September 2000 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

The Esalen Catalog
September 2000 – February 2001
®
ANDRIS ABELE
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
®
S
contents
Volume xxxix, Number 3
Esalen Institute
Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9616
Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000,
ext. 7100
Esalen Board of Trustees:
Mary Ellen Klee
Bokara Legendre
George Leonard
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler
Michael Murphy
Marilyn Schlitz
Jeremy Tarcher
Director of Programming:
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Nancy Lunney-Wheeler
Operations Manager:
David Price
Personnel Manager:
Audio Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Biographical Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
Catalog Subscription Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Continuing Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Esalen Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Esalen Seminars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Friends of Esalen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Gazebo School Park Early Childhood Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Guide to Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Invitational Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
Reservation Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Reservation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Scholarship Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Seminar Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Special Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
“The Esselen Hands” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Work Study Program and Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69-71
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
—mohandas gandhi
Our only limitation is our belief that it is so.
—moshe feldenkrais
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Pat Lewine
Esalen Catalog Staff:
Editor: Peter Friedberg
Administrative Liaison: Kasia Zajac
Design & Production: Terry McGrath
The Esalen Catalog is published
triannually by the Esalen Institute,
Big Sur, California 93920-9616.
Printed on recycled paper.
©2000 Esalen Institute.
All rights reserved.
ISSN 1088-2782
Subscription Information:
Subscription cost for one year is $15
for the United States, $17 for Canada
and Mexico, $22 for Europe and
South America, and $25 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: Native American pictographs from
the Central California coastal mountain range.
Photos by Daniel Bianchetta.
R
general information
E
s a l e n 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. It 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 27 acres of spectacular Big Sur coastline with the Santa Lucia
Mountains rising sharply behind.
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.
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.
There are various ways to experience Esalen,
ranging from an overnight visit to a longterm stay as a seminarian. The weekend
and five-day 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.
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.
Another way of being at Esalen which allows a
greater involvement at a lower expense is the
Work Study Program, an intensive 28-day
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 description of the
Work Study Program, please turn to page 69.
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 available
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.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
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.
Please see Special Programs, page 66.
Esalen is a provider of continuing education
for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses, and
bodyworkers. See page 5 for details.
ning, arrangements can be made for access to
many of our facilities.
Because of the large volume of guests at
Esalen, we require a minimum of 72 hours’
notice to arrange for accessible accommodations. If you will need sign language interpreting at an Esalen workshop, we require at least
two weeks’ notice to arrange for interpreter
services. In all cases, we will do our best to
assist you with your needs.
Recommended Reading and
Mail Order Merchandise
Most books listed as recommended reading
for workshops are available through Esalen’s
bookstore. All other bookstore items are also
available via mail order. For ordering information please call 831-667-3049.
Ongoing Residence Program
Offered beginning mid-September and ending mid-June, the Ongoing Residence
Program is designed for those who would like
to have time and space in the Esalen environment for 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 room and board.
Occasionally workshops are cancelled, so
second choices are advised.
The specially discounted cost is $3780 per
26-day period for standard accommodations
and $2980 for bunk bed rooms. No other
discounts apply.
Disabled Access
Here at Esalen, many of our paths, though
paved, are extremely steep due to our cliffside
location. In fact, Big Sur is the steepest meeting of land and sea in the continental United
States. Nonetheless, we are committed to
accommodating guests who have disabilities.
If you have a disability and think you might
need assistance, and you would like to visit
Esalen, please give the office as much advance
notice as possible about your needs. Although
we are in the process of increasing our disability access, access to some parts of our property
continues to be difficult. With enough plan-
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.
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. (See Income Tax
Regulation 1.162-5.)
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R
esalen notes
The Baths
Our work progresses as we meet the challenges of restoring the Esalen Baths to their
original cliffside location. The new baths are
expected to be completed by summer of
2001. Now Esalen visitors can see what the
new baths will look like, thanks to the watercolor renderings painted by Big Sur artist
Helen Jerene Malcolm. These pictures are on
display at the temporary baths, which continue to offer the magic of Esalen’s natural
hot springs.
The completed baths are expected to cost
around two million dollars (not including the
one-million-dollar slope stabilization project).
Should you wish to make a contribution to
the restoration project, send your taxdeductible donation to Baths Restoration c/o
Esalen.
The Long-Term
Development Plan
After El Niño struck with such fury and
destroyed the Baths, what was initially the burdensome task of rebuilding them became
instead the catalyst to envision our long-term
future and guiding principles. Over the last
year and a half, environmentalists, energy consultants, architects, naturalists, and systems
planners have joined with Esalen staff, community, and other stakeholders to imagine a
future Esalen. Much like the Esselen Indians,
who would not undertake a decision without
considering its impact on seven succeeding
generations, Esalen is shaping a collective
vision that will reaffirm its commitment to the
care of body, mind, and spirit in an infrastructure that ensures the conservation our natural
habitat and sustainability of our resources.
For details, please call the Esalen office at 831667-3000.
Scheduling Private
Conferences at Esalen
It is possible to arrange for your group or
organization to hold its conferences at Esalen.
We can accommodate large groups (up to 100)
on a space-available basis.
Mid-Point House Available
to Esalen Guests
Smaller groups may schedule private conferences in our renovated Big House. This facility
is available for individuals who work together
and would like to design their own Esalen program, drawing on our leaders and other
resources. Ten bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a
kitchen, dining room, and meeting room make
it possible to house group members together,
thereby enhancing the retreat environment.
Esalen’s Mid-Point House is now available as
an upgraded accommodation alternative for
seminarians and room and board guests.
Nestled behind the lush Esalen Garden at the
We schedule all conferences a year in
advance. To schedule or discuss possible formats, please contact conference coordinator
Kasia Zajac at 831-667-3038.
Please note: Although we are taking extraordi-
nary precautions to keep noise to a minimum, we
expect some unavoidable construction disturbances
during the bath restoration project. We ask for your
understanding and hope that you will support us
by continuing to come to Esalen during this time.
edge of the coastal cliff, the Mid-Point House
features a redwood deck overlooking the
Pacific, a comfortably furnished living room,
and a full kitchen.
the friends of esalen
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onations to Esalen support the scholarship fund providing financial aid for those who wish to attend our
workshops but cannot otherwise afford them. Donations
also provide funding for our pioneering projects in
health, education, the environment, and the humanities, for special
projects such as rebuilding the baths, and for general operations.
With their annual donations, Friends of Esalen receive the Esalen
Catalog as well as a special Friends of Esalen newsletter.
Donors at the Sustaining level and above receive a single-use day
pass with lunch for two at Esalen. At the Benefactor level donors
receive an autographed copy of Michael Murphy and George
Leonard’s book The Life We Are Given, and acknowledgment in the
newsletter (unless the donor wishes to remain anonymous). Donors
at the Group 2000 level and above receive an invitation to attend a
special weekend at Esalen. At the Founders Circle level donors
receive a limited-edition photograph of Esalen by Daniel Bianchetta.
The Group 2000 is composed of individuals committed to helping
Esalen fulfill its mission by building its long-term financial base
into the twenty-first century. The Group 2000 has an opportunity to
meet together with staff and board members at Esalen every year.
We deeply appreciate the generosity and interest of the Friends of
Esalen. You are invited to join us in extending the experience of
Esalen into the lives of more people. If you would like information
on how to make a planned gift to Esalen, how to donate appreciated
stock, or if you have any other questions about gifts to Esalen,
please contact us at 831-667-3032.
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q Basic Donor.......................$50-99
q Benefactor ................$1000-1999
q Supporting Donor ......$100-499
q Group 2000...............$2000-4999
q Sustaining Donor........$500-999
q Founders Circle....$5000 & above
Name_________________________________________________ Phone_______________________
Address______________________________________________ E-mail_______________________
City _________________________________________ State ____________ Zip ________________
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
Card No.__________________________________________________ Exp. ____________________
Authorizing signature_____________________________________________________________
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
Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)
as a continuing education provider under
Category A (provider number 043062-00).
Workshops for which CE credit has either been
approved or is pending are listed below and also
noted in the Seminars section. For current status
information, contact Brita Ostrom at 831-667-3040.
Weekend Massage Intensive
Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Esalen Massage, Essential Oils, and Movement
Group Process Training
The Awakened Mind: Brainwave Training
Gestalt Awareness Practice
Upledger Energy Integration I
Leadership for the Millennium
On Becoming a Group Leader
Movement, Touch, and the Healing Process
Advanced Esalen Massage Intensive
Healing of Heart and Mind: Choosing to Change
The Transformational Enneagram
Communication and Partnership
Mindfulness Meditation
EEG and Spirituality
Acupressure Energy
Psychosynthesis
Upledger CranioSacral II
Vocal Awareness
Telling the Truth as a Path to Freedom
Zero Balancing Open Forum
Process Acupressure
Cell Mysteries and Mystic Molecules
The Transformative Power of Emotions
User Friendly Yoga
Grantwriting and Personal Goal-Setting
Art of Living Foundation’s Healing Breath
Opening to Ourselves and Others
Upledger Visceral Manipulation IB
Presentations and Communications
Massage Practitioner Certification
Healing from Trauma
Love is Not the Answer
Mindfulness and Heartfulness
Body Meditations
Meditation Practice, Gestalt Practice
Healing from Food and Eating Problems
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Please note: All two-day workshops offer 10 hours
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Dec 10-15
Dec 15-17
Dec 15-17
Dec 24-29
Dec 29-Jan 5
Dec 29-Jan 5
Dec 29-Jan 5
Jan 5-7
Jan 7-12
Jan 7-12
Jan 12-14
Jan 12-14
Jan 12-14
Jan 14-19
Jan 19-21
Jan 19-21
Jan 21-26
Jan 21-26
Jan 21-26
Jan 26-28
Jan 28-Feb 2
Feb 2-4
Feb 2-4
Feb 4-9
Feb 4-9
Feb 9-11
Feb 9-11
Feb 11-16
Feb 16-18
Feb 16-18
Feb 18-25
Feb 18-23
Feb 18-23
Feb 23-25
Feb 23-25
Feb 25-Mar 2
Feb 25-Mar 2
Feb 25-Mar 2
Feb 25-Mar 2
Feb 25-Mar 2
Touching the Dreaming Body
Mediation: The Path to Peaceful Solutions
Healing in Controversial Illnesses
SIKE: Healing and Health through Ki Energy
The Healing Power of The Listening Hand
Being Single
Epiphany: Massage Intensive
Reflexology: Back to Basics
The High-Performance Mind
Five-Day Massage Intensive
Self as Instrument: For Therapists
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training
Deep Healing—Mind/Body Medicine
Advanced Esalen Massage and Bodywork
Ojibwe Tribal Healings
Couples Massage Weekend
Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
The Path of Relationship
Fear of Intimacy
Life Energy Process®
The Art of Leadership
Upledger CranioSacral I
Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
The Practice of Insight Dialogue
The Embodied Life: Feldenkrais and Zen
Relationship: A Spiritual Journey
Sensory Awareness
Creating Exact Moments of Healing
Ericksonian Therapy and Aikido
Authentic Breathing
Awakening the Deep Self from Trauma
Qigong and Inner Alchemy
Radical Healing and the Alchemical Body
Relationship as Spiritual Practice
Treating Trauma
n = Approved
n = Pending
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of CE credit and all five-day or longer workshops offer
26 hours (30 hours for nurses). 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.
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Sept 1-3
Sept 3-8
Sept 10-15
Sept 17-22
Sept 22-24
Sept 24-29
Sept 24-29
Sept 24-29
Sept 29-Oct 1
Oct 1-6
Oct 1-6
Oct 6-8
Oct 13-15
Oct 15-20
Oct 20-22
Oct 20-22
Oct 22-27
Oct 22-27
Oct 27-29
Oct 29-Nov 3
Oct 29-Nov 3
Nov 3-5
Nov 3-5
Nov 5-10
Nov 10-12
Nov 10-12
Nov 10-12
Nov 10-12
Nov 12-17
Nov 12-17
Nov 12-17
Nov 17-19
Nov 17-19
Nov 19-Dec 17
Nov 19-26
Nov 19-24
Dec 1-3
Dec 1-3
Dec 1-3
Dec 1-3
Dec 3-8
For additional information on CE courses
for nurses, contact Sherry Galloway, R.N.,
Continuing Education Coordinator,
831-667-3000.
The Board of Registered Nursing has approved
Esalen as a provider of continuing education for
registered nurses (provider number 01152).
D
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salen is an approved provider of continuing education for: psychologists
accredited by the California Psychological
Association (provider number esa001) and the
American Psychological Association (Esalen
maintains responsibility for the program);
MFTs and LCSWs by the California Board of
Behavioral Sciences (provider number pce403);
and massage practitioners and bodyworkers
by the National Certification Board for
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The Esselen Hands
Peter Friedberg
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Inside a cave in a narrow canyon near Tassajara
The vault of rock is painted with hands,
A multitude of hands in the twilight, a cloud of men’s palms, no more,
No other picture. There’s no one to say
Whether the brown shy quiet people who are dead intended
Religion or magic, or made their tracings
In the idleness of art; but over the division of years these careful
Signs-manual are now like a sealed message
Saying: "Look: we also were human; we had hands, not paws. All hail
You people with cleverer hands, our supplanters
In the beautiful country: enjoy her a season, her beauty, and come down
And be supplanted; for you also are human."
— Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962)
H
phrase Xue elo xonia eune, "I come from the rock." Like the pictographs on a rock wall that today proclaim their ancient existence,
the Esselen people came from the rock.
These mysterious hands, with their long, flame-like fingers, were
left by Esselen Indians nearly 4000 years ago. The people who produced these images probably dipped their fingertips into a lime
mixture, pressed them against the rock wall, then filled in the
remainder of the hands with vertical lines. Today we might call
these images "rock art." Most California tribes had no word for art.
Everything they did was art.
What is their message to us today? Who were these native people
whom we have "supplanted" upon this land? What, if anything, do
we share with the Esselen besides the immutable certainty that, like
them, we will one day be supplanted as caretakers of the sacred land?
ands. Ancient pictographs imprinted on the wall of
a rock shelter, twelve miles due east of Esalen in the
rugged Santa Lucia Mountains. These hands—"signsmanual" Robinson Jeffers calls them—speak to us
across an abyss of time. They proclaim that once, countless generations before us, other humans dwelt upon this land, "in the beautiful country."
Anthropologists speculate that these hands were part of a ceremonial ritual, perhaps a coming-of-age rite. We will never be certain,
we can only guess.
These hands touch something within us. They seem alive. Like
Jeffers, we search for their message. Are they reaching upward?
Outward? Are they praying? In the simple act of pressing, were the
human hands that created these images making this simple declaration: "We are here"?
t
The Esselen Indians are the Native American people whose homeland once encompassed about 750 square miles of the Ventana
Wilderness, including the land that the Esalen Institute now sits
upon. They are the original tribe from whom the modern Esalen
clan—the worldwide family who in some way look to Esalen as
"homeland"—takes its name.
The name Esselen most probably derives from a tribal location
known as Ex’selen, "the rock," which is in turn derived from the
6
As imagined by Jeffers, the hands say: Here were a people who recognized that they were merely transitory custodians of this heartstirring land, that they, and all the succeeding generations who
dwelt here, would enjoy but a brief season before the Wheel of Life
rolled unalterably on.
t
Little is actually known of the Esselen, but anthropologists and historians have drawn a number of conclusions. The Esselen presence
in Central California dates back 10,000 years. Evidence suggests that
they were drawn here by the hot springs, which were used for healing (the Esselen word for the springs was believed to mean "the god
in the waters"). They were a short, stocky people, with dark hair and
eyes. Light-skinned at birth, they were reputed to turn a dull black
from so much time in the sun. The men had facial hair.
The Esselen seem to have been a peaceful people, for there is no
evidence of their ever having engaged in major warfare. Traders
and sharers, they bartered acorns, fish, salt, baskets, hides and pelts,
shells and beads. Their diet consisted primarily of acorns, which
they cooked into a mush or baked as bread. From the Pacific, they
caught and gathered fish, abalone, and mussels. And from the sloping, grassy Big Sur hills, they hunted the deer.
The deer. Their kinship with the deer symbolized their relationship with the entire natural world. The deer was a brother spirit.
For the men, hunting was a religious activity, and for two or three
days preceding a hunt they would purify themselves in a sweat
lodge, abstain from sex, meat, and salt, and generally fast. If during
this time they needed nourishment, they ate only what the deer
ate—grasses and berries. Then, they waited for a favorable vision
to "invite" them to hunt.
Believing that they were one and the same spirit with the deer,
they often chewed a native tobacco, a strong hallucinogenic, in
order to "get the deer drunk." Then, with bow and arrow, they
would hunt the deer not as conquerors but as brothers. After the
hunt, during the skinning of the deer, should anyone become
impatient or angry, they paused and rested so as not to offend
"the Spirit of Deer." In this, as in all that they did, the Esselen
were a part of, not apart from, Nature.
They had the capacity to listen to and learn from all things. They
saw that everything was alive—the redwood trees, the forest trails,
the breeze, the ocean, the rocks, moon, and stars—and everything
had power, memory, intelligence, and history. Accordingly, they
named everything they saw: trees, boulders, landmarks, the trails
they traveled. They would even give separate names to different
sections of a trail if they sensed a change in its energy.
For the Esselen, the spirit world and the physical world were inseparable. Similarly, their waking and dreaming states were equally
alive and real. Songs were alive, entering a person like an animal
spirit. Dance was alive, a form of prayer with the body.
Shamans were the intermediaries to the spirit world and to subtler
levels of reality. The shamans could be either men or women. The
women were practiced and wise in the ways of healing with herbs
and plants. For a plant’s healing power to be effective, it was necessary that a woman have a deep connection with that plant. In the
same way, if a plant was harvested without reverence, its healing
potential would be compromised.
The tribal elders were deeply honored. The Esselen believed that in
order to live a long life one must have a good relation to the spirit
world. The elders were regarded as a reservoir of tribal myths, plant
and animal lore, the cycle of songs and dances, the names and customs of foreign tribes, and the location and spiritual power of all
of the sacred places in the territory. The tribal totem was the owl,
which they believed to be "the Spirit of the Ancestors."
For the Esselen, the well-being of the tribe—and, by extension, the
well-being of the natural world from which they felt inseparable—
was considered the highest good. At the same time they practiced
an unconditional inclusivity that allowed room for every member
of the tribe, no matter how divergent. While all activities were
directed toward the community’s welfare, they excluded no one
for they believed that each individual held a piece of the truth.
t
The earliest written accounts of the Esselen come from what was
probably their first contact with Europeans in 1602, when Spanish
sea captain Sebastian Vizcaino sailed into Monterey Bay. Vizcaino
wrote of the Esselen: "They seem to be gentle and peaceful people..."
According to Fray Antonio de la Ascencion, who accompanied
Vizcaino: "The port is all surrounded with...affable Indians, good
natives and well-disposed, who like to give what they have...They
go naked at this port."
As the Spanish presence in Central California increased, the Native
American population slowly dwindled. Numbering about 1200
at their peak, the Esselen were commonly thought to have been
missionized out of existence near the close of the eighteenth
century by the Spanish colonizers and priests who pressed them
into indentured service and introduced diseases against which
the Esselen had no immunity.
More recent evidence indicates, however, that some Esselen
escaped the missions, retreating into the rugged interior mountains and surviving thereafter by denying their Indian heritage.
Today there are no full-blooded Esselen remaining; estimates of
their descendants vary from about 80 people to the approximately
350 members enrolled in Esselen Nation (according to the Esselen
Nation Tribal Council).
t
Esselen artifacts—arrowheads, Stone Age tools, abalone shells—can
still occasionally be found at Esalen (carbon dating reveals them
to be as old as 4,630 years). The rich soil of the Esalen garden sits
upon a 4000-year-old Esselen shell mound. The Esalen Meditation
Center sits where the Esselen are believed to have had their sweat
lodge. At every turn, one hears ancient whispers, reminders of the
indigenous people whom we, with our "cleverer hands" (in Jeffers’s
words), have supplanted.
Following this thread, perhaps it is not far-fetched to imagine that
the Esselen hands also survive today, reincarnated into a parallel
21st-century world as the hands of Esalen massage practitioners
whose work unifies body, mind, and spirit.
Here at Esalen, in our attempts to create meaningful ritual—symbolic ceremonies to mark our days, to deepen our sense of connection with the earth, the heavens, and all of the living beings with
whom we are inextricably interwoven—we, "the supplanters," have
often borrowed from Native American traditions: the talking stick,
the sweat lodge, the fire circle, the drum, the rattle. We long for the
unstrained unity, belonging, and reverence that we imagine our
predecessors possessed. We labor to effortlessly embrace a feeling
of oneness with the world. In this regard, our own cultural heritage
of meaningful ritual seems like a well run dry.
Today, one can drink of the Esselen tradition from—ironically—
their web site. On it they spell out, at length, their message, a credo
in which they honor the traditional values of their forebears:
Respect. Reverence. Generosity. Community. Family. The Esselen
hands that once marked a cave wall for all posterity now apply the
keyboard as a tool to leave their message, no longer in pictographs
but in words.
We, too, apply our hands to the keyboard to leave our message. In
so doing, do we know what are our hands saying? Are we reaching
outward? Are we praying? Perhaps, in the simple act of typing, our
hands, like the Esselen hands, are making this simple declaration:
"We are here." m
Special thanks to Daniel Bianchetta for assistance—informational
and spiritual—in preparing this piece.
7
Q
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—most are
listed only in their main subject area. If you
have never been to Esalen or taken an Esalen
workshop, you might want to 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.
