiritual relationships you
desire. The workshop will draw from Gestalt,
Reichian work, dance, imagery, and meditation to make it easier to express your truth
and take responsibility for your feelings.
Improv Alchemy: Brewing Something
from Nothing
Paula Shaw
The spontaneity of theater games can open
you up to extraordinary surprises, to
unknown abilities, even to brilliance—a brilliance born of generating from a blank slate,
from the nothing and nowhere of beginner’s
mind. This workshop is an exploration of letting go of your programmed patterns and discovering the joy of spontaneous creation.
The first premise of improvisational theater
games (which Robin Williams claims
unleashed him) is to “go in blank.” Within the
game structures, participants are coached to
be receptive: stop, look, and listen; deny nothing; release control; let go of planning ahead.
This process can help you to trust your own
intuition, sense of humor, eloquence, and
physical grace, and it allows you to get out of
your own way to convert the raw material of
spontaneous impulse into glittering nuggets
of creative gold.
The workshop is also just a lot of fun.
Beginners and shy people are welcome; no
experience is necessary. Prior improv experience will be forgiven.
Harmonic Presence: Primordial
Wisdom and the Music of the
Spheres
David Hykes
From the harmonic sound waves of the stillechoing Big Bang to healing sounds, from
String Theory to sacred chant, the harmonic
nature of vibrational reality, heard inside and
out, resounds in heart, mind, and spirit. Tune
in on that eternal source through Harmonic
Chant, with Western overtone pioneer and
meditation teacher David Hykes.
Harmonic Chant is a universal sacred music
integrating key principles common to
Tibetan, Indian, Tuvan, Mongolian, and
European sacred chant. You’ll undertake a
deep journey to the original template of all
music and harmony, the harmonic series,
present in all our voices, and an awareness
key to harmonious relationship on every
scale. You’ll experience through chant and
contemplative exercise, movement and visualization, something deeper about the harmony
at work right now, and the silent listening
awareness from which it arises… pure mystery!
The musical work includes deep-sound meditation practices and yogic awareness exercises
with the breath, listening, and sound sensation. The sessions present the essence of
Harmonic Chant and the Harmonic Presence
work, and cover wide ground musically and
spiritually. All those interested in source
teachings relating mind, music, meditation,
and healing practices are invited. For more
information, see www.harmonicpresence.org.
Deborah Anne Medow & Daniela Urbassek
As we move into the holiday season, it is time
to pause, to reflect, and to offer thanks for the
many gifts we have received over this past
year. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to give
thanks through the gift of flowing touch as
experienced in an Esalen Massage. This workshop is an introduction to the elemental skills
of Esalen Massage, with an additional focus
on yoga to both enhance body awareness and
maintain flexibility.
Through demonstration and hands-on practice, participants will learn the long, flowing
strokes that define the Esalen style. This
approach emphasizes presence and quality of
contact, so the work is easy on the practitioner while bringing a sense of integration and
connection to the receiver. In addition to
table work, participants will learn ways of
attending to their own bodies through a daily
yoga practice. Simple asanas, or yoga postures,
will be presented in gentle ways to help students rediscover flexibility and fluidity on the
yoga mat and in daily life.
The workshop is for people just beginning to
explore the art of touch as well as those wishing to bring the Esalen “feel” into work they
may already be doing. There will be time to
enjoy the healing waters of the Esalen baths
and the natural beauty of the Esalen land.
Please bring your favorite music, loose, comfortable clothing, and a sense of humor.
Passion and Wisdom: Life Skills for
Balancing a Whole Life
David Schiffman
A laundry list for a whole life might read:
(1) a long, healthy life, (2) a satisfying and safe
place to live, (3) an intimate circle of fulfilling
relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, (4) sufficient, steady material success,
(5) the freedom and the time to be, to dream,
and to spiritually aspire, and (6) enough
excitement, challenge, and change to keep
learning and growing. If these measures
reflect your own hopes and dreams, this
workshop is aimed at exploring or supporting
what it takes to know:
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Recommended listening and reading: CDs
(including Harmonic Meditations: Music from
the Heart of the Cosmos) and writings by David
Hykes.
Thanksgiving Renewal: Esalen®
Massage and Yoga Retreat
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tice will deepen. Writing is a way to give our
attention to the world, each other, and ourselves, thus increasing compassion and understanding.
In this program, participants can gain the
confidence and skills to create writing that is
vital to their lives. Discover what supports
your creativity and what may be holding you
back. Quiet the mind of doubt. Participants
will create and craft new work daily. This
workshop is appropriate for beginning and
experienced writers alike.
It is recommended that participants read
Patrice Vecchione’s Writing and the Spiritual
Life: Finding Your Voice by Looking Within prior
to the workshop.
Passion and Grace:
The Art of Devotional Singing
Jai Uttal, with Daniel Paul
Kirtan is food for the spirit, a life raft of song…
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Embark on a journey into the multicolored,
many-roomed mansions of the heart through
the practice of Kirtan, or chanting the ecstatic
songs of ancient India. Using call-and-response
singing and storytelling, recording artist Jai
Uttal will invoke a space of prayer and heartfelt expression, joined by his good friend,
tabla maestro and vocalist Daniel Paul.
• How much is truly enough?
• How to minimize wasted time and
unnecessary suffering
• When and how to act effectively with
emotional competence, authenticity, and
authority
• When and whom to ask for support, when
to give way and wait with grace
emotional integrity. Perspectives and practices from ancient and modern sources will be
explored to evoke the vibrancy, freshness, and
potency of our presence and commitment to
our hopes and visions.
This workshop will provide time to seek wise
counsel and allies in a circle based in goodwill, mutual honesty, and deep, soulful
inquiry. Group activities and ceremonies will
celebrate and mark the milestones of our selfrealization and the challenges still ahead.
Patrice Vecchione
This is an opportunity to strengthen the life
skills, tools, and attitudes necessary for deepening physical vitality, mental acuity, and
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Writing and the Spiritual Life:
Finding Your Voice Within
If mystery is at the foundation of being, then
spiritual belief and language are two ways of
responding to what can’t be explained. When
we tap into our spiritual self, we’re able to
release our essential voice and write in ways
we’d only dreamed of. Whatever your spiritual path, by getting acquainted with your own
voice and listening to its wisdom, your prac-
In the practice of Kirtan we are able to come
into contact with the wide palette of feelings
inside of us and to begin to freely express
them and share them with others. Rather
than being obstacles in our path, these emotions become the fuel to connect us to the
Spirit, to our eternal beloved. This deep river
of passionate surrender and prayer is known
as Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion or personal relationship with the divine.
No previous experience is needed. This is an
exploration of the heart, independent of vocal
or musical technique. To learn more visit
www.jaiuttal.com.
Heart Fire: Tending the Flame
of Your Sva Shakti
Shiva Rea
The time has come to turn your heart
into a temple of fire.
— Rumi
This retreat will initiate a ritual cycle of
renewal in which to integrate the living yoga
sadhana (practices) to tend your heart-fire.
Participants will explore:
• The universal and ancient practices of our
heart center from tantra, hatha, and bhakti
yoga, integrated with the latest view of our
heart’s intelligence to free our capacity for
healing wisdom and love
• Vinyasa Flow sequences that awaken the
body mandala and heart temple by
expanding the range of motion and
circulation of the outer house of our heart
(rib temple, thoracic spine) with the inner
space of anahata (heart) chakra
• Integration of tantric hatha yoga techniques
of pranayama, sound, visualization, and
bhava (feeling states) in asana
• Tending the fire of the Sva Shakti through
meditation, chanting, and kirtan from
bhakti yoga to melt the barriers and release
the rasa (“liquid love”) of the heart
• Healing e-motions, or energy in motion,
through meditations and kriyas (rhythmic
movement)
• Symbolic wisdom, metaphor, and poetry of
the heart from yogic texts to illumine the
energetic qualities
• Group resonance and living practices to
move in the world centered in the heart
field
Note: The retreat is appropriate for experienced practitioners and teachers committed
to Sva Shakti. It can be applied toward Shiva’s
500-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training
Program.
Social Entrepreneurship: From
Spiritual Values to Effective Action
John Marks & Susan Collin Marks
There is a growing longing in many of us to
do something that will have an impact on the
state of the world: to be a change agent. We
hold a vision of infusing our spiritual values
into the political, economic, and social life of
our planet, transforming existing systems to
create a kind and dignified world for all. We
want to be social entrepreneurs.
This workshop will offer the accumulated
experience of Search for Common Ground,
which grew out of meetings at Esalen in the
early 1980s into one of the world’s largest
nongovernmental organizations working in
conflict transformation, with over 350 staff
working in seventeen offices on four continents. The keys to Search’s growth have been
creativity and nimbleness, reflected in the
range of their work, which includes TV and
radio soap operas reaching millions of people
in twelve countries, multiethnic kindergartens in the Balkans, a Common Ground
News Service in the Middle East, peace songs
in Africa, and consensus building among
polarized communities in the U.S.
Search founder and president John Marks
and senior vice president Susan Collin Marks
will take you deep within to unfold and
define your own vision. They will share with
you the Principles of Social Entrepreneurship
and offer individual coaching through a clinic
that draws on their profound experience as
well as the wisdom of the group. They will
lead you through the possibilities that abound
when you grasp your inner potential to make
the difference you long to make, and the
world needs, right now.
For further information, see www.sfcg.org.
November 30–December 7
Permaculture Design Teacher
Training: Innovation in
Experiential Education
Benjamin Fahrer & Kat Steele
Permaculture is a design system for creating
sustainable and regenerative human environments. This Permaculture Teacher’s course
introduces a revolutionary new way of teaching these concepts of ecological design: by
applying the principles of Permaculture to the
teaching of Permaculture. The course will
cover every aspect of becoming a dynamic,
effective educator and promoter of a more
sustainable, just future. These techniques can
be applied to any teacher in any field. This
course offers:
• Diverse teaching methods that work
• Techniques to help you prepare quickly and
organize thoroughly
• Building confidence through practice and
supportive critique
• Elements for whole-person learning and
learning styles
• Teaching of Permaculture techniques,
strategies, and materials
• Cultivation of new teachers
• Course planning, marketing, and evaluation
This program provides powerful teaching
techniques gleaned from years of
Permaculture teaching-wisdom from the
instructors’ own experience as well as from
renowned Permaculture teachers and mentors from around the globe. Course attendees
who are already certified in Permaculture
Design will be eligible for Permaculture
Teacher Certification.
Note: A working knowledge of Permaculture
Design is a prerequisite for attending.
Week of November 30–
December 5
Creative Tai Ji Practice—Play and
Improvisation in Tao Living
Chungliang Al Huang
In Asian culture, the philosophy of “play” is
always at the underlying core of “serious”
living. During this workshop participants
will be taught the essential Tai Ji metaphors
and movement motifs as recipes and tools
to explore, enhance, and enjoy the creative
process in everyday living. To follow the Way
(Tao) is not difficult if we can get out of our
own way, allowing the improvisation of
Nature’s flowing guidance along the Way,
composing and choreographing the “music
and dance” of our day-by-day autobiography
in progress.
Chungliang Al Huang is a highly respected
Tai Ji master and teacher of comparative living philosophy. His seminal classic Embrace
Tiger, Return To Mountain—published 35 years
ago from the recorded transcriptions of his
early teaching at Esalen (with a foreword by
friend and collaborator Alan Watts)—is still
one of the most inspiring and practical books
in contemporary Taoist teaching and creative
Tai Ji practice.
You are cordially invited to join this joyful
journey of “Living Your Own Tao.”
Anxious to Please: Revolutionary
Practices for the Chronically Nice
James Rapson, Craig English & Monica Sweet
This retreat focuses on a journey of transformation for chronically nice people—from a
life of anxiety, apology, and accommodation to
a life of strength, kindness, and extraordinary
passion. Do you:
• Apologize frequently, or for things you are
not responsible for?
• Get preoccupied with what other people
think of you?
• Become unhappy when your partner isn’t
happy?
• Feel worried or fretful so often it seems
normal?
• Take what you’re given instead of asking for
what you want?
• Always find yourself longing for something
(or someone)?
Chronic niceness affects millions, causing
severe anxiety, undermining careers, crippling self-esteem, and damaging relationships.
This workshop teaches seven powerful practices
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for transformation. These practices are
designed to bring about resilient self-esteem,
a happier and calmer emotional life, a realitybased optimism for the future, fulfilling sex,
and satisfying relationships. The workshop
incorporates group process, journaling, reflection, and a variety of techniques for releasing
anxiety from the body. What you can learn:
• How to go after what you want without
compromising your values
• A new way to envision romance—passion
without rose-colored glasses
• How to transform conflict into a creative
force
• Proven techniques for releasing anxiety
Healing through Deep Bodywork:
Deep Tissue Techniques for
Massage Practitioners—Level I
Perry & Johanna Holloman
This program will focus on exploring deep
bodywork as a healing art. It is designed for
massage and bodywork practitioners seeking
to incorporate effective deep-tissue techniques into their work. Whether in private
practice or working in a spa, the demand is
growing for practitioners who have mastered
the art of moving deeply into the body with
skill and sensitivity.
Areas of focus will include relieving chronic
and acute pain in the back and around the
major joints of the shoulder and hip. A good
deal of time will be spent learning to recognize how to feel “soft-tissue lesions” with the
hands and learning why, at physiological and
energetic levels, competent deep bodywork
needs to be done slowly to be most effective.
Previous experience in massage is recommended for this advanced level seminar.
Art as a Spiritual Path:
Discovering Your Soul Mandala
Paul Heussenstamm
The mandala, an ancient symbol and concentric map of the psyche, has been used by various cultures around the world, including
Tibetan Buddhism, Aborigines, and Native
Americans. This workshop will introduce you
to the mandala and, through it, to the mystery
of the soul and the passionate world of the
inner artist. It offers a supportive initiation
for all participants, regardless of experience,
to open to their natural creativity through art,
meditation, ritual, and music. Each participant will complete a colorful personal mandala as a symbol to live with, to study, and to
begin a process of learning, growing, healing,
and artistic development.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Deep bodywork, practiced with great sensitivity, is one of the most effective healing modal-
ities available to the bodywork practitioner.
Through slowly opening the body’s deeper
soft-tissue layers, we connect the mind to
normally unconscious, “stuck” areas of the
physical body, which can release enormous
amounts of previously “held” energy. This
energy in turn becomes available to support
the body’s innate capacity to self-organize and
self-heal, enabling practitioners to support
clients in overcoming previously stubborn,
seemingly intractable physical conditions.
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Discover your soul symbols as powerful tools
for personal and professional transformation.
Come to a deeper understanding of your own
creative forces. Mandala painting can open
your eyes in a heart- and soul-connected
way—to see and feel things you may never
have experienced before.
Art supplies will be provided. No previous
experience is necessary.
Weekend of December 5–7
Experiencing Esalen
For workshop description see September 19-21.
Sexual Happiness Coaching:
Coaching Yourself, Your Partner,
and/or Your Clients
Ronald Levine
The nature of the experience of sex has occupied philosophers, theologians, researchers,
and clinicians for centuries. It contains biological, emotional, and spiritual components.
Our minds, brains, bodies, and souls need to
work in tandem to create sexual intimacy. The
sex education we received (or didn’t receive)
created cognitive and emotional patterns
which impact our sexual imaginings.
This workshop—for professionals and nonprofessionals alike—focuses on the principles
of sexual happiness. Dr. Ronald Levine will
explain the two principles of sex, the three
principles of happiness, and the five principles of coaching ourselves, our lovers, our
partners, or our clients. Each of these concepts will be explored in depth to provide
hands-on skills to use in any setting.
The Declaration of Independence states that
we are entitled to the “pursuit of happiness.”
But what is happiness? How do we go about
pursuing it? Participants will be taught three
principles which lead to happiness: pleasure,
flow, and meaning. In the coaching portion of
the workshop, five simple principles of sex
coaching will be described and demonstrated.
Through dialogue, imagining, movement
lessons, and nonsexual nurturing touch exercises, students can create their own paradigm
of sexual happiness and learn practical methods to achieve it.
Recommended reading: Joannides, The Guide
to Getting It On; Seligman, Authentic Happiness;
Britton, The Art of Sex Coaching.
Being Present for Your Life:
Introduction to Mindfulness
Meditation
James Baraz
How much are you present for your own life?
Most of us spend more time in our own inner
world—worrying about the future, replaying
the past, or lost in fantasy—than experiencing
what life is offering to us right now. The present moment is where we can most directly
be intimate with our life—touched by beauty
and intimacy, while learning through the difficult lessons how to open our hearts.
Mindfulness—or vipassana—meditation is the
practice described by the Buddha for developing wisdom, compassion, and peace by learning to be mindful of what is actually happening in the present moment. Using the breath,
body sensations, thoughts, and emotions as
objects of attention, we can learn to be more
fully awake. When we see directly that the
nature of reality is change, we begin to let go
of clinging to the pleasant or avoiding the
unpleasant. We become more capable of meeting each situation with spontaneity, fearlessness, and love.
Participants will be introduced to this meditation practice and the principles on which it is
based. There will be periods of silent sitting
and walking meditation as well as discussion,
providing a foundation for applying mindfulness practice to everyday life.
The Tao of Global and
Personal Ecology
Chungliang Al Huang & Amory Lovins
For nearly three decades Amory Lovins and
Chungliang Al Huang have shared a special
kinship in the natural wisdom of the ineffable
Tao. As pioneers in their individual paths,
they continue to merge in their shared living
philosophy and way of being. Many years ago,
in a collaboration between Lovins’s Rocky
Mountain Institute and Huang’s Living Tao
Foundation, a calligraphic poster was created
of “The Tao of Leadership,” based on Verse 17
from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Now it is a collector’s gem gracing the walls of executive offices
around the world.
This seminar will be an open dialogue
between these two special friends. They will
share with participants their mutual respect
and convergent ways to invest deeper in harnessing the powers that be, whether from personal ecology or in consort with global politics, especially in relationship to China—the
upcoming mighty nation’s influence on world
culture, economics, and ecology. To enhance
the breadth, depth, and flow of this intensive
dialogue, the leaders will also provide music
and movement, their personal passion and
lifelong practice, to lighten the heart and
enlighten the mind.
Week of December 7–12
Add Life to Years and Years to Life:
Collective Wisdom in Practice
Amory Lovins, Russell Jaffe & David Presti
This workshop is for those who wish to spend
a week being, sharing, and identifying those
aspects of their lives that work well and those
that need healing or restoration—to glean
what brings their divine spark into full-intensity living. The program is most suited to individuals who want to sustain themselves and
thrive during the “interesting transitional
times” in which we live.
The leaders will share their personal practices,
protocols, and inspiration sources that nourish them with hope, help, and harmony in
the midst of abounding turbulence. Themes
include principles of Factor Four (Amory’s
book with Ernst von Weizsäcker) as well as
psychoneuroimmunology in everyday life
(David and Russ’s strengths).
Integrative medicine and the Alkaline Way
are a synthesis of how to add “life to years and
years to life” so that we may find meaningful
work that gives full expression to our lives.
The workshop integrates elements of Maslow’s
health psychology, Buddhist Abhidhamma,
active meditation and vipassana mindfulness,
healing words and nonviolent communication,
Gaia and Gaiam, post-dualism dialectics,
experimental epistemology, and living in
harmony with our nature by first finding
and accepting our nature.
The program begins with this affirmation:
Mind and body are always connected; what
affects one, intimately affects the other. The
leaders will offer tools, protocols, mind maps,
strategic planning techniques, and suggestions of the kinds of practices that enable
each type of person to reach full potential.
Thought leaders in health technologies, education, business, psychology, integrative medicine, bodywork, biological sciences, medicine,
nutrition, exercise physiology, and spiritual
sciences are welcome.
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and holism, the study of matter and the study
of pattern, between quantity and quality. In
this workshop, Fritjof Capra will discuss the
work of three scientists who were outstanding representatives of the science of quality:
Leonardo da Vinci, Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe, and Gregory Bateson. He will show
that these three geniuses who lived in different centuries shared very similar integral
visions of science, art, and ethics.
The Passion of Painting
Erin Gafill
When we are struck by the awesome, the
beautiful, or the extraordinary, we are compelled to express our feelings through making a mark, even something as random as a
stroke of red crayon on white paper. Yet
often in the act of making this mark, we are
besieged by self-doubt, restraint, the voice
of our inner critic, and the bold and honest
response is lost.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Painting with passion commits the artist to
exploring not only color, texture, composition, and line, but love, death, the meaning of
life, and risk. Creating an environment which
nurtures a sense of safety and non-judgment,
Big Sur artist Erin Lee Gafill leads participants through visual explorations using
expressive painting, torn-paper collage, and
mixed-media image making. By eliminating
all but the nonessential forms, participants
must examine what matters and what doesn’t,
what to leave in and what to leave out, in
telling their visual story. Each participant will
create a series of pieces in various media,
exploring the passion of painting while learning new techniques for seeing, thinking,
drawing, and self-examination.
Writing and Knowing
Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux & Joseph Millar
What another would have done as well, do not do
it. What another would have said as well or
written as well, do not say or write it. Be faithful to
that which exists nowhere but in yourself.
— André Gide
There is a world inside each of us that we
know better than anything else, and a world
outside of us that calls for our attention. Our
subject matter is always right with us. The
trick is to find out what we know, challenge
what we know, own what we know, and then
give it away in language.
The leaders write: “We will write poems, share
our writing, and hear what our work touches
in others. We’ll also read model poems by
contemporary poets and discuss aspects of
the craft. But mainly this will be a writing
retreat—time to explore and create in a sup72
portive community. Though we’ll focus on
poetry, prose writers who want to enrich their
language will find it a fertile environment.”
There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy… that is
translated through you into action. And because
there is only one of you in all time, this expression
is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist…
It is not your business to determine how good it is…
It is your business to keep it yours clearly and
directly, to keep the channel open.
— Martha Graham
Leonardo—Goethe—Bateson:
The Science of Quality
Fritjof Capra
Throughout the history of Western science,
there has been a tension between mechanism
Love Yourself—For Everyone Else’s
Sake
Mark Abramson
This workshop offers an experience of two
trainings taught at Stanford University
Medical Center. As director of Stanford’s
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Program, Dr. Mark Abramson has modeled
his work after Jon Kabat-Zinn’s program
(featured on Bill Moyers’ PBS series “Healing
and the Mind”).
He has also established a new program at
Stanford called “Love Yourself—For Everyone
Else’s Sake.” This course directly challenges
the confusion surrounding the issue of selflove. Self-love is the most altruistic of all practices. When you are free to be kind and loving
to yourself, the world and all the people in
your life are touched.
Advanced Yoga Practice for
Perfect Beginners
Incorporating the latest research on mind/
body medicine, this workshop introduces
practices that create a profound physiological well-being, plus the heartfulness to
transform emotional states and unleash the
great potential for deep healing of the body.
The goal is to learn how to use the awareness and mindfulness practices to experience your own love in a peaceful, healthy
body.
Mark Whitwell
“This work,” Dr. Abramson writes, “has been
shown to create an increasing experience of
gentleness, kindness, and respect for oneself
and others. While the practices are especially
helpful for people experiencing emotional
or physical concerns, the universality of the
experience makes this program valuable
for all.”
This course is designed to provide advanced
Yoga understanding and practice for those
new to Yoga. The program will also be helpful
for Yoga students of any level who wish to
understand the principles of Krishnamacharya,
“the teacher of our teachers.” Participants will
study how to apply these principles to the
Yoga they already know and love in order to
make it efficient, powerful, and safe.
Emphasis will be given to developing a personalized practice, which you can take away
from Esalen and continue to effectively practice for, in Krishnamacharya’s words, “peace
and power in your daily life.”
Please bring your own yoga mat.
Staff Retreat
Esalen will be closed to the public during these
five days.
December 19–26
SoulMotion™: Tenderness at the
Heart of the Dance
Zuza Engler & Scott Engler
“Soul is flow, an ever-changing cloudscape of
textures, hues, sensations, scents, and feelings,” writes Zuza. “Soul is how the deathless
Presence meets and moves a finite human
body. In this workshop, we will reclaim the
body-in-motion as a doorway to the soul’s
flow, to the life that is unfolding just under
the surface of everyday forgetting.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
According to Yoga master Krishnamacharya,
Yoga was not meant to be a struggle to attain
some future goal, but a direct participation in
the nurturing force of Life.
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
“SoulMotion is a meeting with self and other
in a dance that is deeply nourishing, creative,
intelligent, emotionally savvy, heartbreaking,
soul-making, spirited, and transforming. It is
a movement toward the dynamic stillness at
the center of all things, the place of rest at the
heart of sound and motion. We will gather to
listen deeply and hover on the threshold
between doing and being, solitude and
togetherness, awkwardness and grace.
“Dancing at the edge of the continent, the
edge of another beginning, the edge of Love
despite all odds, we will move with our
delight and our sorrow, inspired by the
promise of light returning into the heart of
darkness. This formless dance form allows
for passionate full-bodied movement as well
as mindful inner explorations, ritual, and
luscious lounging. To follow the divine choreography, we learn to fall and flounder. Going
deeply into contact with self, we awake
enveloped in communion. The permission to
relax, restore, and rejoice in community
invites a shift from alone to All One—from
‘my dance’ to the One Dance.”
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Bring an object, a poem, or an image for the
altar to be created as a symbol for the simultaneous possibility of self-expression and
belonging.
Exploring and Experiencing the
Subtle Body: Teachings from the
Ancient Tibetan Bon Mother Tantra
Alejandro Chaoul
Well-being in the Tibetan tradition is a holistic sense of wellness that encompasses body,
energy, and mind. The Bon Mother Tantra is
a tradition that was rediscovered in the
11th century and provides many different
meditative techniques for healing and
enlightenment.
This course will provide an in-depth experiential exploration of the body’s energetic
dimension (or subtle body) composed by
channels, the vital breath (lung, prana, or qi)
that circulates through them, and the subtle
aspects of the mind that guide them. Led by
Alejandro Chaoul, who has taught these practices for over a decade, participants will be
instructed in meditative techniques from the
Mother Tantra that bring together the mind
and the vital breath, supported by specific
body movements called tsa lung (“channels
and vital breath” practices), working with
one’s energetic centers (chakras) to provide a
sense of embodied meditation. These movements relate to the qualities of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) and
can help to remove physical, mental, and
energetic blocks, allowing you to connect to
your inner wisdom and potential to achieve a
relaxed yet aware state of mind and a healthier lifestyle.
Note: Participants should wear loose, comfortable clothing and should bring a cushion if
choosing to sit on the floor.
Stronger at the Broken Places:
Relationship Challenges for
Individuals and Couples
Linda & Charlie Bloom
The mind seeks an easy relationship.
The heart seeks a spiritual partner.
Many factors draw us into relationships:
physical attraction, a desire for intimacy,
financial concerns, to name a few. Then there
are our deeper, often unconscious agendas,
matters of the heart that are usually less
apparent, although no less compelling. A soulmate is someone with whom we can learn the
lessons required for our deeper purposes to be
fulfilled. These lessons have to do with freeing ourselves from limiting patterns of behavior and beliefs that interfere with our ability
to be free, whole, and loving.
This process of liberation often pits us against
challenges that stretch our capacities, that
confront us with unhealed wounds and
incompletions. This is the deeper purpose of
relationships: to compel us to go beyond the
edges of our familiar reality and into the terrain of the unknown. Each time we successfully move into and through these painful
ordeals of the heart we claim increasingly
larger aspects of ourselves, bringing us to progressively higher levels of consciousness.
In this workshop, participants will learn how
to embrace and take full advantage of the
teachings that relationships provide for us as
we strengthen the capacity to stand more
firmly and openly in the face of the fire.
Recommended reading: C. & L. Bloom, 101
Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married.
Spinal Awareness: Healing
(with Humor)—Feldenkrais
and Energy Work
Patrick Douce
Spinal Awareness is a blend of movement,
touch, and group interaction, based on the
work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Taoist-ChineseIndonesian martial art, and the Esalen experience. It continues to evolve. With Spinal
Awareness you can increase your flexibility,
improve your posture, and help most chronic
and acute pain, stiffness, and stress conditions. There will be special emphasis on any
difficulties participants may have, such as
lower back pain, hip trouble, tension in the
neck and shoulders, and knee injuries. The
workshop will evolve with humor and playfulness. Fun partner lessons will help bring about
not only freedom in the body but a return to
the childlike energy essential to us all.
The movements of Spinal Awareness are quite
different from normal exercises. You will
learn how to move in ways that stimulate
your body awareness as they help you
improve. Experience how you can use the
floor to organize and integrate your own
spinal column. Learn standing lessons which
lead you to a new awareness of ways to move
with better balance and fluidity.
possibilities.
Safe and noninvasive hands-on lessons will
be shared that greatly speed up your improvements.
Mining the Self to Create Characters:
A Writing Workshop
Lisa Lieberman Doctor
According to Ernest Hemingway, “… a writer
should create living people; people, not characters. A character is a caricature.” But how do
we turn a character into a dynamic being?
How do we imbue our characters with truth
and give them their own unique voices? We
do this by mining our own stories, memories,
truths, and experiences.
Lisa Doctor writes: “Through a series of writing exercises and discussion, we will create a
character in the context of a moment in time
and then explore his or her full range of feelings, from pure joy to fear, loneliness, and
pain. We will allow our characters to speak to
us, to answer important questions, and to
open up about that which haunts and thrills
them. By the end of the weekend the character we’ve created—a person who is separate
from us—will emerge with a unique and
authentic voice, a personal history, and a distinct identity. The character we create will
have evolved into an actual living person who
cannot be defined as a caricature.”
This workshop is designed for writers of
every level, including beginners who are seeking their first group writing experience in a
safe and nurturing environment.
A Big, New, Free, Happy, Unusual
Life: Self-Expression and Spiritual
Practice
Nina Wise
It is our nature to be free—and to express that
freedom spontaneously and without hesitation through song and dance, poetry and play.
Moreover, we each have the ability to wake up
to who we already know ourselves to be: people dedicated to a sane and just world made
up of individuals who celebrate their common
humanity and this planet of indescribable
beauty through singing, dancing, playing, and
caring for all sentient beings.
This improvisation workshop allows the creativity that resides within us to have a voice.
“Everyone has a story to tell,” says Nina, “and
stories reside as much in the body as in the
mind. So we begin with movement—slow
stretches to open the body. We open the voice
with playful classical- and jazz-based exercises. We meditate to calm the heart, dance to
free the spirit, find a way to effortlessly compose with language. This journey leads to giving voice and physicality to the private characters and inner realities that live in the subconscious mind and the cells of our bodies.”
This workshop is like dreaming on your feet.
Expect to surprise yourself and to become
more playful and at ease before an audience.
You might even find that the sense of wellbeing achieved during the workshop not only
expands your creative abilities but also
enhances your experience of daily life. And
while it is not therapy, Nina’s work can be surprisingly, delightfully, holistically healing.
Recommended reading: Wise, A Big, New, Free,
Happy, Unusual Life.
Transition: Having What It Takes
David Schiffman
“Are you a passionate, romantic, spiritually
independent type facing a period of transition
in your life?” asks David Schiffman. “Would
you like to be inspired by your own dreams
and blessed with practical support that you
can depend on? Our mission for this week
will be to face the emotional challenges of life
changes, risk, and transition. Together, we will
forge an ongoing community based in honest
mutual interest, genuine support, and authentic personal presence. It will be a soulful
exploration using a uniquely proven blend of
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natural powers, native intelligence, and wisdom
teachings, both traditional and modern.
“Emphasis will be on developing a keen,
mature sense of self-appreciation and personal
timing, and the life skills necessary for moving
forward on your own terms. Communications
skills—both energetic and expressive—will be
investigated with potent, simple emotional
clarity as our shared aim. This workshop is
especially useful for the self-made, mysticallyinclined wisdom-seekers who are guided by
their own hard-won reckoning.”
Ageless Vitality: Igniting the
Physiology of Natural Ecstasy
Elisa Lodge
It’s the fire in your eyes and the flowing motion
of your spine.
It’s the joy in your walk and the warmth
in your voice.
It’s expressing a lust for life beyond all reason.
Participants will contrast conditioned attitudes and static behavior patterns with a vital
physiology that reflects fluid flexibility, freespirited breathing, resonant vocal power, and
authentic emotional energy. Integrating an
expressive vocabulary of feeling into daily life
activities eroticizes nerve fibers, warms the
flesh, arouses the arteries, fires alertness, and
pumps blood into our heart with undivided
passion. With more unbridled energy and creative vigor, there is renewed freedom to
breathe as the wind, walk with joy, speak with
heart, and play the game of life with grace and
daring.
This work is a creative compilation of Elisa’s
forty years of exploring and teaching expressive arts therapy, movement/dance/drama
education, bodywork, sound healing, and
emotional release practices.
Recommended reading: Lodge, Primal
Energetics: Emotional Intelligence in Action.
Awakening the Creative:
The Painting Experience
SM
Stewart Cubley & Staff
The power inherent in painting is that it can
awaken a wild vein of passion that will not go
back to sleep. Using only the simple tools of
brush, paper, and paint, Awakening the Creative
invites you on a highly personal journey of
daring and risk, made possible through a safe
environment and the support of Stewart and
his experienced staff. The potential is to tap
into an extraordinary resource: the vibrant,
driving force of your own creative spirit.
MICHAEL COVEY
Body language is universal and reveals more
than words can say. In this program, participants gain a deepened appreciation of how
their body language, emotional history, and
self-image are intimately intertwined. The
habit of “sameness”—living life in repetitive
patterns that cause us to breathe, sit, stand,
walk, and talk with little variation—is a major
source of chronic tension, addiction, and
sedentary decline. Our nervous system
thrives on novelty.
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In this workshop, everyone is a beginner. You
are welcome even if you’ve never picked up a
paintbrush. There will be no critiques, analysis of the work, or focus on the finished product. The goal is free expression, with the
emphasis on the creative process rather than
on technique or expertise. Awakening the
Creative is an opportunity to embark on the
greatest of all human adventures—embracing
your own path and confidently following it.
tional, spiritual, and practical perspectives,
each person will leave with a blueprint for
implementing and sustaining lasting change.
The workshop is suitable for individuals or
couples.
Public Speaking: Powerfully
Presenting Yourself
Mary Goldenson & Robert Corff
Stewart Cubley, coauthor of Life, Paint &
Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous
Expression, has traveled throughout the world
for more than thirty years working with individuals and groups to access the potential
within the human heart and imagination.
This workshop may be of interest to people
from a wide variety of disciplines, including
art, education, counseling, social change, and
meditative practices. All materials are supplied.
This Year I Will…
—How to Finally Change a Habit,
Keep a Resolution, or Bring a
Dream into Being
M.J. Ryan
Every so often, we get inspired (again!) to
lose weight, get organized, start saving, find a
better job, or stop worrying. But by the time
the rosy blush of good intentions wears off,
we’re back to our old ways, frustrated and fed
up with ourselves. It doesn’t have to be this
way. This workshop offers you an opportunity
to get the breakthrough wisdom and support
you need to make this time the time that
change becomes permanent.
Change is hard. It’s not that we’re weak or lazy
but that bringing new behavior into being
takes energy, determination, self-awareness,
and practice. That’s because the tendency to
keep doing what we’ve already done is so
strong because the neurons in our brains that
fire together wire together—meaning that
they tend to run the same sequence the next
time, whether we want them to or not.
This experiential workshop is intended to
help anyone—who has broken a resolution,
fallen off a diet, or given up on fulfilling a
dream—to use the discoveries from current
brain science to make a promise to themselves that they can keep. Through discussion,
lecture, journaling, and one-on-one and
small-group interactions from a blend of emo-
Why are some people so inspiring and
impactive when they speak? What inhibits us
from delivering our message? This workshop
will explore the inhibitions to self-expression
and communication, and help participants
move beyond them with more freedom in
both personal and professional life. It is
designed for those who want to develop a
more powerful personal and public presentation, and better professional and business
communication skills.
The leaders combine their expertise in the
fields of psychology and the performing
arts to guide you through this pulse-raising
adventure. The focus will be on self-exploration through individual and group work.
Participants will use voice and body to express
themselves with more power and passion.
Courage, passion, and clarity need not be
restricted to rare moments in life. Learn to
express yourself more fully and experience
the satisfaction of being more authentic and
self-assured. This process can help awaken
your dreams and invigorate your life.
Recommended listening and reading: Corff,
Bob Corff ’s Speakers Voice Method; B. & C. Corff,
Achieving the Standard American Accent (CD
and workbook), available at
www.corffvoice.com.
The Healing Art of Esalen® Massage:
An Introduction
Perry Holloman & Deborah Anne Medow
This workshop is for anyone interested in
learning the art of Esalen Massage. The weekend—for beginners as well as those with massage experience—offers tools for transforming
how we utilize touch.
Esalen has long been a mecca for trailblazers
in the field of touch. Over Esalen’s long history, these pioneers have contributed to the
depth and breadth of this flowing form of
massage. During this workshop, Deborah and
Perry will guide participants through the
entire body, so that by workshop’s end all will
have the experience of giving a full-body
Esalen Massage. Beginners will be given an
experience that they can share with partners,
friends, and family. Experienced practitioners
will be given techniques that they can immediately integrate into their work.