R
THE ARTS / CREATIVITY
Sept 3-8 • Writing a Memoir
Sept 3-8 • Masks, Mystery, and Ritual
Sept 10-15 • Songwriting for Everyone
Sept 17-22 • Unmasking Your Authentic Voice
Sept 17-22 • The Baker’s Art, Esalen-Style
Sept 22-24 • Improvisational Being
Sept 24-Oct 1 • Life, Paint, and Passion
Sept 29-Oct 1 • Poetic Form: Search for One’s Voice
Oct 1-6 • Conscious Photography
Oct 6-8 • Vision Painting
Oct 6-8 • Overtone Singing
Oct 8-13 • Writing Scripts from Within
Oct 8-13 • Contour Figure Drawing
Oct 13-15 • Writing About Our Lives
Oct 15-20 • The Art of the Wild
Oct 20-22 • Borges: The Dreamer in the Labyrinth
Oct 22-27 • The Painting Experience
Oct 27-29 • Into Nature, With Poems
Oct 29-Nov 3 • Vocal Awareness
Oct 29-Nov 3 • Proprioceptive Writing®
Nov 3-5 • Imagination, Presence, and Joy
Nov 17-19 • Writing For Your Life
Nov 19-26 • Drawing and Painting Intensive
Nov 19-24 • Healing Power of Sound and Music
Nov 26-Dec 1 • Creative Behavior from Inside Out
Dec 3-8 • The MAX: Stretching Your Self-Expression
Dec 8-10 • Poetry at Esalen: Celebrating Place
Dec 8-10 • Improv Alchemy
Dec 8-10 • Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea Ceremonies
Dec 10-15 • The Tao of Drumming
Dec 24-29 • Painting the Fantastic
Dec 29-Jan 5 • Improvisational Being
Dec 29-Jan 5 • A Ceramic Compendium
Jan 7-12 • Swimming in Soul Music
Jan 12-19 • Vision Painting
Jan 14-19 • The Graduate MAX
Jan 19-21 • Improvising Our Lives
Jan 19-21 • Art as Spiritual Path: Soul Mandala
Jan 21-26 • Contour Figure Drawing
Jan 26-28 • Finding Your Long-Lost Musician
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Finding Your Long-Lost Musician
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Soul Talk: Dialogue and Improv
Feb 2-4 • The Magic Reality of García Márquez
Feb 4-9 • Circle of Song—Body and Soul
Feb 4-9 • Funerary Pottery at Continent’s End
Feb 11-16 • Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea Ceremonies
Feb 18-23 • Exploring Big Sur’s Artistic Heritage
Feb 23-25 • Voices on the Wind
8
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BIOFEEDBACK / HYPNOSIS /
INTUITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Sept 17-22 • Intuition: Conscious Embodiment
Sept 22-24 • Awakened Mind: Brainwave Training
Oct 22-27 • EEG and Spirituality
Jan 7-12 • The High-Performance Mind
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CONTEMPLATIVE / SPIRITUAL
& RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Sept 10-15 • Evolutionary Psych/Spiritual Practice
Sept 15-17 • Tibetan Energy Yoga for Meditation
Oct 8-13 • Soul Without Shame
Oct 8-13 • Mantra: Power of the Spoken Word
Oct 15-20 • Kabbalah: Healing and Transformation
Oct 15-20 • The Transformational Enneagram
Oct 20-22 • Mindfulness Meditation
Dec 22-29 • Kabbalah, Buddhism, Transformation
Feb 2-4 • A Kabbalistic Approach to Ecstasy
Feb 9-11 • Meditating Together: Insight Dialogue
Feb 9-11 • Nada Brahma: The World is Sound
Feb 9-11 • Feldenkrais Method® and Zen Meditation
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DANCE
/ MOVEMENT
Sept 29-Oct 1 • Movement from the Martial Arts
Oct 20-27 • Moving Meditation Practice
Dec 24-29 • Body Tales: Movement Stories
Jan 5-7 • Soul Dance
Jan 21-26 • Soul Motion™
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Life Energy Process®
Feb 16-18 • Unnamed Desires, Unacknowledged Powers
Feb 23-25 • Experiencing Esalen
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R
DREAMS
Sept 1-3 • Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
Sept 10-15 • The Temple of Dream Healing
Feb 2-4 • Dreamwork
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HEALTH
/ HEALING
Sept 3-8 • Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Oct 22-27 • Acupressure Energy
Nov 10-12 • Cell Mysteries and Mystic Molecules
Nov 12-17 • Art of Living’s Healing Breath
Nov 26-Dec 1 • Energy Medicine and Miracles
Dec 1-3 • Healing, Transformation of Mind and Body
Dec 1-3 • Healing from Food and Eating Problems
Dec 15-17 • Healing in Controversial Illnesses
Dec 24-29 • SIKE: The Gift of Wellness
Jan 12-14 • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Jan 12-14 • Mind/Body Medicine
Jan 21-26 • Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion
Feb 18-23 • Breathing for Health, Transformation
Feb 23-25 • Qigong and Neigong
Feb 25-March 2 • Radical Healing/Alchemical Body
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INTEGRAL PRACTICES
Sept 29-Oct 1 • Experiencing Esalen
Oct 6-8 • The Tao of Practice
Oct 27-29 • Experiencing Esalen
Nov 24-26 • Experiencing Esalen
Dec 3-8 • Minding the Temple of the Soul
Dec 22-24 • Experiencing Esalen
Dec 22-24 • The Way of Harmony
Dec 29-Jan 5 • Healing Power of The Listening Hand
Jan 26-28 • Experiencing Esalen
/ YOGA / SPORT
MYTH / RITUAL / SHAMANISM
ANTHROPOLOGY
/
Sept 10-15 • The Temple of Dream Healing
Oct 29-Nov 3 • The Web of the Gods
Dec 10-15 • Ancestral Shamanism
Jan 19-21 • Ojibwe Tribal Healings
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Way of the Shaman, Spirits of Nature
Feb 16-18 • Healing, Initiation, Ritual, Community
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R
MARTIAL ARTS
Sept 1-3 • Yoga: On the Way Home
Sept 10-15 • Yoga: At the Transformational Edge
Sept 24-29 • Golf in the Kingdom
Sept 29-Oct 1 • Movement from the Martial Arts
Oct 13-15 • Yoga Works: A Tool for Well-Being
Oct 15-20 • Yoga Works: Observation and Feedback
Oct 27-29 • Joy is the Journey: Hatha Yoga and More
Nov 10-12 • User Friendly Yoga
Dec 22-24 • Yoga: A Weekend Intensive
Jan 7-12 • Yoga Practice: An Ongoing Metamorphosis
Jan 26-28 • Sphurana Yoga and Shinkido® Massage
Feb 11-16 • Yogash Chitta Vritti Nirodhah
Feb 23-25 • Qigong and Neigong
PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
INTELLECTUAL PLAY
/
Sept 8-10 • Gender, Eros, Power, and Memory
Sept 8-10 • Chaos and the Celestial Chorus
Sept 10-15 • Evolutionary Psych/Spiritual Practice
Oct 6-8 • Deep Learning: What We Know, Who We Are
Oct 13-15 • Future in Sight: Trends and Predictions
Oct 29-Nov 3 • Integrity
Nov 3-5 • Quantum Reality
Nov 17-19 • Reinheriting the Earth
Nov 24-26 • Life, Mind, Consciousness
Nov 26-Dec 1 • Energy Medicine and Miracles
Dec 15-17 • The Road of Life
Jan 26-28 • Conversations on Identity
Feb 16-18 • The Alphabet Versus the Goddess
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PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
TRAINING
/
Sept 17-22 • Group Process Training
Oct 1-6 • Through Our Own Eyes: Women Physicians
Nov 3-5 • Zero Balancing Open Forum
Nov 19-Dec 17 • Massage Practitioner Certification
Dec 1-3 • Healing from Food and Eating Problems
Jan 12-14 • Self as Instrument: For Therapists
Feb 18-23 • Ericksonian Therapy and Aikido
Feb 23-25 • Awakening the Deep Self from Trauma
Feb 25-March 2 • Treating Trauma
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PSYCHOLOGICAL /
TRANSPERSONAL PROCESS
Sept 1-3 • A Tender Invitation
Sept 3-8 • Masks, Mystery, and Ritual
Sept 17-22 • Group Process Training
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RELATIONSHIP /
COMMUNICATION
Sept 3-10 • Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving
Sept 15-17 • Full Circles/Overlapping Lives
Oct 1-6 • Quest for Freedom
Oct 20-22 • Communication and Partnership
Nov 3-5 • Telling the Truth as a Path to Freedom
Nov 5-10 • The Intimate Couple
Nov 12-17 • Pleasure, Intimacy, Connectedness
Nov 17-19 • Presentations and Communications
Nov 17-19 • Viewing Relationships Through Light
Dec 15-17 • Mediation: Path to Peaceful Solutions
Jan 5-7 • Close Yet Free
Jan 21-26 • The Path of Relationship
Jan 26-28 • Fear of Intimacy: Challenging Barriers
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Adoption: Changing Realities
Jan 28-Feb 2 • Soul Talk: Dialogue and Improv
Feb 4-9 • Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
Feb 9-11 • Meditating Together: Insight Dialogue
Feb 9-11 • A Workshop for Gay Couples
Feb 16-18 • Relationship: A Spiritual Journey
Feb 25-March 2 • Relationship as Spiritual Practice
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Sept 22-24 • Adventures in Self-Discovery
Sept 24-29 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
Sept 29-Oct 1 • On Becoming a Group Leader
Oct 8-13 • Natural Wisdom, Everyday Enlightenment
Oct 13-15 • Healing of Heart and Mind
Oct 15-20 • The Power of Growth
Oct 22-27 • Open Circle
Oct 27-29 • ‘Tis a Gift To Be Simple
Oct 27-29 • Psychosynthesis
Oct 29-Nov 3 • Integrity
Nov 3-5 • Telling the Truth as a Path to Freedom
Nov 5-10 • Life Changes—The Purpose of Your Life
Nov 10-12 • The Transformative Power of Emotions
Nov 12-17 • Opening to Ourselves and Others
Nov 19-26 • Healing from Trauma
Nov 19-24 • Love is Not the Answer
Nov 26-Dec 1 • Courage
Nov 26-Dec 1 • From Romantic Rage to Forgiveness
Dec 1-3 • The Heart of Awareness
Dec 3-8 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
Dec 3-8 • The MAX: Stretching Your Self-Expression
Dec 3-8 • The Grace of Money
Dec 8-10 • Gestalt—Toward a Relational Approach
Dec 10-15 • Soul Search: Embracing Our Spirit
Dec 22-24 • Christmas Present
Dec 24-29 • Natural Powers
Dec 29-Jan 5 • Being Single
Jan 5-7 • To Set Yourself Free
Jan 5-7 • Forgiveness: Healing Relationships
Jan 7-12 • Dinâmica Avançada de Grupo
Jan 14-19 • The Graduate MAX
Jan 14-19 • Cultivating Love in Action
Jan 14-19 • Playing the Edge
Jan 21-26 • The Spirit and Practice of Leadership
Jan 21-26 • Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
Feb 2-4 • The Art of Leadership
Feb 4-9 • Unmasking the Soul
Feb 4-9 • Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
Feb 9-11 • A Tender Invitation
Feb 11-16 • The Power of Growth
Feb 18-25 • Creating Exact Moments of Healing
Feb 23-25 • Awakening the Deep Self from Trauma
Feb 25-March 2 • Gestalt Awareness Practice
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SOMATICS
Sept 1-3 • Weekend Massage Intensive
Sept 10-15 • Celebrating Womanhood: Massage
Sept 24-29 • Upledger Energy Integration I
Oct 1-6 • Movement, Touch, and Healing Process
Oct 1-6 • Advanced Esalen Massage Intensive
Oct 6-8 • Weekend Massage Intensive
Oct 29-Nov 3 • Upledger CranioSacral II
Nov 3-5 • Zero Balancing Open Forum
Nov 5-10 • Process Acupressure
Nov 12-17 • Upledger Visceral Manipulation IB
Nov 17-19 • Weekend Massage Intensive
Nov 19-Dec 17 • Massage Practitioner Certification
Dec 1-3 • Body Meditations
Dec 10-15 • Touching the Dreaming Body
Dec 24-29 • Body Tales: Movement Stories
Dec 29-Jan 5 • Epiphany: Massage Intensive
Jan 5-7 • Reflexology: Back to Basics
Jan 7-12 • Five-Day Massage Intensive
Jan 14-19 • Advanced Esalen Massage
Jan 19-21 • Couples Massage Weekend
Jan 26-28 • Sphurana Yoga and Shinkido® Massage
Feb 2-4 • Weekend Massage: Sensitive Connection
Feb 4-9 • The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral I
Feb 9-11 • Feldenkrais Method® and Zen Meditation
Feb 11-16 • Five-Day Massage Intensive
Feb 16-18 • Sensory Awareness
Feb 25-March 2 • Five-Day Massage Intensive
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WILDERNESS
/ ECOPSYCHOLOGY
Sept 1-3 • Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Sept 15-17 • Cultivating Sacred Space
Sept 15-17 • Creating Your Own Ecological Home
Oct 15-20 • The Art of the Wild
Oct 27-29 • Into Nature, With Poems
Nov 5-10 • A Gathering of Spirit: Wilderness Retreat
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WOMEN ’S
/ MEN’S ISSUES
Sept 15-17 • Personal Awareness for Gay/Bi Men
Oct 20-22 • Brave Heart: A Retreat for Men
Dec 8-10 • Power of Our Erotic Selves: For Women
Jan 19-21 • Surviving the Program: For Men
Feb 9-11 • A Workshop for Gay Couples
Feb 11-16 • Gay and Single
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WORKPLACE / SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY / EDUCATION
Sept 3-8 • The Human Element
Sept 15-17 • Creating Your Own Ecological Home
Sept 24-29 • Leadership for the Millennium
Sept 29-Oct 1 • On Becoming a Group Leader
Oct 1-6 • Quest for Freedom
Nov 3-5 • Natural Capitalism
Nov 10-12 • Grantwriting and Personal Goal-Setting
Jan 12-14 • Demystifying the Business World
Jan 21-26 • The Spirit and Practice of Leadership
Feb 2-4 • The Art of Leadership
Feb 18-23 • CEO Summit for New Organizations
9
Q
Seminar Spotlight—a
I
n our efforts to expand our programming in new directions, we continue to present new leaders whose names
may not be as familiar to you as others in the
Catalog. On this page we highlight a few of
these new offerings by providing a bit more
information than you’ll find in the Seminars
section.
closer look
Athenian, Greece), and “spiritual” (Mladost,
Belgrade), there is yet another quality that
consistently emerges: silliness. “The fastest
way to not think about yourself is to be in
the moment of laughter,” Beal says. “It’s completely full—nothing is happening except for
the laughter.” Experience a weekend of coming more fully alive with a major artist and
goofball.
See A Crazy Way of Praying: Imagination,
Presence, and Joy, November 3-5.
Timothy Dunphy & James
Oschman — The Shaman
and the Scientist
“Then I realized what Timothy was doing.
He was vigorously, but exceedingly lovingly,
extracting every painful memory and injury
to the spirit from all these people, cleansing
their souls. He would fly across the room,
scream into a person’s chest, then spin back
to the center, and carry on with even more
amazing sounds. After a while it became
amusing, and by the time Timothy was finished we had laughed all our laughter and
cried all our tears. It was so cathartic and
transformative, so important for everyone,
and so much fun, that I decided to work with
Timothy some more. Esalen is an ideal place
for us to continue our explorations.”
See Energy Medicine, Metamorphosis,
and Miracles, November 26-December 1.
How did Timothy Dunphy, a gold-medal
champion martial artist, and Jim Oschman, a
distinguished cell biologist and award-winning scientist, wind up as collaborators? Jim
Oschman tells the story:
Tandy Beal —
I Play, Therefore I Am
If you possessed the ability be completely
present—body and mind, heart and soul—to
all the creative possibilities inherent in each
moment, how might you live your life differently? This exhilarating quality of passionate
presence is a gift that the performing arts can
bestow. There are few multi-hyphenated
individuals better qualified to impart this
presence than dancer-director-choreographer-actress-filmmaker-dreamer Tandy Beal.
Daughter of two Broadway actors (“...even
breakfast was a production in our household ...”), Beal embodies a sense of makebelieve, a disarmingly contagious “let’s-pretend,” in both her work and her teaching.
Founder and director of her own performing
troupe, Tandy Beal & Company, she adopts
the same inspiriting approach to teaching
whether she’s working with veteran dancers,
small children, professional circus clowns, or
Esalen seminarians. “My emphasis is on
developing presence,” says Beal. “This work
can make one consonant gesture out of a
statement of the body and the heart and the
mind all at once. If you train in this way, it
will hold you in good stead no matter what
you do, because it’s really about an integration of your being.”
While critics worldwide have called her
work “provocative, moving, mind-bending”
(San Francisco Chronicle), “magnetic” (The
10
“We met in
Denmark. We were
both invited to present at a celebration for the
students of Stanley
Rosenberg. Stanley
had not specified
what we were to
do, so Timothy and I had a brief planning
session in which he said he wanted to do
‘some work with sound.’ I said I would set up
the group, and he could go from there. So
people were organized in a circle, we did
some breathing and exercises to get everyone
relaxed and feeling good, and I turned the
group over to Timothy, not suspecting what
was to happen next.
Timothy
Dunphy
“Timothy got into
the center of the
circle and quietly
told me how lovely
and loving the energy was. Then he
spun around and
turned into a raging
animal! The
‘sounds’ he had referred to were growls and
screams, indescribable things that reminded
me of a jungle war between apes and gorillas. I
was horrified. Everyone’s eyes were bulging
out. I thought, What have I done to these poor
people, turning them over to this madman!
Jim Oschman
Gregory Kramer —
Meditation: Out of Isolation
and Into Relation
“Like many others,” writes Greg Kramer,
“I found Buddhist Insight meditation
(Vipassana) to be a profoundly transformative practice and way of being. It offered an
approach within which all experiences,
pleasant and unpleasant, became the means
for greater understanding and acceptance.
However, my time on the cushion was very
distinct from my times relating with people.
The mindfulness, compassion, and stillness
of meditation was often lacking in my everyday life, and the vibrancy and groundedness
of my everyday life was often lacking in my
meditation.
“My meditation has always included a lovingkindness component, metta, which softens my heart, lightens my mind, and opens
me to an increasingly connected state. This
metta meditation, too, was mostly practiced
within my heart/mind, in silence. I was
ready to extend lovingkindness from an individual to a group practice, to challenge it
with the demands of interaction.
“I knew that people from many contemplative traditions had been frustrated that their
wise and loving state ‘on the cushion’ seemed
to evaporate in the world of personal or business relations. In 1994, with friend and colleague Terri O’Fallon, I had the opportunity
to explore a Dialogue process developed by
David Bohm. We were inspired by the probing nature of Bohmian Dialogue, its power to
examine how confused thought processes
and deeply-held assumptions impede our
understanding the nature of mind. Here was
a relational practice that could be transformative for individuals and the world at large.
But in practice, Bohmian Dialogue often
seemed to lapse into intellectual pursuit; the
nature of consciousness remained elusive.
Then we began to notice that the Dialogue
practice took on greater power and meaning
when we applied Vipassana-inspired mindfulness.
“I’ve explored Insight Dialogue practice in
retreats, workshops, and weekly groups. The
most important features of meditation guide
this practice: clear, open awareness; releasing
identification with our entanglements; and
lovingkindness. In this way, my understanding has ripened as to how traditional
Buddhist thought and practice can expand to
meet the challenge of meditation in relation.”
See Meditating Together: The Practice of
Insight Dialogue, February 9-11.
Lisa Firestone &
Joyce Catlett — Love, Hope,
and Relationships
According to a survey by the National
Marriage Project, only 67 percent of
American women aged 35 to 44 were legally
married as of 1998
Lisa Firestone
(compared to 81
percent from 1890
to 1940). The basic
motivation for this
decrease?
Widespread pessimism about marriage, particularly
among women.
Today nearly 50
percent of marriages end in
divorce; the average marriage lasts
only seven years.
And yet most people
still see marriage as
the ideal for which
to strive. Why such a discrepancy between
people’s actions and what they claim to want
most out of life?
Joyce
Catlett
In Fear of Intimacy, coauthors Robert W.
Firestone and Joyce Catlett point out that
most people don’t really want what they say
they want, but in fact find it easier to fantasize about love than to tolerate the experience of being loved. Says Dr. Firestone,
“Most married partners say they love each
other, yet if you observe them you would
find it difficult to reconcile their behavior
with any reasonable use of the word ‘love.’”
The very defenses that people formed early
in life to cope with emotional pain limit
their ability to give and accept love in their
adult relationships. As a result, when they
experience genuine love directed toward
them, they usually react negatively because
being loved threatens these defenses.
Utilizing the work of Dr. Firestone (author
of The Fantasy Bond and Combating Destructive
Thought Processes), Joyce Catlett and Lisa
Firestone (Dr. Firestone’s daughter) offer a
hopeful approach to personal change. They
assert that “even divorced or alienated couples can come to understand and work
through their problems, and many couples
we have worked with have been able to
reestablish harmonious relationships. People
really can challenge their defenses and develop a greater capacity for both giving and
accepting love in their lives.”
See Fear of Intimacy: Challenging Barriers
to Relationships, January 26-28.
Carol Proudfoot-Edgar —
Finding Our Roots,
Flourishing Our World
“For the past ten years I’ve been teaching
cross-cultural shamanism as well as a specialized form of shamanism called Bear Medicine,”
recounts Carol Proudfoot-Edgar. “The latter
work began through an unexpected
encounter with a Mother Bear and her cubs
in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. As
we stood a few feet apart, I promised her: ‘I
shall do what I can to tend you, your children, this Earth, and I ask for you to tend us
also.’ I believe my life was spared because I
made this covenant with her: to find ways of
honoring, preserving, and celebrating the
great wilderness of our souls, of our planet,
and all beings therein.
“My work has taken me to Ireland, Finland,
Holland, Israel, and sacred sites throughout
the United States. Everywhere I encounter
Ancestral Spirits who seem to be yearning
for their descendants to receive the wisdom
they’ve been preserving. My Native
American roots, my studies in religion and
shamanism, and my experiences with peoples of many cultures and backgrounds have
ignited new visions of how to facilitate a
reawakening of our collective, yet often
untapped, spiritual roots—a legacy held in
our bones and our souls.
“Recently in a cave in Europe where
Ancestors gathered ceremonially for thousands of years I heard them pleading for us
to listen, to return and gather the wisdom
held by them for us. So I’ve been working
with people to help them find their own
Ancestors, their own songs, ceremonies, and
dances. Just as our Ancestors traveled great
distances to gather in circles with those of
different tribes or clans, so too are we being
called to gather and discover how to encircle
this Earth with our love.”
See Ancestral Shamanism, December
10-15.
Other new workshops are highlighted in the
Seminars section.
11
esalen seminars
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
S
Weekend of September 1–3
Big Sur Wilderness Experience
Steven Harper
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 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.
Weeklong workshops will venture out on five
day-hikes (4-10 miles in length). Weekend
workshops will take two day-hikes (3-6 miles
in length). Each hike begins after breakfast
12
and concludes in time to enjoy the hot
springs and dinner each evening at Esalen.
Evening sessions include informal sharing,
basic awareness practices, and useful outdoor
skills. 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.
$485
Yoga: On the Way Home
Thomas Michael Fortel
“Many students comment that for the first
time in their lives they have come home into
their bodies, into their spiritual Self, through
the practice of yoga,” writes Thomas Fortel.
“As we engage in a consistent yoga practice
over a period of time, there is a remarkable
and mysterious unfolding, both experienced
and observable. We access our inner Self
through the physical body, and experience a
sense of Unity Consciousness.
“This reflects the nature of yoga, the integration of matter and spirit. There is a simple
quality, natural and organic, about the yoga
practice. And so it is with the yoga retreat. In
this workshop we will focus on our asana
practice, giving attention to the subtle details
of the yoga postures, yet equally aware of the
rhythm of the breath and the quietness of the
mind. Mornings will begin with meditation
and pranayama, followed by a light breakfast
and an active morning practice. In the afternoon, we will gather for a softer, more restorative yoga practice. There will be time for
questions and answers, bathing in the hot
mineral waters, and plenty of fun.”
Please have a minimum of 3-6 months of
recent yoga practice.
$485
Exploring the World of
Lucid Dreaming
Stephen LaBerge
Dreams are worlds of wonder where anything
imaginable can happen. Ordinarily, however,
we sleep through our nightly journeys,
unaware of the opportunities available.
We are not bound to forever sleepwalk
through our dreams. Lucid dreams are dreams
in which we know we are dreaming while
we’re dreaming. While lucid, we can be fully
conscious that the dreamworld is a mental
creation and that we are free to act in the
dream unconstrained by laws of physics or
society.
People can develop the skill of lucid dreaming. Research has shown that it can profoundly affect our brains and bodies. Participants
will be taught how to induce lucid dreaming
and explore its many uses: self-exploration,
creative problem-solving, healing, adventure,
and self-integration.
The seminar will extend beyond dreaming to
investigate our experience of the world and
our perceptions of “reality.” It will explore the
concept that all perceptions are illusory and
that waking reality is, like dreaming, a mental
construction.
The workshop will combine lecture and exercises. It is intended for avid dreamers and
people interested in self-exploration and the
enhancement of consciousness.
Recommended reading: LaBerge, Lucid
Dreaming; LaBerge & Rheingold, Exploring the
World of Lucid Dreaming.
$485
A Tender Invitation
tance. The focus will be on blending integrative, flowing massage strokes with deeper,
more specific muscle contact. Fundamental
elements of bodywork such as breath awareness, grounding, stretching, and quality of
touch will be included. The goal will be to
create a firm foundation of massage to build
upon—and to have fun in the process. Each
student should take away new tools for giving
a complete and balanced massage.
Please wear loose, comfortable clothing.
CE credit for nurses; see page 5.
CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 5.
$485
September 3–10
Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving
Charles Muir, Caroline Muir
& Diane Greenberg
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.
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,
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.”
$485
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 vital
sacrament that, rightly used, brings great harmony 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 participants 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.
Sherry Galloway & Tom Case
This workshop presents the basic techniques
of Esalen Massage with an emphasis on the
detail that creates a balanced full-body massage. Each session contains a brief lecture and
demonstration followed by hands-on practice,
with plenty of personal instruction and assis-
The workshop is open to couples only. It is
not recommended for same-sex couples.
$1370
per participant
Week of September 3–8
®
The Human Element :
The Human Side of Organizations
Will Schutz & Staff
“The Human Element” is a complete leadership and team-building program. It includes
brief lectures, experiential activities, scientifically valid self-assessment questionnaires,
group feedback, and skills practice. By providing an integrated approach to all human
issues in an organization, it allows individuals
and teams to focus on the underlying causes
of behavior that block successful performance
and change.
This seminar is based on the FIROTM
(Fundamental Interpersonal Relations
Orientation) theory of interpersonal behavior,
which states that every person orients
him/herself in characteristic ways toward
other people. This information can be used to
understand our own behavior and how we
interact with others.
“The Human Element” is designed for OD
and HR professionals, change agents, trainers,
consultants, and anyone who wants a thorough grounding in FIRO theory and human
behavior in organizations. The objectives:
• Develop skills to facilitate a high-performing organization
• Establish a common framework which promotes organizational synergy
• Develop individual awareness that promotes team development
• Experience how open, trustful relationships
improve organizational performance
• Integrate a decision-making process that
results in support, not sabotage
For more information, you can visit
www.firo.net on the Web.
Recommended reading: Schutz, The Human
Element: Productivity, Self-Esteem, and The
Bottom Line.
$885
Writing a Memoir
Victor Erofeyev
“Anyone can write at least one good book in
his/her life,” says Russian writer Victor
Erofeyev. “A memoir? Why not you? It’s a lot
of fun! Nowadays many people who write are
fed up with hearing other people’s ideas.
They’d like to hear their own voice describing
their own life, to make real contact with
themselves. A sort of personal liberation. It’s
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like cleaning out a room of your existence—to
have more light, to see things better, to understand the people around you, but mainly to
find a clue to your life.
“Your memoir would teach you how to like
yourself, not in a stupid, egotistical way, but
by defining your own identity, your strictly
personal manner of thinking. You could start
with a diary, some everyday notes. Your age
doesn’t matter (Tolstoy wrote his first book
about his childhood while still a very young
man). Your memoir could bring unusual discoveries. Marcel Proust may have found
through his memoir the definition of memory
itself, and at the same time he came to terms
with his psychological traumas.
“How to write? Writing is a sort of play. There
are, of course, some rules. Let’s play together.”
$885
Spiritual Massage:
Lightbody Infusion
Maria Lucia Sauer Holloman
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 hands-on
and energetic work, it emphasizes intentionality as the fundamental tool of any healing
art (“Intentionality,” says Maria Lucia, “moves
energy.”). The course includes exercises for
grounding and attuning to energy as well as
Afro-Brazilian shamanic practices for self-protection. 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.
$885
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Masks, Mystery, and Ritual:
Uncovering the True Self
unresolved secret for decades, I have also
learned about ambiguity and desire.
Charles Miedzinski
“In this workshop, through meditation, movement, visualization, interactive exercises, writing, and dialogue, we will explore the cultural
inheritance of dualistic and causal thinking,
and how to open up to positive power and
powerful eroticism as a way toward the healing of earth—and of ourselves.”
$485
In order to survive we learn to protect our
true nature by developing the masks of our
personality and body armor. Eventually, we
identify with these masks, thereby forgetting
our essence.
This workshop introduces simple yet powerful art processes as a means for rediscovering
who we truly are. The journey begins by creating and painting a mask; its inside represents the mystery of our true nature, the
outside represents the persona we formed to
protect it. Through movement, drawing,
interactive exercises, as well as meditation
and practices of presence, we can then see and
feel the constraining character of our shadow
and its reflection in our body armor.
The wisdom of Jung, Reich, and Almaas will
further illuminate how our masks function
and will point to the means of liberating ourselves from them. The week will culminate in
a sacred mask ritual in which participants
enact what is necessary for the journey of
return from personality to essence.
This workshop is designed for those ready to
shake loose their encumbering masks/identities in a supportive and creative setting which
encourages the unfolding of their true being.
$885
(plus $30 material fee paid directly to the leader)
Gender, Eros, Power, and Memory
Caitríona Reed
“In a society becoming increasingly global,”
writes Buddhist teacher Caitríona Reed, “normative presumptions proliferate. Our notions of
man/woman, spirit/matter, technology/
nature are often based on ideological and cultural definitions of power which comprise no more
than a superficial understanding. As these alienating notions go unquestioned they evolve into
a collective fear of the manifest world, of our
bodies, our sexuality, our desire. It’s no wonder
that we become bent on global self-destruction.
“As a transsexual woman who spent much of
her life living as a man, I have learned something about perceptions of the body, about letting go, about adherence to the ‘norm,’ risk
taking, and above all about the construction
of gender and ‘nature.’ As a Buddhist teacher,
expected to provide answers, who held an
Chaos and the Celestial Chorus
Ralph Abraham
“The Celestial Chorus,” writes Ralph Abraham,
“is a poetic allusion to the cosmology of the
ancient world: celestial spheres turned on a
crystal axis by angels, interrelated by harmonies, and connected by the great chain of
being. This cosmology ruled the paradigms of
science, religion, and philosophy from ancient
Egypt up to the Reformation and modern science. Overnight all that orthodoxy—astrology,
alchemy, magic, guardian angels, destinies,
souls—became laughable ‘pseudo-science’ as
the modern paradigm swept over all.
“Now the shoe is on the other foot as the new
postmodern paradigm—chaos, fractal, complexity, and the like—takes the stage. The
questions we will discuss in this workshop/
salon point to our recovery from the blindness of modernism: (1) After the chaos revolution and Y2K, has our paradigm shifted? (2)
If so, what then is the new paradigm?
“Depending on our answers, we will discuss
the impact of the new paradigm on our attitudes toward the occult and paranormal—
especially divination, precognition, and
destiny. We could equally well ask what the
answers mean for the world problematique:
population, environment, global society, and
so on. This seminar is for all those who like to
think for themselves, who question the
thought-police of our schools and media, and
who take pleasure in mind expansion.”
Recommended reading: Abraham, Chaos,
Gaia, Eros; Sheldrake, Dogs That Know; Radin,
The Conscious Universe; any book on the solution to all world problems.
$485
Songwriting for Everyone
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Texas singer/songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore
draws on a wide variety of musical and literary influences to forge a one-of-a-kind style.
Blending a lifelong interest in esoteric philosophy, psychology, and spirituality with musical elements of country, pop, folk, blues and
rock, he has produced a series of criticallyacclaimed recordings.
This workshop focuses on songwriting as a
tool for self-discovery. Group interaction is
encouraged and collaboration is explored,
with the ultimate goal of providing each participant with methods and motivation to carry
over into individual work. (Although little
emphasis is placed on the business aspects of
songwriting, invariably there is interest in the
subject so some time will be set aside for it.)
The format of the workshop is a blend of
activities and discussion “guided by the
group’s intuition and my prior experience in
this setting,” says Gilmore, who adds, “The
success I can claim is that my prior workshops have produced some good songs and
some lasting friendships.”
This workshop is structured to be valuable for
anyone from beginners to seasoned pros.
$885
The Temple of Dream Healing
Robert Moss
“In the ancient world,” writes Robert Moss,
“pilgrims journeyed to dream temples in the
hope that healing and guidance would come
through a direct encounter with the sacred
powers that speak through dreams. During
this week of conscious dreaming, spiritual
cleansing, sacred drama, and energy charging,
we will build our own dream temple and use
the arts of shamanic dreaming to journey to
the hidden orders of reality where dis-ease and
healing have their source.” Key elements in
this practice will include:
• Spiritual cleansing—releasing negative
habits and beliefs
• Working with the animal powers to gain
vitality and find our natural paths
• Dream travel—to sources of healing, guidance, and adventure in nonordinary reality
• Dream transfer—bringing a dream (a life
dream, a healing image) to someone in need
• Dream theatre—wildly entertaining as well
as healing and energizing
• Soul recovery—reclaiming our soul, our
vital energy, our “lost children”
• Divination—ascertaining the wishes of
the divine, connecting with our spiritual
purpose
Please note: This workshop is not for the fainthearted. You will be challenged to move
beyond your deepest fears on your journey of
transformation, with the protection of the circle. You must first write a letter to Robert
Moss at Box 215, Troy, NY 12181 (fax 518-2740506; e-mail [email protected]), explaining why you wish to enroll. Registration
deadline is August 19.