Deborah and Perry write: “Join us for this
journey into the oldest healing art practiced
at Esalen. With our hands, we’ll begin to identify what may be out of balance in our bodies,
minds, and hearts. With our sensitivity, we
will learn how to support each other in restoring that balance, bringing vitality, clarity, and
a sense of ease to our daily lives. With our
spirits, we will dance with the powerful forces
of the natural beauty of Esalen, welcoming in
the coming New Year, as we give and receive
Esalen Massage.”
Please bring your favorite music, a welcoming
heart, and a sense of humor.
The Future of Love
Daphne Rose Kingma
Relationships are changing dramatically. Half
of all marriages now end in divorce. Multitudes
of people live in relationships that don’t follow
the traditional marriage format. Have we
become a culture of relationship failures, or
are these changes like Roman candles lighting the way to a higher love?
This provocative/comforting workshop
reveals how love is being born anew. As old
forms fall apart, we have an opportunity to
inhabit the powerful place where soul energy
enters our intimate relationships and invites
them to become the chalice for an even
greater love. If your relationship life has followed an unfamiliar path—if you aren’t still
married to your high-school sweetheart, if
you’ve changed your gender preference midway in your relationship life, if you’ve had a
lifelong series of relationships—you may have
wondered why the norm has eluded you.
Through meditation, lecture, exercises, and
conversation, this workshop uncovers the
deeper meaning of these new relationship
forms, explores what it means to be a relationship pioneer, and reflects the peace and illumination that come when we realize that the
soul itself is urging us to expand our capacity
for love. The workshop is for all individuals—
those who are baffled or inspired by their
seemingly unusual relationships, singles
whose paths haven’t followed the norm, those
in committed relationships (marriage or otherwise)—who want to take their relationships
to a place of greater spiritual depth.
Recommended reading: Kingma, The Future
of Love.
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Body of Sound
Alyssa DeCaro
There is a hidden language that lives deep
within us… a language of the body… of the
voice… of the breath… of the heart… and of
the soul. It goes beyond the fear that keeps us
separate. This language connects each one of
us to our deepest self-knowing. This language
weaves our thread into the web of all life.
“When we use our body and voice to access
the places within that are longing to be
expressed,” says Alyssa DeCaro, “we are in
touch with our authentic self. This generates
a ‘feeling’ sense of belonging and connection
that awakens the whole being and activates
transformation.”
This workshop will draw from a variety of
modalities such as movement awareness,
ecstatic dance, vocal toning, body percussion,
contact improvisation, circle song, drumming,
and Balinese Kecak. As we deepen the connection between sound and movement within ourselves, we discover the possibilities of
connection with each other and our environment. As nature around us brings inspiration,
78
participants will venture out into this beauty
to find instruments and to create music and
dance in nature.
Alyssa writes: “Let’s come together in song
and dance, in movement and stillness, in
sound and silence. We listen… we experiment… we share… we connect… we celebrate
the gift of this life as it moves through each
unique being.”
All are welcome.
Prayers for the World:
The Art of Making Prayer Flags
Virginia Ray
Flags and other sacred objects have been used
to create positive change around the globe for
centuries. The Tibetan style of primary-colored gauze flags has become especially popular. The printed messages on cloth are cast
into the universe by the wind, sunlight, and
other elements, and as the flags fade and
transform the prayers are dispersed. The cycle
is symbolic of the impermanence of life.
This workshop offers an opportunity to put
your intentions into your own individualized
version of these flags. Take time to pause and
reflect upon what ideas you’d like to cultivate
for yourself, loved ones, and the cosmos.
Enhance your daily life with colored bits of
inspiration. Use them as reminders to live
your fullest life. Help create balance on our
planet.
Participants will learn about the evolution of
flags and the various ways that cultures around
the world incorporate sacred items into daily
life. Students will work with cloth and paper,
using painting and printmaking techniques.
All materials will be provided. No art experience is necessary.
Each student will make several sets of flags.
Prayer flags can be aesthetic additions to your
home or workplace, touchstones for your
spiritual practice, and subtle yet powerful
blessings for gardens and living spaces.
View examples of prayer flags and sacred
touchstones at www.epicarts.org/artists/virginiaray.
Week of December 28–
January 2
Revealing, Reinventing, and
Renewing: A New Year’s Resolution
for Singles
Constance Maas
This workshop is about you and your relationships—with exes, family, friends, and, most of
all, with your unique place in this limitless
universe. Whether you are divorced, in transition, widowed, or a lifelong single, whether
your hope for the New Year is to find the person of your dreams, to remain single, or something in between, this workshop is for you.
You need only a desire to know more about
yourself and a willingness to explore. In a safe
yet challenging environment, you will have
the opportunity to contrast your history with
the future you want to create.
Connie Maas writes: “Together we will
explore the wonder of the opposite sex, commitment, community, and sexuality, along
with the regrets, fears, and triumphs of who
we are as people intimately connected to
other people. We will utilize everything
Esalen has to offer for revealing, renewing,
and reinventing who we are and what our
personal vision is. Using art, meditation, selfawareness games, Gestalt, group interaction,
and the natural environment of Esalen, we
will create a foundation for new ways of looking at ourselves and the world. Our group will
be a circle of support for tears, fears, laughter,
and love, as well as a springboard to create the
future we truly want.”
The Natural Singer
Claude Stein
Come and celebrate the awesome healing
power of your voice. Whether you already
sing or have always wished you could, this
exciting workshop can change your life.
a driving rhythmic chant. No special talent or
previous experience is necessary. Whether
your goal is to take the next step singing in
public or just to hit the notes when you sing in
the car, you’ll find yourself communicating
freely and singing like you’ve always wanted to.
Therapists, coaches, and workshop leaders
will also find the techniques valuable for use
with their clients.
• Afro-Brazilian New Year’s Yemanja ritual
with special guests
• Hot springs gong meditations
• Tribal art immersions with Francisco
Letelier
• Silent meditations and sweat lodge
This retreat is designed so that you will return
rejuvenated, inspired, and deeply connected to
your creativity as you begin a fresh New Year!
Note: Bring instruments, CDs, and songbooks
for evening jam sessions.
Axé! New Year’s Ritual Retreat
Micheline Berry, Shaman’s Dream & Friends
Begin the New Year with a deep immersion
into your wild creativity, power, and Axé. Axé
(pronounced ahshay) is the Yoruba word for
life force, and the New Year is a powerful ritual time that offers the opportunity get clear
and set in motion our seeds of intention for
the upcoming year. Come experience a healing weekend of celebration and silence, rejuvenation and empowerment, purification and
fun, stillness and ecstatic movement as we
bring in the New Year together and prepare
our mind and body for a new beginning.
Join Micheline Berry, Shaman’s Dream, and
friends for an unforgettable New Year’s Ritual
Retreat dedicated to cultivating Axé and
empowering your creativity through ritual
arts of world music, dance, yoga, tribal painting, and more. Most yoga and all dance sessions will be accompanied by world, Latin
fusion and Middle Eastern grooves by
Shaman’s Dream to guide you deeper into the
flow. This Axé! New Year’s Ritual Retreat will
include:
• Daily Liquid Asana-Vinyasa Flow yoga
classes
• A New Year’s World Ritual Concert with
Craig Kohland and Shaman’s Dream
• Somatic Afro-Brazilian and ritual belly
dance journeys
S
future
programs
The program listed below is scheduled for the
next catalog period (January-June 2009). This
is not an invitation to register, but information
to assist you in your long-range plans to
participate. Please call the Esalen office, visit
www.esalen.org, or see the next catalog for more
updated information.
Spring 2009
Certification Program
The Esalen monthlong massage program
provides comprehensive instruction in basic
massage skills. The training provides a minimum of 150 hours. After the program, students
wishing to fulfill certification requirements
have six months to complete and document
30 massage sessions. Upon payment of a
$100 processing fee, a California stateapproved Certificate of Completion will be
issued. To request an application, contact the
Esalen office at 831-667-3000.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
During this week, you will be shown how to
find and use your true, natural voice. There
will be exercises to relax the throat, build confidence, increase range, sing in key, and project
with power. Then, using favorite songs, participants will develop the extraordinary gifts we
are all born with. The results can be simply
amazing as each of us, no matter what level we
are at, triumphs over the physical, emotional,
and psychological issues that limit us—even if
you’ve never been able to carry a tune!
You can find confidence through the gentle
whisper of a lullaby, release emotion with the
cry of the blues, or rekindle your passion with
79
special programs
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
S
T
he programs listed below are either
part of an ongoing series, formatted
unusually, or longer than the standard
Esalen workshop.
October 19–24
Gestalt Coaching: Contact, Intention,
and Development in the Gestalt Model
Coaching, arguably the fastest-growing area of
applied psychology and the helping professions today, has long since leapt its traditional
bounds in organizations and executive offices
to become a familiar offering in the personal/professional development marketplace.
Activities and services offered under a
Coaching rubric now commonly range from
organizational/professional goals and development to personal arenas such as life coaching, vision coaching, relationship and couples'
coaching, adolescent and family coaching,
coaching for special populations and life challenges, and more.
Many approaches to Coaching have clear
affinities to central Gestalt themes and meth80
ods: in their focus on clients' intentions and
desires, on present-centered dynamics, on
experiment, and on dialogic conversation.
Other features of some Coaching models
seem to depart from or even contradict
Gestalt's radical commitment to the client's
experience and intentions, dialogue, and integral growth.
What are the features of a distinctively Gestalt
approach to Coaching? Can Coaching's traditional emphasis on objectives and skills be
integrated with Gestalt's defining hallmarks
of growth in capacity for integration, authenticity, dialogue, and experiential development? What do Coaching perspectives have
to offer the Gestalt model, which, after all, was
originally offered as a lay model, free of a
"pathology-based" bias, and focused on health
and full human functioning? Even more
important, what does the Gestalt model offer
to Coaching, toward integrating skills and
objectives into a context of lifelong development, growth of relational experience, and
full human living?
Join us for this five-day Study Conference to
explore, experiment, and dialogue with these
themes, and with each other. In our morning
sessions, we will gain input and experiential
exposure to Coaching in relation to central
dimensions of our human functioning—
including personal development and relationship, energy and embodiment, leadership and
organizational settings, inquiry and dialogue,
social and cultural context, and meaning-making in the largest sense. Afternoons will continue these explorations with workshops,
methods, and opportunities for practicum
and skills practice. Evenings will feature special presentations and events.
To facilitate contact and dialogue, our learning
community will be limited to 60. Our setting
will be the magic environment of Esalen with
its special legacy and atmosphere of learning,
experiment, and Gestalt practice. Our conference goal will be the articulation of a distinctively Gestalt family of Coaching perspectives
through the presentations of distinguished
invited faculty and the co-creative dialogue of
our conference community.
Invited faculty will include Cathe Carlson,
Sally Denham-Vaughn, Ty Francis, Robert
Kolodny, MaryAnn Kraus, Malcolm Parlett,
Deborah Ullman, Gordon Wheeler, plus others still to be announced.
Support from the Esalen Center for Theory
and Research and Esalen Strategic Alliance
Program enables us to offer this Study
Conference at these special rates:
Standard (shared) accommodations:
$1200 (per person)
Bunk bed accommodations: $975
Limited sleeping bag accommodations: $795
Prices include Conference tuition plus
accommodations and all meals (Sunday
evening through Friday lunch), as well as
access to all open Esalen movement/yoga/
meditation programs and 24-hour use of
Esalen's hot spring baths.
document 30 massage sessions. Upon payment of a $100 processing fee, a California
state-approved certificate will be issued. This
is a professional training with limited admission. Applications will be reviewed in the
order received and preference given to those
who have previously completed a workshop
in Esalen Massage. Early application does not
guarantee acceptance. Please request an application from our office (831-667-3000).
Standard accommodations: $4910
Bunk bed room: $3700
Conference presentations will be published
in book form by GestaltPress. All participants
as well as presenters are eligible and invited to
submit articles for consideration. Don't miss
this unique opportunity to participate in the
ongoing growth of the Gestalt model, which
continues to exercise a transformational influence on the evolutionary practices of psychotherapy, organizational and group work,
and personal development.
This special program is open to all students or
practitioners of Coaching and/or Gestalt.
November 16–December 14
Certification Training:
An Embodied Philosophy
Vicki Topp & Tom Case
This monthlong training in Esalen® Massage
and Bodywork provides a minimum of 150
hours of comprehensive instruction in fundamental massage skills. Esalen Massage will be
presented as a form of somatic learning and as
a meditation for both the giver and receiver.
Classes will include lectures and demonstrations, supervised hands-on practice sessions,
movement, and experiential exercises in
anatomy, grounding, centering, breath awareness, body process, pathology, self-care, ethics,
and business practices. Special attention will
be given to creating a supportive environment where learning can occur easily and a
synergy between intuition, creativity, and
technique can be achieved. This training is for
those new to bodywork as well as practitioners wanting to add the Esalen approach to
their work.
Following the successful completion of this
program, students wishing to complete the
certification process will have 6 months to
whole person. Faculty: Dyrian Benz, Psy.D. &
JoAnna Chartrand.
Body and Mind Integration: Utilizing Somatic
and Breath Awareness Effectively in Clinical
Practice—Fundamental skills for the somatic-
infused clinical practice, including the use of
breath awareness, the potential of touch, and
somatic experience. Faculty: Kathy Kain, MA
& Dyrian Benz, Psy.D.
Body and Self in Relationship: Relational
Somatic Psychotherapy—The therapeutic
relationship is explored in terms of its psychological and somatic dimensions, including the
therapeutic impact of sensations, breath, and
somatic experience. Faculty: Diane Fosha, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Relationship: Practical
The Santa Barbara Graduate
Institute Embodied Psychotherapy
Certificate Program in Relational
Somatic Psychology
The Certificate Program gives participants a
foundation in the leading-edge field of somatic psychology. It is designed to meet the needs
of professionals and practitioners (educators,
healthcare professionals, therapists, psychologists) as well as individuals interested in
learning an in-depth somatic/psychological
perspective. SBGI faculty or affiliates teach all
courses. An approved application is required.
Complete the application on the Internet at
www.esalen.sbgi.edu and allow one week for
processing and for you and Esalen to be
informed of your status.
This Certificate Program is a series of courses
inspired by the Santa Barbara Graduate
Institute somatic psychology post-graduate
academic curriculum. Completion of six
courses qualifies one for the Foundational
Certificate; completion of nine courses qualifies for the Advanced Certificate.
Each of the segments may be taken individually for a certificate of attendance. The segments are offered every two to four months
with the entire program presented in approximately three years. Graduate course credit is
also available (see below).
SBGI Relational Somatic Psychotherapy
Certificate Program Segments
The following segments may be taken in any
order, either as individual courses or as an
entire program.
Somatic Psychology: Essentials for an
Embodied Psychotherapy Practice—An integrative study and overview of the practice of
body-oriented psychotherapy addressing the
Interpersonal Neurobiology, Attachment
Theory, and Psychotherapy—Our brains are
highly social organisms. Explore how attachment relationships and the early development
of the brain are formed and transformed and
have massive effects throughout the lifespan.
Faculty: Marti Glenn, Ph.D. & Paula
Thomson, Psy.D.
Working with Character, Trauma, and
Developmental Issues: The Somatic
Experience in Psychotherapy—Participants
will experience how character strategies, trauma, and core beliefs are revealed and transformed through the body. Current Faculty:
Larry Heller, Ph.D. & Aline La Pierre, Psy.D.
The Embodiment of Being: Body, Soul, and
Presence in Somatic Psychology—Recognize
the connection between mind-body-being, in
order to experience the spiritual dimension of
the body in clinical practice. Current Faculty:
Dyrian Benz, Psy.D. & JoAnna Chartrand.
Embodiment and Development: Foundations
of Presence, Compassion, and Healing—
Learn basic embodiment practices and tap into
the natural human functions of presence, compassion, and healing and explore the brain/
mind-body partnership. Current Faculty:
Susan Aposhyan, MA & Dyrian Benz, Psy.D.
Innovative Approaches In Relational Somatic
Psychology—The study, exploration, and prac-
tice of recent developments and applications
of relational somatic psychology and psychotherapy. Current Faculty: Siegmar Gerkin,
Ph.D., or Christine Caldwell, Ph.D.
Attachment, Attunement, and Adult
Sexuality—This seminar provides a therapeu-
tic model for emotional intimacy and sexual
fulfillment that synthesizes the relevant
research and clinical practice for relationship
and sexual concerns. Current Faculty: To be
determined.
81
Mindful Body-Mind Psychology and
Practice—Mindfulness in psychotherapy cre-
ates scientifically recognized enhancements
in our brain physiology, our mental functions,
and our interpersonal relationships. Current
Faculty: Ron Kurtz, MA & Dyrian Benz,
Psy.D.
Practicum in Relational Somatic Psychology—
Experiential segment practicing somatic psychology with case presentation, practice, and
collaborative consultation. Current Faculty:
Michael Sieck, Ph.D. & JoAnna Chartrand.
Practice of Relational Somatic Psychology—
A practicum and learning experience in
Relational Somatic Psychology focused on
skill practice, case consultation, and professional practice topics. Current Faculty: To be
determined.
Please note: The use of touch is always optional
in each of these segments. For a more extensive description of each of the segments see
www.sbgi.edu.
Graduate Ph.D. Course Credit in
Relational Somatic Psychology
This program can also be taken as a more
scholarly course of study which includes
additional reading and writing for students
who would like to earn graduate credit
toward a doctoral degree program at Santa
Barbara Graduate Institute. To use this training as credit toward a Ph.D. degree, students
must first apply and be accepted in the
Professional Specialty Ph.D. program at SBGI.
Information on the Somatic Psychology
Foundations Certificate and Ph.D.
Professional Specialty Program is available
on the SBGI website: www.sbgi.edu. For
information or to register, call 805-963-6896
or e-mail [email protected].
Please note: An approved application is
required; contact Esalen for registration only
after your application has been accepted by
SBGI.
The Harvard Medical School
Continuing Education Series
Esalen has been selected to host Continuing
Education courses offered by Harvard
Medical School (HMS) Department of
Continuing Education. To reserve a space in
any of these courses, you must first contact
HMS at 617-998-5028. Only after you have
reserved your place in the course through
Harvard will you be able to reserve your
accommodations through Esalen at 831-6673005 (course fees and accommodations are
separate). The courses, dates, and instructors
offered during this catalog period are:
Psychopharmacology and the Health Food
Store: The Integration of Pharmaceutical and
Nutraceutical Treatments, October 12-17,
Andrew Stoll, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
Accreditation
Physicians: Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for
Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to
provide continuing medical education for
physicians. Harvard Medical School designates the weeklong Esalen seminars for a
maximum of 15 and the weekend Esalen
seminars for a maximum of 10 AMA PRA
Category 1 CreditsTM.
Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in
the activity.
Psychologists: The Massachusetts Mental
Health Center is approved by the American
Psychological Association to offer continuing
education for psychologists. All weeklong
programs offer 15 credit hours. The weekend
seminars offer 10 credit hours. Massachusetts
Mental Health Center maintains responsibility for the program.
Counselors: Massachusetts Mental Health
Center is approved by the National Board of
Certified Counselors to offer continuing education to participants. All weeklong programs
meet the criteria for 15 credit hours. The
weekend seminars meet the criteria for 10
credit hours.
Social Workers: For information on the status
of the application to the Massachusetts
Chapter of the National Association of Social
Workers, please call 617-998-5028 or e-mail:
[email protected].
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Nurses: Massachusetts Mental Health Center
is approved by the Arizona State Nurses
Association to offer continuing education
credits to participants. All weeklong programs meet the criteria for 18 contact hours.
The weekend seminars meet the criteria for
12 contact hours.
82
work study program
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
S
T
he Work Study Program at Esalen
is a 28-day program for those interested in an intense involvement with the
Esalen environment and an in-depth experience of the Esalen approach to holistic personal and social development. An integrated
work, service, and self-directed-learning program, the program is rich, demanding, and
often physically and emotionally challenging.
Participants work 32 hours per week in one of
Esalen’s departments and participate in that
department’s programs and schedule.
At the heart of the Work Study experience
is the core evening group, in which Work
Scholars meet together in a group, four to five
evenings a week plus one intensive weekend.
The group emphasizes a particular approach
to transformative practice, such as Gestalt
process, meditative practice, creative arts,
movement, bodywork, or other forms of
somatics. The group has its own leader, or
leaders (see schedule below), who is with the
group throughout the program, coordinating
the study schedule and facilitating many of
the evening sessions. Applicants must state
their preferred group and be committed to
staying at Esalen for the duration of the
program.
participant’s work schedule will also allow for
some participation in the daily open classes
(movement, meditation, yoga, and more) if
desired.
There will be introductory evenings in
which Work Scholars are introduced to the
Institute’s legacy through core practices of
the Esalen curriculum for integrated selfstructured learning and self-directed education. The practices offered include skills in
awareness (of self and others), intentionality,
personal visioning, goal-setting, building
support, communication and relational skills,
self-evaluation, and integration of learnings
into your own life.
Work Scholars are selected by application
only, to Student Services Coordinator Mary
Anne Will. Since this is a work and service
program, preference is given to applicants
who are open and willing to learn about
themselves within the work context as well as
within the study/process groups. Because the
work can be physically challenging (lifting,
bending, etc.), it may not be suitable for all
who wish to apply. First-month work students, in particular, are assigned to departments largely on the basis of community
need (usually the kitchen or housekeeping).
In addition to the evening program, Work
Scholars will be assigned to a work group in
one of six departments, and will contribute
approximately 32 hours a week to this work
group. Esalen practices such as process and
“check-in” will be woven into the work environment, providing rich opportunity for selfand group-exploration during the day. Each
Please note: The Work Study Program is
designed to explore and apply human values and
potentials. It is not intended as a substitute for
therapy or as a “cure.” It is a drug- and alcohol-free
program. No pets, drugs, or violence allowed. We
cannot accommodate children of work scholars.
83
June 29-July 27
will lead an in-depth experience of Spinal Awareness, a program of healing (with humor). Spinal Awareness is a way
of learning that improves body awareness,
flexibility, posture, and most chronic and
acute conditions of the body. Taught with
movement, touch, and group interaction, it
Chinese-Indonesian martial art, and the
Esalen experience. Spinal Awareness emphasizes learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your own body. The
course will include hands-on lessons, safe and
noninvasive, to greatly speed improvements.
The program will evolve with humor and
playfulness. Fun partner lessons will be intermixed to help bring about not only freedom
in the body but a return to the childlike
energy essential to us all.
Patrick Douce
lives of you and your listeners. You will also
learn how to speak your truth via the Internet:
guerrilla filmmaking, vlogging, and blogging.
The month will culminate in a theatrical presentation for the Esalen community as well
as the opportunity to post your work to
www.Youtube.com.
will lead a
monthlong program teaching spiritual massage and healing—the laying on of hands.
This practice integrates both hands-on and
energetic healing. Beginning Silat (Balinese
martial art) movements, dance, and shamanic
practices will be incorporated to complement
this energy work and to help bring participants in tune with their bodies. The program
will integrate emotional release work as it
organically emerges.
CE credit for nurses and bodyworkers.
September 21-October 19
Jim Gallas leads “Streams Of Energy,” a pro-
gram of Eastern bodywork and movement,
including Reiki 1 Certification, a thorough
overview of Shiatsu Massage, an introduction
to meridian theory, and an easy-to-learn, powerful Chi Kung form. Various meditations,
self-massage, and improv games will be used
to encourage awareness and expression. The
program is designed to open students to their
own innate healing potentials, to the power
of safe, therapeutic touch, and to being more
fully present in their ongoing unfolding.
Participants will also receive valuable tools to
facilitate the healing of others. In a spirit of
compassion, laughter, and expanding awareness, students will be nurtured and nourished
by the group interaction and by a deeper connection to Self.
CE credit for bodyworkers.
CE credit for nurses and bodyworkers.
August 24-September 21
In our information age, a world that encourages us to conform and consume, how do we
develop practices that allow us to grow toward
self-actualization? Over the past forty-five
years, Esalen has pioneered a full curriculum
for the human potential—mind, heart, body,
spirit, and community. This program, led by
psychotherapist, cultural theorist, and NYU
professor Bradley Lewis, will utilize experiential exercises, discussion, film, and other
media to explore, in a group process setting,
the Esalen curriculum and how it can be
applied to create growth that contributes to
a more just and sustainable world. Many
evenings will be devoted to learning Esalen’s
diverse practices for personal growth (such as
massage, meditation, personal and interpersonal group process, and creative expression).
The aim will be a full exploration of our own
human potential—and its application in the
world today.
July 27–August 24
If the story is in you, it has got to come out.
— William Faulkner
Everything in your life, from the mundane to
the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be told.
This program, led by writer/performer Ann
Randolph, focuses on the process of discovering your own unique and powerful story. By
writing from your deepest source, you gain
insight and self-understanding that can bring
peace, healing, joy, and laughter. You’ll learn
how to make your words leap from the page
to the stage, sharing them orally to uncover
the power of storytelling to transform the
84
A month with David Schiffman is intended
for people in transition who would like to
cultivate the life skills necessary for dealing
effectively with change and uncertainty. The
program will focus on individual and community reflection using movement, ceremony,
and guided group exercises. A unique blend
of ancient and modern practices, the curriculum will emphasize developing resourcefulness, imagination, and honest self-assessment.
The goal is to study what can be used to call
up native intelligence and spirituality to maximize our physical, emotional, and soulful
realization in dealing with life changes. In
addition to the evening sessions, there will be
weekly time for counsel and problem solving
in smaller groups.
Have you ever wondered what actors know
that you don’t? What wellsprings of creativity
and self-confidence do they tap into that
enable them to take the stage with power and
presence, draw every eye, perform spontaneously in front of an audience, and feel comfortable inside their own skin? Peter Meyers,
noted director, stage, screen, and television
actor, and dynamic performance coach to
CEOs all over the world, offers a monthlong
opportunity to discover secrets of the theater
that can revitalize your everyday life. In this
workshop, the theater will become your playground and springboard to personal discovery. In a safe space, you will be gently led to
uncover your own hidden talents in movement, voice, and improvisation. The workshop will culminate in an original theater performance for the Esalen community.
From the moment we first use our senses, we
co-create the world we live in through our
physical presence. We develop relationships
with ourselves and others through the physicality of our vision, smell, touch, and movement. This leads us to our sense of “I”, “thou”,
and “we”. As we develop, these relationships
shape what we believe is possible. This program with Michael Clemmens will focus on
the ways in which we create relationships
through our bodies. The program will also
explore the stories we make from these relationships and how we can creatively expand
our relationships through our physicality.
Using experiential exercises as well as group
discussion to develop awareness of self and
the group, the program will explore how we
co-create our bodily membership in family,
groups, and cultures. The goal will be to experience how we create relationships through
embodiment and to develop skills in attending.
CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs.
October 19-November 16
Thai massage, or nuad boran (translated as
“ancient healing touch”) is a 2500-year-old
healing tradition rooted in the very heart of
Buddhism. A “moving meditation,” Thai massage allows both practitioner and recipient to
experience the four Divine States of Mind:
Loving Kindness, Compassion, Equanimity,
and Vicarious Joy. This monthlong, led by
Stephanie Shrum, offers an opportunity to
study, practice, and understand the techniques and philosophy of Thai massage. Thai
massage uses rhythmic compression, rocking,
acupressure, passive yogic stretching, percussion, and meditative presence. The program
will also include dance, yoga, and movement
practice. The training encourages whole-body
participation, self-healing, deep understanding, creative response, and confidence in giving Thai massage treatments that are as healing for the giver as the receiver. No massage
experience is necessary, just a desire to touch
with presence and the intention to heal.
C.E. credit for bodyworkers.
Each of us has a unique style of creative
expression. It is part of our essential nature,
an expression of our heart and soul. When
you watch young children paint, sing, or
dance, you feel their total engagement and
sheer delight with the creative process. How
can we recapture this? This program will
explore painting, collage, dance, improvisational theater games, singing, writing, and
other avenues of creativity as a means to
awaken your unique creative spirit. Katie
Nash & Christina Dauenhauer offer a safe and
supportive haven for the creative process,
where “beginner’s mind” is welcomed, childlike wonder is nurtured, and a sense of deep
listening to intuition and imagination is
encouraged. The course will use visualization,
meditation, music, dance, and dream images
to spark the creative process. Please bring a
journal and comfortable clothes.
December 21-January 19
This yoga program with Debra Simpson will
explore the delicate balance between effort
and ease, both on and off the mat. The words
hatha yoga translate into sun and moon, masculine and feminine energy union. You will
be guided into sthira and sukha (stability and
comfort) through practice and philosophy
of yoga, discovering the middle path in all
aspects of being. The monthlong will apply
foundations of alignment and dynamic methods during the asana sessions to quiet the
mind for contemplation. During evening sessions you will study yoga philosophy and
explore your creative nature using music,
dance, and other art forms. The goal of these
teachings is to balance intensity and grace to
inspire you toward the path of happiness and
vitality. As Debra writes, “A quiet mind brings
the physical body into its most efficient state
for optimum productivity.”
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
November 16-December 21
Commitment to the Work Study Program
is from 4 PM of the first Sunday to 7:30 PM
of the final Sunday. Inasmuch as the Work
Study Program is a complete program in itself,
please do not plan to take regularly scheduled
catalog workshops during your stay.
Fees: A deposit of $400 in U.S. currency is
required with your application. You may pay
in full at the time you apply. The work scholar
fee schedule is $1095 for the first month,
$1045 for the second month, and $995 for
the third month. Work students may be invited to remain for a second or third month
depending on space available and community
needs. There are no scholarships available for
the first month of the Work Study Program.
Occasionally it is possible to stay for a longer
period as an Extended Student.
Food and Housing: Accommodations are
shared (occasionally co-ed), with up to four
people to a room, usually at South Coast
Center, a staff complex located 1.5 miles north
of Esalen. Housing and meals, often with
home-grown organic produce, are included in
your tuition.
Transportation: When making travel plans,
note that the closest airport to Esalen is
Monterey. With at least 48-hour advance
reservations, van service to Esalen is available
from the following locations on the Sunday
of your arrival:
Monterey Airport: Departs 2 pm. Cost: $40
Monterey Transit Center: Departs 2:20 pm.
Cost: $40
San Francisco Airport: Departs 11:45 am.
Cost: $80
For van reservations call 831-667-3010 or
e-mail [email protected].
Please note: Application is not registration
in the program. Registration is made only
after approval of application. If you do not
pay in full at the time of application, the balance of the fee is due on arrival and is nonrefundable thereafter.
Cancellation policy: If you choose to cancel,
you will be charged the following amount:
15+ days prior to start, $100; 8-14 days, $200;
3-7 days, $300; 0-2 days, $400.
Please mail the application form (see next
page) with your personal statement and
deposit to:
Work Study Program
Esalen Institute
55000 Hwy 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
or fax to:
Work Study Program
831-667-3069
We will contact you regarding your status
within 14 days of receipt of your applica-
For more information contact the Work
Study Office at the above address or phone:
831-667-3010; fax: 831-667-3069; e-mail:
[email protected].
tion.
85
Q
work study program application
please print legibly.
First Name _____________________________________ Last Name __________________________________________________ o Male o Female Today’s Date _______________________
Phone: Evening ( ————— ) ____________________________________ Day ( ————— ) ____________________________________ Cell ( ————— ) _______________________________________
Home Address __________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________________________
Country ____________________________ Occupation (previous, if retired)____________________________________________ Date of Birth _________________________ Age ___________
mo / day / yr
E-mail Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have any limiting physical/emotional conditions (e.g., bad back, severe depression) which might affect your full participation in this
program? o Yes o No Are you currently taking any medication? o Yes o No
If yes to either of these questions, please include details in your personal statement.
If a former Work Scholar, list where you worked and approximate dates _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Work Study Program is for 28 days, beginning at 4 pm on Sunday and ending at 7:30 pm on the final Sunday. Sometimes particular dates
and/or leaders are not available. List below, in order of preference, the dates/leaders for which you are available.
Please note: Space may become available up until the program start date. You must let us know if you wish to be removed from a wait list; if you’re on a wait
list and space becomes available, you will be notified for confirmation. If you cancel after placement, you will be charged a cancellation fee.
start date
Choice 1 ______________________________________________________ Leader __________________________________________ If full, wait list? o Yes o No
Choice 2 ______________________________________________________ Leader ___________________________________________ If full, wait list? o Yes o No
If your application is approved and we cannot give you your first choice, we will place you in your next available choice.
Work students may be invited to remain for a second or third term, depending on space availability and the needs of the Esalen community.
Please indicate your availability for such an invitation (no obligation): o No extension o One-term extension o Two-term extension
We encourage ridesharing. Are you bringing a vehicle? o Yes o No; Are you willing to give a ride? o Yes o No; Receive a ride? o Yes o No;
I wish to rideshare from (if different from above address) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Assignments to departments are made according to community labor needs (usually kitchen or housekeeping). However, if you have preferences
in housekeeping, kitchen, maintenance, gardening, or groundskeeping, please list them below (skills not always necessary).
o Place me wherever I’m most needed – or – note my preferences below.
Choice 1 __________________________________________________ Skills/Experience ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please attach a personal statement about your interest in the Work Study Program, telling us why you’d like to participate
and what you hope to take with you when you leave.
All applicants are required to sign a standard release-from-liability and assumption-of-risk form as a condition of participation
in the Work Study Program. This form will be mailed to you upon acceptance to the program.
Do you want van service? From o Monterey Airport, 2 pm ($40 fee); o Monterey Transit, 2:20 pm ($40); o San Francisco Airport, 11:45 am ($80).
Payment
o $400 deposit
o $1095
Card No. _______________________________________________________________________________
o Check (U.S. banks only), attached and payable to Esalen Institute
Credit Card Expiration Date _____________________________________________________
o MasterCard o VISA o American Express
Name and phone number (if different from above) _______________________
If you are making a credit card deposit, the balance will be
automatically charged to your card five days before your arrival.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Authorizing signature ______________________________________________________________
Applications cannot be considered without a deposit and a personal statement included. Deposits are not processed until your final
acceptance into the program.
86
R
biographical information
A
Rachel Carlton Abrams is a family
practice physician specializing in women’s
health and complementary medicine. She
has a holistic consultation practice in Santa
Cruz, Calif. (www.redwoodcircle.net).
She and her husband have published three
books on Taoist sexuality (www.multiorgasmicwoman.com). p. 25, 26
Mark Abramson is a part of the
Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine
and heads the Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction Program at Stanford Hospital
and Stanford University. He teaches at
Stanford’s School of Medicine and is on
staff at Stanford Hospital. p. 72
Francisco Aguabella, born in Cuba,
is a master of the Yoruba-derived bata
drums and rumba form, as well as contemporary traditions including Cuban son,
salsa, and Latin jazz. He has recorded
and/or performed with artists such as Tito
Puente, Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, and
Celia Cruz. p. 10
Pedro “Muñeco” Aguilar, dancer
and drummer, has been a fixture in Macho
Men for the past two years, providing the
movement and soul necessary to bring the
show to life. He has performed with the legendary Congero Francisco Aguabella and
appeared in the feature film Dance with
Me. p. 10
Stephen Aizenstat is the founding
president of Pacifica Graduate Institute in
Santa Barbara. As a licensed clinical psychologist and credentialed educator, he has
conducted dreamwork seminars for over 25
years. His book, DreamTending:
Teachings for a Dream-Centered Life,
will be released soon. p. 64
Leah Alchin, Charles Muir’s fiancée,
began her Tantric education in 1996. She is
a certified Tantric Educator with the Source
School of Tantra Yoga and has her own private practice. A survivor of childhood sexual
abuse, she is a powerful advocate of Tantric
sexual awakening and healing. p. 35
Ronald Alexander has explored
Buddhist meditation and healing disciplines
since 1971. He conducts trainings worldwide in MindBody Healing Therapies. A
psychotherapist and consultant to the entertainment industry, he focuses on leadership
coaching, creativity, and communication.
See www.openmindtraining.com. p. 64
David Allen, a graduate of UCLA
School of Medicine, has 25 years of experience in anti-aging and preventative medicine, as well as in alternative treatment of
acute and chronic diseases. He is board-certified in emergency medicine, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and bodymind medicine. p. 65
Katherine Anderson lived and
worked at Esalen in the 1960s. She was one
of Oscar Ichazo’s first U.S. students, joining
him in Arica, Chile in 1970. She has also
been a Classical Five Element Acupuncture
practitioner and a veteran teacher of Arica
trainings. p. 50
Susan Anderson has devoted 25 years
of research and clinical experience in treating the victims of abandonment trauma.
Founder of the Abandonment Recovery
movement, she is author of three books
including The Journey from Abandonment
to Healing. Her website is www.abandonment.net. p. 35
B
James Baraz has taught vipassana
insight meditation retreats and classes since
1977. Cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation
Center in Marin County, Calif., he holds an
MA in psychology and has a counseling
practice in Berkeley. p. 71
Flora Bardet was initiated into White
Crane Silat in Indonesia in 1978. After 20
years of living and teaching in Asia, she
now conducts trainings in Europe and the
U.S., emphasizing Silat as a path of longevity, lovingkindness, and empowerment. Her
website is www.langitanah.com. p. 53, 55
Ysaye Barnwell, a member of the
African American female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in The Rock, is a composer,
arranger, author, and actress. A vocalist
with a range of over three octaves, she
appears on more than 25 recordings with
Sweet Honey, as well as with other artists.
p. 28
Ellen Bass has supported and inspired
writers for 35 years. Her books include The
Courage to Heal, No More Masks!,
Mules of Love, and The Human Line.
Among her awards are the Pablo Neruda
Prize, Larry Levis Prize, and a Pushcart
Prize. p. 37, 72
Rob Bauer has been working with gay
men for over 20 years. His workshops incorporate the Rubenfeld Synergy Method, a
body-centered psychotherapy, as well as
experiential exercises, relationship dynamics, and meditation. He has presented workshops across America. p. 28
Toni Bergins, the creator of JourneyDance,
spreads her passion for life through her creative and transformative workshops and
JourneyDance Teacher Trainings. Her
humor, authenticity, and charisma make
JourneyDance accessible to all. See
www.journeydance.com. p. 40
Rich Berrett has committed over 35
years to enhancing and embodying awareness. He is a clinician, university professor,
and founding president of Imagery
International. His extensive background
reflects the importance of body awareness,
imagery, family systems, Gestalt, and deep
learning. p. 54
Micheline Berry has led over 450 ecstatic dance/world music journeys since 1996.
Her work is informed by Shiva Rea’s Prana
Flow, Ashtanga and Iyengar influences, and
years of study of different dance forms, including contact improvisation, Afro-Brazilian,
and movement meditation. p. 79
Leilani Birely, Hawaiian priestess
and ceremonialist, embodies the ancient
Hawaiian Aloha spirit and teachings. She
was educated in the oral tradition of her
elders, as well as by the natural forces of the
islands, passed down the generations in
storytelling, hula dancing, chants, and
ceremonies. p. 10
Charlie Bloom is an educator, therapist,
and seminar leader. He and his wife Linda
are cofounders of Bloomwork and coauthors
of the widely acclaimed book, 101 Things
I Wish I Knew When I Got Married.
He has facilitated workshops throughout
the world since 1982. p. 24, 75
Linda Bloom is a licensed clinical social
worker, educator, and seminar leader. She
and her husband Charlie are cofounders
of Bloomwork and coauthors of the widely
acclaimed book, 101 Things I Wish I
Knew When I Got Married. She has
facilitated workshops throughout the world
since 1986. p. 24, 75
rienced the positive, healing effect that music
has on folks from all walks of life. She
toured with Vocal Motion, the professional
ensemble of the Oakland Youth Chorus, for
four years before becoming a member of
SoVoSo 13 years ago. p. 10
Julie Bowden, psychotherapist and
author, specializes in childhood trauma,
substance abuse, and forgiveness. Coauthor
of Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children
of Alcoholics and Genesis: Spirituality
in Recovery from Childhood Traumas,
she has been teaching at Esalen for over
20 years. p. 15
Dyrian Benz is director of External
Daniel Brown is an associate clinical
Sunshine Becker has, since age 5, expe-
Programs for somatic psychology at the
Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. A former
trainer for the Hakomi Institute, he is the
author of several books and conducts trainings internationally in GroupField and
Family Constellations. p. 46
Jennifer Berezan is a singer/song-
writer, teacher, and activist. Her groundbreaking work as a recording artist and
teacher has established her as a leading voice
in the field of music, ritual, and healing.
She has released 8 albums and produces
large-scale multicultural, ecstatic ritual
events. p. 28
professor of psychology at Harvard Medical
School. He is author of 13 books, including
Transformations of Consciousness
(with Ken Wilber and Jack Engler) and the
recent Pointing Out the Great Way: The
Stages of Meditation in the Mahamudra
Tradition. p. 19
Rick Brown is Executive Director of the
Institute for Relationship Therapy in
Winter Park, Fla., with over 30 years of
clinical experience working with couples.
He is the author of Imago Relationship
Therapy: Theory and Practice, and has
been married for 31 years. p. 17
Katy Butler was a finalist for a National
Magazine Award in 2004. Her first-person
writing and literary nonfiction have appeared
in Best Buddhist Writing 2006, the New
Yorker, the Science Times section of The
New York Times, Tricycle, Vogue, and
elsewhere. Visit www.katybutler.com.
p. 65
C
Fritjof Capra, physicist and systems the-
orist, is the author of several international
bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics,
The Web of Life, and The Hidden
Connections. His latest book, The
Science of Leonardo, was published in
2007. His website is www.fritjofcapra.net.
p. 72
Jon Carlson is distinguished professor
at Governors State University (Ill.) and a
psychologist at the Wellness Clinic in Lake
Geneva, Wisc. He has been named one of
the five Living Legends in Counseling by
the American Counseling Association and
has published 40 books. p. 30
Lisa Carlton is a transformational life
coach, art therapist, massage therapist,
painter, and educator. Experienced in
Compassionate Communication, dance,
improvisation, and diversity awareness,
she coaches women in Santa Cruz and
teaches art. p. 25, 26
Seymour Carter, Gestalt and Sensory
Awareness teacher at Esalen for more than
30 years, is a lifelong student of the everevolving models of personal identity. A
student of Fritz Perls and Charlotte Selver,
he combines studies in family systems with
mindfulness practice and other somatic
approaches. p. 20
Tom Case has been practicing massage
for the past 16 years. He has been on the
Esalen massage staff since 1993. p. 55, 65,
81
Jill Casey is the Urban Outdoor Educator
with Girl Scouts of San Francisco Bay Area,
where she delivers mobile programming to
girls in grades K-12 throughout five Bay
Area counties. She specializes in experiential
education, team building, and having fun.
p. 50
Michele Cassou, internationally recog-
nized passionate artist and teacher, founded
The Painting Experience Method, which
she developed into the Point Zero Painting
Method, using painting for self-discovery
and exploring the spiritual dimensions of
the creative process. p. 38
Joseph Cavanaugh is a licensed psy-
chotherapist in private practice in the Sierra
foothills and a psychology instructor at a
local community college. He has facilitated
personal-growth workshops throughout
California for the past 30 years. p. 59
Gregg Chadwick is a painter based in
San Francisco and Los Angeles. His work
has appeared in galleries all over the world,
as well as in the book collection, The Speed
of Light. p. 30
87
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Alejandro Chaoul’s work focuses
on Tibetan mind-body practices from the
ancient Bon tradition and applications in
contemporary medical settings. He has conducted fieldwork in Tibetan monastic and
lay communities in Nepal and India, as
well as among Buddhist communities in
the U.S. p. 74
Matthew Cohen holds a fifth-degree
black belt in Shaolin Temple-style Kung
Fu and advanced degrees and training in
Indonesian martial arts, Qi Gong, Hatha
and Taoist Yoga, dance, and healing.
He has taught at many yoga centers in
the U.S. and abroad. Visit www.sacredenergyarts.com. p. 31
Dorothy Charles has been a student
Cyprian Consiglio is a monk of the
and teacher at Esalen since 1982. A student
of Esalen cofounder Dick Price, she combines
Esalen body-centered Gestalt with relational
Gestalt theory, and leads workshops in Asia,
Europe, and the U.S. p. 47, 65
Camaldolese Congregation, musician, composer, writer, and teacher. Much of both his
music and his teaching revolve around the
Universal Call to Contemplation through
spirituality and the arts. p. 45
JoAnna Chartrand is a European-
Bob Corff is one of Los Angeles’ most
trained practitioner since 1980. Her specialty is in somatically based transpersonal
and relational psychology along with
trauma work. She has been a student of the
Diamond Approach, a psycho-spriitual
approach, since 1992. p. 13
prominent performance teachers. His clients
include such award-winning celebrities as
Sally Field, Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa
Redgrave and Hank Azaria. In addition,
he has had leading roles on Broadway,
television, and motion pictures. p. 77
Kenn Chase has taught traditional
Bruce Cornwell has combined Gestalt,
Yang-style T’ai Chi Ch’uan for 30 years and
has studied with several T’ai Chi masters.
A certified Feldenkrais teacher, he is a stress
management consultant for Cardiology
Associates of Marin. p. 23
yoga, meditation, and dynamic theater
forms for more than 30 years—whether
leading workshops, working with clients
and actors in his L.A.-based psychotherapy
practice, or directing and acting in professional films and theater productions.
p. 16, 20
Chris Chouteau is a biologist and pro-
fessional manager with a thirty-year career
transforming organizations and their environmental policies. He has been a student of
the twelve steps, awareness practice, and
recovery since 1989. p. 15
Michael Craig Clemmens is a
licensed psychologist and trainer based in
Pittsburgh. He has worked for over 20 years
with individuals and groups focusing on the
relationship between personality, physical
process, and culture. He teaches Gestalt with
training groups both nationally and internationally. p. 49, 84
88
Phil Cousineau is the author of more
than 20 books, including Stoking the
Creative Fire: 9 Ways to Rekindle the
Imagination; Once and Future Myths;
and The Hero’s Journey. He also has
over 20 documentary film credits and is a
frequent movie consultant in Hollywood.
p. 30
Dixie Cox, cofounder of the Fun Institute
in Santa Cruz, Calif., has been facilitating
people’s expansion through improv for 15
years. She performs regularly with the
improv groups Loose Cannon and Crash
Test, and serves on the Board of Directors for
Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre. p. 11
Stewart Cubley’s work has carried
him throughout the world in facilitating
groups to access the potential within the
human heart and imagination. Originally
a scientist, he has led seminars in creativity
for more than 25 years. His website is
www.processarts.com. p. 76
D
Christina Dauenhauer, a graduate of
the Art Institute of Chicago, is a multimedia
artist whose current focus is collage and
painting. A former landscape designer for
10 years, she was featured in 2002 in Elle
Decor magazine as a “designer to watch.”
p. 85
Laura Day is an internationally known
intuitive and healer. She has worked as a
consultant, speaker, and trainer with major
companies in medicine, entertainment,
investing, drug research, and more. Laura
specializes in training the mainstream
world to use intuition in everyday life.
p. 15, 16
Alyssa DeCaro is a graduate of
Tamalpa Institute and has assisted
renowned teachers such as Anna Halprin
and Babatunde Olatunji. Her training
includes dance, yoga, martial arts, and
percussion. She performs with Gamelan X
and Miso. p. 78
Russell Delman studied with Moshe
Feldenkrais for many years. One of the first
Feldenkrais trainers, he has been teaching
the method since 1975. He has also maintained a Zen meditation practice for over 35
years, and conducts workshops and training
programs internationally. p. 27
Lisa Lieberman Doctor is a writing
coach based in Los Angeles, a former motion
picture executive, and a nominee of a
Daytime Emmy and Writers Guild Award.
p. 75
Patrick Douce, one of Moshe
Feldenkrais’s first American students, has
been associated with Esalen since 1972.
Since 1986 he lives half of each year in Bali,
developing programs with Indonesian Silat
martial-arts-for-health schools. p. 31, 38,
48, 59, 75, 84
Jim Dreaver was on a spiritual journey
for many years before awakening to his true
nature. His gift is bringing people into a
state of presence, where they can sense the
freedom, love, and creative power within
them. Visit www.jimdreaver.com. p. 38
Steve Dulfer is a contemporary blacksmith who draws upon the rich history of
metal and craft, using traditional techniques to forge a connection with the
ancient masters. His work reflects the blending of symbol, spirit, and substance that
marked iron’s early history. p. 44
Charles Durrett is an architect and
coauthor (with Kathryn McCamant) of
Cohousing and Senior Cohousing. With
Kathryn McCamant, he has consulted and
led workshops nationwide, and been interviewed on ABC, NBC, and CNN. They
currently live in the Nevada City (Calif.)
Cohousing Community. p. 45
E
Scott Engler, a longtime student of
presence and healing, is a practitioner of
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and
Lomi Somatic Education. He holds a black
belt in Aikido and lives in Petaluma, Calif.,
with his wife Zuza. His website is
http://scottenglercranial.com p. 26, 73
Zuza Engler has been on the spiral path
of kinesthetic investigation into consciousness for two decades, in motion, stillness,
and process inquiry. She is a long-term
student and practitioner of Buddhism,
SoulMotion, and Gestalt Awareness
Practice. Her website is www.transformativedance.com. p. 26, 73
Craig English is a teacher, writer,
actor, and coauthor of Anxious to Please:
7 Revolutionary Practices for the
Chronically Nice. He leads workshops
that help chronically nice people transform
their lives, relationships, and careers. p. 69
Gail Fitzpatrick-Hopler is the
President and CEO of Contemplative
Outreach, Ltd., a worldwide network of
individuals and small groups committed
to living the contemplative life in contemporary society. A founding member of
Contemplative Outreach, she is an international speaker and retreat director. p. 58
Pierre Grimes is a philosophy professor
at Golden West College, founder/director of
the Noetic Society, Inc. for the study of
Platonic and Neo-Platonic works, and
President of the Academy for Philosophical
Midwifery. He is a faculty member of the
American Philosophical Practitioners
Association. p. 24
Thomas Michael Fortel is a longtime yoga practitioner/teacher, influenced
by the Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Anusara
styles of hatha yoga, and drawing from his
devotional experience in Bhakti yoga. He
travels widely, sharing his love for yoga. His
website is www.yogawiththomas.com.
p. 20, 52
Stanislav Grof is one of the founders
and chief theoreticians of transpersonal psychology, and the founding president of the
International Transpersonal Association,
with over 50 years’ experience in research
involving psychotherapy and non-ordinary
states of consciousness. p. 13
Basho Fujimoto is a performing artist
and musician who apprenticed with the
internationally touring group Kodo, the
heartbeat drummers of Japan. p. 50
G
Paméla Espinoza is an Esalen
Massage practitioner/teacher who weaves
the interconnective relationships of the body
through spiral patterning and movement.
She has been involved with the healing arts
since 1972. p. 26
Erin Gafill is a fifth-generation
California painter. She has taught workshops for the Monterey Museum of Art, the
Central Coast Art Association, and the Big
Sur Land Trust. She was the first American
artist-in-residence of the Hamada Children’s
International Art Museum of Hamada,
Japan. p. 72
F
Jim Gallas, a Shiatsu teacher for over 15
years, has led workshops in California and
internationally. Creator of the video Table
Shiatsu: Deep and Effective Body Work
With Ease, Jim also teaches Reiki, yoga,
and Chi Kung, and is a member of a theater
improvisation group. p. 26, 84
Jessica Fagan, a member of the Esalen
massage staff, is a dancer and performer
who is deeply immersed in the practice and
teaching of Eastern and Western somatic
therapies as well as Vinyasa Yoga. Her
website is www.firewithin.ws. p. 18, 63
Benjamin Fahrer is an internationally
recognized Permaculture designer, educator,
and farmer. A community organizer and
progressive organic farmer, he has worked
intimately with front-line organizations,
nonprofits, and communities throughout
California. p. 69
Jayson Fann, former Esalen Arts Center
coordinator, has 18 years of experience as a
musician, performer, visual artist, costume
designer, composer, and musical director. He
studied music in Africa and the Caribbean,
and has taught at Cal State University,
Monterey Bay. p. 11, 41, 56
Robin Fann-Costanzo has a lifelong
background in dance and movement. An
Esalen Massage practitioner, CranioSacral
practitioner, and certified yoga instructor,
she has taught and assisted Esalen Massage
trainings, yoga retreats, and Upledger
Institute trainings. p. 49
Warren Farrell, author of the bestsellers
Sylvia Guersenzvaig is a student and
teacher of astrology experienced in somatic
and visionary practices. Sylvia counsels
nationwide and internationally. Since 1983
she has been a massage practitioner and
astrologer at Esalen, where she developed
Openstars—Process Astrology. p. 49
Suzie Galler has produced and directed
independent documentaries in addition to
numerous projects for CBS/Fox, Lifetime,
and NBC among others. Her films, I Am
My Mother’s Daughter and I Am
Beautiful, both aired on Lifetime Television
and were featured on Oprah. Her website is
www.esteemedwoman.org. p. 55
Mariah Fenton Gladis,
founder/director of the Pennsylvania
Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and
Training for over three decades, leads workshops and trainings around the U.S. and in
Europe. She is recognized for the sensitive
and creative way she practices the art of
Gestalt. p. 16, 20
Aviva Gold, painter, author, and thera-
pist, has been leading Painting From The
Source worldwide for over 25 years, as well
as training others to use this method. She
believes authentic soul-touching art comes
from a divine place within and the ritual of
creating such art is central to healing. p. 40
H
Meredith Haberfeld is acclaimed for
her work with individuals, couples, and
families, has taught her workshop Living an
Extraordinary Life at MIT, and is called up
as an expert for such publications as Forbes,
Woman’s Day, and Glamour. Her website
is www.meredithhaberfeld.com. p. 24
Pejman Hadadi is the foremost Iranian
percussionist in the West. A two-time Durfee
Master Musician Fellow, he has performed
and taught internationally since 1990.
His acclaimed recordings include Persian
and Middle Eastern percussion with his
percussion group, Zarbang. Visit
www.zarbang.com. p. 13
Terri Hague is the Senior Program
Specialist with Girl Scouts of San Francisco
Bay Area, where she oversees age-level
awards, travel opportunities, program
events, and leadership opportunities for girls
11-17. Her passion is working with youth.
p. 50
Anna Halprin is a seminal figure in the
world of dance, recognized with numerous
honors and awards. Author of several books
and videos, she believes that everyone has
the innate gift to dance. In 2006 Anna was
honored with a major one-woman exhibition of her life’s work at the Contemporary
Museum of Art in Lyon. p. 20
Patrice Hamilton worked in education
and counseling in the Midwest before moving to California in 1996. She has spent
much of her time since then living, working,
and studying at Esalen, where she began her
training in CFR and was active in Gestalt
training and practice. p. 65
Why Men Are the Way They Are, The
Myth of Male Power, Women Can’t
Hear What Men Don’t Say, plus the
recent Why Men Earn More, has been
a pioneer in both the women and men’s
movements, and appeared on over 1,000
TV shows worldwide. p. 41
Richard Gold has been practicing and
teaching Oriental healing arts since 1978.