Recommended reading: Moss, Conscious
Dreaming, Dreamgates, and Dreaming True.
$885
Yoga: At the Transformational Edge
Deborah Anne Medow
Today, more than ever before, people are overwhelmed by the stresses and tensions of daily
life. Yoga, the oldest science of life, utilizes
body, mind, and breath to bring stress under
control by revitalizing energy on physical,
mental, and spiritual levels.
This yoga workshop will focus on asanas (postures), breathing exercises, and meditation,
with some discussion of yogic theory and philosophy. The approach: Instead of pushing
into or “going for” the stretch, you will be
encouraged to move slowly through an asana,
initially staying within your comfort zone,
giving yourself time to experience everything
you are feeling—in your muscles, tendons, and
bones—just being and breathing. By allowing
yourself to fully experience where you are—in
the posture, in your mind, in the present
moment—you will be amazed at how much
further into the posture your body can then
naturally extend, with no effort from the
mind and minimal strain through the body.
There will be structured time for breathing
and stretching on the beach, integral movement, and enjoyment of the beauty of Big Sur.
Special focus will be on building a solid basis
for the further development of yoga practice.
This workshop is for beginners as well as
those wishing to get more from their current
yoga practice.
$885
Celebrating Womanhood:
Esalen Massage, Essential Oils,
and Movement
Peggy Horan, Ellen Watson
& Daniela Urbassek
“Come sisters, come mothers, come daughters, come princesses and queens,” write the
leaders. “Come join us for a week of touching,
sensing, dancing, playing, and praying together. We will teach the long, sensuous strokes
and moves of Esalen Massage and explore
combining the use of essential oils with mas-
sage. We will dance, write, practice yoga, create rituals, laugh and cry, and create rites of
passage.”
The class will introduce the use of seven
essential oils in combination with massage:
birch, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, peppermint, rosewood, and sandalwood. Each oil
enhances a different aspect of massage: relaxation, rejuvenation, detoxification, and so on.
This workshop is for any and all women. No
previous massage or movement experience is
necessary. All levels are welcome.
Please note: Bring your pampering supplies,
musical instruments, favorite music, and your
journal. If you have your own essential oils,
bring them with you; if not, the leaders can
supply small bottles of each oil for $75. You
will be contacted prior to the workshop
regarding ordering oils.
Recommended reading: Robbins, Jitterbug
Perfume; Suskind, Perfume; Montague, Touching.
$885
Evolutionary Psychology and
Spiritual Practice
John Wymore & Paul Watson
Spiritual traditions commonly impose the
directive “Know thyself ” upon their followers. Many devote a lifetime to this pivotal project and never know whether they succeed or
fail. Why is “Know thyself ” so difficult?
Evolutionary biology presents the case that
the human mind is designed to contingently
avoid self-knowledge.
“Watch at the right moment, and you may feel
the veils forming,” write the leaders. “Our thesis is that evolutionary ideas, properly understood, can combine synergistically with
traditional contemplative, introspective teachings to create more incisive, objective selfexploration. In this workshop we’ll take the
ancient mandate for self-knowledge seriously
and show how evolutionary theory can potentiate a sincere spiritual quest—a quest that
embraces self-disillusionment as a necessity
rather than fearfully, noncritically defending
against it. This can perform the lifelong service of first revealing and then dispelling
tenacious illusions about ourselves.
“Throughout the workshop we will develop
the theme of a spiritual search that uncompromisingly insists upon reconciliation of
personal experience and traditional teachings
with modern scientific ideas about human
intrapsychic design.”
$885
15
Tibetan Energy Yoga for Meditation
Lama Surya Das
Yoga means union—reunion with the ultimate, the divine. Tibetan Energy Yoga can
help to achieve this. Brought to Tibet from
India ten centuries ago, this traditional tantric
yoga practice has been distilled down to simple breath-energy-awareness exercises which
can improve breathing and bring more awareness, energy, and calm into our daily lives.
Yoga cultivates relaxation and stress-reduction
while revitalizing our entire system, enhancing health, vitality, and longevity. “Tibetan
Energy Yoga for Meditation” can also help to
free blockages, release inhibitions, awaken
our innate energy body, and aid us to “lighten
up” as well as to “enlighten up.” Rebalancing
and reintegrating our male-female internal
polarities, Tibetan Energy Yoga can help us to
purify, elevate, and ultimately master our own
energy, bringing greater focus, awareness,
clarity, and peace of mind.
In this workshop, participants will learn to
practice the Tibetan Energy Yoga workout
and meditate with American-born Lama
Surya Das, who has distilled the 112 movements of the secret Six Yogas of Tibet into an
easy, accessible, exhilarating daily practice.
$485
Cultivating Sacred Space:
Gardening for the Soul
Elizabeth Murray
“A garden is a place where we are invited to
make an intimate relationship with nature,”
writes Elizabeth Murray. “Working in the
beautiful Esalen Garden, we will learn to garden as a sacred union with plants, soil, water,
and light. We will garden as a meditation, a
healing therapy, and an art form using color,
texture, design, scent, and light. We will
explore cross-cultural elements which can be
used to create sacred space such as altars, bells,
flower offerings, and thresholds. We will see
examples of sacred gardens around the world
for inspiration.
“Using story, art, ritual, meditation, as well as
hands-on experience in the garden, we will
come to know the garden as a life metaphor
from which we can always be enriched. We
will draw parallels between our life experiences and garden cycles of gestation, regeneration, expansion, and, finally, fruition and
harvest.”
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Bring gardening clothes and a journal; cameras and watercolors are optional. This course
is offered in three seasons.
Recommended reading: Murray, Cultivating
Sacred Space: Gardening for the Soul, and Monet’s
Passion: Ideas, Insights, and Inspiration from the
Painter’s Garden.
$485
Full Circles/Overlapping Lives
Mary Catherine Bateson
& Sevanne Kassarjian
In this age of lifelong learning and everchanging roles, children constantly surprise
their parents, seniors launch into new careers
and relationships, and even the face in the
mirror can surprise us. Living in a time of
rapid change requires that we hone our skills
of finding continuity within change and
familiarity within difference. More and more
people are discovering that they live with
strangers and the meanings of their most basic
commitments require constant revision. At
the same time, we are realizing that love does
not necessarily depend on understanding.
for a new home. Participants will explore the
process of achieving a resource-efficient, climate-responsive, healthful, and beautiful
home environment.
The workshop will present environmental
issues and solutions that lead toward sustainable building design to support the health of
your mind, body, and spirit. Specific strategies
include site planning, building orientation,
architectural form, building envelope, windows, daylighting techniques, natural energy
systems, and material selection to reduce toxicity and produce healthy indoor environments.
The workshop includes colorful examples of
successful projects, interactive problem-solving and design sessions, and quiet meditation
time to develop your own goals and plans.
Bring along your ideas, photos, dream-house
clips, or plans.
$485
Embracing Our Lives, Embracing
Each Other: Personal Awareness for
Gay and Bisexual Men
Allan Singer
Led by Mary Catherine Bateson and her
daughter Sevanne Kassarjian, this workshop
will explore the composition of lives and of
relationships. Using life-history narrative
techniques and dramatic improvisation, the
course will examine the ways that acknowledging and celebrating strangeness close to
home can enhance empathy across great distances. Because the workshop approaches
issues from two sides, it is as relevant to those
concerned with intergroup sensitivity as
those dealing with conflicts within families.
Allan Singer writes: “Having initially arisen
from a cultural ground which supports our
invisibility and our shaming, gay and bisexual
men face a journey into selfhood which
involves claiming our being, the essential
goodness of our sexuality, and the right to creatively design our lives. Along this journey we
need opportunities to pause—to consider how
far we’ve traveled and what we’ve learned, to
appreciate our thrivings and honor our losses,
to renew our hopes and celebrate our beings
within the context of community.
The leaders add: “We are especially hopeful
that very wide age ranges will be represented
and that in some cases there will be several
generations from the same family. Minimum
age 16, maximum Methuselah.”
$485
“This retreat offers a supportive group context
that encourages us to reconnect with our
essential selves as we seek to reach each other,
with honesty and risk taking. The theme of
‘embracing our lives’ invites us to consider
what we know, value, and seek to either
accept or change in our relationship to family,
friends, and community; our capacity to love
and to work; our sexuality; our health and
well-being; our spirituality; our dreams and
next steps.
Creating Your Own Ecological Home
Gregory Franta
Does your living environment enrich your
mind, body, and spirit? How does your home
affect your life, your community, our planet?
Have you experienced the magic of green
architecture? Do you know that you have the
ability to create a physical environment that
is healing, resource-efficient, and ecologically
sound—and can even save you money?
This workshop provides an opportunity to
identify your needs and goals for shelter,
redesign your existing home, or create plans
“This experiential group process will be
informed by Gestalt principles which respect
the need for safety and support in order to
facilitate the unfolding of awareness. ‘Every
person’s life is worth a novel,’ wrote Erv
Polster. In our willingness to share our stories
and the witnessing which we provide, we may
nourish each other, embracing visibly, vitally,
with pride.”
$485
Tibetan Energy Yoga for Meditation
Lama Surya Das
For workshop description see September 15-17.
This five-day format will enable participants
to delve more deeply into Tibetan Energy
Yoga.
$885
Group Process Training
Howard Schechter & Barbara Lee
This is a workshop for people fascinated with
the power of skillfully guided groups. It offers
the personal value of deep group process
along with the skills necessary to become an
effective group leader. Participants will learn
how to use the unfolding moment-tomoment material in the group as the primary
tool to foster individual awareness, facilitate
healing and growth, and help the group
become a rich environment for individual
development.
The key to being an effective leader is to discover and honor the sacred essence of each
member of the group—beyond the issues arising out of more superficial personality
dynamics. Practicing this, while processing
whatever emerges in the moment, allows a
leader to guide groups toward a more moving
and growthful experience.
CE credit for psychologists pending; see page 5.
CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 5.
$885
ness through creativity, to help you uncover
the soul of the story that is unfolding as your
life. Through writing exercises and dramatic
improvisation, dialogue and silence, this
workshop offers you the opportunity to:
• Connect with your “hero’s path” by viewing
and writing your life experiences as stories
of your own creation
• Exorcise the ghosts of the past and awaken
to inner guidance
• Interpret your life’s journey in a way which
inspires a greater expression of your core
identity
• Recognize and honor the resilient nature of
your creative prowess—then use this
empowered creativity to author stories you
truly want to live
• Use personal life experiences to acknowledge and celebrate the power of spirit within to heal and guide
$885
Unmasking Your Authentic Voice
Akuyoe Graham
Sometimes our own story is invisible to us,
our authentic voice unheard. Playwright,
poet, and actress Akuyoe Graham has created
a workshop designed to develop self-aware-
Cultivating Intuition Through
Conscious Embodiment
Wendy Palmer
There is within each of us a latent power of
intuition. By cultivating this natural power,
ANDRIS ABELE
Three levels of facilitation approaches will be
presented: personal, interpersonal, and systemic. Participants will be taught how to culti-
vate individual growth within the group context, use interpersonal conflict and cooperation to deepen relationships, and read group
signals and promote whole-system health.
The methodologies will be an integration of
Gestalt Practice, psychosynthesis, Focusing,
Process Oriented Psychology, Authentic
Movement, art therapy, and the circle practices of native peoples.
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we can increase our chances for wisdom, confidence, and happiness that will radiate out
into the world.
Conscious Embodiment is a practice derived
from the revolutionary, non-aggressive martial art of Aikido. This practice allows us to
unify the energy of the body and thus learn to
trust our sensations, which are the basis of
bodily intuition and wisdom. Through simple
movement exercises, subconscious patterns of
relating are made conscious, thus increasing
our understanding of how we manage ourselves in our relationships and giving us
added flexibility in how we respond.
Participants will also have the opportunity to
learn specific ways to train the attention.
Focusing the attentional states opens the door
to a stronger center, heightened intuition, and
a deeper capacity for compassion.
This workshop involves simple movement
exercises and is not physically demanding.
Recommended reading: Palmer, The Intuitive
Body.
$885
The Baker’s Art, Esalen-Style
Robin Burnside & Rollin Oden
An oft-repeated element of the Esalen experience is “The Journey to the Bread Bar” for yet
another piece of toast. When more curious
visitors wend their way through the kitchen
maze and locate the Esalen bakery, they are
astounded that from such a small space with
two old ovens comes such a quantity and variety of crusty, flavorful breads and tasty
desserts.
This workshop explores the baker’s art, from
simple non-yeasted breads to laminated
doughs for pastries and pies and tarts. The
emphasis will be on making traditional and
modern methods accessible for the home
baker who does not have spiral mixers or
steam-injected ovens. Participants will learn
the care and feeding of sourdough starters as
well as the use of store-bought yeast. The
workshop will also focus on other aspects of
both sweet and savory baking, and the group
will design and prepare a multi-component
dessert for the entire Esalen community. And
since the perfect accompaniment to wellbaked bread is tasty soup and fresh salads, participants will sample the Esalen Garden’s
bounty to prepare complementary dishes,
exploring how simple ingredients can
become culinary celebrations.
This is a hands-on, hands-in, dust-yourselfwith-flour class. Bring your love of good food
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and learn how to transform the simplest of
ingredients—grain, water, salt, and yeast—into
the staple of life.
$885
Improvisational Being: The Spiritual
Art of Self-Expression
Nina Wise
Life comes in stories, hour by hour, minute by
minute, and by honoring the experiences that life
gives us we are in turn gifted with the richness of
our lives.
— Nina Wise
Our stories reside in our bodies—in our
bones, our muscles, our tissue. Most of us are
conditioned not to express ourselves freely,
but once encouraged to feel our inner impulses and to follow them with abandon, we
encounter a vast landscape of characters,
memories, stories, and images that lead us
toward freedom.
Through movement, vocal exercises, meditation, song, and dance, this workshop offers
the physical and spiritual tools to translate
your inner life into theater. In so doing, the
creative process is experienced most authentically by residing in a place of “not-knowing.”
This requires courage. And faith. Resting in
the unknown and expressing ourselves without constraint can be remarkably satisfying.
When we tell our stories through our bodies,
we reveal—to ourselves and others—the
exquisite complexity of our daily experiences.
Improvisational Being is like dreaming on
your feet, letting your subconscious have free
reign. And while it is not therapy,
Improvisational Being can be surprisingly,
delightfully, holistically therapeutic.
$485
Adventures in Self-Discovery
Nathaniel Branden & Devers Branden
nating pathways to the answer.
Recommended reading: N. Branden, Taking
Responsibility and The Art of Living Consciously.
$485
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.
After assessing the brainwave patterns of
hundreds of unusually highly-functioning
people, C. Maxwell Cade of London’s Institute
for Psychobiological Research began to see
similarities in the patterns of optimal states of
mind. Drawing upon Cade’s work, Anna Wise
has developed a program to help access these
optimal states.
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
of beta, alpha, theta, and delta, and help you
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 MirrorTM EEG will be utilized to
demonstrate brainwave patterns, and each
participant will be able to use an Electrical
Skin Resistance Meter to measure the depth
of arousal or relaxation of the nervous system.
$485
No one can be said to be living consciously who
exempts self-examination from the agenda.
This new, largely experiential program from
the Brandens offers a variety of processes
aimed at developing greater self-awareness,
self-understanding, and deeper insights into
one’s motivations. The work utilizes guided
fantasy, subpersonality explorations, energy
processes, and sentence-completion exercises
in order to clear obstacles to personal growth
and fulfillment. It is a program designed to
raise consciousness, ultimately addressing the
question, “Who am I?” and providing illumi-
September 24–October 1
Life, Paint, and Passion:
Reclaiming the Magic of
Spontaneous Expression*
Michele Cassou
The making of art is one of the greatest nourishers of the human psyche. However, most
of us have been programmed to fear being
judged and to set narrow boundaries on our
creativity. We limit our choices of subjects,
forms, and colors. The terror of inner and
outer criticism paralyzes us. But we can push
these fears aside and recapture the magic of
spontaneous self-expression. We can begin to
“paint for process,” transcending rules and
concepts to experiment with the new, the
hidden, the mysterious.
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.
Michele Cassou has created an original
approach to creative painting as a tool for selfdiscovery and spiritual exploration, guiding
students for over twenty years. This workshop is designed to be seven days of support,
stimulation, painting, free play, and self-realization. Artists and seekers of all stripes, educators, counselors, anyone with a thirst to
revitalize the creative juices can benefit from
this work. No art experience is necessary, just
the desire to unleash your natural, spontaneous self-expression.
Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy
Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape.
For more information, call 415-459-4829, email [email protected], or visit www.michelecassou.com on the Web.
Recommended reading and viewing: Cassou
(coauthor), Life, Paint, and Passion; (videotapes)
Birth of a Process and Creativity and Passion.
*formerly The Painting Experience
$1370
(plus $35 materials fee paid directly to the leader)
Christine Stewart Price & Guest Leader
The Way, when declared
Seems so thin and 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
$885
Golf in the Kingdom:
An Exploration of the Deeper Game
Stephen Cohen & Andy Nusbaum
Ye’ll come away from the links with a new hold on
life, that is certain if ye play the game with all your
heart.
— Michael Murphy
(as Shivas Irons), Golf in the Kingdom
The game of golf provides many opportunities to enhance the journey of self-discovery.
It can be experienced not only as an athletic
endeavor, but also as a metaphor for the way
one lives. Just as in life, issues of self-confidence, fear, trust, discipline, and awareness
emerge in the conflict between the ego’s
desire for success and the inner self ’s ability
to achieve.
During these five days, teaching methods
gleaned from a study of the deeper game will
be utilized, as well as principles from psychosynthesis and Gestalt, to explore the inner
self and how one interferes with its emergence. Two days will be spent on field trips to
the Monterey Peninsula where participants
will practice and play in some of the most
beautiful golf country in the world. On other
days there will be time to relax and enjoy the
natural pleasures of Esalen and Big Sur.
Recommended reading: Murphy, Golf in the
Kingdom and The Kingdom of Shivas Irons;
Gallwey, The Inner Game of Golf; Shoemaker,
Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible.
$885
(plus greens fees—approximately $145—
paid directly to the leaders)
The Upledger Institute’s
Energy Integration I
Tom McDonough
If you are already working gently and attentively with the body, then you are working
with the human energy field. Energy
Integration provides a framework for integrating manual therapy and energy work as
well as for prioritizing a treatment approach.
It is designed to give you the foundation and
tools to make connections, verify their significance, and integrate these insights into your
practice.
The course presents a protocol for finding the
primary high-leverage point—a point on the
energy/fascial matrix that quickly brings the
body into a functional balance. You will learn
to free energy restrictions via fascia and fascial restrictions via energy, fine-tuning your
skills to work with chakras, meridians, and
the mind/body connection.
This work incorporates insights from
Chinese medicine, esoteric healing, psychosynthesis, Neurolinguistic Programming,
quantum theory, meditation, and bodywork.
The course will demonstrate how assessment
skills such as CranioSacral Therapy and
Visceral Manipulation can be integrated into
a comprehensive treatment plan. Sessions
will blend lecture, demonstrations, hands-on
techniques, meditation, and visualization.
Participants must have completed Introduction
to Energy Integration or have a basic knowledge of myofascial and cranial work. Please
bring colored pencils or pens and a tennis
ball. Wear loose comfortable clothing.
Please note: Registration for this workshop is
done only through the Upledger Institute.
Call the Upledger Institute at 1-800-233-5880.
For more information see Special Programs,
page 66.
Recommended reading: Brennan, Hands of
Light; Kaptchuk, The Web That Has No Weaver;
any book or chart that identifies the chakras
and meridians.
$885
Leadership for the Millennium:
Creating a Heart-Based Vision
Maggie Seeley & Loralee Makela
“Leadership is the capacity to turn vision into
reality,” wrote Warren Bennis. This seminar
provides the space to create a compelling
vision along with the structure and action
steps necessary to bring it into reality.
Crafting a vision takes many forms. The
workshop offers a forum to investigate leadership style, psychodrama exercises to clear the
past, a short vision quest, the use of Feng Shui
enhancements for home and office, and a traditional fire ceremony to remove obstacles
and ask for blessings.
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The goals of this seminar are a vision statement—written, spoken, symbolized, and
enhanced with Feng Shui—and a clear sense
of what actions would bring it into being.
Such a vision can create a new level of personal excitement, possibility, and motivation to
attract appropriate work and relationships.
With participants meeting daily in small
groups, an ongoing theme-in-action will be
building an intentional community in the
workplace. Movement, meditation, time in
nature, and extensive personal coaching will
be interwoven throughout.
Assisting will be Bill Corbin, a successful
businessman, Cherokee medicine man, and
Qi Gong and Breema Breath practitioner.
$885
Weekend of September
29–October 1
Experiencing Esalen
pant. 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.
$485
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 designed to introduce the
various practices of Esalen to first-time participants or to those renewing their acquaintance with Esalen. Emphasis will be on
finding those approaches to self-awareness
that work most effectively for each partici-
On Becoming a Group Leader
Ron Alexander
The archetypal leader is a blend of “transformer” and “meaning translator.” The transformer creates a sacred space for exploring
rhythms, moods, flows, and interactions. The
meaning translator brings clarity, order, and
awareness to the conscious and unconscious
processes within the group culture. Effective
leadership begins with fostering openness to
explore safety, trust, and support.
The focus of this workshop is on becoming a
leader who can create that openness and artfully manage a group in any setting. The topics include: recovering from challenges and
fragmentation; navigating transference;
resolving conflict and confrontation; and handling the difficult group member. Participants
will learn methods to self-activate, overcome
fear, and embrace creativity.
Sessions include mini-lectures, open seat
work, and group process using Gestalt
Practice, existential therapy, contemporary
psychoanalytic perspectives, family systems,
mind/body approaches, and group dynamics.
As the workshop progresses participants will
have the opportunity to lead or co-lead the
group under supervision.
This workshop is particularly useful for mental-health practitioners, organizational consultants, family-owned business entrepreneurs,
and others who manage groups.
Recommended reading: Heider, The Tao of
Leadership; Yalom, The Theory and Practice of
Group Psychotherapy; Polster, Gestalt Therapy
Integrated; Simkin, Gestalt Therapy Mini-lectures; Bion, Experiences in Groups.
$485
Movement from the Martial Arts:
Introduction to the Liu-Ki System
Yoshi Sakuyama
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Ki, or Chi, the vital energy that flows through
the body, has been valued by martial artists
because it gives them health, vigor, equanimity, and, above all, the courage to conquer fear.
They have devised special breathing practices
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and physical movements to enhance their Ki
as well as their skills.
In this workshop, Yoshi Sakuyama, a sixthdegree black belt and movement artist from
Japan, will introduce Liu-Ki, a system of
essential movements drawn from the martial
arts. These simple yet powerful movements
amplify Ki flow and refine one’s actions.
Participants will be guided into greater bodily
awareness through such Liu-Ki System practices as basic movements (feeling and moving
from the body’s center), pair work, breathing
techniques, and Kiatsu massage. The fluid,
dancelike movements are fun to practice, and
the teaching can be applied to everyday life.
$485
Poetic Form and the Search for
One’s True Voice
Richard Jones
This workshop will promote the writing of
new poems that refresh one’s individual sense
of technique and personal voice. Richard
Jones writes: “We will begin with close readings of contemporary poems to remind ourselves of the power and promise to be found
in poetic form. To deepen what Hayden
Carruth has called ‘the voice that is great
within us all,’ there will be directed writing to
promote original ways of approaching the
unspoken sorrows and joys of the heart.
Much of the weekend will be spent writing,
reading, and discussing our poems, so it will
be necessary to bring—in addition to writing
notebooks—energy, stamina, willingness to
write in new ways, courtesy, eloquence, diligence, a sense of humor, seriousness of purpose, love, and the desire to listen deeply to
others.”
$485
Week of October 1–6
In Search of the Healing Self:
Movement, Touch, and the
Healing Process
Patrick Douce
Feldenkrais developed a method of moving
and touching designed to connect to our
body’s healing potential. The movements are
based on how we learned to move as children
and extend to the most complex movements
possible. The emphasis: Do less with more
awareness—learn to improve, rather than
force yourself to improve.
roll for overnight processing. Bring a full-size
35mm SLR camera and lenses, or a recent
compact 35mm point-and-shoot camera with
at least a 38-70mm zoom lens.
$885
The Feldenkrais work will be combined with
movements influenced by Indonesian Silat
martial-arts-for-health movements. These
movements stimulate the energy body, further enhancing our healing possibilities.
Making your massage more effortless and at
the same time more effective is every practitioner’s dream. This workshop addresses both
issues, offering new insights and applications
to massage tablework with an emphasis on
the practitioner’s well-being.
The workshop will introduce the complexity
and simplicity of the spinal column through
safe, noninvasive, hands-on explorations,
used to stimulate the deeper part of the self to
change. These explorations can benefit those
beginning this type of work as well as professionals seeking new tools.
$885
Awakening Vision through
Conscious Photography
Jeff Berner
Turn looking into really seeing—and snapshooting into fine photography. Whether
starting out or starting over in photography,
you can explore nature, people, and wildlife
through “the mirror with a memory.” Jeff
Berner will lead you on the path of photography as an art and a meditation, showing you
how to make your camera serve your personal
vision and talent.
You’ll be shooting color slide film so each
day’s work can be seen projected on an eightfoot screen that evening. There will be creative critiques of each participant’s work.
What you learn can be applied to all print and
slide photography. Projects will include: The
Psychology of Lenses, The Selective Eye
(Composition), Depth-of-Field, Creative
Accidents, Visual Meditation, and Expressing
Color. There’ll be nonstrenuous photo safaris,
including a morning at Pfeiffer Beach.
Inside each of us is a part of the self that
knows how to grow, to learn, to heal. For most
of us this part operates without any conscious
control. This workshop provides an opportunity to learn how to connect with this growing, learning, healing part of ourselves.
Jeff Berner has been an active fine-art, editorial, and multimedia photographer since 1968.
His assignments have included oceangoing
yacht racing, sport ballooning, and open-heart
surgery. You are urged to call Jeff to get
acquainted and discuss the workshop: 707878-2000, weekdays, 9 am to 3 pm, pst.
Many of the ways we have been taught to
conceptualize and move our bodies contribute to our physical difficulties. Moshe
Please note: Bring 5 to 12 rolls of 36-exposure
(only Fujichrome and/or Ektachrome) ISO
100 through 400 speed slide film, plus $8 per
Advanced Esalen Massage Intensive
Dean Marson & Brita Ostrom
The workshop will focus on the development
of breath awareness and its physical manifestations in order to enhance the feedback loop
between practitioner and client, a foundation
of Esalen Massage. Supported by breath, this
mindful approach increases the practitioner’s
sensitivity to physiological signals, expands
intuitive ability, and deepens awareness of
one’s own body.
In the Esalen holistic tradition, participants
will explore practical approaches to the large
joint areas—shoulders and hips—through supported movement, stretches, systemic assessment, and integration. Skills for special-needs
cases will be demonstrated and discussed. An
ongoing theme will be ethical considerations
and the use of language to enhance the practitioner’s professional effectiveness. Of course,
each session will include time for practice
and trading massages.
This workshop is for those with significant
experience in giving massage.