A graduate in Thai Massage from the
Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai,
Thailand, he is chairman of the board
of the International Professional School
of Bodywork in San Diego. p. 28
Eleanor Criswell Hanna, a professor
of psychology at Sonoma State University, is
editor of Somatics, director of the Novato
Institute for Somatic Research and training,
and author of How Yoga Works and
Somatics. p. 41
Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a Zen
Mary Goldenson is a clinical psycholo-
Steven Harper is a wilderness guide,
author, artist, and Big Sur resident. He has
led both traditional and experimental wilderness expeditions internationally for over 30
years. He has an MA in psychology and his
work focuses on wild nature as a vehicle for
awakening. Visit www.stevenkharper.com.
p. 14, 30, 32, 46, 53
priest and former abbot of San Francisco
Zen Center; a devoted husband and father;
an avant-garde poet and writer; and a spiritual teacher who is deeply committed to
interreligious dialogue and to bringing
contemplative practice into the world. p. 37
gist, chiropractor, and certified Radix
teacher in Los Angeles. She has a private
practice specializing in relationship therapy
and transitions, and leads mediation trainings and workshops around the country.
Visit www.drmarygoldenson.com.
p. 14, 31, 49, 66, 77
Robert (Bobby) Hartman is a pas-
sionate organic-gardening advocate, an aesthetic pruner, and a systems thinker. He has
degrees in both Environmental Studies and
Psychology. p. 42
Joan Heartfield, director of the Divine
Feminine Institute, has been teaching with
Caroline Muir since 1994. She brings a loving heart and a profound wit to the consciousness of her work as she inspires and
awakens others to what is possible. Visit
www.talkinghearts.com. p. 50
Michele Hébert is a master yoga and
meditation teacher, sound healer, and
author. A teacher for over 30 years, she is a
senior teacher in the Walt Baptiste Method
of Raja Yoga. She has also studied with
Swami Veda Bharati of India and H.H.
the Dalai Lama. p. 62
Clifford Henderson is cofounder of the
Fun Institute in Santa Cruz, Calif., an
enterprise that brings improv to the community and into the workplace. She also performs regularly with the improv groups
Loose Cannon and Crash Test, and has had
numerous plays and sketch comedies produced. p. 11
Paul Heussenstamm grew up in a
family immersed in art and spirituality. At
35, he began painting in earnest as a single
art class expanded into a consuming passion, a new profession, and a new perspective on life. His original mandala is on the
cover of Gabrielle Roth’s Maps to Ecstasy.
p. 70
Deborah Ardell Hill is a licensed mas-
sage therapist and reflexologist experienced
in a variety of modalities. Author of Spiritual
Reflexology, she also offers integrations
using quantum physics theories. p. 39
Donald Hoffman is a cognitive scientist and author of more than 70 scientific
papers and three books. He is a professor of
cognitive science, computer science, philosophy, and logic and philosophy of science at
UC Irvine, where he was chosen by students
to receive their campus-wide teaching
award. p. 35
Lee Holden is a senior teacher for
Mantak Chia, the Taoist master, and has
edited several best selling books on Taoist
sexuality. He is a leading Chi Kung instructor, and creator of Seven Minutes of
Magic, the DVD series aired on PBS and
the book. p. 27
Johanna Holloman is a German-born
clinical psychologist, teacher, and a Gestalt
and Deep Bodywork practitioner. Now living in Big Sur, she is a certified Esalen
Massage teacher and a professional yoga
teacher on the Esalen Movement staff.
p. 58, 70
Perry Holloman has been a teacher
and practitioner of Esalen Massage, Deep
Body-work, and body-oriented approaches to
Gestalt therapy for over 20 years. He currently teaches in the U.S., Asia, and Europe, and
makes his home in Big Sur, Calif. His website is www.deepbodywork.com. p. 70, 77
Peggy Horan has been practicing and
teaching massage at Esalen for over 35
years. She has also been involved in childbirth education and has practiced midwifery
in Big Sur for 15 years. Peggy is the author
of the book Connecting Through Touch.
p. 55
89
Paul Horn’s illustrious career has
spanned five decades, 50 albums, five nominations, and two Grammy Awards. He has
studied in the Himalayas, taught meditation, led workshops, and played his flute
throughout the world, either solo or with the
likes of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and
Frank Sinatra. p. 61
Chungliang Al Huang teaches Tai Ji
philosophy, East/West synthesis, and the art
of movement meditation. He is the founderpresident of the Living Tao Foundation and
director of Lan Ting Institute in the Sacred
Mountains of China. p. 69, 71
Russ Hudson is executive director of the
Enneagram Institute in New York. He is
the coauthor, with Don Richard Riso, of several books, including The Wisdom of the
Enneagram and Personality Types
(Revised Edition). p. 28
Terry Hunt is a nationally known psychologist and coauthor of Emotional
Healing; Secrets to Tell, Secrets to
Keep, and Addiction as Transformation.
p. 61
Leigh Hyams is an internationally
exhibiting artist/teacher whose drawing,
painting, and artists’ books, workshops, and
critiques are held in Mexico, South America,
Africa, and Europe. p. 18, 63, 66
David Hykes, trailblazing
composer/singer, harmonic sound pioneer,
and philosopher/activist, is dedicated to
bringing Harmony more to life on Earth.
Founder of the Harmonic Presence work
and Harmonic Chant, he has collaborated
with the Dalai Lama and the Gyoto Monks,
and released 10 CDs and DVDs. p. 66
I
Christian Intemann first heard about
Oscar Ichazo at an Esalen workshop in
1969. He became one of Oscar’s first U.S.
students in Arica, Chile in 1970. Presently a
mental-health worker in San Francisco,
Christian feels that Ichazo’s teaching is a
genuine modern expression of the Dharma.
p. 50
J
Russell Jaffe has had the privilege of
contributing to the “birth” of modern integrative medicine. Dr. Jaffe works from first
principles of biology to clarify the the causal
mechanisms of good and ill health. His over
100 articles and invited reviews attest to his
professional contributions. p. 71
Roger Jahnke has practiced Chinese
Andrea Juhan balances the catalytic
nature of the 5Rhythms with a finely tuned
therapeutic instinct. Her teaching style is
both lively and challenging, creating a field
where participants are inspired and supported to pursue their own growth. p. 15
K
Kathy Kain has been practicing and
teaching bodywork for 30 years. She teaches
in Europe, Australia, Canada, and throughout the U.S., and maintains a private practice in Berkeley, Calif. She was a senior
trainer at the college for Somatic Psychotherapy in Sydney, Australia for 12 years.
p. 46
Leah Kalish is an educator, yoga teacher,
and national speaker/trainer for health and
empowerment through yoga and creative
play. Program director for Yoga Ed., she cocreated all Yoga Ed. curriculum, products,
and trainings, and coauthored the Yoga
Pretzel Deck and the Yoga Kit for Kids.
p. 25
Byron Katie, author of Loving What
Is and I Need Your Love—Is That True,
is the founder of The Work, a simple yet revolutionary process of inquiry that has helped
people around the world. Time magazine
called her a “spiritual innovator for the new
millennium.” p. 39
Georgia Kelly is the founder/
director of Praxis Peace Institute
(www.praxispeace.org). She produced
three international peace conferences in
Croatia and has organized crosscultural dialogues in the Balkans. She has a certificate
in conflict resolution from Sonoma State
and is an experienced mediator. p. 41
Gillian Kendall lives in Australia. She
spends about half her year reporting on the
parliament of the state of Victoria and the
rest of her time writing. She is the author of
the travel narrative Mr. Ding’s Chicken
Feet and coauthor of the memoir How I
Became a Human Being. p. 36
Jerry Kermode is an artist and artisan
living in Sebastopol, Calif. He has exhibited
his work and his skills in galleries and
shows throughout the United States. He
teaches his Art of Nonviolent Woodturning
both at his home studio and at the College
of the Redwoods Eureka campus. p. 42
Hala Khouri has spent over 15 years
integrating yoga and counseling, and is
certified in Somatic Experiencing. She
teaches yoga and leads workshops and
retreats internationally. Her website is
www.halakhouri.com. p. 38
Michael Krasny, professor of English at
San Francisco State University, is host and
producer of the award-winning Northern
California radio program “Forum.” He is
also a prize-winning teacher, journalist,
scholar, and the author of Off Mike: A
Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life.
p. 37
Jill Kuykendall is a physical therapist
and transpersonal medical practitioner who
has worked in the standard Western medical paradigm for 25 years. She is now in
private practice specializing in soul retrieval,
and is the coauthor (with Hank Wesselman)
of Spirit Medicine. p. 46
Mark Lakeman, a visionary architect,
is a founding member of the City Repair
Project, and the creative director of the ecological-design firm Communitecture. He
has traveled extensively in southern Mexico
where his inspiration for community living
came from living with traditional Mayan
peoples. p. 34
Michael Lame, co-founder and president of Prospero, LLC, is a management
consultant and organizational trainer who
conducts leadership and communications
programs for dozens of companies in North
America, Europe, and the Middle East.
p. 32
Leonard Laskow is a Stanford-trained
physician who has studied the healing
power of love for more than 25 years. He
is the developer of Holoenergetic healing
and author of Healing With Love: A
Breakthrough Mind/Body Medical
Program for Healing Yourself and
Others. p. 66
Dorianne Laux is the author of four col-
lections of poetry, Awake, What We Carry
(a finalist for the 1994 National Book
Critics Award), Smoke, and Facts About
the Moon. She has received a Pushcart
Prize for poetry, two NEA fellowships, and a
Guggenheim Fellowship. p. 72
Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx
and Against the Stream, is a Buddhist
teacher, author, and counselor, trained to
teach by Jack Kornfield. He teaches meditation classes, workshops, and retreats nationally as well as leading groups in juvenile
halls and prisons. p. 53
Ronald Levine is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Van Nuys,
Calif., an ordained rabbi, and an Authentic
Happiness Coach. For the past 25 years his
practice has focused on marital and sex therapy. p. 71
Daphne Rose Kingma is a therapist,
lecturer, and teacher of relationships as a
spiritual art form. She is the best-selling
author of seven books on relationships,
including Coming Apart, Finding True
Love, and The 9 Types of Lovers. p. 77
Carol Levow, a passionate painter and
teacher trained by Michele Cassou, has
taught with Cassou for the past 10 years in
addition to facilitating her own workshops
in Mill Valley, Calif. p. 38
Johnsmith has been writing heartfelt
Pamela Kramer, a senior teacher of
Master Share K. Lew, a youthful 90,
ITP and a student of George Leonard and
Michael Murphy, has led numerous ITP
and LET workshops at Esalen and creates
a supportive community setting to grow,
learn, and enjoy. She co-leads the longestrunning ITP group in the country. p. 50
is a healer and Taoist priest from Wong
Lung monastery in Southern China with
over half a century’s experience teaching
Taoist health practices such as Chi Kung.
p. 43
90
at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized
Study with affiliated appointments in the
Department of Social and Cultural Analysis
and the Department of Psychiatry. He is the
author of Moving Beyond Prozac, DSM,
and the New Psychiatry: The Birth of
Postpsychiatry. p. 84
Elisa Lodge is an expressive arts thera-
pist who has an extensive background in
movement/dance education, sound healing,
and innovative bodywork. She is the author
of Primal Energetics—Emotional
Intelligence in Action. Her website is
www.primalenergetics.com. p. 76
Amory Lovins has been a resource-poli-
L
medicine clinically for over 30 years. He has
traveled to China ten times to explore the
secrets of Qi in hospitals, temples, and sacred
sites. He is the author of the acclaimed The
Healer Within and, more recently, The
Healing Promise of Qi. p. 40
songs for over 30 years. He’s won national
awards and contests, was a staff songwriter
in Nashville, and has recorded 5 CDs. He’s
taught songwriting workshops nationwide,
and has been featured on NPR’s New
Dimensions. p. 59
Bradley Lewis is an assistant professor
cy consultant to leaders worldwide for three
decades, briefed 18 heads of state, and written 29 books and hundreds of papers. The
Wall Street Journal named him among
39 people in the world most likely to change
the course of business in the 1990s. p. 71
Francis G. Lu is a professor of clinical
psychiatry at the University of California,
San Francisco. Since 1987 he has co-led 20
seminars at Esalen exploring film and the
transpersonal. p. 19
Pier Luigi Luisi joined the University
of Rome 3, Italy, after 30 years at the ETHZürich. Well known in the fields of life’s
origins and vesicle self-reproduction, he is
author of several books and founder of the
Cortona week (www.cortona.ch). p. 21
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler, formerly a
vocal coach and accompanist, is the originator of Singing Gestalt, which utilizes lyrics
and songs as a means of self-expression. She
is executive director of programming at
Esalen. p. 17
Joyce Lyke is one of the principal teachers of the Diamond Approach to Inner
Realization. She has taught ongoing DA
groups throughout the U.S. for 13 years and
currently teaches in Canada. She was part
of the Esalen staff during the ’70s and ’80s.
p. 54
M
Constance Maas has worked around
the world—with soldiers returning from the
Middle East and with hurricane victims in
New Orleans. She has taught at several colleges and universities, training future therapists, and has been teaching at Esalen for
many years. p. 79
Patricia Ryan Madson, an Emerita
professor from Stanford, is the founder of
the Stanford Improvisers and a certified
Constructive Living instructor. Winner of
the 1998 Dinkelspiel Award for innovation
in undergraduate education, she is author of
Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just
Show Up. p. 27
Sandra Maitri is one of the principal
teachers of the Diamond Approach and the
author of The Spiritual Dimension of
the Enneagram: Nine Faces of the Soul.
A member of Claudio Naranjo’s original
SAT group, she has worked with the enneagram for three decades. p. 54
Jane Malek trained with Marion Rosen.
She is a senior teacher of Rosen Method
Bodywork and a Rosen Movement
Training teacher who began studying
Rosen Method in 1980. Jane has a practice
in the Monterey area as well as teaching
internationally. For more information visit
www.JaneMalek.com. p. 46
John Marks is founder and president of
Search for Common Ground and Common
Ground Productions. He was a Foreign
Service Officer, executive assistant to a
U.S. senator, Fellow at Harvard’s Institute
of Politics, and is a best-selling, awardwinning author. p. 69
Susan Collin Marks, executive vice
president of Search for Common Ground, is
a South African peacemaker who works
internationally to transform conflicts. She
speaks, teaches, writes, facilitates, and supports peace processes worldwide. p. 69
Dean Marson teaches in Esalen’s
Massage Program and Movement Arts
Program, incorporating meditation and selfcare practices to assist people in awakening
and de-stressing their bodies. He has led
workshops at Esalen, in Europe, and in
Asia for over 20 years. p. 22
Vinn Martí is a movement artist, teacher,
and spiritual friend, living in Portland, Ore.
He teaches SoulMotion internationally,
and is a certified Chaplain and Prayer
Practitioner through the New Thought
Alliance of Churches. p. 44
Anisa Mehdi is an Esalen Trustee and
an Emmy-award-winning journalist and
filmmaker who specializes in religion and
the arts. p. 32
Linda Trichter Metcalf, author
and educator, created the practice of
Proprioceptive Writing (PW) in the mid1970s. Founder of the PW Center, currently
located in the Bay Area of California, she
teaches, conducts PW therapy, and leads
the PW Teacher Certification Program.
See www.pwriting.org. p. 42
Peter Meyers, accomplished professional actor/director, founded the awardwinning Vector Theater Conservatory and
Stand & Deliver, an executive training
program that provides high-performance
training to business leaders all over the
world. p. 84
Joseph Millar’s volume of poetry,
Overtime, was a finalist for the Oregon
Book Award. He is the recipient of many
awards, including an NEA fellowship. He
teaches at Oregon State University. p. 72
Emmett Miller is widely recognized as
a founder of mind/body medicine and as the
inventor of the guided-imagery audiocassette/CD. He is the author of Deep Healing
and has recorded more than 50 deep-relaxation meditations and talks. p. 46
Caroline Muir, founder of the Divine
Feminine Institute and coauthor of Tantra:
The Art of Conscious Loving, inspires
women of all ages to claim their birthright
to be all they can be and to delight in their
sexuality. Her website is www.divine-feminine.com. p. 50
Charles Muir, a professional yoga
instructor for 35 years, is director of the
Source School of Tantra Yoga in Hawaii
and California. He is coauthor of Tantra:
The Art of Conscious Loving. His work
was featured in the Hollywood movies Bliss
and The Best Ever. p. 35
Paul Muller-Ortega is one of the
world’s most highly respected academic
scholars in the field of Indian religion and
Hindu Tantra, and a teacher of meditation.
p. 56
John Murphy spent much of his childhood fishing in Esalen’s Hot Springs
Canyon and playing on the beach at the
mouth of Hot Springs Creek. He traces his
profession as a stream ecologist to these early
experiences. John directs StreamWatch, a
stream-monitoring program in central
Virginia. p. 33
N
Phillip Moffitt is the founder/president
of the Life Balance Institute, a nonprofit
dedicated to the study and practice of spiritual values and Buddhist teachings in daily
life. He teaches vipassana meditation and
wrote Dancing with Life: Buddhist
Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy
in the Face of Suffering. p. 53
Katie Nash has spent several years
observing the natural unfolding of children’s
creativity at Esalen’s Gazebo School Park.
She is a SoulMotion practitioner, teaches
dance and meditation in Esalen’s Movement
Arts Program, and leads classes in expanding self-expression through improvisation.
p. 85
Anneli Molin-Skelton inspires people
to discover the forgotten language of their
souls through the permission to embrace
their sacredness and truth in movement.
She is a cofounder of the movement sanctuary Spiritweaves. Her website is www.spiritweaves.com. p. 24
Mehrad Nazari is a senior teacher of the
Walt Baptiste Method of Raja Yoga and a
continuing education specialist in yoga for
the American Council on Exercise. Dr.
Nazari has been initiated in the advanced
practices of many spiritual traditions and
has led retreats internationally. p. 62
Camille Maurine is the coauthor of
Michael Molin-Skelton listens to
Robert Neimeyer is professor and
Meditation 24/7 and Meditation
Secrets for Women. A dancer and performing artist who has been teaching since
1975, she is the creator of kinAesthetics and
the transformational Moving Theater
process. p. 59
prayers of the wind and hears music, looks
into the window panes of the heart and
feels rhythm. “Dance is not something I do,
it’s simply who I am.” Michael reaches
through dance rather than teaches to
dance. See www.spiritweaves.com. p. 24
Director of Psychotherapy Research at the
University of Memphis, where he also
maintains an active clinical practice. He
has published 20 books, including Lessons
of Loss: A Guide to Coping, and is editor
of the journal Death Studies. p. 57
Kathryn McCamant is an architect
R.B. Morris is a poet, singer-songwriter,
and coauthor (with Charles Durrett) of
Cohousing and Senior Cohousing, both
of which introduced this European housing
model to North America. Her projects
with Charles Durrett have won numerous
awards and their work has received
national recognition. p. 45
and playwright with seven CDs to his credit, including Zeke and the Wheel. He has
published four much-acclaimed books of
poetry, and has written several plays,
including The Man in the Attic. p. 30
Michael Newman is an attorneymediator, surfer, and lifelong resident of the
Big Sur coast. He has an MA in psychology
and promotes the integration of wilderness
into contemporary life. p. 14, 32
Leah Matson, an award-winning
teacher specializing in creative process and
psychology at Antioch University in Los
Angeles, is a psychotherapist, artist, actress,
lifelong performer, and surfer. p. 50
Nora Matten is a member of the Esalen
massage and movement staffs. Her work
draws on a wide range of teachings, especially
Vinn Marti’s SoulMotion, Forrest yoga,
vipassana meditation, and Gestalt
Awareness Practice. p. 58
Steve McIntosh is the author of
Integral Consciousness, and an original
member of the Integral Institute. An honors
graduate of the University of Virginia Law
School, today McIntosh is president of Now
& Zen, Inc. His website is www.stevemcintosh.com. p. 27
Deborah Anne Medow, Esalen
workshop leader and bodywork practitioner
since 1969, teaches yoga, massage, creative
movement, awareness practices, and related
healing disciplines throughout the U.S. and
Europe. She is also a certified nutrition educator, and manager of the Esalen Healing
Arts Department. p. 67, 77
Beverly Kitaen Morse is a marriage
and family therapist in private practice in
Santa Monica, Calif., and executive director
of the Rosenberg-Kitaen Integrative Body
Psychotherapy Central Institute and the
12 IBP International Institutes. She is coauthor of The Intimate Couple. p. 52
Ann Mortifee, with her extraordinary
four-octave voice, is recognized as one of
Canada’s unique and most passionate
artists. Her albums, musicals, ballets, onewoman shows, and workshops have won
her, among many awards, the prestigious
Order of Canada. p. 61
Mark Nicolson directs Ventana, a center which facilitates transformative learning
in leaders and organizations committed to
social change. Mark’s work is also focused on
life transitions. He is a graduate of Oxford,
Stanford, and the Esalen Extended Student
program. p. 27
Wes “Scoop” Nisker is a Buddhist
meditation teacher, author, radio commentator, and performer. His best-selling books
include Essential Crazy Wisdom; The
Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby
Boom; and Buddha’s Nature. He is the
founder and coeditor of the Buddhist
journal Inquiring Mind. p. 22
O
TS O’Grady is a builder/metal worker
who lives in Big Sur along with a growing
collection of scrap metal. p. 44
Gael Ohlgren met and trained with Ida
Rolf at Esalen in 1968 and ‘69 and later
served on the Rolf Institute faculty. After
studying and practicing Continuum for 25
years she became a Continuum teacher both
at home and internationally. Visit
www.gaelohlgren.com. p. 36, 37
Brita Ostrom, a licensed MFT, has led
massage and other workshops at Esalen for
over 20 years. She is trained in Gestalt
awareness work and participated in Esalen’s
two-year somatics education project. p. 15,
22
P
Wendy Palmer developed Conscious
Embodiment in 1980. She is a sixth degree
Black Belt in Aikido and works with leaders
on executive presence and cultivating center
under stress. She has authored The
Intuitive Body and The Practice of
Freedom. For more info go to: www.consciousembodiment.com. p. 53
Laurel Parnell is an internationally rec-
ognized psychologist, author, consultant, and
EMDR trainer who has trained thousands
of clinicians in the U.S. and abroad. The
author of four books on EMDR, she maintains a private practice in San Rafael, Calif.
p. 16
Larry Payne was named one of
America’s most respected Yoga teachers by
The L.A. Times. Coauthor of Yoga Rx and
Yoga for Dummies, he is the cofounder of
the Yoga curriculum at the UCLA School of
Medicine and director of the International
Association of Yoga Therapists. p. 65
John Perkins is the author of several
books, including Shapeshifting, The
World Is As You Dream It, and
Psychonavigation. His latest books,
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
and The Secret History of the American
Empire, are New York Times best sellers.
Visit www.dreamchange.org. p. 48, 49
Char Pias, a member of the Esalen mas-
sage staff since 1980, teaches internationally,
focusing on bodywork’s energetic, emotional,
and spiritual aspect. She is a Reiki Master/
Teacher, a Circle of Life facilitator/coach,
and a licensed graduate of The Center for
Spiritual Healing. p. 39, 63
Ayala Pines is a professor of psychology
at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. She is
the author of 10 books, among them Career
Burnout, Couple Burnout, Romantic
Jealousy, and Falling in Love. p. 31
David Presti is a neuroscientist and
clinical psychologist who teaches at the
University of California in Berkeley. His
expertise ranges from the treatment of drug
addiction to the use of drugs and plant
medicines for healing through ritual and
alterations of consciousness. p. 71
Christine Stewart Price is a teacher
and ongoing student of Gestalt Awareness
Practice and other approaches to developing
awareness. p. 16, 59
91
R
Aminah Raheem is a transpersonal
psychologist, the originator of Process and
Basic Acupressure, an international teacher
of body psychology, and the author of Soul
Return: Integrating Body, Psyche and
Spirit, and Soul Lightning: Awakening
Soul Consciousness. p. 43
Ann Randolph has been described
as “revolutionary,” a “tour de force,”
“Whitmanesque,” and “hilarious” for her
award-winning solo performances. Direct
from an Off-Broadway hit (produced by
the late Anne Bancroft), Randolph teaches
and tours extensively throughout the U.S.
p. 31, 84
James Rapson is a veteran therapist
who brings hard-won personal insight
along with his clinical experience and
scholarship. He is a clinical member of
the American Association of Marriage
and Family Therapists and an original
member of the U.S. Association of Body
Psychotherapists. p. 69
Virginia Ray is a visual/conceptual artist
known for her transformative art work
exhibited in galleries and healing institutions around the Bay Area. She is currently
creating an art center in Santa Cruz. You
can e-mail her at [email protected].
p. 29, 78
Shiva Rea is a leading teacher of prana
vinyasa flow yoga and yoga trance dance.
She began exploring yoga at 14 as a way to
understand her name, given to her by her
father. She has studied the Krishnamacharya
lineage, tantra, Ayurveda, bhakti, world
dance, yogic art, and somatic movement.
p. 56, 68
Layne Redmond has created a healing
form of rhythm and drumming which
draws upon years of studying hatha yoga,
Buddhist meditation, Ericksonian hypnosis,
and percussion techniques from the Middle
East, Africa, and India. She is the author of
When the Drummers Were Women
and Chakra Meditation. p. 58
Barry Robbins, a senior teacher of ITP
and a student of George Leonard and
Michael Murphy, has led numerous ITP
and LET workshops at Esalen and creates
a supportive community setting to grow,
learn, and enjoy. He co-leads the longestrunning ITP group in the country. p. 50
Llyn Roberts holds a Masters in
Tibetan Buddhist and Western Psychology
and is initiated by Tibetan, Latin American,
and Siberian indigenous elders. She wrote
The Good Remembering and the forthcoming Shapeshifting: Transforming
Self and World. Visit www.dreamchange.org. p. 48, 49
92
Melitta Rorty is a social activist and
hatha yoga practitioner who cofounded the
Rainbow Community center, a nonprofit
in Berkeley, Calif. She is also involved in
distributing food to low-income people with
AIDS. She is currently enrolled in the
Advanced Studies Program at the Yoga
Room in Berkeley. p. 55
Jack Lee Rosenberg is in private
practice in Venice, Calif. Founder and clinical director of the Rosenberg-Kitaen
Integrative Body Psychotherapy Central
Institute and the 12 IBP International
Institutes, he authored Total Orgasm, and
coauthored Body, Self, and Soul and The
Intimate Couple. p. 52
Ilana Rubenfeld, author of The
Listening Hand, 40-year pioneer in the
integration of body-mind-spirit, and creator
of the Rubenfeld Synergy Method, is a
certified teacher of Alexander Technique,
Feldenkrais Method, and trained with Fritz
and Laura Perls in Gestalt Practice. p. 21,
23
Jeffrey Rubin has been practicing psychotherapy for 29 years. He is a master
clinician and workshop leader, author of
Psychotherapy and Buddhism, and one
of the foremost integrators of the Western
psychotherapeutic and Eastern meditative
traditions. p. 29
Joanne Beaule Ruggles had a 30plus-year career as a studio arts professor in
the California State University system. Her
exploration of the human figure and development of a wide array of unorthodox techniques earned her the highest creative
research award granted annually by her
university. p. 62
M.J. Ryan is the author of Attitudes
of Gratitude and many other books. A
member of Professional Thinking Partners,
she currently serves as an advisor to entrepreneurs, executives, individuals and teams
around the world. p. 77
S
has practiced spiritual healing in Brazil and
the U.S. since 1982. She has been a resident
student and teacher at Esalen and conducts
trainings and seminars internationally.
p. 32, 84
Bill Say codirects the Community
Healing & Leadership Training, is a faculty
member of JFK and Naropa universities,
and has had a private practice in body/
mind/relationship therapy in Berkeley,
Calif., since 1989. His website is
www.CoreCommunity.com. p. 44
Banafsheh Sayyad is an internation-
ally renowned dancer, choreographer, and
instructor. Regarded as a pioneer in
Contemporary Mystical Persian dance, she
has toured her award-winning work with
her dance company Namah in North
America, Europe, and Australia. Her website is www.banafshehsayyad.com. p. 13
David Schiffman is a longtime group
leader at Esalen. His primary interest is in
facilitating people in transition toward a
more heartful, unstrained existence. p. 15,
57, 67, 75, 84
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Jill Purce, international pioneer of the
sound-healing movement, rediscovered
ancient vocal techniques, the power of group
chant, and spiritual potential of the voice as
a magical instrument for healing and meditation. She is the author of The Mystic
Spiral and Overtone Chanting
Meditations. p. 32
Marilyn Schlitz, clinical research scientist, medical anthropologist, writer, speaker,
and change consultant, is Vice President for
Research and Education at the Institute of
Noetic Sciences. She coauthored Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of
Transformation. p. 49
Stephan A. Schwartz is a writer,
researcher, adventurer, and philosopher who
has been a preeminent researcher of the
nature of consciousness for four decades.
More importantly, he has transformed
arcane scientific research into practical
applications that show how to open to the
infinite. p. 56
Suzanne Scurlock-Durana has been
teaching in the area of conscious awareness
and its relationship to the healing process for
over 20 years. Since 1986 she has been a certified instructor of CranioSacral Therapy
and SomatoEmotional Release training
with the Upledger Institute. p. 18, 23, 25
Paula Shaw, a professional actress and
acting teacher for over 25 years, conducts
workshops in expanding self-expression,
well-being, and creativity for non-actors
across the United States and Canada.
p. 65, 66
Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist and
author of several books, including the
award-winning bestseller, Dogs That
Know When Their Owners Are
Coming Home. He is currently the
Perrott-Warrick Research Scholar at
Trinity College, Cambridge. His web site
is www.sheldrake.org. p. 33
Spencer Sherman is a financial advi-
sor who has been regularly named one of
the top 100 wealth advisors in the U.S. by
Worth magazine. Author of the forthcoming The Cure for Money Madness, he
has been for two decades a business owner,
investment advisor, and meditation and
yoga practitioner. p. 24
Leonard Shlain is the chief of laparo-
scopic surgery at California Pacific Medical
Center in San Francisco. He is also the
author of three national best-selling books:
Art and Physics, The Alphabet Versus
the Goddess, and Sex, Time, and Power.
p. 53
Stephanie Shrum has been practicing
massage and the healing arts for over 10
years. A certified Thai massage instructor,
she has returned to Thailand regularly
since 1999 to deepen her practice. Creator
of the instructional video Introduction
to Thai Massage, her website is
www.CoCreativeHealing.com. p. 84
Michael Sieck is director of Redlands
Therapy Group, a certified Bioenergetic
Analyst, and a supervisor for the Southern
California Bioenergetic Institute. He combines elements of Bioenergetics, Gestalt
approaches, Jungian ideas, Object Relations,
and Psychodrama in his practice. p. 13
Eric Simon is an expert in the range of
stress-related disorders and has published
extensively on how mental states can
improve clinical outcomes. Dr. Simon developed the premiere pain-management program for the US Army at Tripler Regional
Medical Center. p. 42
Tobin Simon, poet and educator, began
his collaboration with Linda Trichter
Metcalf in 1977 to develop the Proprioceptive Writing method. Coauthor of
Writing the Mind Alive, he is cofounder
of the PW Center, and is a poet, teacher of
poetry, and writing coach of more than 30
years. See www.pwriting.org. p. 42
Jaqueline Lapa Sussman, psychotherapist and seminar leader, is the
Director of Projects for the International
Imagery Association, and a collaborator
with Dr. Akhter Ahsen. She is the author
of Images of Desire and Freedom From
Failure. Her web site is www.jaquelinesussman.com. p. 55
Debra Simpson is a longtime practi-
Monica Sweet practices acupuncture
tioner and teacher of yoga and wellness. She
is on the faculty of Webster University in
St. Louis, Mo., and teaches at the Big Bend
Yoga Center in St. Louis, as well as other
yoga studios in the Midwest. p. 85
and Chinese herbal medicine in Seattle.
Her teaching blends the traditional practices
of yoga, qi gong, meditation, and acupressure, with cutting-edge neuroplasticity
research. Her passion is helping her patients
find grace by releasing anxiety from their
bodies. p. 69
Fritz Smith is a physician, osteopath, cranial osteopath, certified acupuncturist, and
founder of Zero Balancing. He is the author
of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy
Movement and Body Structure, and
Alchemy of Touch. p. 23, 56
Gerald Smith is a licensed psychologist
in private practice in San Mateo, Calif. He
has written two books about relationships,
Couple Therapy and Hidden Meanings.
He has been leading couples groups at
Esalen since 1966. p. 21
Huston Smith, Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy, Syracuse University, is the
country’s preeminent scholar of world religions. Author of The Religions of Man
(republished as The World’s Religions)
and the best-selling Why Religion
Matters, Smith has influenced generations
of seekers. p. 37
Kat Steele is a Permaculture activist,
designer, and educator. Founder of the
Urban Permaculture Guild in Oakland,
Calif., she facititates workshops on sustainability, natural building, and Permaculture,
and speaks about urban eco-social design,
City Repair, and the power of placemaking.
p. 34, 62, 69
Claude Stein has 25 years’ experience
blending psychology and voice training. His
clients include RCA, Warner Bros., Sony,
Atlantic, Island Records, Juilliard, Harvard
Medical School, the Actors Institute, Sprint,
Siemens, and JPMorgan. p. 79
Brother David Steindl-Rast,
Benedictine monk, psychologist, and author,
has lectured on five continents. He was
Spiritual Teacher in Residence at Esalen,
and is concerned with the unique challenges
and opportunities of our time. p. 19, 21
Andrew L. Stoll is an associate profes-
sor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School,
and director of the Psychopharmacology
Research Laboratory, McLean Hospital. Dr.
Stoll is past recipient of the Teacher of the
Year Award at the Harvard Longwood
Psychiatry Residency Training Program.
p. 51
Steven Stroud was a Residential
Fellow, encounter group leader, and
Director of Residential Trainings at Esalen
in the 60’s. For 20 years he studied and
taught with the founders of many major
disciplines within the human potential
movement, such as Ichazo, Schutz, and
Perls. p. 64
T
Richard Tarnas is a professor at the
California Institute of Integral Studies in
San Francisco, where he founded the graduate program in Philosophy, Cosmology,
and Consciousness. His book Cosmos and
Psyche won the Book of the Year Prize
from the Scientific and Medical Network
in England. p. 13
Luisah Teish, known worldwide for her
performances of African, Caribbean, and
African-American folklore and feminist
myth, teaches at New College of California,
JFK University, and Naropa. Founder/president of Ile Orunmila Oshun, she is a chief
in the Fatunmise lineage as head Oshun
Priest in the U.S. p. 10
Vicki Topp is a senior practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage and somatic
bodywork. She teaches workshops and training groups internationally and is a
Registered Movement Therapist and practitioner of Body-Mind Centering. Her website
is www.vickitopp.com. p. 36, 65, 81
U
Deborah Ullman is editor and co-direc-
tor of GestaltPress. She has over 20 years of
Gestalt coaching practice and bodywork
practice on Cape Cod, Mass. Deborah teaches shame and belonging work at the Gestalt
Institute of Cleveland and elsewhere. p. 55
Daniela Urbassek is a longtime mem-
ber of the Esalen massage staff. Her work is
strongly influenced by her studies in craniosacral work, movement, yoga, and dance.
p. 18, 67
Jai Uttal, a sacred music composer,
recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and
ecstatic vocalist, combines influences from
India with influences from American rock
and jazz, creating a stimulating and exotic
multicultural fusion that is truly world
spirit music. p. 68
V
Attila Thomas Vaas has been a mem-
ber of the Esalen massage staff since 1976.
His skills include polarity, acupressure, and
Esalen’s free-form style of massage. p. 15
Arnie J. Vargas is a psychoanalytically
trained psychotherapist who has incorporated Eastern and Western spiritual principles,
shamanistic techniques, and traditionally
psychoanalytic theories in his practice with
clients from very diverse backgrounds for the
past 18 years. p. 56
Patrice Vecchione, collage artist and
author, has exhibited her work in galleries
and museums. She is the author of Writing
and the Spiritual Life: Finding Your
Voice by Looking Within and a book of
poems, Territory of Wind. Editor of many
anthologies, her newest collection is Faith
and Doubt. p. 11, 68
Cida Vieira, born at the heart of the
dance circles of Brazil, has choreographed
and performed in the U.S., South America,
and Europe, with dance groups and artists
including Xuxa, Ray Charles, Daniela
Mercury, and Airto. Currently, Cida is on
the Movement Program staff at Esalen.
p. 56
Gordon Wheeler is a licensed psychol-
ogist with over 30 years’ experience. Senior
faculty at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland,
he writes and trains extensively in the
Gestalt model, focusing on men’s issues,
intimacy and shame, and building interpersonal support systems. p. 55
Mark Whitwell has enjoyed a lifelong
relationship with the teachings of
Krishnamacharya through his students
T.K.V. Desikachar and Srivatsa Ramaswami.
He travels the world teaching Yoga and is
the author of Yoga of Heart: The Healing
Power of Intimate Connection. p. 73
Molly Williams is from the Big Sur
coastal area. Dr. Williams has trained variously in field zoology, wildlife rescue, lifescience education, shepherding, accounting,
veterinary medicine, and events-production.