$885
Quest for Freedom:
The Daily Practice of Human Rights
Jude Rachele
How do you interact with people who are different from you? How do you react when you
feel put down or kept in your place? Might
you be putting others down without even
knowing it?
Jude Rachele writes: “Stereotyping and prejudging often limit our freedom and creativity. This workshop puts human rights within
the context of our day-to-day social interactions. We will explore social tensions that
revolve around cultural differences. We will
work within a model of social interdependence that inextricably links our happiness
with the happiness of others. It is an opportu21
nity to begin creating socially harmonious
relationships where presently there may be
social discord.”
This workshop is designed for everyone. Its
objective is to provide you greater confidence
in addressing social conflicts within your personal and professional lives. The focus will be
on building general awareness through the
development of communication, assertiveness,
and listening skills. Participants will engage in
group discussions, practical exercises, role-playing, and other creative expressions. They will
also have a chance to experience overtone
singing, also known as harmonic singing,
which serves as a powerful vehicle to personal
and social consciousness.
$885
Through Our Own Eyes: A Retreat
For and By Women Physicians
Charlea Massion
“This retreat,” writes Charlea Massion, “has
been created for and by women physicians to
reflect on our personal and professional lives,
to encourage a better balance of our work and
our play, and to receive support for our individual development as healers. Each day we
will have:
• Facilitated small group discussions and
exercises based on the specific interests and
needs of participants
• Opportunities to create and/or participate
in a study/interest group about issues most
important to you
• Open time to pursue activities that renew
your energy and creativity
“Bring your journal, your watercolors, hiking
boots, meditation pillow, your sunglasses, and
a great book! We also encourage you to consider attending with a colleague or a friend
from medical school, residency, or your community.”
Weekend of October 6–8
Recommended reading: Leonard & Murphy,
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery;
Murphy, The Future of the Body.
$485
The Tao of Practice
George Leonard
We’ve tried them all—the ten easy steps to
power and prosperity, the programs offering
instant enlightenment or total fitness in fifteen minutes a week—and we’ve discovered
they simply don’t work. More and more people are beginning to say no to the false and
often destructive promises of the quick fix.
Moreover, new research is showing the efficacy of patient, long-term practice, which, it
turns out, is far more important than talent in
achieving mastery.
Kathleen O’Shaughnessy & David Streeter
In this workshop, human-potential pioneer
George Leonard introduces a path (tao) of
practice that can bring long-term pleasure and
fulfillment. Drawing on the Integral
Transformative Practice (ITP) he cofounded
with Michael Murphy, Leonard will offer the
fundamentals of a program for realizing the
potential of mind, body, heart, and soul.
You will have a chance to learn a forty-minute
series that includes physical movement,
breathing practice, relaxation, transformative
imaging, and meditation. You will practice
balancing and centering, the use of chi,
focused surrender, and the creation of effective affirmations. There will be discussions of
the principles of human transformation as
revealed in a two-year experiment Leonard
and Murphy conducted.
This workshop involves physical movement
but is not strenuous. All that’s needed is a generous heart and a willingness to participate.
This workshop is for those individuals who
are just beginning to explore touch as deep
communication. The central theme will be
primary approaches to full-body massage,
which the leaders will introduce through
demonstration and experiential exchanges
with partners. Self-awareness and centering
practices will be used to enhance the senses.
Discussion will offer insights into various
approaches to bodywork and how they
address both the physiological and
mental/emotional body.
$485
Deep Learning: Discovering What We
Know, Remembering Who We Are
Al McLeod
Gazing at the map...all the diversity of the world is
intimated on the parchment, even as the diversity
is intimated within me. The map and myself are
the same.
—Fra Mauro, 16th century monk and cartographer
Recent brain research confirms that each
learning experience is accompanied by a
release of complex biochemicals. The meaning we assign to each experience plays a vital
role in whether we trigger our brain into
releasing stressful or pleasurable hormones; it
impacts our emotional, mental, and spiritual
Note: This workshop will offer Category 1
Continuing Medical Education credit (for an
additional $75). All participants must be
physicians (MDs or DOs) and must register
and pay additional fees ($500) to Chiara
Associates prior to registering with Esalen.
Please contact Charlea Massion: phone 831458-6207; fax: 831-458-6204; or e-mail:
[email protected].
$885
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
In addition to Charlea Massion, the physician
faculty will include: Rosemary Agostini, Lori
Arviso Alvord, Jennifer Bolen, Michelle
“Ipimi” Brown, Patricia Dawson, Adriane
Fugh-Berman, Shiree Flume, Marita Grudzen,
Gail Prichard, and others.
well-being. Our habits of the heart—how we
interpret the world—form the inner maps that
describe and limit our boundaries. Our deepest maps are the assumptions of which we are
least conscious. Like a fish in water, we swim
in them unaware.
The goals of this workshop are (1) to examine
and clarify our most deeply embedded
assumptions, our maps of life, and (2) to sense
into our next step, to where our longings and
dreams call us. Only as we are conscious of
old maps and have a vision of new ones can
we bridge the gap between the two. As we
build the bridge to more skillful living, we
simultaneously shift inner maps and brain
chemistry.
To support this journey into deeper learning
states, the workshop will use guided inquiry
exercises, music and imagery, group ritual and
process, and elements of play and theater.
Recommended reading: Cowan, A Mapmaker’s
Dream; Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of
Living and Dying (first half ).
$485
Vision Painting
Helen Jerene Malcolm
Paint your vision for 2000 and beyond.
Discover how the colors you intuitively
choose reveal information about your life
script and future choices. Vision Painting
transforms painting into contemplation, a
meditation that calms the mind, a way of finding the peace that brings harmony into your
life.
Vision Painting’s approach to disharmony is
to release the problem by dropping the search
for a solution; instead the Vision Painter
dwells in the deep silence within as he/she
paints. Joy and fear, love and anger all are
allowed their say as the painter becomes a
witness to their appearance in a painting.
Painting in this way, conscious and open,
aware of the light within, can bring clarity to
the vision of your life.
During the sessions, color energies are
explored through chanting, music, and movement to stimulate creative imagery. The
visioning practice is one of staying in the flow
of your intuitive responses to color wavelengths and letting go of what a “painting”
should be. Vision Painting can inspire you to
liberate the imprisoned splendor within.
This workshop is recommended for all artists
and seekers, from beginners to experienced.
$485
Overtone Singing
Rollin Rachele
Often used in meditative practices, overtone
singing is a technique in which one person
sings two notes simultaneously. The second
note is frequently perceived as a flute-like
instrument or a synthesizer. The effects of
this sound are profoundly moving and liberating. Some people have called it the most
sacred sound they’ve ever heard.
If you have inhibitions about your singing
voice, you may lose them as Rollin Rachele
guides you through the world of overtones.
Supported by Rollin’s technical expertise,
artistic sensitivity, and warm teaching style,
participants will learn about the theory, the
history, and the mechanics of overtone
singing.
The workshop offers a clear, empirical understanding of overtones, the ability to control
overtone production, and the opportunity to
discover more about the physics of sound.
Some time will be spent on the mathematics
of sound. (Don’t be discouraged if your brain
doesn’t think this way. It is one aspect of
appreciating the beauty of overtone singing;
each aspect adds to its richness.)
No musical experience is required. For more
information, visit Rollin’s website www.crypticvoices.com.
Recommended reading: Rachele, Overtone
Singing Study Guide (with accompanying CD).
$485
Natural Wisdom and Everyday
Enlightenment
David Schiffman
This workshop is intended for those seeking a
more graceful balance between the worldly
and the spiritual—people who already have a
healthy appetite for life and a practical interest in living with heart and spirit. The focus
will be the wisdom we gain by honoring our
deepest personal interests and rhythms.
“Our aim,” David Schiffman writes, “is to foster emotional maturity and adeptness in facing the challenges of living freely and
creatively with courage, skill, and imagination. Together we will examine what it takes
to develop a robust spiritual practice rooted in
personal clarity, faith, and power. Our goal as
a community will be to explore novel, effective ways of being:
• Whole, real, and well-met by others
• Responsible, unashamed, and clear about
our feelings
• Poised and balanced in triumphs and troubles
• Free to circulate appropriately from everyday practicality to mystical rapture
• Fully present to the potential pleasures of
our own bodies
• Able to be a good influence on ourselves
and others
“Using a combination of inner and group
work, ceremony, music, movement, and
touch, we will explore how to forge a more
finely balanced personal life and emotional
style.”
$885
Soul Without Shame:
A Compassionate Confrontation
of Self-Judgment
Byron Brown
The superego, inner critic, or judge, shapes
and limits our daily life. A psychic entity that
praises, cajoles, accuses, intimidates, promises,
and threatens, it sits on our shoulder and
watches to see if we measure up. In addition
to invading our relationships and undermining our self-esteem, self-judgment interferes
with our personal spiritual work. It warns us
that deep questions and expanding awareness
create trouble. It attacks us for not changing
and makes us anxious when we do change.
This workshop is an introduction to the
Diamond Approach®, a spiritual teaching that
directly addresses the superego to create space
for inner work. Byron Brown writes:
“Through embodied awareness (to support
presence) and open-ended inquiry (to bring
about understanding), we will recognize and
confront the assumptions and principles that
keep self-judgment in place. We will cultivate
aspects of our True Nature that are antidotes
to self-judgment: compassion, will, and
strength. Most important, we will practice
disengaging from the judgment process
through understanding and deliberate action.
Throughout we will develop a felt sense of the
contrast between being under the judgment
spell and directly experiencing the joy and
freedom that arise in its absence.”
Sessions will include meditation, lecture, discussion, exercises, and small-group process.
page 66.
Recommended reading: Brown, Soul Without
Shame.
$885
23
Mantra: The Original Power of the
Spoken Word
Thomas Ashley-Farrand
On the spoken word all the Gods depend, all beasts
and men; in the word live all creatures...The word
is the imperishable, the first born of eternal law,
the mother of the Vedas, the navel of the divine
world.
— Taittiriya Brahman
Most of the ancient scriptures speak of the
mystical power of sound. The power of
ancient mantras in the mystical Sanskrit language can be used today to enhance the quality of life. Mantras can improve health issues
and relationship problems, bring about abundance, expand artistic and educational
endeavors, and increase mental clarity and
depth of understanding. Most importantly,
mantras can accelerate spiritual advancement.
Writes Thomas Ashley-Farrand: “Most of our
difficulties are caused by energy patterns that
are crystallized within and stored as karma in
the subtle body. Sanskrit mantras work directly on these crystallized energy patterns to
break them up and clear them away. As the
language of the chakras, Sanskrit is energybased and can be used to work on specific
karmic problems of all kinds.”
This workshop will present secrets of the
ancient Sanskrit language in easy-to-understand terms along with simple-to-use mantra
tools. Several classical mantras for spiritual
advancement will be taught. Ashley-Farrand,
one of the few Western experts in puja (water
ceremonies) and yajna (fire ceremonies), will
anchor the mantra practices through ancient
Sanskrit ceremonies. In addition, individual
private sessions will be available to address
personal issues.
$885
Writing Scripts from Within
This workshop is for writers of all levels who
wish to explore and deepen their emotional
writing. Topics and experiences will include:
•
•
•
•
Exercises to access and free story potential
Character and dialogue development
Structure of good storytelling
Stories developed to heal both author and
audience
• Supportive group experience as a creative
catalyst
• Honoring individual process and the creative journey
$885
Contour Figure Drawing
Noel Mapstead & Keiko Suga
This workshop provides a novel introduction
to figure drawing using contour drawing, a
method which involves creating outlines and
contours of the subject. Contour drawing
teaches you to draw what you see rather than
what you think you see. It develops eye/hand
coordination, concentration, observation, and
risk taking. A contour drawing class allows
participants to create their own drawing line
while sharing a group experience.
Participants will work directly from the nude
figure using live models. Activities will
include individual and group drawings, portraits, life-size figures, and discussion. The
Esalen grounds will serve as a backdrop—
there will even be hot-tub figure drawing.
Also included will be a sweat lodge and clay
mud baths.
The goal is to gain confidence in this medium
and take home a portfolio of fun artwork. No
experience is required.
You can preview this workshop on the Web at
www.mapstead.com/noel, or e-mail Noel and
Keiko at [email protected].
$885
(plus $45 materials and models fee
Cathrine Ann Jones
The purpose of the artist is humble. He is essentially only a channel.
— Piet Mondrian
Good dramatic writing serves a healing function, for both the author and the audience.
This is possible only through memorable
characters and powerful storytelling.
Whether adapting true-life stories (including
one’s own) or writing original stories, the
healing transformation of a good film or play
depends on making it one’s own from within.
How does one develop story, character, and
theme into a coherent, emotionally consistent, and marketable story outline?
Yoga Works: Practice as a Tool
for Well-Being
Maty Ezraty & Chuck Miller
Yoga is not only an excellent source of physical exercise, but a powerful tool for wellbeing. The practice of yoga is designed to
release blocks that cause mental and physical
pain and prevent us from knowing our true
nature. As we continue the practice, we
become stronger and more flexible, which
lessens our physical discomfort and in turn
allows the emergence of a new peace of mind.
The leaders write: “We’ll begin this weekend
workshop slowly with a detailed explanation
of the essential principles and techniques of
our practice. We’ll set up a gradual progression and move deeper as the group allows.
The practice is a ‘long form’ which is repeated
daily and which can become quite vigorous.
Students will be encouraged to progress slowly, at their own pace, but will be challenged to
move through limitations to awaken hidden
intelligence. Learning how to work and play
with the form, to strengthen inner choice,
direction, and intention, will be more important than what is ‘accomplished’ physically.”
Maty and Chuck also lead a weeklong workshop for more advanced yoga students
October 15-20.
$485
Healing of Heart and Mind:
Choosing to Change
Fred Luskin
Every human being has suffered rejection,
mistreatment, betrayal. Yet some people
maneuver through these painful experiences
while others remain stuck. This workshop
will examine why and how this happens.
Through sharing and processing experience,
participants will work toward understanding
how sadness, frustration, and anger arise—and
how to change those feelings.
By demystifying the process of healing, we
accelerate this mysterious process. We can
learn to let go of old hurts and become less
likely to create new ones. Using cognitive
approaches—lecture as well as guided practice
in reframing, disputation, and existential
understanding—this workshop presents forgiveness as a choice. The cognitive approaches will be complemented by practice in
mindfulness, imagery, and heart-centered
approaches designed to help get in touch with
the heart’s restorative potential. Journal writing, dyadic exercises, and group discussion
will also be used.
Uniting mind and heart and letting go of old
hurts is an expression of the soul’s desire for
connection and harmony. With insight and
practice, it is possible to successfully work
with the emotions that prevent us from moving forward in our lives.
CE credit for psychologists; see page 5.
$485
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Future in Sight: Trends,
Implications, and Predictions
for the New Millennium
Barry Minkin
As we begin the new millennium, questions
about the future loom ever larger on the horizon: What new social and economic trends
are emerging? What are their implications?
How will they change the way we live?
Computers and their multimedia offspring
are already changing the way we live, communicate, develop relationships, and buy and sell
products, yet it is abundantly clear that “we
ain’t seen nothing yet”—the decade ahead is
sure to bring more radical changes. Success in
2000 and beyond will mean riding the crest of
this wave of change—but to catch the wave
before it catches us, we must see it coming.
This seminar will begin with participants
focusing on developing their own forecasting
and planning skills. The workshop will introduce and apply the Econo-2000 forecasting
model and “Demon Questions” to personalize
the trends and techniques presented. The
group will then interactively consider about
100 global trends and predictions that will
play key parts in shaping the next decade.
Among the global-trend areas to be considered are relationships, demographic and
lifestyle trends, marketing, politics, financial
and legal trends, technology, management,
economics, and new business opportunities.
$485
Writing About Our Lives
Ellen Bass
“The philosophy behind this workshop,”
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 a supportive place to share our
lives and work, our voice, our creativity. There
will be a lot of time for writing, as well as time
for sharing and feedback. From beginners to
experienced, all writers are welcomed.
Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction,
nonfiction, or journal writing, this workshop
provides an opportunity to explore and
expand your world.
Dr. Cohen share their experience of these practices and demonstrate how these principles
can be incorporated directly into the fabric of
our lives as a path to profound life change.
Note: Although Ellen Bass is known for her
work with survivors of child sexual abuse, the
focus of this workshop will not be on healing
from trauma. Rather, it is a creative writing
workshop in which participants are free to
write on any subject they choose.
$485
Through teaching, discussion, guided activities, hands-on projects, meditation, and
music, participants will be assisted in understanding the Kabbalah as an ongoing process
of spiritual, psychological, and emotional
development. The leaders will also share their
pioneering work in the use of precise
Kabbalistic tonal frequencies. Among the topics to be covered:
The Power of Growth
Seymour Carter
Everyone has unused capacities for further
personal development. When these capacities
are recognized and given attention, a natural
force is released which, like a tide, can carry
the individual to a higher level of ability and
action. Fritz Perls taught how to recognize the
force of avoided issues in dealing with
blocked energies. When unfinished issues are
confronted and assimilated, it is possible to
feel potent and in charge of one’s life.
In this workshop, participants will deal with
these issues by examining the influence of
the inner dialogue on thoughts and the
nature of impasse, as well as tendencies within themselves toward psychological completion and well-being. The basis of this work is
the Gestalt method, supported by studies in
various body disciplines, including sensory
awareness and bioenergetics. Each participant’s process of development will be honored, encouraged, and treated as unique.
$885
The Living Kabbalah: Healing
Practice and the Process of
Personal Transformation
Rabbi Steven Fisdel & Gerald Cohen
The great beauty of the Kabbalah, the ancient
mystic tradition of Judaism, lies in its ability
to penetrate deeply into the mystery of life
itself by delving into the inner meaning of
Creation and exploring the core dynamics of
human experience. Rabbi Steven Fisdel and
Dr. Gerald Cohen focus on the living
Kabbalah, a practical training for those seeking to heal and to reformat their lives on a
higher level of spiritual consciousness.
The program encompasses the deep relationship between Kabbalistic teaching and Tibetan
Buddhist healing practices. Rabbi Fisdel and
• Kavannah and Devekut—spiritual focus and
connection with God.
• The Tzaddik—the transformative effects of
righteousness
• The five stages of the healing process
• Subtle energies in Kabbalah, homeopathy,
and Tibetan medicine
• The Tree of Life—the universal paradigm of
Creation, creativity, and human experience
• Alef-Bet—the mystical meaning of the
Hebrew alphabet and its use as the tarot
• The Heikhalot—higher levels of consciousness
page 66.
$885
Yoga Works: Practice as a Tool for
Observation and Feedback
Maty Ezraty & Chuck Miller
In this weeklong workshop, two longtime
yoga teachers delve into the practice of
Ashtanga Yoga, as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi
Jois of Mysore, South India.
The morning classes will be “Mysore-style,”
which allows students to move at their own
pace. As participants learn the sequence, they
will be challenged to bring more intelligence
and depth to the practice. Mysore-style yoga
enables the teachers to work more closely
with each individual and to custom-tailor the
practice as needed.
During the afternoon sessions, the focus will
be on specific challenges and possible solutions, with an emphasis on technical fine-tuning. Evening classes will offer time to go into
the history and philosophy underlying this
practice, with ample time for questions and
discussions.
Some familiarity with standing postures and
sun salutations is strongly recommended.
Maty and Chuck offer a weekend introduction to their practice October 13-15.
$885
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The Transformational Enneagram:
Mindfulness, Insight, and Experience
Don Richard Riso & Russ Hudson
Always remember that when the shadows in ourselves are touched by the light of awareness, they
become doors through which grace transforms
our lives.
— Don Richard Riso,
Enneagram Transformations
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 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. Instruction will
be combined with group meditations, smallgroup 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).
$885
The Art of the Wild
Steven Harper & Frances Thompson
One brush stroke divides form from emptiness, mountains from sky. Chan monks,
strolling through misty mountains of China,
created landscape paintings with brush and
ink. Said Dao Ji, the Chinese painter and
monk, “The mountains and the streams in
nature challenged me to speak for them.”
In this retreat, the mountains and sea of Big
Sur will challenge you to listen deeply and
speak for them as you step onto a centuriesold path of being in nature with brush, ink,
and paper, opening to all that occurs—without
and within. Applying basic contemplative
26
practices, hiking, and painting, you will venture into the wilds of Big Sur, seeking to
enhance your ability to perceive, to be profoundly touched, and to express through
hand and brush.
The workshop will present basic brush techniques and bold spilled-ink styles which soak
beautifully into special Chinese paper.
Sessions will be outdoors on the Esalen
grounds and on day-hikes into the Big Sur
wilderness, as well as indoors at Esalen’s Art
Barn.
No previous experience in hiking or painting
is necessary (though the Big Sur trails call for
some physical exertion). Painting materials
will be available to purchase at the class.
Further information will be sent upon registration.
$885
(plus materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
f
October 20–27
Moving Meditation Practice
Thomas Fortel, Ellen Watson & David Streeter
Ellen, David, and Thomas each offer popular
weekly classes at Esalen as part of Esalen’s
Movement Arts Program. Now they combine
their talents and their passions to present seven
days of transformational movement practices to
awaken the body and touch the spirit.
Communication and Partnership
Mary Goldenson
Underlying all our relationships—husband,
wife, lover, friend, daughter, son, mother,
father—is the need to communicate. Too often
we learn to express our needs through control, power struggles, addictions, dependency,
guilt, denial, and unreasonableness. This
workshop is about healing the soul-wounds
sustained in our attempts at partnership. The
focus will be on:
• Exploring the possibilities of equal soul
partnership
• Learning new ways to express our fear, sadness, grief, and love
• Defining what we need to change in our
relationships
• Learning different language styles to better
connect with our partners
• Learning ways to heal, forgive, and move on
to a mutually beneficial relationship
Come alone or with a partner. The workshop
will provide a safe, supportive environment to
learn new practices of breathwork, communication skills, movement, and Gestalt, making
it easier to express your truth and take
responsibility for your feelings and issues.
This workshop may have up to 34 participants.
$485
They write: “At the very heart of moving meditation practice is emptiness, stillness, a quiet
mind, a space where spirit is free to move the
mover—beneath, beyond, and through the
ego. We offer practices from East and West:
from Qi Gong to Hatha Yoga to Ecstatic
Dance and Drum. We will gather in circle to
activate and explore our Body (Bodhi)
Dharma. Days will begin with meditation or
pranayama (breathing practice) and classes
will continue throughout the day until 10 pm.
You can choose to attend all sessions or just a
few each day.
Mindfulness Meditation:
An Introductory Weekend
“Whether you love to move, want to move,
need to move, or simply want to learn about
and practice these varied forms, this workshop is for you. Come join us for asana practice, the Dance of the Soul, for sitting and
moving mindfully through the Five Elements
of Qi Gong.”
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
Everyone is welcome.
$1370
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.
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.
$485
Brave Heart: A Retreat for Men
Joseph Jastrab & Larry Lima
The world needs a man’s heart...it all starts with
forgiveness.
— Joseph Jastrab, Sacred Manhood, Sacred Earth
Courageous living is impossible without the
ability to free ourselves from halfhearted
obligations, guilt, and resentments that steadily feed off our life force. Too many men have
lost themselves trying to “do the right thing”
and they, along with those close to them, suffer as a result.
There is a key that can deliver us from living
in worn-out identities into the freedom of living who we truly are now: the practice of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a simple act, yet one
of the most challenging, courageous, and liberating acts a man can make. This workshop
is for men who long to let go and bring more
creative energy, sacredness, and heartfulness
into their lives and into the world.
Using the tools of storytelling, poetry, energetic release, play, ritual, and nature-based
meditations, you will be guided in identifying
the events and attitudes that imprison your
life force in deadening negativity. You will be
offered a structured way to walk into and
through the suffering of your imprisonment
and emerge with renewed spirit. The group
will then explore spiritual teachings that
weave isolated acts of the brave heart into a
lifestyle of freedom and spiritual aliveness.
Recommended reading: Jastrab, Sacred
Manhood, Sacred Earth.
$485
Jorge Luis Borges:
The Dreamer in the Labyrinth
Amelia Barili
Reality is like our image reflected in all mirrors, a
simulacrum that exists only through us, that comes
with us, gestures and then leaves us, but that is
always there when we search for it.
One of the great writers of the twentieth century, Jorge Luis Borges remains a mystery for
most of his readers. Who was Borges? With
what did he construct his subjective reality?
How did his stories come about? Why do
they fascinate us the way they do?
Amelia Barili, former book review editor of the
prestigious Argentine newspaper La Prensa and
a longtime friend of Borges, will share her
memories of their conversations about his
work, revealing the man behind the public persona: a dreamer in a labyrinth created by his life
circumstances and by his perception of them.
Says Barili: “First we’ll explore how his subjective reality is present in the short stories and
poems we will read together, and then we’ll
use them as windows to look inward into our
own inner realities and the way we construct
them.” Everyone is welcome.
Recommended reading: Borges, Labyrinths
and Dreamtigers; Barili, Jorge Luis Borges y
Alfonso Reyes: La cuestión de la identidad del
escritor latinoamericano.
$485
Life, Paint, and Passion:
The Painting Experience
Stewart Cubley
People rarely use painting for its qualities of
inner adventure and self-discovery—painting
purely for the process of exploration rather
than the result. This workshop is designed to
help you rediscover art-making as the great
nourisher of the human psyche. Guided by
Stewart Cubley, cofounder of The Painting
Experience in San Francisco, you will undertake a profound journey of free play and selfrevelation through spontaneous painting.
The work takes place in a studio setting with
large white surfaces to confront the creative
void, along with a rich spectrum of colors and
brushes. The environment is one of respect
for each person’s experience and a mutual
regard for the integrity of individual expression. Painting sessions will be used to develop
a nonverbal, nonconceptual tool for inquiry
into the nature of creative blocks and selfimposed limitations.
This workshop is valuable to a wide variety of
individuals, including artists, educators, counselors, and those involved with meditative
practices. No prior experience in painting is
necessary. Paints, paper, and brushes are supplied. Please bring a smock.
For more information contact The Painting
Experience: Workshops with Stewart Cubley,
at 1-888-639-8569; www.processarts.com on the
Web.
Suggested Reading: Cubley (coauthor), Life,
Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of
Spontaneous Expression.
$885
EEG and Spirituality
Anna Wise
As we begin the third millennium, we have a
multitude of technological resources to help
with our health and well-being. While technology is improving beyond recognition,
humankind is simultaneously undergoing an
unprecedented evolutionary leap. A return to
spirituality, an increased awakening of awareness, and a craving for an experience of the
ineffable are motivating forces for countless
people today. This workshop combines these
two streams, technology and spirituality, by
using EEG (electroencephalography).
Anna Wise writes: “Twenty-five years of investigations into the brainwave patterns of ‘higher states of consciousness’ has shown me the
interrelationship of brainwave frequencies
that develops as this awakening occurs. This
subtle and individualized combination of
beta, alpha, theta, and delta can be identified,
encouraged, and trained. Problems that occur
with spiritual awakening—for example, inordinate ‘psychic’ sensitivity and accelerated
kundalini experiences—can be explained and
assisted by studying EEG. Meditation combined with EEG can help to regulate this
process and to develop self-mastery.”
In this experiential workshop, you will also
be given feedback on your brainwave patterns
along with practices you can continue at
home for your optimum brainwave and consciousness development.
$885
Open Circle: Transforming Life Issues
into Spiritual Growth
In our willingness to process our uncomfortable feelings we are led to profound insights
into the causes of our internal constrictions
and to the means to release the pain associated with them. “Open Circle” is a voyage into
the realm of feelings and a celebration of our
identity as divine beings.
— Jorge Luis Borges
27
ANDRIS ABELE
“Open Circle” integrates the dynamic psychological methods of psychosynthesis, Gestalt,
and process work with the applied arts of
movement and art therapy. Howard
Schechter and Barbara Lee provide experiential exercises as well as focused, heart-centered
guidance.
Based on the principle that each of us is both
teacher and learner, the workshop encourages
group members to participate as co-leaders,
contributing to the growth and evolution of
the circle. The movement of the circle will be
determined by the individuals and the group
in the moment. Surrendering to the spontaneous unfolding of the circle can lead to elevated states of consciousness and a sense of
full aliveness.
The key to this process is the remembering of
our essential divinity and the willingness—
and courage—to feel and release our inner
constraints. The sole qualification for participation is a sincere desire to know and express
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one’s inner truth in an atmosphere of loving
support and compassion.
$885
location, an in-depth study of the five elements, and special application for stress
reduction and health maintenance.
Acupressure Energy
$885
Pauline Kirby
Traditional acupuncture is a healing art and
science that teaches one how to see the entire
human being in relationship to the body,
mind, and spirit. It is a form of healing that
emphasizes balance and harmony, focusing
on health rather than disease.
Experiencing Esalen
This workshop will explore the five elements
used in traditional Chinese medicine, following the metaphor that the body is a garden
rather than a machine. The course will look
closely at the body’s energy system and examine how these meridian pathways can
enhance one’s health. Concepts of traditional
acupuncture and acupressure will be demonstrated and discussed, including pulse diagnosis, the flow of meridian pathways, point
For workshop description see September 29October 1.
$485
Joy is the Journey:
Hatha Yoga and More
Lilias Folan
Join Lilias Folan, host of the PBS series
“Lilias!”, for a weekend of yoga and relaxation.
Lilias will guide participants in learning fresh
ways to move, meditate, and breathe—with
special focus on the art of relaxation. There
will be time for stillness and time for high
play. Sunday morning (weather permitting),
as the sun rises, participants will gather to
“Greet the Day in a Sacred Way.”
Open your heart, mind, and spirit with a journey through your closest natural environment—your own body! Lilias will share her
spiritual journey and practical ways to weave
yoga practice into your daily life.
All levels of expertise are welcome. Please
wear comfortable clothes and bare feet, and
bring your own mat. Registration will be limited to 33 participants.
$485
‘Tis a Gift To Be Simple
David Schiffman
This weekend is for people who would like to
return to the simplicity of the values we treasure most. Its aim is to create a climate of
mutual support and encouragement for
exploring how to best cultivate the spirit of
real generosity and faith in dealing with ourselves and others. This process will embrace
the following elements:
A student of philosophical and spiritual traditions of both East and West, Assagioli sought
instead to address not only psychological
wounding and personal development, but, in
addition, the “transpersonal” dimension:
inspired creativity, altruistic ideals, and peak
experiences. Psychosynthesis has since grown
to become a compassionate and comprehensive psychology of the whole person, providing the practical means for examining one’s
life and for discovering how to grow more
fully into one’s true self.
the poets’ voices will be heard, and there’ll be
opportunity for participants to write/present
their own poems, if they wish.
$485
This workshop will be an experiential
overview of the theory and practice of psychosynthesis. It is an invitation to explore
the heights and depths of being human,
including subpersonality or “ego-state” work,
object relations and family-of-origin issues,
the superconscious and transpersonal self,
and the experience of “vocation” or “call” in
life. The intention is to gain a deeper feel for
our unique psychological and spiritual journey, get a sense of what our next steps on
this journey might be, and, most essentially,
find a greater compassion for ourselves and
others.
Are you deeply fulfilled in your work and
life? Have you found your gift to the world? If
so, do you let obstacles sidetrack you? This
workshop offers an investigation into your
genius—the ancient Greek daimon—your soul
companion who knows your life’s purpose
and gift to the world.
$485
• Sanctuary—the opportunity to step away
and pause, to create a mood of peace
• The company of kindred spirits—a chance
to be met with honesty, empathy, and wisdom in an atmosphere of soulful support
• The emotional freedom to be—the right to
let down and be sad, glad, or mad in order
to clear the air and move on, making room
in our hearts for new possibilities
• The right to feel free and alive in our bodies—the use of movement and touch to
restore the vitality of feeling truly alive and
physically at ease
The methods will be drawn from a wide variety of practices, both traditional and nontraditional, all aimed at restoring our gratitude and
appreciation for being alive.
$485
Psychosynthesis: Personal and
Transpersonal Growth
John Firman & Ann Gila
Psychosynthesis was born in 1910 when the
Italian psychiatrist Roberto Assagioli became
dissatisfied with psychoanalysis. Although
Assagioli was a colleague of Freud and Jung,
he saw that psychoanalysis neglected the
healthier and “higher” aspects of human
nature.
Into Nature, With Poems
John Felstiner
“It is a long way,” writes John Felstiner, “from
William Wordsworth’s heartlifting ‘host of
golden Daffodils’ to Denise Levertov’s ‘men
with cylinders of pesticide poking at moss in
cracks of cement’—a long way, but a traceable
one. What have the natural world and animals within it meant to humankind? How
have poets noted, clarified, and prompted our
aware habitation of that world? Does a firsthand encounter with their writing—in the Big
Sur environment—make any difference anymore to our survival on earth? ‘So much
depends,’ as William Carlos Williams once
said about a red wheelbarrow, upon the kind
of sensory and psychic freshening that a good
poem enables.”
The workshop will take up these questions,
beginning with Anon, Psalms, and the Book
of Job, then Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Keats,
Whitman, and Dickinson, modern poets such
as Hopkins, Yeats, Rilke, Frost, Lowell,
Williams, Dylan Thomas, Yvor Winters, and
then our nearer contemporaries Oppen,
Snyder, Stafford, Levertov, Ginsberg, Kinnell,
Hughes, Bishop, Hass. During every meeting
Week of October
29–November 3
The Web of the Gods: Finding Your
Genius and Shaping Your Time
Kaaren Kitchell & Richard Beban
Kaaren and Richard write: “We’ll help you identify what your genius wants of you, then help you
shape your time to reach that goal. As writers
and poets who have studied myth for years, we
have created a new model of the self, a system for
vividly envisioning the direction and daily harmony of your life. We will help you reimagine
the ancient gods and goddesses as mentors who
guide the twelve realms of your life: Sleep and
Health; Meditation and Beauty; Emotional
Security and Shelter; Money and Travel;
Creativity and Enjoyment; and Education and
Generosity. The workshop will include:
• Ancient stories of the gods and goddesses
• Modern embodiments of these archetypal
energies in film clips
• Wisdom woven from a variety of sources,
from alchemy to string theory, Hesiod to
Hollywood
• A map of the self (mandala), so you’ll know
where you’re going and how to get there
• An original meditation practice, tailored
for you
• A day-planner system for tracking goals
and maintaining harmony in your life
Recommended reading: Graves, The Greek
Gods; Hillman, The Soul’s Code; Capra, The Web
of Life.
$885
Integrity
Charlie Bloom
Of the personal qualities that most people
respect in themselves and others, none is
more highly valued than integrity. This word,
which literally means “wholeness,” brings to
mind a collection of human characteristics
including strength, reliability, honesty, trust29
worthiness, and respectability. We instinctively know that when we live a life of integrity
our actions are grounded in a way that brings
vitality and authenticity to even ordinary
experience. Yet despite our appreciation of
and desire for integrity, we may not fully
appreciate its true essence or how we can cultivate it within ourselves.
This workshop is designed to help you develop a deeper understanding of what it means
to live in integrity with the truth of your
being and embody it in words, deeds, and relationships. You will explore the everyday experiences that give rise to opportunities to
deepen this quality in your life. In addition,
you will examine personal and interactive patterns that may compromise or diminish your
experience of integrity, and develop new
responses that can enhance and deepen your
connection to the truth.
$885
CranioSacral II
John Worcester
This workshop further explores the
CranioSacral System and its function in relationship to other patho-physiological body
systems. The course will begin with the study
of cranial base dysfunctions as perceived, diagnosed, and treated by Dr. William Sutherland,
the father of cranial osteopathy. Students will
learn how to integrate Sutherland’s techniques
for identifying and evaluating lesions into a
ten-step protocol and how to apply individual
correction treatments when needed.
Evaluation and treatment processes of the
hard palate, the mandible, and temporomandibular joint will be presented and practiced to complete the exploration of the
masticatory system. Emphasis will then be
directed to whole body evaluation, as discussions will center on various “physiological
phenomena” that occur within the body.
The SomatoEmotional Release process will
also be introduced with discussion and
demonstration of an “energy cyst.”
Participants must have completed the
Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral Therapy I,
either at Esalen or elsewhere.
done only through the Upledger Institute.
Please call the Upledger Institute at 1-800233-5880. For more information see Special
Programs, page 66.
$885
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Vocal Awareness:
Empowerment Through Voice
Arthur Samuel Joseph
In many traditions, the throat is the center of
creative power. The voice reflects this power
and has the capacity to help access our full
creative expression. This course combines the
powerful practices of Vocal Awareness with
principles of creativity theory to help participants realize their creative potential.
The Vocal Awareness approach—which views
voice as a metaphor representing an individual to the world—includes vocalizing, sound
meditation, movement, song study, and development of the speaking voice as a means for
deepening contact with the self. Participants
work individually and in groups exploring
breathing, toning, and vocalizing.
Not only do singing and speaking offer an
immediate outlet for creative expression, but
the voice can also be a springboard for other
forms of creative expression, such as writing,
drawing, movement, and problem solving.
Seen in this way, the voice represents the
whole person as an integrated creative being.
Consequently, this workshop can be not only
a vocal training class but a step toward
empowerment along life’s path.
Note: Please bring a tape recorder.
$885
Proprioceptive Writing®:
Clearing the Mind
Tobin Simon & Linda Trichter Metcalf
Proprioceptive Writing is for nonwriters who
wish to write as well as for writers who face
psychological difficulties that impede their
work. Many of us, writers and nonwriters
alike, seem so cut off from our own imaginations, emotions, and thought processes that
we often cannot hear ourselves think, much
less know the meaning of our unspoken
thoughts. Our failure to understand ourselves
frequently blocks our creative expression. But
if we can learn to communicate with ourselves, we can center ourselves in our work
and our work in ourselves, and thus dissolve
expressive blocks.
“Proprioception” is a term for kinesthetic sensation—feelings that originate in the body’s
interior. Proprioceptive Writing is a practice
that uses writing to explore the psyche by taking the emphasis off writing and focusing on
the experience of inner hearing, activating
the auditory imagination—the key to emotion
and the path toward feeling. A meditational
writing practice with the power to open the
heart and clear the mind, it was developed
over twenty years ago by Linda Trichter
Metcalf and Tobin Simon after a decade of
teaching writing to college students.
This workshop is appropriate for all those
seeking greater imaginative freedom in their
lives and in their work.
$885
Weekend of November 3–5
A Crazy Way of Praying:
Imagination, Presence, and Joy
Tandy Beal
“This is a workshop to bring mind into body,
body into mind, and joy into both,” Tandy
Beal writes. “The playing field for our explorations will be made up of movement and
imagination. You don’t have to be skilled—or
even confident—about moving or creating in
order to rediscover your sense of wonder and
fun. The tools we use will be drawn from my
life in dance, circus, theater, and teaching—
and from your life in the world.
“Our watchword this weekend: ‘Only connect.’ We’ll do so with ourselves and others
through movement, stories, and music. We
all hold a piece of the truth. Come put the
puzzle together in a new and wonderful way!”
Tandy Beal has spent thirty years in dance,
theater, circus, and film. She has written for
and directed the Moscow Circus, choreographed for her own dance company, and collaborated with the likes of Bobby McFerrin,
Tim Burton, and Frank Zappa.
See Seminar Spotlight, page 10.
$485
Natural Capitalism and the
Resource Efficiency Revolution
Amory Lovins
Capitalism defies its own logic by liquidating,
but not valuing, its largest stock of capital—
the natural resources and ecosystem services
that make possible all life. In contrast, natural
capitalism fully values physical, financial,
human, and natural capital.
Previous industrial revolutions economized
on people because the relative scarcity of people limited progress. Yet now people are abundant and nature is scarce. Applying the same
logic to this new pattern of scarcity, natural
capitalism makes resources 10-100 times more
productive. Natural capitalism also redesigns
industry on biological models with closed
loops and zero waste, and shifts the economy
from sales of objects to the continuous flow of
value and service. Finally, as any prudent capitalist must do, it reinvests in restoring, sustaining, and expanding the natural capital
that creates wealth and sustains life.
The result profitably addresses many social
problems. Lack of work and hope, shortages of
satisfaction and security, are not isolated
pathologies, but result from the intimate connections between the waste of resources,
money, and people. Their solutions are equally
intertwined: firing the unproductive tons, gallons, and kilowatt-hours lets us keep the people,
who will then have more and better work to do.
This workshop, based on Amory Lovins’s new
book (with Paul Hawken and Hunter Lovins)
Natural Capitalism, is an in-depth exploration
of resource-management solutions.
$485
Zero Balancing Open Forum
Fritz Smith
This weekend is an opportunity for people
doing Zero Balancing to reconnect with Fritz
Smith, with Zero Balancing, and with each
other. Fritz writes: “It is critically important 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.
Prerequisite training: Core Zero Balancing I.
This open forum qualifies for 12.5 hours of
class credit toward Zero Balancing
Certification.
Getting Real: Telling the Truth
as a Path to Freedom
Susan Campbell
Everyone values honest communication, but
how many of us have the necessary skills? In
this workshop participants work with a set of
simple yet profound communication agreements designed to help learn and practice ten
core skills for living honestly (for example, distinguishing between your actual experience
and your wishes, fears, beliefs, and judgments).
The workshop is intended for people who
want to explore honesty as a spiritual path, getting to the essential self that is beyond conditioned fears, beliefs, and control patterns.
Participants will examine such questions as:
What are the areas of my life where I feel I
need to lie, sugarcoat, or pretend? What does
this reveal about my beliefs about myself and
the world? What practices can support my living in here-and-now experience instead of in
my beliefs, judgments, and shoulds? What if I
decided to let go of my need to control
things? How can I be intimate with others
and still be 100% true to myself?
The workshop is based on this premise: We
can only be as honest as we are self-aware. We
become self-aware layer by layer as we peel
away the layers of conditioning that overlay
the essential self. Honest communication is a
vehicle for this. In the workshop, participants
create a mini-society where they can get real—
and come from essence instead of conditioning. This is freedom.
CE credit for acupuncturists.
$485
Quantum Reality
George Sudarshan
“Most of our experience of the external world
is based on classical physics,” writes George
Sudarshan. “We therefore tend to talk about
the quantum world in such a language. But
the principle of superposition has no analogue in classical particle mechanics, only for
waves. In the quantum world, particle states
can also superpose. As a consequence we have
attributes like position and momentum, or
direction and angular momentum have to be
represented by noncommuting quantities
which cannot be simultaneously specified.
This property entails the Heisenberg principle of uncertainty. Classical-like language
leads to a strange logical calculus. But the use
of proper language restores ordinary logic.
The incompatibility of classical language for
quantum physics is comparable to the problem of making flat maps of a spherical earth.
Some comparison can be made of quantum
processes with mental processes at the threshold of an insight.”
This workshop requires no special mathematics background, and there will be little mathematics used. A habit of introspection would
be an asset. George Sudarshan’s recent book,
Doubt and Certainty, critically examines quantum physics, cosmology, thermodynamics,
and the concepts of time and causality. $485
Week of November 5–10
A Gathering of Spirit: A Wilderness
Retreat for People Who Like to Feel
Comfortable and Well-Taken-Care-Of
David Schiffman & Tom Little Bear Nason
For workshop description see Special
Programs, page 66.
$885
The Intimate Couple: An Integrative
Body Psychotherapy (IBP) Workshop
Jack Rosenberg & Beverly Kitaen Morse
Trust, love, erotic sexuality, and a core experience of self—these are building blocks for a
vital relationship. Yet, unless our bodies are
awakened, these essential qualities remain
elusive ideas rather than familiar body feelings. Furthermore, 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 relationship that works well, we must have
practical body-mind tools and know ourselves in order to resolve life’s inevitable
dilemmas.
Most couples want an equal and reciprocal
relationship, but few know how to accomplish this attunement of partnership.
However, once you have simultaneously
experienced the internal feeling of self and
attunement with your partner—and have
seen 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,
and making sex better.
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.
$885
per participant
$485
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Process Acupressure:
A Gateway to the Soul
Aminah Raheem
Process Acupressure (PA) is a body/mind/soul
integrative modality designed to further
health, well-being, and soul-centered development. Hands-on work—a blend of traditional
acupressure and Zero Balancing—is applied to
the fully-clothed body to help strengthen,
release, and balance the body’s energy systems, meridian pathways, and energy centers
(chakras). Psychospiritual process skills are
used to facilitate more awareness of the body,
its needs, and its direct relationship to emotions, thought processes, and spiritual development. This combination of bodywork and
conscious processing helps people to reclaim
their power and purpose.
The PA body-balancing protocol is learned
through hands-on practice. The psychospiritual process skills are learned through dyad
and triad exercises. Bodywork and processing
are then combined.
Process Acupressure can be used with clients,
with family, or on oneself to promote personal or relationship growth. It is helpful for
health-care professionals, particularly bodyworkers who want to learn more about processing psychological material, and for
psychological helpers who want to learn more
about the body. It is also valuable for anyone
who wants to learn more about health care
and integrative development.
Recommended reading: Raheem, Soul Return;
Mindell, Working with the Dreaming Body.
$885
Life Changes—
And the Purpose of Your Life
Carol Adrienne & Sigrid Emerson
In the accelerating rush to “get things done”
we hardly allow ourselves time to ask: Does
what I’m doing now really matter to me anymore? Research shows that those with a sense
of mission, a reason to get up in the morning,
live longer and are healthier and more resilient.
But how—amid time constraints of family and
work and the babble of consumerism—can we
find the purpose of our lives? How can we learn
to define our passions and deepest values—and
stay in alignment with them? How can we let
synchronicities (those magical moments when
new doors open effortlessly) and our own interior wisdom guide us to the most natural next
step in our lives?
32
This humor-filled workshop offers a time to
discover the purpose you were born to
express and guidelines for staying true to that
purpose. You will explore the early inklings of
your destiny, the positive purpose behind
childhood experiences and parental influences, and the development of beliefs which
still affect your potential for success.
The workshop includes guided visualizations,
journal writing, aroma therapy, and practices
for increasing balance in the body’s seven
energy centers, setting clear intentions, developing trust in intuition, tapping into personal
cycles, and defining important aspects of
typology, talent, and character. Participants
will write a purpose statement to serve as a
lifelong touchstone.
$885
Cell Mysteries and Mystic
Molecules: Accessing the Wisdom
and Medicine of Our Cells
Sondra Barrett
In the beginning, molecules merged, created
communities, and became part of the wheel
of life. Woven within the shapes of our molecules and the architecture of our cells are wisdom teachings, symbolic art, and the science
of life.
This workshop merges molecules and mysticism, science and the sacred. Starting with the
architecture of life, it unfolds spiritual, personal, and social principles that may have
roots in our biology. Consider whether partnership is ordained at the core of us. Discover
how the newly defined cellular consciousness, the microtubules and filaments, provide
plausible explanation for vibration and energetic healing. Learn how the Sacred Round
and the Medicine Wheel are reflected by our
Mother Earth, our cells, and the inheritance
of our energy.
Participants will roam the territory of ancient
mystics and indigenous wisdom-people using
movement, sound, and expressive arts to
experience life at the invisible level and connection to the sacred. Photographs taken
through the microscope will guide you into
another dimension of reality, one with roots
in modern science and ancient shamanic
teachings. The workshop weaves together the
wonders of the hidden universe with experiential teachings that engage body, mind, and
spirit, revealing:
• How your cells function
• The links between the science of the cell
and sacred teachings
• How to access your inner intelligence and
invest your energy wisely
• The compelling messages of your molecules
$485
The Transformative Power of Emotions
Sietze VanDerHeide
Our emotional states of mind shape how we
experience our lives. As shifts in our emotions occur, so do shifts in our view of self and
the world around us. We can utilize these
changing emotional states to deepen our
experience. This workshop will focus on
using emotional shifts as doorways to creativity, growth, and well-being.
Emotions also play a powerful role in our
development. Recent research indicates that
there exists a vital “emotional brain” that
transforms our experience of life.
Accordingly, this course will also emphasize
the transformative and developmental capacity of the emotional brain.
Based on recent findings in neuropsychology
and human development, this workshop
focuses on learning how to use emotions for
nourishing our spiritual and psychological
well-being. The workshop will utilize group
and individual process, trance work, interpersonal connection, and sensory experiences.
Each individual’s unique emotional rhythm
will be explored, with the intention of widening our range of emotions and altering emotional patterns.
Recommended reading: Goleman, Emotional
Intelligence.
$485
User Friendly Yoga: East-West
Wisdom for High-Stress Professionals
in “Middle Essence”
Larry Payne
Yoga can be offered to fit the needs of the
individual based on age, physical ability, profession, environment, mental state, and
lifestyle. User Friendly Yoga was designed for
high-stress professionals in the 35-65 age
group, known as “Middle Essence.”
The emphasis is on breath and movement,
function over form, movement of the spine,
and sustaining optimal health. This form of
yoga is inspired by the teachings of Yoga
Master T.K.V. Desikachar of India and was
first offered to over 2000 world leaders at the
World Economic Forum 2000 in Davos,
Switzerland. This course will include:
• Safe, effective yoga programs with special
consideration for problem backs and necks
• Highly effective stress reduction and meditation techniques
• Partner yoga
• Biomechanical reeducation
• Healthy lifestyle tools
• Experiential hiking and walking methods
Please note: This workshop is not recommended for acute back problems. For more information call 1-800-359-0171.
$485
Turning Dreams into Reality:
Grantwriting and Personal
Goal-Setting
www.frommgroup.com.
$485
Group 2000
Katie Nash
Come alone or with an intimate.
The Group 2000 consists of people who wish
to help Esalen fulfill its mission and who
have contributed $2,000 or more in one year.
This is a special weekend to inform the Group
of the latest developments at the Institute and
discuss the plans and possibilities for the
future. Special emphasis will be given to discussing the early stages of the long-range
development plan to redesign and rebuild
Esalen’s physical plant. There will be time
with the staff, the opportunity to interact as a
group, a possible special guest or two, as well
as time just to enjoy being at Esalen.
Recommended reading: Hunt & PaineGernée, Emotional Healing and Secrets to Tell,
Secrets to Keep; Miller, The Drama of the Gifted
Child.
$885
For more information, please contact Katie
Nash at 831-667-3000 ext. 3500.
$485
Linell Fromm
Living a full life often involves helping others
in meaningful, tangible ways. For many, this
includes fulfilling dreams of serving the
needy, bringing art and cultural activities into
inner-city neighborhoods, assisting the elderly, expanding behavioral and medical
research, bringing innovative research/technology to market, or reducing conflict and
achieving world peace.
In this workshop, participants will explore
how to turn their ideas into real programs,
services, and businesses through grantwriting
and/or personal goal-setting. The workshop
introduces the basic steps for writing a successful grant proposal: assessing needs, planning the program, selecting funding sources,
developing a letter of inquiry, establishing
measurable outcomes, and developing a budget. The workshop also covers how proposals
are selected and how grantwriting fits into a
complete fundraising strategy.
Experiential exercises will help participants
present their grant and goal-setting ideas to
potential funders/sponsors. There will be
time to practice writing various elements of a
grant, such as compelling statements of need,
experience and qualifications sections, and
brief letters of intent. Participants will share
drafts for feedback and exchange of ideas.
Bring project ideas to work on. No prior
grantwriting experience is necessary. You can
e-mail Linell Fromm at
[email protected] or visit her website
new language that more honestly communicates our desires. We will encourage each
other to approach our gender gaps with intention rather than fear, assertion rather than
suspicion. We will follow our instincts for
pleasure into enriching and creative moments
of wholeness.”
The Art of Living Foundation’s
Healing Breath Workshop
Michael Fischman
Have you noticed that every emotion has its own
rhythm in the breath? With a little skill of how to
use the breath you can let go of negative emotions,
dissolve accumulated stress, and bring peace to the
mind...When you reduce the stress inside you and
restore harmony to the rhythms of mind, body, and
emotions, you will find that your true nature is
joyful, peaceful, and loving.
— Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
I-You-Us: Pleasure, Intimacy,
and the Search for Connectedness
Terry Hunt
This workshop is about healthy relationships—in love, in friendship, in daily life. The
focus is on how we can nurture our own vitality in situations where we long for our connections to be more real, more safe, or more
rewarding.
Pleasure is essential for healthy relationships.
Add the erotic element and the potential for
pleasure grows exponentially. But the reality
of sustaining delight in each other over time
is often a mystery and a struggle, whether in
friendship or in love relationships, in samegender or opposite-gender relationships. We
substitute old avoidance patterns for intimacy
as we play out the “good girl” and “super guy”
roles we developed during traumatic childhoods and adolescences. Or we repeatedly act
and react out of fear, sadness, or rage, keeping
our relationships locked in “the cultural missionary position.”
This workshop is designed to help individuals
and couples identify myths that block the
flow of joy. Terry Hunt writes: “Together we
will redefine the role of pleasure in our lives
and create updated images of our sexual and
sensual selves. There will be time to explore
“The Healing Breath Workshop” is a practical
course based on ancient Vedic knowledge of
the art of living and the healing power of the
breath, adapted to the needs of modern life. It
offers tools to eliminate stress and awaken
our innate potential to heal ourselves, which
can bring greater peace, energy, awareness,
and joy to daily life.
The cornerstone of the workshop is Sudarshan
Kriya, a simple but powerful technique of utilizing the breath to eliminate emotional toxins and bring the body, mind, and emotions
into harmony with the inner self. The workshop presents additional techniques, along
with simple yoga postures, pranayama, guided
meditations, and group processes.
Enjoyable for people of all backgrounds, the
workshop is relaxing and rejuvenating, and
the tools and techniques are easily practiced
at home.
$885
Opening to Ourselves and Others
Rachel Harris
In order to survive and make our way in the
world, we develop defense mechanisms, rigid
patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
We deaden, dissociate, or sacrifice parts of
ourselves during early childhood experiences,
33
done through the Upledger Institute. Please
call the Upledger Institute at 1-800-233-5880.
page 66.
chronically stressful situations, or traumatic
events. These brittle habits, originally
designed for survival, limit our vital connection to ourselves as well as to others. We create our own self-limiting prisons.
Required reading: Barral, Visceral Manipulation
II and Urogenital Manipulation.
“This workshop is about softening, melting,
opening,” says Rachel Harris. “We’ll create a
safe opportunity to identify our chronic
defense patterns and explore who we are
underneath these personality structures. We’ll
seek to become more objective about ourselves and increase our psychological freedom. The focus: to deepen our sense of
ourselves and enhance our capacity for relationship with others.
$485
Presentations and Communications
Mary Goldenson
What you say is important, but how you say it
determines the effectiveness of your communication. Virtually everything we do involves
some aspect of our ability to communicate
and present our point of view.
Do anxiety and fear sabotage your ability to
motivate, persuade, and hold the attention of
an individual or group? What would it be like
to experience yourself delivering a presentation with confidence and certainty? This
course is designed to develop communication
skills in formal and informal settings. In a
safe, supportive environment you can learn to:
Recommended reading: Harris, Twenty Minute
Retreats.