She has been involved with the Arica
Institute since 1975. p. 50
Andy Abrahams Wilson, an award-
ogist and researcher at the Institute of
Noetic Sciences and California Pacific
Medical Center. She is coauthor of Living
Deeply: The Art and Science of
Transformation. p. 49
winning, Emmy-nominated filmmaker,
teaches digital filmmaking workshops
worldwide. His films have been broadcast
on HBO, PBS, CBC, and Showtime, and
his recent Returning Home, about dance
legend Anna Halprin, won first prize at the
Dance on Camera Festival. p. 32
Sharon Virtue has been painting for 30
years. She works on community-development projects based upon rekindling the
imagination and putting art into action.
Recipient of several awards from the San
Francisco Arts Commission, she was artistin-residence at the De Young Museum in
January 2006. p. 23
Anna Wise is an internationally recognized authority on EEG and consciousness.
She is the author of The High-Performance
Mind: Mastering Brainwaves for
Insight, Healing, and Creativity and
Awakening the Mind: A Guide to
Mastering the Power of Your
Brainwaves. p. 37, 38
Cassandra Vieten is a clinical psychol-
W
Julian Walker, a transformational
bodyworker, has spent over 15 years integrating yoga and counseling. He teaches
yoga and leads workshops and retreats internationally. His website is www.julianwalkeryoga.com. p. 38
Shirley Ward’s loving expertise has
blessed the Esalen Farm and Garden for the
last six years: as groundskeeper, Farm
Manager, and consultant. Prior to Esalen,
she created magnificent, sustainable, organic
landscapes for a large East Coast clientele.
p. 42
Anne Watts leads workshop on four
continents and travels extensively teaching
adults to have more loving, fulfilling relationships with themselves and others.
She has been leading Love, Intimacy &
Sexuality Workshops for the Human
Awareness Institute since 1985. p. 24
Kimberley Weichel, a social pioneer
and educator specializing in global communications, conflict resolution, and crosscultural work, has directed projects in South
Africa, Europe, the former Soviet Union,
and the U.S. Kim is cofounder of the
Institute for PeaceBuilding. See
www.kimweichel.org p. 41
Hank Wesselman is a paleoanthropol-
ogist engaged in the search for answers to
the mystery of human origins in Ethiopia.
He is the author of the Spiritwalker
Trilogy; The Journey to the Sacred
Garden; and (with Jill Kuykendall)
Spirit Medicine. Visit www.sharedwisdom.com. p. 46
Nina Wise is a performance artist and
founder of Motion Theater, a form of autobiographical performance. Her provocative
and original works have been honored with
seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle Awards and
three National Endowment for the Arts
fellowships. p. 75
David Worm began his singing career
in 1985 in the Bay Area. In 1989 he became
a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s
Voicestra ensemble and remains a regular
performer with McFerrin. A founding
member of SoVoSo, he has over 50 record
credits as a session singer. p. 10
Z
Dana Zed has been making glass talis-
mans and temples for over 20 years. She
has exhibited in museums and galleries
throughout the U.S. and has been published
worldwide. To see her work, visit
www.danazed.com. p. 34
Peter Zimmermann is a hydrogeolo-
gist with 25 years of experience in addressing environmental issues nationwide. He
is committed to managing the interface
between human activities and the waters
of the earth to the benefit of both. p. 33
Nina Zolotow specializes in teaching
yoga for stress. Trained at the Yoga Room in
Berkeley, Calif., she has taught workshops
on cultivating equanimity, emotional wellbeing, and better sleep. She coauthored
(with Rodney Yee) Yoga: The Poetry of
the Body and Moving Toward Balance.
p. 55
93
Q
reservation information
Making Contact with Us
General information on Esalen workshops,
massages, Personal Retreats, FAQs, and
other information is available via our website, by e-mail, or by phone. Phone messages for guests can be left through the
general information voicemail.
Website: http://www.esalen.org
Reservations can now be made on-line.
E-mail: [email protected]
General Information: 831-667-3000
Mailing address: Esalen Institute,
55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920
Workshop Reservation Fax: 831-667-2724
Workshop Registration & Reservations:
Preregistration for workshops is required
prior to arrival. The most effective way to
register is on-line. You may also mail or fax
your reservation, making sure to include a
completed reservation form (available on
page 96).
Phone Reservations: 831-667-3005
Our phone lines can be busy at peak times.
For those who have previously taken a
workshop at Esalen, reservation information can be left on our Express
Reservations voicemail.
Express Workshop Reservations:
831-667-3000 ext 7321
Phone Reservation Hours (Esalen can be
extremely difficult to reach by phone. The
most opportune hours to call are after 2 PM .
Web registration is also available at
www.esalen.org.):
Monday–Thursday: 9 am to 7 pm
Friday–Sunday:
9 am to 5 pm
Other Reservations (besides workshops):
Preregistration is also necessary for
Personal Retreats, massage, and transportation. Reservations for these can be made
through the general information voicemail: 831-667-3000.
Messages: 831-667-3000 ext 7402
Fees and Accommodations
All workshop fees include:
• Workshop tuition
• Food: Esalen serves a wide variety of food.
Whenever meat is served, a vegetarian and a
vegan option are available. Much of Esalen’s
produce is organically grown on our farm
and picked fresh just hours before mealtime.
• Lodging: Friday and Saturday night
accommodations for weekend workshops;
Sunday through Thursday night
accommodations for 5-day workshops;
Sunday through Saturday night
accommodations for 7-day workshops
94
• 24-hour use of hot mineral-spring bath
facilities, the Arts Center (except when a
workshop is scheduled), meditation Round
House, and the entire Esalen grounds
• Participation in movement classes
scheduled during time on property
• One-year subscription to the Esalen Catalog
Accommodations at Esalen are almost always
shared. Couples will be housed privately.
A variety of accommodation options is possible
with workshop registration. Since some of these
fill more quickly than others, it is advisable to
sign up as early as possible. Please indicate your
second choice for accommodations and workshop in case your initial choice is unavailable.
We cannot guarantee specific room requests.
Point Houses: Esalen’s Mid-Point House and
North-Point House are available as upgraded
accommodation alternatives. Nestled behind
the Esalen Garden at the cliff edge, the Point
Houses are self-contained suites with a furnished living room, full kitchen, and redwood
deck overlooking the Pacific. They can house
up to 2 adults and 2 children. The Point Houses
are available for workshops or Personal
Retreat at $500 per day (in addition to Off-site
Accommodation fees for workshops only).
Reduced Rate Options
Various rate reduction options are available.
Please request the discount at the time of
registration.
Scholarship: Esalen is able to provide some
scholarship assistance to workshop participants in exchange for a work commitment
(housekeeping/kitchen). Scholarship is limited to one scholarship per person, per year, to
allow as many guests as possible to benefit.
Approved scholarship recipients will receive
their work schedules upon arrival at Esalen.
Weekend: $50, 4 hrs 5–7 days: $100, 8 hrs
Prepayment: A $10 per workshop discount
is available if payment in full is received at the
time of reservation. Prepayment also allows for
express check-in upon arrival. This discount
does not apply to scholarship recipients,
sleeping bag or off-site accommodations,
or the Ongoing Residence Program.
Senior Citizen Discount: A discount is
available for workshops only to guests over
65 years of age. Please note, this discount is
available for workshops only.
Discounts: Weekend: $25; 5 days or longer: $50
Standard Accommodations: This is shared
Workshop Deposit
housing, two or three persons per room. In
some cases, bathrooms are shared.
In order to reserve a space in any workshop, we
require full payment of the following deposits:
Weekend: $150
12-14 day: $400
5-7 day: $300
More than 14 days: $600
Deposits paid by credit card will automatically have the workshop balance drawn from
your credit card five days before arrival.
Deposits are payable in U.S. currency only;
overseas residents must pay by checks drawn
on U.S. banks or credit cards and are nonrefundable.
Friends Rate
Regular Rate
Weekend
5-Day
7-Day
$605
$655
$1070
$1120
$1665
$1715
Bunk Bed Accommodations: This is shared
housing, four or more persons per room.
Friends Rate
Regular Rate
Weekend
5-Day
7-Day
$465
$515
$805
$855
$1260
$1310
Sleeping Bag Accommodations: Esalen
meeting rooms are sometimes used as shared
sleeping bag space. Storage space outside the
meeting rooms is available for those using
sleeping bag space when the rooms are being
used for meetings (9 am–11 pm).
Friends Rate
Regular Rate
Weekend
5-Day
7-Day
$320
$370
$535
$585
$845
$895
Off-site Accommodations: If you are attending a workshop, and staying off property, the
following rates apply:
Friends Rate
Regular Rate
Weekend
5-Day
7-Day
$320
$370
$535
$585
$845
$895
Single housing sometimes is available on a
limited basis for an additional $100 per day.
Workshop Cancellation Policy: Workshop
cancellations must be made by phone with
one of our reservations staff. If you cancel or
change any part of your reservation at least
5 full days before the start of the workshop(s),
your nonrefundable deposit, less a $50-perworkshop processing fee, will be transferred
to a credit account in your name to be used
within 12 months and the balance returned
to you.
If you cancel with less than 5 days’ notice, the
entire deposit will be forfeited. If the entire
fee was paid in advance, Esalen will retain the
deposit and return the balance to you. Donations
to the Friends of Esalen are nonrefundable.
Workshops: Workshop schedules normally
begin on 8:30 pm on the first evening and end
at 11:30 am on the final day.
Ongoing Residence Program
Offered beginning mid-September and ending mid-June, the Ongoing Residence
Program is designed for those who would like
an intensive workshop program over a long
term. A Residence Program stay is 26 days
(four “weeks” and three weekends).
Participants may select any of the five-day
workshops offered during their stay, with
weekends open to enjoy a Personal Retreat.
Occasionally workshops are cancelled, so
second choices are advised.
For Your Information
Esalen is located approximately 45 miles from
“civilization.” This isolation and tranquility can
deepen your experience at Esalen yet for many
guests it can be a significant change in environment. We have minimal electronic communications available: there are some terminals
available for internet connection, though
speed is slow and availability limited. There is
no cell phone service at Esalen.
The specially discounted cost is $4750 per
26-day period for standard accommodations.
No other discounts apply.
Personal Retreat Fees
Personal Retreats are available on a limited
basis (to honor our commitment as a workshop facility, Esalen does not offer Personal
Retreats more than one week in advance). A
Personal Retreat at Esalen offers an opportunity for individual education and personal
growth. Resources available to Personal
Retreatants are drawn from movement, yoga,
somatics, dance, and improv classes, as well
as the meditation center, contemplative
baths, and community presentations. To book
a Personal Retreat you must be a current Friend
of Esalen by making a tax-deductible donation of
$50 or more. Additional benefits of becoming
a Friend are listed on page 3.
Rates (including meals) are per person, per day:
Fri/Sat
Sun-Thurs
Standard
Accommodations
(2-3 persons per room)
$190
$160
Bunk Bed (4 or more
persons per room)
$115
$110
Personal Retreat Cancellation Policy:
Personal Retreat cancellations must be made
by phone with one of our reservations staff.
If you cancel or change any part of your reservation, you will be charged a $50 processing
fee, per reservation.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
If you cancel or change any part of your
Residence Program reservation at least five
full days before its start, there will be a $150
cancellation fee. If you cancel with less than
five days’ notice, the cancellation fee is $330.
Health Services: Esalen has no medical ser-
made and paid for in advance by credit card
through our reservation line: 831-667-3005.
Public Bathing in the Hot Springs
In addition to round-the-clock availability for
Esalen guests, the hot springs are open to the
general public, by reservation only, between
1 am and 3 am, for a cost of $20 per person,
payable by credit card only upon reservation.
Reservations can be made at 831-667-3047.
Transportation to Esalen
Ridesharing: We encourage ridesharing to
reduce the number of cars on the road and at
Esalen. See the reservation form for ridesharing options.
Van Service: A van service is available
between Monterey Airport/Monterey Transit
Plaza and Esalen on Fridays and Sundays. The
incoming service departs Monterey Airport at
approximately 4 pm, and arrives at Monterey
Transit Plaza approximately 4:20 pm. Return
service departs Esalen at approximately 5:30
pm. The drive is approximately 1 1/4 hours to
Monterey Airport, so please plan plane flights
accordingly. Van service reservations must be
made with Esalen at least 24 hours prior to
arrival. The $60 one-way fee (subject to
change) is payable to Esalen upon arrival.
Massage
Many Esalen guests choose to enhance their
experience by receiving a luxurious Esalen
Massage or other bodywork during their stay,
usually provided at our new baths. In addition, other types of sessions may also be available to outside guests. Reservations must be
Schedules
Check-in/Check-out: Guests are welcome to
arrive at Esalen any time after 2 pm; rooms
become available after 4 pm. Check-out time
is 12 noon on departure day.
vices or pharmacy on site. If you will require
medical attention or supplies during your
stay, please come prepared to administer to
your own needs.
Money: Esalen is able to accept cash, checks,
and credit cards. Please bring sufficient funds
for incidentals as Esalen does not have an
ATM, nor are we able to cash checks.
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in any
accommodations, meeting rooms, or other
indoor spaces.
Snoring: All of our accommodations are
shared. You or your roommate may snore.
Please come prepared (nose guards, ear plugs,
etc.) for this possibility.
Illegal Drugs: In accordance with state and
federal laws, the possession or use of illegal
drugs on Esalen grounds is strictly prohibited.
Camping: To limit the impact on our land,
camping is not available at Esalen. A variety of
campgrounds is available in the Big Sur area.
Pets: Other than registered animals in service,
pets are not allowed on the property.
Guests as Volunteers: Esalen is a learning
community/organization made up of guests,
students, staff, and volunteers. A variety of
contributions goes toward enhancing this
community. Guests contribute to this in
many ways, including making their beds and
bussing their dishes. Guests are also welcome
to contribute a couple of hours to work with
the Esalen staff, usually in the kitchen. Your
help enables us to meet the pressures of peak
working times and enables you to experience
Esalen from the inside out.
Recommended Reading and Mail Order
Merchandise: All recommended reading
is available online through our website
www.esalen.org. All other bookstore merchandise is available via mail order. For ordering
information, please see www.esalen.org/
bookstore.
95
S
esalen institute reservation form
and each workshop applied for must accompany this form. (Please see
Reservation Information, page 94, under Fees and Accommodations,
Making Contact with Us, and Cancellation Policy.) Reservations can
This form is for your convenience in reserving a space in Esalen workshops. If you wish to make reservations for more than one person,
please photocopy this form so that each registrant has his/her own
form, unless you are registering as a couple with the same address and
phone number. A nonrefundable deposit for each person registering
now be made on-line at www.esalen.org.
Name of Registrant___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PRINT
Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sex: M o F o Couple o
E-mail _____________________________________________________
City ______________________________________________________________________________________
State __________________________________________________
Home Phone ( __________ ) ____________________________________________________________
Work Phone ( __________ )___________________________________________________________________
o Check if you have previously been to Esalen and this is a new address.
Passenger Van Service:
I want transportation from (check one):
o Monterey Airport at approximately 4:00 pm on
Ridesharing: We support ridesharing and hope you will too. If you are driving to
Esalen and willing to give a ride to someone from your area, check here o
Occasionally there are unexpected situations that require us to contact you immediately
before your stay here. If you will not be at the above numbers during the two weeks prior
to the workshop, where may we reach you?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please mark your first and second choices for housing after referring to page 94 for accommodation descriptions and rates. Total cost includes workshop fees, lodging, and meals.
o
o
o
o
o
Check for standard accommodations, if available.
Check for bunk bed room, if available.
Check for sleeping bag space, if available.
Check for off-site accommodations.
Check if you wish to room as a couple.
___________________________________________________________________________________
(date of arrival, Fridays and Sundays only).
o Monterey Transit Plaza at approximately 4:20 pm
(corner of Pearl and Alvarado, next to Ordway Drug)
The $60-per-person charge (subject to change) is payable on
arrival at Esalen. Please prepare to arrive at the airport well before
4:00pm so you do not miss our van. Esalen cannot be responsible
for taxi fare or other transportation costs. If your plans for use
of the passenger van service change after you have made
your reservation, please notify us. The only departing van
service from Esalen is on Fridays and Sundays at approximately
5:30 pm. If you plan on taking this van please make sure that your
plane reservations are after 8:00 pm. Passenger van service is not
available at any other time.
Write here the name(s) of any person(s) with whom you wish to room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other Notes:
All workshop reservations require a nonrefundable deposit. The balance will be
All of our rooms are non-smoking. If you smoke, please plan to
do so outside.
automatically drawn from your credit card five days before your arrival.
Your signature below authorizes Esalen to charge your credit card for the balance.
Workshop Date
Zip _______________________________
Leader’s Name
No pets allowed, except registered animals in service.
Fee
Snoring: All of our accommodations are shared. Please come prepared for the possibility of rooming with a snorer.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
o Check here if you do not want your phone number given out
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Workshop Deposits Enclosed __________________________
Tax-deductible contribution to Friends of Esalen (Optional, see page 4) __________________________
$5 Catalog Contribution (Optional) __________________________
Subtotal __________________________
Total Amount Enclosed __________________________
o
o
o
o
Check here for $10 prepay discount (see page 94).
Check here if this is your first visit to Esalen.
Check here if you need directions to Esalen.
Check here if you are a senior.
Please make checks payable to Esalen Institute, in U.S. currency
only. (There will be a $15 fee for returned checks.) Overseas residents must pay by checks drawn on U.S. banks or with one of
the charge cards below. Checks or credit card information must
accompany the reservations form. Or, you may fax this form to
us at 831-667-2724. If you do so, you must include payment
via one of the credit cards below.
Your reservation can be charged to:
o MasterCard
o Visa
o American Express
Name on Card ____________________________________________________________________
Card No. ____________________________________________________________________________
Expiration Date __________________________________________________________________
Authorizing Signature _________________________________________________________
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
DATE REC.
RES INITIALS
CIRCLE DEPOSIT
DEPOSIT AMT.
RES. BK
CC AUTH. #
DATE TYPED
TYPED INITIALS
96
for ridesharing.
PP
SCHOL
CC
CK
LIMO
CA
SUS
SENIOR
Thank you for your reservation. As soon as it is processed you will
receive by return mail a receipt for your deposit and a notice of
confirmation. Please review your confirmation for accuracy.
Esalen Institute is a center to encourage work in the
humanities and sciences that promotes human values
and potentials. Its activities consist of public seminars,
residential work-study programs, invitational conferences, research, and semi-autonomous projects.
If you move, please let us know your new
address. It helps us save trees and money.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9546
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PA I D
Permit No. 2543
Las Vegas, NV

July 2008 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

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