$885
• Deal with anxiety—learn dynamic steps to
eliminate stage fright
• Prepare and organize—develop clear, interesting presentations that engage your
audience
Visceral Manipulation IB
Dee Ahern
This workshop expands on the functional
anatomy, hand placements, and techniques
presented in VMIA to provide an in-depth
understanding of the abdominal cavity and its
relationship to the cranial and thoracic cavities. Students will:
• Explore the deeper structures within the
abdominal cavity, focusing on the kidneys,
bladder, pancreas, spleen, peritoneum, and
their connective or suspensory tissues
• Study the pelvic cavity, including the bladder, ureters, and their associated structures
• Learn about the concept of restriction
planes, mobility, and motility
• Begin to incorporate multiple long-lever
techniques into their VM work
• Participate in supervised hands-on sessions
for locating and evaluating each organ,
along with the effects and contraindications
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Writing For Your Life
Deena Metzger
Each event is a nexus point for a multitude of
time lines that converge in that moment. To
know this is to understand Story and to follow Story is to understand the direction and
path of healing. Story focuses the way toward
the unification of the tattered life.
Each of our stories is a universe, as unique,
diverse, and complex as the universe itself.
Each one of us is living a story of psychological, political, spiritual, and mythic implications. To discover its shape and essence is
essential to soul making. The task is to step
into the stories that we have been given to
live in order to investigate their form and
meaning, to understand what they say about
the direction of our lives, and to discover the
way that Story is a path opening before us.
In this workshop, participants will be carefully guided through a series of writing exercises
toward the discovery of the meaning, necessity, and beauty of their own tale. Nothing is
required but paper and pen and the desire to
see clearly and deeply, to know oneself and
the inner world. The workshop is for writers
and nonwriters alike, poets, dreamers, journal
writers, therapists, teachers—all those interested in story, language, awareness, authenticity,
and rigorous interchange with the true self.
Recommended reading: Metzger, Writing For
Your Life: A Guide and Companion to the Inner
Worlds; Tree: Essays and Pieces.
$485
Viewing Your Relationships
Through the Light—Based on
A Course in Miracles
Julian & Cynthia Silverman
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
$885
“We’ll use an integrated approach of body
awareness, mindful introspection, breathing,
creative expression, and dyadic exercises to
gently lighten the burden of our chronic
defenses. The opportunity is to stop being
who we think we have to be and develop the
process of being with ourselves as we are,
which is all we really have and what we will
take home with us.”
Participants must have completed the
Upledger Institute’s Visceral Manipulation
IA, either at Esalen or elsewhere.
• Deliver—use stories, metaphors, and anecdotes for livelier presentations; create active
involvement with the audience; and close
powerfully
• Persuade—master the dynamics that move
listeners; distinguish between what you are
saying and what the audience hears
A Course in Miracles is a spiritual-psychological
lesson plan for rediscovering love and for
integrating this rediscovery into the relationships which are most important to you. It is
about changing your mind so that you can
enjoy your life. Its curriculum stems, in good
measure, from its premise that the mind can
learn to empower itself by learning how to
change its way of relating to others.
Using both lecture and various experiential
learning formats, this workshop focuses on
discovering answers to three very important
personal questions:
• How do I go about re-forming my primary
relationship so that I discover my personal
fulfillment through it?
• How do I go about cleaning my mind, getting rid of disempowering, demeaning
mental images and programs?
• How do I go about moving myself into a
frame of mind more empowering, more
meaningful than my current one?
The answers to these questions involve the
coordination of two different ways of learning—one by organizing, synthesizing, and recollecting, the other by inspired forgetting:
that is, forgiving.
$485
Healing from Trauma: A Seven-Day
Intensive
Ray Swartley & Daniela Urbassek
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.
$485
November 19–December 17
Reinheriting the Earth:
Solutions for the New Millennium
Brian O’Leary
Science is undergoing a major revolution.
Concepts such as free energy, healing, and the
interaction of our consciousness with the
environment are becoming increasingly
examined and accepted. “These will become
the very cornerstones of a new science,” says
Dr. Brian O’Leary. “The resulting technologies
will surely assist us in making a global paradigm shift which will help restore Eden to
Earth.”
Dr. O’Leary has devoted the last decade to
exploring, compiling, teaching, and writing
about new paradigms of science. In this program, he will cover the twelve ways in which
we can all reinherit the Earth. Participants
will not only become apprised of new theories and experiments, but will also have
hands-on experience demonstrating the
power of consciousness. The program will
introduce dowsing methods and will teach
participants how to bend a spoon using the
power of the mind. In addition, participants
will be encouraged to reflect on formulating
and celebrating personal and global millennial resolutions.
This workshop is an up-to-date presentation
on the latest theories and experiments
addressing consciousness, psychokinesis,
healing, remote viewing, near-death experience, precognition, reincarnation, biocommunications, UFOs, crop circles, free energy, and
Martian anomalies.
$485
28-Day Massage Practitioner
Certification Program
Deborah Anne Medow & Robert Helm
For workshop description see Special
Programs, page 66.
$3975
November 19–26
Drawing and Painting Intensive
Leigh Hyams
Carolyn Braddock & Carol Lynch
Healing does not have to be a struggle—healing can be gentle, sensitive, and friendly. In an
atmosphere of safety and exploration, this
intensive will explore the belief systems of
the trauma survivor’s body, mind, and spirit
(whether the trauma be sexual, emotional,
physical, body-image, or from accidents, illnesses, or surgeries). It offers innovative and
creative possibilities for healing.
The focus will be on body-oriented healing.
The workshop will present ways to move
through body memories, flashbacks, and dissociation, to identify and release old patterns,
and to recognize addictions and make healthy
new choices. Breath, sound, and selected centering and martial arts techniques will be utilized to assist participants in expressing their
voice, the source of their power.
The workshop will introduce tools for wholeness: humor, energy awareness, Gestalt, role
playing, meditation, and Tai Ji. Specific sessions will focus on sexuality, relationships,
and touch and intimacy. There will also be
video demonstrations. Individual work within the group will be possible.
To register, please complete an application
questionnaire to provide some history and
help determine what support could be available during the week. For an application, contact Carolyn Braddock at: P.O. Box 260123,
Lakewood, CO 80226-0123; phone 303-9857310, or fax 303-989-9813.
Recommended reading: Braddock, Body Voices.
Imagine… Seven uninterrupted days and
nights to draw and paint!
The ability to draw and paint is in everyone.
Leigh Hyams can help release the creativity in
any beginner curious about the creative
process as well as enable experienced artists to
deepen and expand their artistic voice.
In an informal environment, students will
work with a variety of media and be challenged to express in visual terms their responses to dreams, political and philosophical ideas,
poetry, music, and Esalen’s natural beauty.
Demonstrations, conversations, critiques, and
slide presentations will be utilized to sharpen
participants’ perception and openness to
change. But ultimately it is the act of making
the marks oneself that develops an understanding of visual language and the creative
process. This, in turn, leads to the heart of
art—and a richer, fuller life.
$1370
$1370
Love is Not the Answer:
A Gestalt Learning Workshop
Julian Silverman
Love is just a four-letter word.
— Bob Dylan
You do not know the meaning of love and that is
your handicap.
— A Course in Miracles
This seminar is not about love. Not directly.
It’s about your heart and some new research
on the heart. It’s about how to balance your
brain and heart—your mind. It’s about how
you work to “center your existence” so that
you can realize life’s greatest gift: love.
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“Centering one’s existence,” wrote Fritz Perls,
“is the goal of psychological growth.” It is a
process of removing the blocks to one’s real
strength: one’s will. Centering one’s existence
is a journey through the heart to Self-remembrance. To remember one’s Self, one needs to
learn “means-whereby” to center oneself in
space and time.
In this workshop, centering oneself in space
is taught as a geometric process to achieve
physical and psychological balance; centering
oneself in time is taught as a psychological
means-whereby to re-solve one’s imagined
past. To remember one’s Self, one needs to free
one’s self from the past, from one’s “unfinished business” which obscures the truth of
the Self in the present.
Self-remembrance makes possible the rediscovery of love within ourselves and its integration into our everyday lives. “Love is not
the answer, exclaimed Martin Luther King, Jr.
“It’s the assignment.”
This workshop is powerful, fun, creative, and
liberating.
Experiencing Esalen
Recommended reading: Oschman, Energy
Medicine: The Scientific Basis.
$485
The Healing Power of Sound
and Music
Hani Naser
Throughout his life, Hani Naser has felt “a
holistic sense of the musical experience” and
“a need to communicate that experience on a
global level.” In this workshop, master drummer Naser demonstrates how the positive
power of music can be integrated into daily
living—throughout one’s lifetime.
“We are vibrations,” says Naser, “and sometimes vibrations get out of sync. Music
restores that balance.” Starting from this simple premise, Naser explores the fundamental
relationship between the powerful forces of
music and rhythm, with the goal of leading
participants toward an evolution of higher
consciousness.
Sound and rhythm, Naser maintains, are elemental to a positive sense of self. By cultivating a heightened awareness of these forces,
one can discover a state of greater well-being,
attain an increased body-awareness, and
strengthen the bonds of community. Through
the use of special chants and rhythms that
activate each of the body’s seven psychic centers, or chakras, one can be stirred at the cellular level, unleashing innate intelligence,
compassion, and clear perception. By applying diverse musical and rhythmical tools, one
can achieve greater insight into their healing
effects within the body.
$885
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$885
Courage
Joyce Frazee
Life, Mind, Consciousness
In the mouth of the dragon there are many jewels.
Fritjof Capra
In this workshop, Fritjof Capra will outline a
new conceptual framework for the scientific
understanding of life, mind, and consciousness. He will focus especially on recent discoveries in cognitive science from which a
unified view of mind, matter, and life is now
emerging. The workshop will be based on
a new book on which Fritjof is currently
working.
$485
$885
Week of November
26–December 1
Energy Medicine, Metamorphosis,
and Miracles
Timothy Dunphy & James Oschman
One of the most profound and exciting elements of our modern world is the reconciliation of traditional spiritual and scientific
perspectives on life, a convergence with deep
significance for future science, medicine, and
the evolution of our species. This workshop is
an opportunity to experience this creative
synthesis under the innovative coleadership
of a cutting-edge scientist and a fifth-degree
black belt Taekwondo Master.
This program allows you to discover the simple and powerful healing processes that lie
within the core of all of us. Participants will
explore ways of using the group’s energy to
meaningfully (and lovingly) connect with
every cell and tissue in our collective body. As
Jim Oschman writes: “By integrating biological and shamanic perspectives on the circuitry of life, we can resolve past and present
physical pain and trauma at all levels, and
clear resistances to personal fulfillment. The
journey takes us to the very heart of the
processes that form each moment of life and
consciousness—to life’s blueprint. Working
together, we can heighten our individual and
collective awareness of the miraculous nature
of being alive and find new pathways to
health and joy.”
— Buddhist proverb
For some of us it takes courage just to live our
daily lives. Every day we awaken to face the
demons in our lives—demons that come in
many forms: perfectionism, guilt, avoidance,
shame, despair, failure. Time passes and we
become skillful at living despite the constant
awareness that these demons are preventing
us from experiencing the fullness of life.
Their existence drains our energy and limits
our joy and freedom. But getting close to
them, allowing ourselves to confront them, is
very difficult to do.
This week will provide an opportunity to find
the courage to face our demons. Participants
will be encouraged to look at the things in
their lives that are difficult to face and will be
given support to help recognize and confront
them. This will be done through Gestalt practice, dreamwork, and bioenergetics. Drawing,
dance, and meditation may also be used to
recover the jewels from the dragon.
$885
Creative Behavior from the Inside Out
Gilah Yelin Hirsch
Creative behavior may be found not only in
the arts but in myriad other forms, including
lifestyle, relationship, and community. This
how-to workshop on creativity—for any medium of expression—is designed to cut through
creative blocks and impel you toward your
unique expressive gifts.
You will explore the power of form to find
your most potent vehicle of authentic expression. Authenticity is discovered by learning to
discern between the “Three D’s”: Direction
(that which you are born to do); Diversion
(simply a pastime); and Distraction (that
which takes you off course).
To facilitate original expression, obstacles
such as Preciousness (attachment to what is
familiar and previously praised) and Fear
(denying what is hidden in the past and
shrinking from the unknown in the future)
will be transformed into fuel for the creative
process. Once you understand that all of the
surprises of life—positive and negative—are
opulent gifts, catalysts of change and grist for
the creative mill, then the generative process
becomes an inextricable weaving of life, work,
and art, an evolving and ascending matrix of
positive expansion and compassionate expression.
This is not only a workshop for practicing
artists, writers, photographers, and painters,
but also a springboard into the creative
process for those who have never dared to
reveal themselves through the expressive arts.
$885
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
From Romantic Rage to Forgiveness
Mehri Jensen
Do you find yourself repeating the same selfdestructive patterns in relationship after
painful relationship? For many of us the
search for romantic intimacy becomes an
addiction—to sex, to love, to relationship. In
actuality what we are doing is not romancing
our lover, but romancing our rage, as we search
for a “love object” on which to act out our
unresolved family-of-origin wounding.
The theme of this workshop is “Recover or
repeat.” It is designed to be a major step in
breaking this addictive cycle. Sexual addiction
and intimacy disorders are treatable with a
prescribed healing process in distinct stages.
This work begins with meditation, chanting,
breathwork, and movement to prepare participants for deep sharing. The focus then shifts
to trauma work, the broken life-map process,
and early childhood issues—all in an environment of support and confidentiality.
We do not heal what we are not willing to
feel. Once our pain is acknowledged, we can
move on to forgiveness—of ourselves and others—and begin the journey to the joy that is
our birthright.
$885
Weekend of December 1–3
Mindfulness and Heartfulness:
The Healing and Transformation
of Mind and Body
Fred Luskin & Mark Abramson
This program is designed to integrate the
practice of mindful awareness with directed
heartfulness in order to facilitate growth,
healing, and change. It is based on Dr.
Luskin’s research at Stanford Medical School
on the effect of forgiveness and heartfulness
and Dr. Abramson’s work as the Director of
Stanford’s Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction Program.
The workshop introduces the practical application of techniques of mindfulness and
heartfulness to transform emotional states
and unleash the great potential for deep healing of the body. The goal is to learn new ways
of relating to experience that allow greater
opening, understanding, and the possibility of
transformation. “Our work,” the leaders write,
“has shown us that this creates an increasing
experience of gentleness, kindness, and
respect for oneself and others.”
The program offers guided practice in mindfulness meditation, body movement, breathing practices, and heart opening, interspersed
with lecture and interactive discussion. While
the practices are especially helpful for people
who are experiencing emotional or physical
concerns, the universality of the experience
makes this program valuable for all.
$485
Body Meditations
Dean Marson
This workshop offers an accessible approach
to self-care which incorporates meditation,
self-massage, and an introduction to simple
yoga postures. It presents practical ways of listening and responding to your body, leading
to new possibilities of flexibility, effortless
movement, and deep relaxation.
those who are just beginning to explore ways
of connecting with and caring for their bodies, although it is open to anyone interested in
expanding their potential for self-healing.
Please bring clothing suitable for movement
and a mat or large towel.
$485
The Heart of Awareness—
Meditation Practice, Gestalt Practice
Joyce Frazee
You can observe a lot just by watching.
— Yogi Berra
Just as in meditation, the practice of awareness is fundamental to Gestalt. Whether it is
the moment-to-moment recitation of where
consciousness alights—the Gestalt awareness
continuum—or the revealing awareness of discovering the disowned parts of the personality through Gestalt dreamwork, Gestalt, like
meditation, has the power to bring us more
fully into the present moment, more fully
alive.
This workshop is for anyone interested in the
bridge between the psychological and the
spiritual. It will be an opportunity for participants to experience the continuum between
Gestalt practice and meditation practice. The
sessions will open with meditation, then
move into Gestalt practice. Group exercises
and the open seat format will also be used.
$485
This program is especially appropriate for
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Healing from Food and Eating
Problems
the max” and move you into a new arena of
personal creativity and self-expression.
Jane Rachel Kaplan
The MAX is extremely challenging. Participants
must commit to a rigorous exploration of the
sources of their emotional limitations.
Seminar hours are longer than usual early in
the week (and shorter later in the week).
Participants work individually in front of the
room, playing to and with other group members. There are exercises that use raw emotion, role-playing, and “dress-up” assignments.
Nourishment. Watch people nourishing others and
observe with what manner of things they seek to
nourish themselves.
— From the I Ching, Hexagram 27
(literally, Jaws)
Nourishment on physical, emotional and
spiritual levels is vital to us all. Yet right nourishment on each of these levels can be difficult to achieve. Overeating, compulsive
eating, bingeing, restricting, purging, overexercising, criticism of body, criticism of self;
these are the painful elements of food and eating problems. The upcoming winter holidays
intensify food and body difficulties for many.
This workshop—geared for helping professionals—offers participants ways to bring
compassion and wisdom to bear on their own
and others’ food and eating issues.
Experiential exercises will alternate with
didactic presentations. Role playing, art, and
movement will help participants experience
joyful eating and also the ways eating goes
wrong. The workshop will embrace the great
hodgepodge of healing approaches to weight
management, examining their meanings and
exploring the power of multimodal treatment
for the eating-disordered person.
Food always has meaning(s). Food is never
just “food.” Helping those meanings be selfaffirming and life-affirming is the work of
this seminar.
$485
Week of December 3–8
$885
The MAX: Stretching the Limits of
Your Self-Expression
Paula Shaw
The MAX is an outrageous voyage through
your own humanity—a journey to turn yourself inside out and explore the extent of your
self-expressive power. It employs a variety of
acting, observation, and communication
methods designed to expand your limits “to
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This is an opportunity to experience yourself
in a way you may have dreamed about but
never imagined possible. The game is risk, the
premise: You’re either daring or dead. This
course is not for the faint of heart, but it is full
of heart, humor, and irreverence and is constructed with the understanding that this
kind of risk taking requires a very safe workspace. If your heart beats faster when you
think of taking this workshop, then maybe it’s
just the thing to do.
Please note: Due to the intense and sequential
nature of this workshop, attendance at all sessions is necessary.
Prerequisite: A 1-3 minute memorized piece—
monologue, poem, song, etc.
$885
Minding the Temple of the Soul
Tamar Frankiel, Judy Greenfeld
& Connie Kaplan
How can we blend the intent of the soul with
the mundanity of daily life? In this seminar,
three teachers with different specialties combine their expertise to address this crucial
question through an experience they call a
“spiritual workout.”
In each session the leaders will present a
prayer form involving music, chanting, and
movement, which, used consistently, becomes
a physical tool to integrate spirit, mind, body,
and emotions. They will also present a way to
“read” and investigate the contract one’s soul
makes with life before incarnation, a method
to help participants understand the intent of
their souls as well as to explore the spiritual
intent of their loved ones. This method
includes aspects of astrology, Kabbalah, and a
unique colorology (the “colors of the soul”)
developed from the leaders’ own visions and
spiritual practice.
Each morning before breakfast, the group will
meet in a dream circle to share the dreams of
the night before, a way to monitor how each
individual is integrating the week’s information. The workshop will end with a collective-
ly designed ceremony to honor the body as
the temple of the soul. The goal: to leave with
a new set of tools to experience all of life as an
integration of spirit and matter.
Recommended reading: Frankiel &
Greenfeld, Minding the Temple of the Soul and
Entering the Temple of Dreams; Kaplan, The
Woman’s Book of Dreams.
$885
The Grace of Money:
A Workshop for the Soul
Jessie O’Neill & Bill Kauth
Do you spend too much—or too little—time
thinking about money? How much money is
enough? Do you find it difficult or painful to
discuss your relationship with money?
This workshop is for anyone who has questioned their relationship with money and how
it affects other intimate relationships. The
course addresses both scarcity and abundance,
and offers participants the opportunity to
experience the transformative power of money
and “money messages,” as well as to examine
affluenza (the unbalanced or unhealthy relationship with money). The workshop also presents practical tools for healing money
wounds, which often reflect unresolved issues
in our primary relationships.
The process will incorporate psychodrama
and experiential therapy, meditation, guided
imagery, journal writing, feedback, and sharing, along with presentations on affluenza
and the psychology of money.
“This is not about how much money you
have,” writes Jessie O’Neill. “It’s about spirituality. To stay healthy, we need to take as much
care with our souls and spirits as we do with
balancing our checkbooks.”
Recommended reading: O’Neill, The Golden
Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence.
$885
Poetry at Esalen: Celebrating Place
Lawson Fusso Inada
Esalen’s breathtaking setting is a natural
springboard for creating poems inspired by
place. Lawson Inada writes: “Using inspirational role models from Chinese and Japanese
poetry, we will celebrate places we’ve been and
the place we are: Esalen. We will also celebrate
our own role/place in the greater community.”
Although the workshop will focus on the
ANDRIS ABELE
writing and sharing of poetry, previous experience is not necessary; everyone is welcome.
Hands-on materials and guidance will be provided by the instructor.
$485
Gestalt—Toward a Relational Approach
Eric Erickson
Contemporary Gestalt work is moving toward
a more relational approach, one which
emphasizes the interpersonal and intersubjective origins of, and their continuing impact
on, the organization of experience.
ence, opening the way for alternatives.
Participants are explicitly understood not as
patients, but as persons willing to work (or
play) in awareness. The leader’s role will be to
honor, respect, and clarify whatever emerges.
The workshop will incorporate personal
work, group exercises, and group discussions.
Recommended reading: Perls, The Gestalt
Approach and Eyewitness to Therapy; Wheeler,
Gestalt Reconsidered; Hycner & Jacobs, The
Healing Relationship in Gestalt Therapy. $485
Improv Alchemy:
Brewing Something from Nothing
In Gestalt work, a primary distinction in
experience is made between figure and
ground, that is, between what is currently of
interest and the underlying structure of experience (the world of beliefs and expectations,
often interpersonal in origin). This seminar
will focus on the figure/ground relationship
between developmental longings (the often
relational yearnings and hopes that can foster
growth) and the dangers and fears (inner conflict and resistance) inevitably associated with
those longings.
The spontaneity of theater games can open
you up to extraordinary surprises, to
unknown abilities, even to brilliance—a brilliance that is 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.
In Gestalt, awareness is the primary tool.
Here, awareness will be used to clarify how
participants currently organize their experi-
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 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—even people as terrified as you—are welcome; no experience is
necessary. Prior improv experience will be
forgiven.
$485
Paula Shaw
Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea Ceremonies
Bearing the mind in lofty awakening, return to
the mundane.
— Basho, 17th century Japanese poet
Noel Mapstead writes: “Raku ceramics developed in Japan over 400 years ago as a means to
make functional wares—tea cups, flower vases,
incense burners—for Chanoyu, the zen tea
ceremony. Guided by the spirit of this traditional art, we will strive to create our wares—
without attachment to the final product.
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“We will dig and prepare our own clay from
the Big Sur hills, make our wares, and fire and
glaze them in kilns at the Esalen Art Barn.
Giving moment-to-moment attention to the
process, we will build our own sweat lodge,
hot mud baths, and tea house for group ceremonies. We will cultivate sensibility through
appreciation of the utensils and materials
employed, and of the formal movements and
manners that arise in each moment.
“The workshop is designed to instill an aesthetic apprehension of things that is rooted in
self-awakening. Come make ‘Raku pleasure’
and drink tea as friends. There is no other
secret.”
$485
The Power and Joy of Our Erotic
Selves: A Workshop for Women
Ellen Bass & Amy Pine
“In this workshop, we will consider who we
have been as erotic beings, who we are now,
and who we want to become. Through a structured progression of exercises, using writing,
art, movement, and personal sharing, we will
move toward becoming the erotic person we
want to be. This method of change is rooted
in self-reliance and validation, where all
efforts are part of the quest and all outcomes
part of the success.”
The workshop elements include:
• A realistic, step-by-step process for making
change
• An attitude of independence and selfesteem rooted in each woman’s personal
experience
• A vision of empowerment in which women
discover the full range of their sexual selves
This workshop is for all women—of any sexual preference, any age, in or out of relationship.
Please note: This workshop is not intended as a
space for healing from sexual trauma. $485
Ancestral Shamanism
Carol Proudfoot-Edgar
We are the Vessel of our Ancestors
Stretching back to the bursting Stars.
We are the walking history of our human lineage
And the Seeds for future generations.
Ancestors are those who have come before,
left their tracings in this world, and prepared
the way for future generations. Shamanic peoples know that the Ancestors—whether of
human, animal, mineral, or some other form—
are sources of great wisdom, and available for
help when called upon. Thousands of years
from now, our descendants will be journeying
back to us, seeking the wisdom they will need.
Carol Proudfoot-Edgar writes: “Ancestral
Shamanism involves learning ways to reconnect with the Old Ones so that we can return
to the Wholeness of ourselves, to all our kin.
In this experiential workshop, shamanic
methods will be used for rediscovering the
homelands that have shaped our souls, our
clan names, totemic guardian spirits, creation
stories, medicine powers, and ceremonies. By
knowing and embracing our spiritual inheri-
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
“We all have the potential to be vibrant sexual
beings,” write the leaders, “with our erotic feelings connected to every aspect of who we are.
However, this embodiment of our sexuality is
not generally encouraged. There are few role
models to show us how to walk through our
lives with an awakened sense of ourselves as
sexually exuberant. Yet the erotic is not just
something that comes alive in the bedroom.
It’s an essential part of the fabric of our being.
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tance, we find the strength, the visions, and
the resources to live with greatness of heart,
on behalf of All and for those coming down
the future trails.”
Please bring an object representing your
ancestors, a bandanna (to cover eyes for
shamanic journeys), rattle, and drum. Extra
drums and rattles will be available.
Note: As each session builds upon the prior
session, please schedule massages at times
other than workshop hours.
Recommended reading: Engel, Women
Circling the Earth.
$885
Soul Search: Embracing Our Spirit
Richard Balaban & Julie Bowden
“Childhood,” write the leaders, “has a way of
masking our true self, the self that is deeply
connected to our soul. Simply the experience
of being raised—whether in a ‘normal’ family
or experiencing trauma, abuse, or neglect—
conspires to create a system of defenses
which protect us from pain. These defenses,
however, also insulate us from knowing our
glowing spirit within, the spirit that allows us
our deepest pleasure, our clearest awareness,
and our most profound access to ourselves
and a higher power.
“This workshop is designed for individuals
who desire to move beyond pain, trauma,
numbness, or meaninglessness. In our soul
search, we learn to embrace the spirit within
us which enables growth, well-being, and
emotional health. We learn to receive guidance from this awakened spirit so we may
navigate with intention and awareness
through a life of joy as well as challenge.
“Using experiential exercises, discussion,
imagery, writing, and introspection in a safe
(and drug-free) environment, we will co-create a journey to acknowledge and nurture our
inner voice, explore our strengths, enhance
our relationships, and enliven our spirit.”
$885
Touching the Dreaming Body:
Hands-On Process Work
Til Luchau & Stephen Schuitevoerder
The leaders write: “When we touch the body,
we touch more than tissue. We touch memories, feelings, dreams, life processes, and
meaning. Practitioners who work with the
body often see signs of these things but may
be unsure about how, or even whether, to
include these aspects of their clients’ experience in their practice.
“This workshop presents skills for working
with the inner phenomena related to the
body and touch. By developing these skills,
participants can increase their ability to recognize, support, and navigate their own and
their clients’ inner worlds. The workshop
introduces the theories and methods of
Process Work, developed by analyst/physicist
Dr. Arnold Mindell. Process Work Body Work
is based on the idea that there is a flow of life,
meaning, and wisdom behind body phenomena (including illnesses and other chronic
symptoms) that can be unfolded by following
the wisdom of the body. The tools and
approaches are designed to increase our versatility in working with our own bodies and
symptoms, as well as to benefit practitioners
working with clients. We will also experiment
with nonverbal approaches for working with
infants, the autistic, people in coma, or those
near death.”
The workshop is useful for those working in a
professional setting as well as anyone interested in the relationship between the body and
inner experience.
Recommended reading: Mindell, Working
with the Dreaming Body; Coma: The Dreambody
Near Death; and others.
CE credit for Rolfers.
$885
The Tao of Drumming
Brian Melvin
This rhythm clinic—for all instruments—is
designed to make you more aware of the
wide-ranging rhythmic vocabulary that can
be used in any style of music. It will take you
through the rhythms of Africa, India, Brazil,
and the Orient, as well as the rhythms used in
jazz improvisation. You will study how master
drummers play on top of rhythmic collages
and how the separate parts interact to form a
whole sound. There will also be extensive
explorations into cross patterns.
A key component for getting to the core of
your own inner rhythm is learning to relax
and breathe. Drawing from Tai Chi and martial arts, the workshop will incorporate the
aspect of chi (life force) with drumming,
blending knowledge and energy—musical
Qigong. In addition, there will be sessions
exploring rhythm’s harmonic and melodic elements.
The workshop is appropriate for all levels
from beginners to advanced. Please bring
hand drums, shakers, bells, claves, and any
other rhythm instruments, along with a notebook and pencil. For more information visit
www.brianmelvin.com.
Recommended reading: Melvin, The Tao of
Drumming.
$885
The Road of Life
Robert A. Johnson & Phil Cousineau
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
— Robert Frost
Where do we come from? What are we? Where
are we going? These questions hover above our
lives as we make our way down the road of life.
Our attempts to answer them inspire our mythic journey from birth to death and influence
our ability to make the right decisions at the
crossroad moments of our lives.
In this workshop, Robert A. Johnson and Phil
Cousineau will explore their favorite road
maps from the world’s wisdom traditions,
including mythology, folktales, psychology,
dream interpretation, art, poetry, music, photography, and film. They will alternate their
storytelling and lectures with exercises and
discussion, with a focus on balancing our
inner and outer journeys, and the search for
the real life.
Themes to be explored include: Vocation and
The Call to Adventure, The Symbolic Life, The
Art of Mentorship, The Way of Pilgrimage and
Sacred Travel, Myths of Romantic Love, Soul
Crisis and Working with the Shadow, The
Ways to True Happiness, The Slender Threads
of Synchronicity, and The Sly Winks of Fate.
This workshop will be of interest to anyone
who is fascinated by the adventure of the
soul’s journey and the exploration of the symbolic life, which, as Robert writes, is our best
entree to the timeless, spaceless consciousness
that is our human destination.
$485
Mediation:
The Path to Peaceful Solutions
Mary Goldenson
When people experience conflict and their
needs continually go unmet, they participate
in a retaliatory cycle or “getting even” process.
41
All conflict matters contain need: the need for
power (control and influence), for approval
(to be liked), for inclusion (acceptance), for
justice (fairness), or for identity (self-esteem).
Mediation interrupts the retaliatory process,
circumventing the likelihood of costly arbitration/litigation. During mediation the disputants have the opportunity to confront
each other and express their strong emotions
and opinions before a neutral third party.
Confrontation precedes resolution, communication precedes negotiation. This workshop
teaches:
• The five steps of negotiation
• How to constructively manage
disagreement
• Communication amid resistance
• How to ask questions
experience. Using this model, participants
will be shown how to enhance meaning, purpose, and direction in their lives.
Hebrew Alphabet Energy Patterning, offering
participants a blend of ancient technology
and modern science.
The workshop will present specific
mind/body techniques to reduce stress and
improve well-being, including deep relaxation, activity pacing, cognitive coping, pleasant mood induction, and a new energy
conservation strategy—”managing your envelope”—which enables individuals to increase
their energy levels and minimize symptom
flare-ups and setbacks. This workshop is
designed for people with controversial illnesses as well as those who work with them.
page 66.
$1370
$485
Experiencing Esalen
$485
Christmas Present
David Schiffman
In a safe and supportive environment, the
workshop will address personal, work-related,
and relationship issues using experiential and
didactic methods, case studies, handouts, and
open discussion. The course is for individuals
or couples seeking ways to address conflict
and identify creative resolutions; for professionals addressing the issues of our times
(divorce, separation, blended families); and
for those considering mediation as a second
career or as an adjunct to their profession.
$485
Healing in Controversial Illnesses
December 22–29
Kabbalah, Buddhism, and
Transformation: Releasing the Past,
Embracing Life
Rabbi Steven Fisdel & Gerald Cohen
In our rapidly evolving world, there is an
increasingly urgent need for us, as individuals
and as a society, to heal the traumas that
impair our ability to live life to the fullest. As
spiritual beings, we are capable of experiencing in our daily lives the very essence of who
we truly are. To reach that point, we must be
ready to connect with our inner self, to
embrace it fully, and to be guided by it.
Fred Friedberg
Controversial illnesses—including chronic
fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple
chemical sensitivities—may strike suddenly
with crushing fatigue, pain, and disability. Yet
physicians may dismiss these conditions as a
form of depression or malingering. Without
medical support or direction, affected individuals may pursue expensive, time-consuming
treatments, often with little positive effect.
Fortunately, recent evidence suggests that
mind/body techniques can help people with
these enigmatic conditions.
Participants in this interactive workshop will
learn about the multiplicity of factors that
influence these illnesses, including the stress
of fluctuating symptoms and lifestyle limitations, public and professional disbelief, and
strained relationships with family and
friends. An innovative approach—the “fourphase model”—will highlight the traumatic
effects of these chronic conditions and provide an effective coping tool for the illness
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Following this principle, Rabbi Steven Fisdel
and Dr. Gerald Cohen present a program of
inner preparation and transformation, focusing on both personal and professional needs.
They will guide participants through the five
stages of the healing process, then through a
course of spiritual restructuring and emotional recalibration. Drawing from the deep wellsprings of the Kabbalah and Tibetan
Buddhism, participants will experience a
process of deep introspection and spiritual
enrichment, with emphasis on working
through personal issues as well as on developing skills for helping others through theirs.
The workshop will present applied techniques for enriching life experience, improving relationships, and expanding
consciousness.
Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen will demonstrate
their pioneering work in the practical application of ancient Hebrew tonal patterns, sacred
texts and music, Kabbalist and Buddhist meditation, the Tarot of the Kabbalah, and
This workshop is intended as a gift for people
who would like to give themselves a change
from the accustomed clamor and commercialism of the holiday season. Its aim is to create a
climate of mutual support and encouragement for exploring how best to cultivate the
spirit of real generosity and faith in dealing
with ourselves and others. This timely gift
will embrace the following elements:
• Sanctuary—the opportunity to create a
mood of peace and personal clearing without haste or interruption
• Community—a chance to be met with honesty, empathy, and wisdom by kindred spirits in an atmosphere of soulful support
• The emotional freedom to be—the right to
be sad, glad, or mad, to clear the air and
move on, making room in our hearts for
new possibilities
• Physical freedom and aliveness—innovative
uses of movement, music, and touch to
restore vitality, physical ease, and passion
• Ceremony and ritual—the art of marking
and celebrating those qualities, events, and
influences we wish to cherish and remember
The methods will be drawn from a variety of
practices, both traditional and nontraditional,
all aimed at restoring our gratitude and appreciation for being alive.
$485
Yoga: A Weekend Intensive
Deborah Anne Medow
The regular practice of yoga not only
strengthens, revitalizes, and helps to heal the
body, it also calms the emotions, focuses the
mind, and uplifts the spirit. This weekend
will be devoted to learning and practicing
yoga, consciously affecting ourselves on phys-
issues as health, relationships, work, creativity, money, and success.
Recommended reading: Dreaver, The Way of
Harmony.
$485
Body Tales: Bringing Our Movement
Stories to Life
Olivia Corson
Body Tales integrates intuitive movement and
personal story for creative expression, communication, and healing. It is a somatic practice for exploring your impulses, needs, and
sustaining values through improvisational
movement, dance, sound, and language, as
well as a form for articulating the valuable stories which emerge.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
“We humans have such a tremendous need to
share our artistry and our passions,” writes
Olivia Corson. “It is not enough to write in a
journal forever and have no one read it, not
enough to dance alone to the gods. There is
something about dancing for your tribe,
about being seen, heard, and appreciated, that
is tremendously affirming. We are touched
and inspired by our commonalities and our
differences. Body Tales opens up a wealth of
resources, tapping into the miracle of the
body and making way for our fierce and tender stories—our wisdom. We dance for relatedness, for freedom, for autonomy, for
belonging.”
ical, mental, and spiritual levels. Emphasis
will be on breathing exercises (purifications),
asanas (yoga body postures), and the coordination of breath and movement within the
asanas. There will also be discussion of yogic
philosophy and theory.
With Esalen’s serenity, natural coastal beauty,
and the power and spirit of its land, it is a perfect setting in which to learn the ancient practice of yoga. Some prior yoga experience is
helpful.
$485
The Way of Harmony: The Inner Path
to Balance, Happiness, and Success
Jim Dreaver
True inner peace involves a fundamental shift
in the way we see and experience reality. Jim
Dreaver, a longtime student of Advaita master
Jean Klein, refers to this shift as the core
insight, an idea which has its roots in a number of wisdom traditions. The core insight is
seeing that we are not our story, our personal
history. The world between our ears which
we “think” is who we are and which gets
expressed in the mind and body as conflict,
stress, and suffering, is not who we really are.
The more we learn to be present, expand our
awareness, and see the inner drama for the
self-created illusion it is, the more it drops
away. Without the psychological and emotional holding, the body relaxes, the mind
clears, and we awaken to our natural wisdom,
love, and joy.
The workshop will include movement, meditation, mind/body awareness, and a spirited
dialogue on how to accelerate the awakening
process within the context of such real-life
This practice, developed over twenty years,
enables you to create intimate and warmly
shared movement theater that embraces the
sacred and the mundane, the personal and the
planetary. Experience the transformative
power of being witnessed, of giving and
receiving positive feedback. Encourage and
protect your creativity. Come to your senses—
in your body, your relationships, and your
world.
$885
Painting the Fantastic
Robert Venosa & Martina Hoffmann
The “fantastic” is marked by “a lack of restraint
in the imagination.” This is the approach to
painting taken in this workshop. For beginners and accomplished artists alike, this
course is for all those who wish to tap into the
artistic capabilities that lie within their reach
and to discover the joy and illuminating
power of painting.
43
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Following an approach which the leaders call
“Serendipitous Exploitation,” first an emotional outpouring of color and form is applied to a
surface, then the studied, individual detailing
of personal vision and the imagination is
added. Through this simple process, the artist
can begin to create essential form and color
that is enlivening, enlightening, and amazingly fantastic. The premise: to exercise rightbrain potential in an effortless and exuberant
manner that instills joy, self-discovery, and
newfound self-esteem.
Participants will also be introduced to the
“Master’s Technique,” (employed through the
centuries by such artists as Rembrandt, van
Eyck, and Max Ernst) and will work with an
updated, simplified version. Upon completion of the workshop, the group will hold an
exhibit of their creations for all to see.
Please note: Upon registration, participants will
be sent a list of materials to bring.
$885
SIKE: Healing and Health through
Ki Energy—The Gift of Wellness
Mallory Fromm & Therese Baxter
Spinal Integration/Ki Energy (SIKE) is a
physical and spiritual training program in the
curative powers of Ki energy. Mallory and
Therese have synthesized a holistic healing
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art, hitherto available only in Japan, with
Western alignment techniques to create
SIKE. Using specific points along the autonomic nervous system and extrapyramidal
motor system, Ki energy stimulates the body’s
latent powers to fulfill its potential for health
and well-being. Ki exercises maintain that
well-being.
Recommended reading: Fromm, The Book of Ki.
$885
Natural Powers: Making a Real Life
out of Our Heart’s Desire
David Schiffman
SIKE healing is systematic, designed to place
a person’s health literally in his/her own
hands. The workshop is for the neophyte as
well as for the health-care and mind/body
health-related professional. Model treatments
include preventive medicine, pain relief,
sleep, sports medicine, relaxation, female
health and hygiene, pregnancy guidance, and
mind/body cleansing.
“Ultimately,” write Mallory and Therese, ”a
knowledge of and facility with Ki energy provides insight into the human spirit. SIKE
workshops not only impart a glowing sensation of vitality and emotional tranquility, but
enable participants to promote the physical
health and spiritual growth of themselves and
others. This Christmas we offer you and yours
the gift of hands-on healing and lasting wellness.”
You can visit the SIKE website at: www.sikehealth.com.
“This workshop,” writes David Schiffman, “is
for people who seek the courage, skill, and
support to live their lives with true originality, passion, and integrity. It will be a time to
explore the realms of unconventional logic
and the mysteries of spirit, the fundamental
realities of those who are self-made, spiritually independent, and visionary in orientation
and ways. Our aim will be to cultivate the
resources, rhythms, and wisdom that come
from deep self-knowledge and self-mastery.
“In a climate of mutual support, simple trust,
and honest interest in each other, our aim will
be to bring ourselves entirely toward whatever we hope for and cherish. A wide variety of
psychological themes and attunement practices, both dynamic and meditative, will be
used to illuminate the character of our commitment to ourselves and our style of relating
to others. Together we will see what we can
do to strengthen our faith and adeptness at
applying the logic of our hearts to our own
self-care as well as to our relationships,
careers, community, and the understanding of
our life’s true mission.”
$885
December 29–January 5
The Seven Steps to Change: The
Healing Power of The Listening Hand
Ilana Rubenfeld
Ilana Rubenfeld has been called the “Great
Mother of body-oriented psychotherapy,” a
stand-up comic, and a pioneer integrating
psychotherapy, intuition, and body work.
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 reorchestrated
her life journey to become an innovative
teacher and workshop leader.
Memories and emotions stored in our bodies
often become energy blocks, tensions, and
psychospiritual imbalances. Drawing on her
book The Listening Hand, Ilana will guide participants through a seven-step change process
using the Rubenfeld Synergy Method, an elegant holistic healing method that includes
group exercises and individual demonstrations, hands-on practice, theory and discussions, music, and humor—all in an
environment of safety, trust, and learning. A
New Year’s Eve ritual will be designed especially for the group. Be ready to laugh, cry,
move, and have a great time.
This seven-day workshop fulfills one of the
requirements for acceptance into the
Rubenfeld Training Program.
Recommended reading: Rubenfeld, TwentyFive Years of Simple; Forman, The Rubenfeld
Synergy Method Addresses Body, Mind, and Spirit
(all available through The Rubenfeld Synergy
Center, 45 W. 60th St., #11A, New York, NY
10023); and Rubenfeld, The Listening Hand
(available at bookstores).
$1370
Improvisational Being:
Stories the Body Tells
Nina Wise
Most of us are conditioned not to express ourselves freely, but once encouraged to feel our
inner impulses and to follow them with abandon, we encounter a vast landscape of characters, memories, stories, and images that lead
us toward freedom. Through movement,
vocal exercises, meditation, song, and dance,
this workshop offers the physical and spiritual tools to translate your inner life into theater.
“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 gentle, 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. The 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.”
A workshop in Improvisational Being 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 well-being achieved during
the workshop not only expands your creative
abilities but also enhances your experience of
daily life. And while it is not therapy,
Improvisational Being can be surprisingly,
delightfully, holistically therapeutic. $1370
Epiphany: A Seven-Day Massage
Intensive
Ellen Watson & David Streeter,
with Robin Fann
Massage can be a transformative experience
for both the giver and the receiver. This special New Year’s workshop follows a two-phase
process to guide you on a journey to the heart
of transformation.
The first phase is to firmly establish the core
teaching of Esalen Massage practice. Through
brief lectures, demonstrations, and lots of
individual tableside instruction, the course
will offer a solid foundation to build upon.
The second phase will address the student’s
own creative expression. Here, the instruction will seek to transcend form and technique to help you discover the dance, the
freedom, and the joy of giving a massage that
comes from your deepest center.
Early morning classes, “Chi Gung, Chi
Dance®,”will be offered by David and Ellen to
facilitate this transformative process.
$1370
A Ceramic Compendium,
with Ceremonies
Being Single
Seymour Carter & Constance Jones
A positive self-image does not necessarily
depend upon being in a partnership. However,
being single in a partnership-oriented world
can create low self-esteem. Is being single a
conscious or subconscious choice, a trick of
fate, a lack of opportunity, a way of avoiding
intimacy, a valuable state of being? Changing
our belief systems about the meaning of being
single offers new understanding and opportunity for living a more fulfilled single life,
either in openness for future relationships or
in contentment in being single.
In this workshop, participants will explore
blocks to personal growth and opportunities
for new relationships, using Gestalt methods
and interactive processes including role playing, massage, and communication skills.
Whether you’re wishing to remain single,
searching for a partner, or a professional
working with single people, this workshop
can assist you with your choices and ease you
on down the road.
For many people who have taken ceramics
workshops at Esalen with Noel and Keiko,
there has been just one nagging problem: not
enough time. This seven-day workshop will
allow participants the extra time needed not
only to undertake larger projects and create
bigger pieces (which require more time to
dry) but to use those pieces in the special
group-created ceremonies that an extended
workshop allows.
The week will offer experimentation with
high-fire stoneware using local clays and
glazes, and, along with self-generated ceremonies, there will be ample time to create
dance and theater performances featuring
functional ceramic items such as group pots,
drums, and whistles. There will, of course, be
sweat lodges, tea ceremonies, and a surprise or
two. So when you think ceramics at Esalen,
now you can think big.
$1370
(plus $15 materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
$1370
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Weekend of January 5–7
Close Yet Free: Keeping a Good
Relationship Alive
Gerald Smith
How can we be open and vulnerable to love
another person, yet at the same time free in
order to continue to grow as an individual?
The balance of merging and still maintaining
a strong sense of self is never completely
worked out, because each partner is continually changing. But this dilemma of competing
needs can be dealt with in ways that will add
to the aliveness in the relationship.
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 exer-
cises to enhance openness, support, and affection, as well as skills to resolve differences in
ways that do not produce “scar tissue.” Also,
since play is an essential part of keeping a
relationship alive, there will be experiences to
spark the imagination and willingness to play
together.
Enrollment is limited to 12 couples.
$485
per participant
Soul Dance
Zoë Iyayo Ryan with Gordy Onàyémi Ryan
Countless traditions from around the globe
have long recognized that the body is a temple for the spirit. As we move our body—dancing, sweating, praying, finding our own
rhythm—we can create a dance to heal our
body-temple.
This will be a week of soulful dance and
music. Celebrating the natural world around
us, participants will dance to embody the elements: the solidity of earth, the vitality of fire,
the fluidity of water, the life-giving powers of
air. Dancers will embark upon a soulful journey to become the dance, dancing to reclaim
our birthright to move and be moved—the
wild part of ourselves.
The dancers will be supported in this journey
by the live drums, bells, and voice of Gordy
Ryan. No previous dance experience is
necessary.
$485
To Set Yourself Free
Edmundo Barbosa
En mi soledad
he visto cosas muy claras,
Que no son verdad.
— Antonio Machado, Spanish poet
So much time and energy is wasted because,
guided by our illusions, we believe that what
we see is real. In our loneliness, we allow ourselves to become prisoners of social, parental,
and cultural rules that continually counteract
our innermost strengths and the real truth of
who we are. We are taught to see less, to hear
less, to feel less, and to think less.
“While repression and discord assume different guises in different cultures, they eventually achieve the same result: they curb
expression and lead to a dull, unhappy life,”
writes Brazilian psychotherapist Edmundo
Barbosa. “In this workshop we will aim to
break out of the life patterns that condemn
us, body and soul, to live a life in chains.”
The primary challenge of this workshop is to
recognize that the journey to change is as
important as the ultimate goal, whether it be
transcendence, spiritual elevation, or, simply,
happiness. The workshop will combine the
richness of music, poetry, and the performing
arts with Reichian-based exercises to address,
in a sensitive and straightforward way, the
universal question of how to converge at the
center of our longing, leaving behind the
petty and trivial demands of senseless and
hollow agendas.
$485
Forgiveness: Healing Relationships
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Julie Bowden & Maria Nemeth
We’ve all had times of difficulty or misunderstanding with people we know. As a result, we
may have developed negative thoughts and
feelings about them that replay in our minds
like a continuous tape. When this tape gets
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loud enough, it can distract us from our true
goals and dreams by drowning out the still,
loving, creative voice of our inner heart.
The purpose of this seminar is to learn to
identify and go beyond the judgments you
have about other people. When you do this,
you break away from your own self-limiting
attitudes. The result is a sense of freedom and
renewed energy: you’ve given yourself breathing room to make your own goals and dreams
a reality. Forgiveness creates a grateful heart,
the key to ongoing abundance.
In this workshop, participants will be guided
through exercises that focus on judgments
and characterizations, with emphasis on how
these distorted perceptions affect us and
interfere with our relationships. This experience will be preparation for a powerful forgiveness exercise designed to facilitate letting
go, allowing more joy and light into our lives.
$485
“Today a wave of yoga is spreading across the
country,” writes Thomas Fortel. “Students
everywhere are finding this ancient body-centered spiritual practice which is transforming
our mental, physical, and emotional selves.
Yoga is a practice of ever-unfolding metamorphosis. As we engage in a consistent and
ongoing yoga practice, a process of alchemy is
initiated: the base metal of the body is transformed into the gold of spirit. This is accomplished through the physical postures
(asanas), conscious breathing (pranayama),
and the clearing and focusing of the mental
consciousness (meditation, or dyana).
“In this retreat we will engage these practices.
Days will begin with pranayama and meditation, followed by an active morning session.
In the afternoons we will practice more
restorative poses, forward bends, and twists.
With all the yoga there will still be plenty of
bath time, play time, and group time.”
Beginners are welcome. Yoga props are provided.
$885
Reflexology: Back to Basics
Deborah Ardell Hill
The world of reflexology—a method of applying pressure to areas or points on the feet and
hands—is vast and its uses are varied.
Reflexology addresses the physical body via
the glands, organs, and other parts of the
body; it addresses the energetic body through
the meridians; and it addresses the spiritual
body through the use of intention.
In learning reflexology, there are many avenues
you can take. The first step is to acquire the fundamental principles of the treatment. This
weekend will introduce you to the basic foundation of reflexology, offer a road map of how to
read the feet and hands, and guide you to the
avenue that interests and serves you best.
$485
Week of January 7–12
Yoga Practice: An Ongoing
Metamorphosis
Thomas Michael Fortel
One’s whole being, starting from the physical body,
has to be refined and strengthened so it can act as a
medium for the higher cosmic force. The system of
hatha yoga was designed to transform the gross elements of the body so they can receive and transmit
a much subtler and more powerful energy.
— Hatha Yoga Pradipika (6th century text)
The High-Performance Mind:
Awakened Mind Brainwave Training
Anna Wise
The high-performance mind is clearer, sharper, more flexible. Emotions become more
available, easier to transform. Information
flows readily between the conscious, subconscious, and unconscious levels, increasing
intuition, insight, and empathy. Having a
high-performance mind means being able to
enter at will the state of consciousness most
beneficial for any given circumstance—and
then understanding how to use that state.
Through brainwave training for beta, alpha,
theta, and delta, this workshop teaches you
how to produce the components for an awakened mind, the brainwave pattern of peak
experience, optimum creativity, and spiritual
awareness. Working with both the state and
the content of consciousness, you can learn to
use these brainwaves to help develop a highperformance mind for self-healing, increasing
creativity, improving relationships, and developing greater awareness.
The workshop combines biofeedback monitoring with meditation, visualization, and
deep psychophysiological relaxation to help
you master your own states of consciousness.
The Mind Mirror EEG will be used to demonstrate brainwave patterns, and Electrical Skin
Resistance Meters will measure the depth of
arousal and relaxation of your autonomic nervous system, illuminating the interrelation-
ship between your body and your mind.
$885
Laurie Lioness Parizek & Attila Vaas
Esalen Massage is a nurturing practice that
can be as satisfying to give as to receive.
During five days of learning and relaxation,
Esalen bodywork in its various forms will be
demonstrated, practiced, and discussed.
The workshop will incorporate grounding,
specific and integrative massage skills, gentle
and deeper touch, stretching, and energy
work. The instructors will present a bodywork style that addresses individual needs,
integrates the whole person, and honors the
sacred and healing quality of touch. Special
attention will be given to self-care, quality of
contact, and reducing and releasing stress.
The leaders will also introduce movement,
dance, and rhythm to enhance the bodywork.
Conscious breathwork and meditation will be
used to encourage focus and serenity.
Please bring warm, comfortable clothes and
your favorite music or instrument. The workshop is open to all levels of experience.
$885
w
Swimming in Soul Music
Onàyémi Gordy Ryan with Zoë Iyayo Ryan
& Friends
“Join me for a swim in the ocean of funk, fun,
and spirit,” writes Gordy Ryan. “With hand
drums, percussion ensemble, and our voices,
we’ll explore the musical traditions of West
Africa, the Caribbean, and New Orleans.
Meditation, rhythmic body warm-up, and the
Nine Ways of ZhikrSM Ritual (a ceremony
designed to produce a state of ecstasy, as
passed on by Oscar Ichazo) will deepen our
capacity to breathe, move, and play in pure
energy.”
Gordy, whose given Yoruba name, Onàyémi,
means “breathes and understands art,” adds,
“The band is open to all players, from beginning to professional. We all will be challenged
to bring our musicianship to a new level of
inspiration.”
$885
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Dinâmica Avançada de Grupo: Uma
Jornada Instigante (Group Process
Awakening: An Advanced Journey)
Edmundo Barbosa & Gordon Wheeler
Para muitas pessoas o trabalho grupal é uma
atividade cansativa e por vezes frustrante. O
arsenal de técnicas existentes, ancorado em
diferentes escolas (práticos e teóricas) é sempre um recurso tentador a ser explorado. Mas
pode também ser uma faca de dois gumes ao
permitir que os líderes de grupo e os participantes facilmente recuem para uma zona técnica de conforto, que se provará inútil e
estéril.
Este workshop visa propiciar que cada participante atue de acordo com suas experiências
anteriores em trabalhos grupais. Ao mesmo
tempo, os líderes estarão atuando extensivamente para integrar exercícios de conscientizacão e as novas dinâmicas grupais da Gestalt.
Nosso desafio nesta jornada de cinco dias será
enveredar por aquelas áreas dentro de nós
onde o solo fértil existe e demanda entusiasmo e coragem para ser devidamente explorado.
Importante: Este workshop tem como pré-requisito treinamento prévio com Edmundo
Barbosa.
$885
January 12–19
Vision Painting
Helen Jerene Malcolm
What is your vision for your life? What
makes your heart sing and brings fulfillment
and peace into your life?
Vision Painting is designed to enable you to
access deeper levels of consciousness and
bring to light the vision of your soul. In
Vision Painting, you explore how your intuitive responses to color reveal information
about the state of your body, mind, and soul.
In Vision Painting’s meditations, you allow
color to express itself through you—in any
shape and form. Concepts of “right” and
“wrong” are dropped in order to enter a flow
state in which the painter learns to paint with
intuitive receptivity, allowing the painting to
unfold of its own accord. Natural feelings of
excitement and fear that often accompany
creative endeavors are used as a catalyst to
transform emotion into color and passion
into imagery.
Through guided meditations, music, and
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movement you can translate the unique perspective of your experiences through your
Vision Paintings. Allowing your “inner light”
to be expressed in a wide variety of color
brings awareness to the areas of your life that
seek healing. Release your expectations of
how you should paint and be surprised at the
power and wisdom of what comes through
you.
$1370
Self as Instrument: A Workshop
for Therapists, Counselors, and
Consultants
Lynne Jacobs & Gordon Wheeler
New models of therapy and consultation
emphasize relationship, authentic use of self,
and the person-to-person meeting between
clinician and client, working together to cocreate meaning and change. All this is a far
cry from the older models that many therapists and counselors were trained in, where
the practitioner was an “objective expert” or
a “blank screen.”
Under these new models the clinician faces
new and more complex dilemmas: What do I,
in the authentic encounter, share of my own
experience? How do I do this? What do I disclose of myself? Where does that self-disclosure serve the client’s healing and growth?
Where does it get in the way, or risk damage?
These are the questions to be taken up for
experiment, interaction, and discussion in
this workshop.
$485
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction Training
Mark Abramson
The impact of stress on health is well recognized. Now the efficacy of stress reduction as
an adjunct to medical treatment is being recognized in more and more health care settings. Four years ago Dr. Mark Abramson
founded a program at Stanford University
Medical Center using the 2,500-year-old technique of Mindfulness Meditation to train
patients as an adjunct treatment for many different medical conditions.
Mindfulness is “nonjudgmental awareness.”
This requires one to pay attention to direct
experience in the present moment, neither
clinging to what is perceived as pleasant nor
reacting with aversion toward what is perceived as unpleasant. In both mental and
physical stress, much of the perpetuating
cycle of pain or discomfort is a result of one’s
judgmental struggle to push away what is
experienced as unpleasant. Yet as one
becomes willing to directly meet the actual
experience it becomes finite. One begins to
see that it can be workable to deal with a
finite level of discomfort one moment at a
time.
Approximately 1,500 people have taken this
training with Dr. Abramson. Most patients
report a significant increase in their ability to
manage their illness and significant reductions in stress and physical complaints. Dr.
Abramson adds: “What I most appreciate is
participants reporting improved ability to
respond to themselves with kindness and
compassion.”
$485
Deep Healing—The Essence of
Mind/Body Medicine
Emmett Miller
“At our essence is a divine ‘Knower,’ an inner
healer and guide,” says Dr. Emmett Miller.
“Invalidated and injured by trauma, stress,
and neglect, this abused spirit retreats, depriving the body of its wisdom and healing. One
result: the profusion of physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral imbalances and diseases that abound.” In this experiential
workshop, Dr. Miller will guide participants
in awakening the healer within. The workshop focuses on:
• Letting go of stress, relaxing deeply, and
entering the Healing State
• Evoking and nurturing the deep Self (the
healer within), opening the door to selfacceptance and true spirituality
• Exploring how beliefs and images become
physical and behavioral events in the body
and mind (symptoms)
• Allowing the inner healer to channel
thoughts, developing beliefs and images
that lead to wellness and peak performance
• Learning tools for attaining integrity of
thoughts, feelings, and behavior, in relationship to self, other, and the world
• The direct experience of healing, peace, and
joyful self-awareness
The workshop features hands-on experience,
deep relaxation, imagery and movement,
group discussion, and lecture. It is designed
for professionals and lay persons, beginners
and experts alike.
Recommended reading and listening: Miller,
Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body
Medicine (book or cassette) and Healing
Journey (cassette).
$485
Demystifying the Business World:
Business and Creativity
Dennis Duitch
Creativity and business are not enemies. This
workshop is about understanding and utilizing simple business practices to augment,
rather than hinder, your creative work. It is
for people who feel intimidated by financial
concepts or business practices that they don’t
fully appreciate or respect. It is especially relevant if you have started, or are considering
starting, any kind of business and it will help
you overcome the frustration and stress that
naturally evolve when creative efforts conflict
with business realities.
No business expertise or experience is necessary. Dennis Duitch has taught business,
financial, and management concepts to grade
schoolers and graduate students. Come and
learn some critical business approaches and
conquer your insecurities in a relaxing, nonthreatening workshop.
$485
self into under the guise of “taking a workshop in personal growth.”
The Graduate MAX is an opportunity for you
to play one hundred percent, supported by a
community of individuals who have been
there before. Such a level of commitment
serves to up the ante with the kind of support
and safety that can catapult your self-expression into hyperspace.
Come play hardball with the pros. Enrollment
is limited to those have taken the MAX, at
Esalen or elsewhere.
Please note: Due to the intense and sequential
nature of this workshop, attendance at all sessions is necessary (but you already knew that).
Prerequisite: A 2-4 minute memorized performance piece composed by you for this workshop. Come prepared to take on the
assignment you secretly prayed you’d never be
given (and bring the paraphernalia).
$885
The Graduate MAX
Paula Shaw
You’ve survived the MAX. And you’ve had
time to recuperate—and integrate. Now you
find yourself wondering what kind of “emotional bungee jumping” you can throw your-
Cultivating Love in Action:
Dropping the Facade
Do you long to let down the facade you’ve
adopted to negotiate life’s mundane interactions and instead find more soul-sharing?
ANDRIS ABELE
The workshop will be partly analytical and
partly experiential, blending conventional
wisdom with real-world practices to focus on
optimizing personal objectives—without
impeding creativity. Depending on group
background and interests, participants may
explore fundamental business and tax principles, owners’ versus workers’ perspectives,
concepts of economic risk and reward, profits
and cash flow, and time management—all presented in plain English.
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Would you like to create a deeper connection
with yourself and others, to find what seems
to be missing in your relationships with
friends and family?
“In this seminar,” the leaders write, “we will
create an environment to satisfy our need to
be fully alive, to meet ourselves and others at
a deeper level. Through watching our reactions and judgments, we will learn to see,
honor, and love all the ways we have employed
to separate from ourselves and those around
us. We will identify and connect with our
authentic self—that within us which is most
deeply meaningful—and confront and honor
those less-than-authentic parts which have
served us well but which we are ready to release.
“Everyone is seeking love, compassion, and
acceptance. Through setting the intention to
love ourselves and others, we can honor our
true identities as loving, joyful beings.”
Discussions, experiential and interactive exercises, and focused guidance will be blended
with specific interventions to meet the needs
of the individuals and the group.
$885
Playing the Edge
David Schiffman
In the early stages of growth, success seems to
be its own reward. Excitement, vitality, and
the willingness to face life boldly are characteristics of those who are involved in new and
successful ventures. To keep this spirit alive is
not easy. Enormous pressures, grinding routines, and demands of involvement can
dispirit even the healthiest people. To listen
to one’s heart requires the courage to pause. In
this willingness to stop and listen to the deeper self live the true resources that guide and
protect us.
The purpose of this week is to create a mood
of sanctuary for people in transition considering major changes in career, relationship, or
matters of the spirit; those in need of a break
from stressful responsibilities; and individuals interested in breaking new ground in the
areas of self-nurturance, intuitive functioning,
and problem solving.
The process will be gently restorative, illuminating, and enlivening. The intention will be
to create a community based on trust and
goodwill with emphasis on individual freedom. Traditional methods of self-inquiry
(Gestalt Practice, bioenergetics, psychosynthesis) will be combined with music, meditation,
poetry, ritual, and prayer to foster this spirit of
living fully.
$885
50
Advanced Esalen Massage and
Bodywork
on Earth Mother. Throughout the workshop,
the life principles of pride, dignity, honor, and
respect (namaji) will help all come to “the
home within the heart (aindahing).”
Vicki Topp & Carl Chase (CC)
If you are a certified massage practitioner, this
workshop is an invitation for you to enhance
your skills, experience current trends in
Esalen Massage, challenge your ability to
push past restrictive routines, and explore the
creative edge of movement in bodywork. The
focus will be on presenting approaches that
expand your technique repertoire, inspire creativity, and are easily incorporated into your
personal bodywork style.
The workshop will introduce the CC Flow™, a
form of massage that keeps the body in a state
of constant motion and touch. Based on the
idea that life begins for us in a fluid world—
the womb—where movement and touch are
fundamental, the CC Flow was developed to
allow the receiver to experience a feeling of
pure liquid freedom. Using somatic movement patterns and touch, the CC Flow seeks
to balance the muscular and skeletal body
container with its more fluid contents.
Come and learn a more expansive style of
massage.
$885
The Home Within the Heart:
Ojibwe Tribal Healings
Blackwolf spent his formative years raised on
an Ojibwe reservation and now combines
these teachings with his experiences of teaching, counseling, and living in contemporary
society. Robert is an Ojibwe descendant, traditional dancer, and storyteller, practicing conventional and traditional healing ways.
Please note: There will be ceremonial burning
of tobacco and sage.
$485
Couples Massage Weekend
C. Jay Bradbury & Margaret Stevens
This weekend workshop is designed for couples who would like to bring the benefits of
massage into their everyday lives. The workshop will teach 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 to help relieve
pain, increase vitality, or simply soothe the
nerves will be demonstrated briefly and practiced with lots of hands-on instruction by the
leaders.
This workshop is especially helpful for loving
couples, as Esalen Massage is greatly beneficial in its connective and healing qualities.
$485
Blackwolf Jones & Robert Palmer
per participant
The ancient healing ways of the Ojibwe tribe
can profoundly change life patterns. This
workshop introduces these traditional ways
to improve physical, emotional, mental, and
spiritual well-being.
Blackwolf and Robert will offer presentations
on healing and the energies of the natural elements, and the spiritual importance of the
eagle, wolf, bison, and bear. They will introduce the use of mishomis (grandfather stone),
medicine wheel, and prayer stick to help
resolve anger, shame, conflict, and pain.
Participants will prepare and burn fear bundles to allow flames to devour fears. Says
Blackwolf, “We master fear or fear masters us,
but there will be a master.”
Participants will learn traditional Native
American tribal dance. Men and women both
will learn the way of the Ojibwe warrior, and
women will be honored as central to survival
Improvising Our Lives
Patricia Ryan Madson
“Improvisation can be seen as a paradigm
which provides tools for conscious living,”
Patricia Ryan Madson writes. “In a traditional
improvisation class the emphasis is often on
playing the games as comedy. In this class
we’ll look at the life lessons that can be
learned on the improv stage. We will study
the five rules of improvising: (1) Pay attention
to reality, (2) Know your purpose, (3) Notice
the contributions of others, (4) Cultivate
acceptance, and (5) Act constructively.
“The workshop will weave the playing of
games with constructive advice on how to
solve life’s problems. We will learn the secrets
of spontaneity, the value of ‘saying YES to
Surviving the Program:
A Workshop for Men
Gordon Wheeler
Gordon Wheeler writes: “First as boys and
again as men, we are subjected to a ‘training
program’ for masculinity, prepared for our
more-or-less rigid masculine identity. The
program: always be masterful and in control
(or try to fake it), don’t show weakness, stifle
difficult feelings, keep other men at arm’s
length—the familiar litany that leaves us leery
of relationship, phobic about intimacy, and at
risk for chronic emptiness, low-grade depression, and stress ailments of every kind.”
“What do we, as men today, do with all this?
What parts of our male training actually work
for us? What do we want to keep and celebrate? What parts serve to isolate and deaden
us, depriving us of our birthright to a full, colorful inner and outer life, rich connections,
robust energy, communion, and joy?
“Through exercises, self-narrative, and our
own interaction, we will explore our capacity
to build a new model of masculinity, one that
pursues wholeness through seeking and
allowing support, breaking old patterns of isolation, nourishing our own inner and outer
strengths, and becoming healing partners for
ourselves and each other.”
$485
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.
Discover your soul symbols as powerful tools
for personal and professional transformation.
Come to a deeper understanding of your own
creative forces. Mandala drawing 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.
$485
$885
Contour Figure Drawing
Paul Heussenstamm
It is the artist’s mission to penetrate...in the womb
of nature, in the primal ground of creation where
the secret key to all things lies hidden.
— Paul Klee
The mandala, an ancient symbol and concentric map of the psyche, has been used by various cultures around the world, including
Tibetan Buddhists, 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,
ing, inspiring, teaching, storytelling, leading,
and ultimately serving the group—all in a
learning environment based on depth and
warmth. Please bring at least one leadership
challenge that you would like to focus on during the workshop.
$885
Choosing Aliveness and Intimacy
Mary Goldenson
For workshop description see October 8-13.
$885
(plus $45 materials and models fee
The Spirit and Practice of Leadership:
Centering, Communicating, Taking
Action
Horst Abraham & Jeff McKay
We dance round in a ring and suppose,
But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.
— Robert Frost
Art as a Spiritual Path:
Discovering Your Soul Mandala
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
offers,’ seeing offers as gifts, and sharing
responsibility and control. The improvisation
games and exercises come from the lineage of
Keith Johnstone (founder of Theatresports),
Eastern mindfulness practices, and the paradigm known as ‘Constructive Living,’ which is
based on two Japanese psychotherapies
(Morita and Naikan) and developed by Dr.
David K. Reynolds.”
$485
The leader’s job is to inspire through presence, words, and action. This course provides
a supportive and challenging opportunity to
practice being present, communicating, and
leading. Participants will explore physical and
psychological centering, speaking from the
heart and belly, and taking creative leadership.
This workshop examines the personal process
of leadership: What motivates me to lead?
What resources do I bring to leadership? How
do I step into the role of leader? How do I
adjust to a changing scenario?
Participants will learn how to prepare themselves for leading, how to take on the role of
leader consciously, and how to go with the
flow of a situation. The primary teacher will
be experience: coaching one another, present-
We have all experienced moments of feeling
totally alive, yet much of our life is spent in a
half-asleep, half-committed state of being.
While there are many life-situations beyond
our control, we choose how we respond to
these events. The choice to be passionately
alive is an act of courage. To choose life is to:
• Open ourselves to all of life—suffering, joy,
success, failure, love, and grief
• Fully acknowledge the truth of who we are
• Commit to living our deepest values and
dreams
• Define what we must change in our relationships
• Learn new ways to heal, forgive, and communicate
The challenge is to honestly address the ways
in which we have compromised, given up, or
lied to ourselves and others. This workshop is
designed to bring to awareness our unconscious choices of how we deaden ourselves
and to create the possibility for new aliveness
and passionate involvement.
Come alone or with a partner. A safe, supportive atmosphere will be provided, using communication skills, movement, Gestalt, and
Reichian work.
$885
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The Path of Relationship:
Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes
Paul & Deborah Brenner
The leaders write: “This workshop allows you
to step back from familiar surroundings and
see your life with a new perspective. Here you
will explore: how your personal definition of
love too often limits your love relationships;
how unconscious unmet needs of childhood
affect your adult life; and, most importantly,
how to discover your unique gifts to life.
Unraveling your story reveals not only your
calling but the stepping stones along your
spiritual path as well.
“Through the psychological process of Family
Triangles and the creative arts, the workshop
is designed to reveal your authentic self. It is
in this reclaiming of the soul that loving relationships and personal spirituality fuse. Join
us on this path of relationship and service.”
The workshop is designed for individuals,
couples, and professionals. The practical skills
offered are easily integrated into daily living
and work.
Recommended reading: Brenner & Martin,
Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes.
Vin Martí
The dancer of the future will be one whose body
and soul have grown so harmoniously together
that the natural language of the soul will have
become the movement of the body.
— Isadora Duncan
Soul Motion helps participants develop the
ability to relax while in motion, to listen to
their body. Using both the interior landscape
of the mind and the exterior environment of
the room, participants discover the simple yet
profound revelation that emerges when the
intellect is hushed and intuition is opened:
they are movement.
provides the opportunity for students to
investigate themselves and the web of relationships which comprise their day-to-day
life.
$885
Experiencing Esalen
$485
Fear of Intimacy: Challenging
Barriers to Relationships
“I do not teach people to dance,” writes Vin
Martí, creator of Soul Motion. “Rather, I
design unscripted movement structures in
which students are invited to play and listen
while the dance emerges. We learn best when
we stumble around for success. Rather than
to lock in and concentrate, I encourage students to surrender, to listen deeply to their
own rhythms, movements, sounds, and
images. When students are able to let go of
their expectations and definitions of success,
they can witness the unfolding of their own
innate dance.”
What prevents most people from being able
to sustain romantic, meaningful relationships
that satisfy their needs and desires? Why do
people often feel compelled to punish those
closest to them? What qualities should a person look for when selecting a partner? What
are the factors that determine whether partners will end up experiencing love and fulfillment in their relationship or suffering pain
and distress?
Soul Motion is a transformative dance which
This workshop helps answer these questions
Lisa Firestone & Joyce Catlett
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
$885
Soul Motion™
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by providing participants with a theoretical
model for understanding themselves and
their relationship. Through experiential/
interactional exercises, group discussion, and
powerful videotapes where couples reveal
painful truths, participants will learn to challenge self-protective behaviors that interfere
with closeness and intimacy. They will learn
how defenses formed in childhood to deal
with pain and anxiety come to limit people as
adults in their ability to develop and sustain
attachments. The workshop provides insight
into how people often form an imaginary connection or “fantasy bond” with their partner
that relieves anxiety but interferes with real
relating. Further, by identifying and challenging negative thoughts toward themselves and
their partner (“internal voices”), participants
can become more effective in achieving closeness and love in their relationships.
p
$485
Sabetti Sphurana Yoga and
Shinkido® Massage
Stèphano Sabetti
This workshop introduces two practices
developed by Stèphano Sabetti in conjunction
with his Life Energy Process®: Sphurana Yoga
and Shinkido Massage.
Sphurana is the spiritual self one feels especially in the heart chakra. When our spirit is
oriented toward sphurana, we can, says
Ramana Maharshi, experience “a taste of
enlightenment.” Sphurana Yoga integrates:
vibratory energy (vibrations of the spirit and
opening of the healing channel); asanas (postures which are changeable as energy movement changes); and balance (discovering
balance in imbalance to better integrate the
practice into daily life). Sphurana Yoga also
incorporates emotional work, humor, and
pleasure to soften muscles, support humanness, and allow energy to flow in its inherent
rhythm.
Shinkido, the art and science of vibrational
energy, is the form of Life Energy Process
which integrates Eastern and Western massage techniques by working with energy
waves in the body. Shinkido works on four
levels of energy: sensual pleasure, physical
health, emotional expression, and spiritual
evolution. Touch becomes communication
between partners as each finds wave resonance with the other. Shinkido can help you
develop greater self-awareness, a better feeling
for your body and its needs, as well as an
understanding of fundamental connections
between energy waves and pleasure.
$485
cussions led by a veteran moderator/facilitator with a strong scholarly background, in
what promises to be an intellectual and emotional adventure of the highest order. $485
Finding Your Long-Lost Musician:
Ways and Tools for Lifelong Inspired
Musical Performances and Listening
Finding Your Long-Lost Musician:
Ways and Tools for Lifelong Inspired
Musical Performances and Listening
David Darling
David Darling
David Darling’s music improvisation workshops have touched thousands of people from
all walks of life, including corporate executives, school children, teachers, professional
musicians, prisoners, and therapists, opening
their hearts to the mystery of sound. David’s
passion is to provide an environment in
which each participant has a chance to discover and work with his/her own unique musical
abilities. He has spent the last forty years
developing methods that bring people face-toface with their own wondrous sounds and
rhythms.
For workshop description see January 26-28.
$885
Working in groups and individually, people
will find the classes relaxed and humorous,
yet intensely centered on the profound qualities of the wonders of music. Please bring
any instruments you play or want to play. No
experience is necessary. Piano and percussion
instruments are provided.
$485
Conversations on Identity
Week of January 28–
February 2
The Way of the Shaman and
The Spirits of Nature
Nan Moss & David Corbin
This course introduces core shamanism, the
universal methods of the shaman to enter
nonordinary reality for problem solving, wellbeing, and healing. Emphasis is on the classic
shamanic journey, the remarkable visionary
method to explore the hidden universe otherwise known mainly through myth and
dream. Participants are initiated into shamanic journeying, aided by drumming and movement practices for experiencing the shamanic
state of consciousness and for awakening dormant spiritual abilities. Participants are provided with methods for journeying to
discover their own individual spiritual teachers in nonordinary reality, a classic shamanic
practice.
Michael Krasny
This workshop focuses on the nature of identity—not only what we are, but how and why
“what we are” is connected to “who we are.”
Michael Krasny writes: “The self and individuality are formed by so many collective identities: gender, birth order, nationality, class,
race, religion, politics, just to name the more
obvious. We want to explore how these and
the subtler, less obvious forms of identity—
along with what psychologists call ‘identity
formation’—make us think and feel, affect our
actions and reactions to life, and shape what
philosophers like to call ontology. The archetypes, imagery, and images of self and others
that we identify with contribute more to ‘who
we are’ than most of us realize. This important
underlying assumption will be our main compass as we navigate toward self-discovery and
greater understanding of ‘the other.’ ”
The course also provides an opportunity for
advanced work with the spirits of nature in
Esalen’s beautiful and powerful setting. By
learning from the plants and animals, the
rocks and mountains, the wind and waters,
and from sun, moon and stars, shamans
helped their peoples live in harmony with the
universe. In a world out of balance, the way of
the shaman can teach us once again how to
respect nature, our planet, and its inhabitants
at a deep spiritual level.
This special course incorporates “Shamanism
and the Spirits of Nature,” an advanced
Foundation for Shamanic Studies workshop.
It qualifies participants to take more advanced
trainings with Michael Harner and the faculty of the Foundation.
Please note: Bring a rattle or drum (if you have
one), a bandanna, and a pen and notebook to
record your journeys.
$885
Come prepared for high-level, energetic dis53
Adoption: Changing Realities
David Schiffman
David Schiffman writes: “It is as the adoptive
father of twin teenage sons that I have faced
my greatest emotional challenges. All of my
personal and interpersonal skills as well as my
deepest spiritual potentials and wisdom have
been tested and seasoned in carrying out the
responsibilities that adoption demands.
“This workshop is intended for all people—
parents and children—who have experienced
the influence of adoption, whether by birth
and blood, choice and invitation, or the
powers of fate and spirit. Our aim is to help
resolve the profoundly challenging emotional
mysteries and dilemmas that adoption
evokes, and to cultivate the wisdom, timing,
and healing that is born of the skillful use of
an open heart.
“During the week we will examine what it
takes to consider honestly and fairly the problems, paradoxes, blessings, and disclosures
that adoption raises. We will explore how we
can gracefully accept our place in this complex web of relationships and events. Using
deep self-reflection, guided imagery, meditation, plain speaking, and traditional Native
American healing and cleansing rituals, we
will create a community based in courage,
clarity, honesty, and mutual support. It will be
a time to explore our origins, our choices, our
resentments and appreciations, and to move
forward with our lives.”
$885
Soul Talk: Creating Shared Meaning
through Dialogue and Improvisation
Glenna Gerard & Lynne Kaufman
In today’s world of e-mail, voicemail, fax, and
Fed Ex, we have abundant communication but
little true dialogue.
collaborative action. Improvisational theatre
games, presented by Lynne Kaufman, heighten and apply these principles in the “embodied knowing” of physical experience. The
improv exercises offer simple, playful ways to
access spontaneity, creative collaboration, and
the richness of multiple perspectives.
we know how to enter them. This workshop
with Dani Antman, a member of the senior
faculty of A Society of Souls, will explore the
paradox of how our Real Self—the Self-that-isConnected-to-God—reappears in our consciousness the moment we enter into our
difficulties in a wholehearted way.
Participants will work in pairs, small groups,
and in full circle integrating language (verbal
and nonverbal) and movement as learning
tools. The goal: to apply Dialogue and
Improvisation to our daily lives to create
more aliveness, intimacy, and authenticity in
our relationships.
Dani Antman writes: “We find, often much to
our surprise, that being completely who we
are awakens in us the understanding of our
True Nature, the one who longs to be who we
already are. Through right prayer, holy
singing, meditation, Kabbalistic hands-on
healing, lecture, and a dialogue about a new
approach to being human, we will have a
chance to awaken the ability that resides
within each of us to see the Face of God in
every ordinary moment.”
$885
Life Energy Process®
Stèphano Sabetti
The Life Energy Process (L.E.P.) is a spiritually-oriented body approach to self-development, lifestyle enhancement, and professional
growth based on Eastern and Western energy
dynamics. Specifically designed micro-movements activate energy vibrations which lead
to the release of held emotions, while opening
to love and healthy sexuality.
The Art of Leadership:
Communication, Creativity, Vision
Ron Alexander
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities
While in the expert’s mind there are few.
— Suzuki
Practice of the Life Energy Process can lead
naturally to body harmony and emotional
balance as well as to new possibilities in relationships and professional skills based on the
consequences of energy attunement.
Life Energy Process includes: martial arts,
dance, theater, massage, yoga, and pool work,
among others (depending on group process).
The workshop is of particular interest to professionals and mature laypersons who are
excited by the integration of theory, pleasure,
and hands-on application of energy concepts.
Recommended reading: Sabetti, Wholeness
Principle and Waves of Change.
We all have moments of authentic conversation. In these moments, when we give and
receive understanding, we are fully alive to
ourselves and to each other. This workshop
shows you how to have more of these experiences—personally, professionally, one-to-one,
and in groups—as you learn to create shared
meaning through the complementary skills
of Dialogue and Improvisation.
Dialogue, as set forth by physicist David
Bohm and developed by Glenna Gerard,
teaches principles of focusing attention,
examining assumptions, suspending judgments, and engaging in inquiry and reflection. This helps to generate the shared
understanding that fosters community and
Dani Antman
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Please note: Bring a notebook, a prayer shawl, a
cushion, and a pad or blanket to lie on. $485
$885
Weekend of February 2–4
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. 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.
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.
Working with the World:
A Kabbalistic Approach to Ecstasy
From the viewpoint of Integrated Kabbalistic
Healing®, the difficulties of human life—such
as our imperfections and neuroses—are not
obstacles to living an awakened, God-connected life, but are the gateways for liberation, if
Recommended reading: Heider, The Tao of
Leadership; Bennis, On Becoming a Leader;
Hargrove, Masterful Coaching; Crum, The Magic
of Conflict.
$485
During sleep, dreams emerge as emotionally
compelling dramas or symbolic episodes.
Often mysterious, absurd, or confusing, these
nightly home movies need to be interpreted,
for they contain resolutions to our current
dilemmas.
This workshop will provide participants with
methods to unlock the power of their nocturnal visions. Dreams reflect our subconscious
processes of evaluation and planning, presented as visual metaphors. This seminar will
introduce practices to identify the hidden
energies dormant in these imagistic events.
Participants will learn to work with dreams—
their own and others’—using techniques
drawn from Gestalt imagery work,
Ericksonian hypnosis, and contemporary
maverick approaches.
$485
Beyond Tales of Love and Solitude:
The Magic Reality of García Márquez
Amelia Barili
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
What are the roots of solitude? What are the
roots of love? Exploring the magic world of
the stories and novels of Gabriel García
Márquez, this workshop will relate them to
his life and to the culture from which he
comes. Participants will reflect on how
Márquez’s work speaks to us, reflecting universal feelings of love and loneliness, to help
us become more aware of the story of our
own life journey.
Weekend Massage Intensive:
A Sensitive Connection
Brita Ostrom & Laurie Schutz
one’s personal history. The goal will be to create a firm foundation of massage upon which
to build—and to have fun in the process.
Massage is an enriching holistic experience,
unifying body and mind and connecting with
spirit. Massage can also heighten intuitive,
nonverbal communication. In this workshop,
participants will learn to touch from a centered place of contact and connection, focusing awareness and easing stress.
This workshop is for anyone wishing to learn
massage basics or add to massage skills, for
individuals seeking a retreat from the mental
chatter of the workplace, for those engaged in
a personal healing journey, or for couples
wishing to communicate more fully.
Using touch and movement, students will be
guided through the body to learn the elemental skills of Esalen Massage, including the
long flowing strokes, deeper detail work, quality of contact, and the shared stillness that
promotes a sense of wholeness. The use of
breath and relaxation will also be emphasized.
There will be plenty of time for supervised
practice as well as for special concerns, including an exploration of the impact of touch in
$485
The workshop will also incorporate breathing
exercises, relaxation, and guided imagery to
help access the creative reader and writer
within. Using Márquez’s writing as a springboard, those who so desire will be encouraged
and guided in integrating memories and
reflections into their own writing.
No previous experience with literature is
required.
Recommended reading: García Márquez, One
Hundred Years of Solitude and Collected Stories.
$485
Week of February 4–9
Dreamwork
Circle of Song—Body and Soul
Seymour Carter
Rhiannon
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream...
As anyone who has ever awakened from a
startlingly lifelike dream knows, dreams have
the ability to move us to our very core.
“If you sing fully in your body, if you really
get your bones vibrating and your whole
being going, you always feel better,” says
Rhiannon. “This workshop provides a safe
and challenging environment for developing
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your unique and genuine voice. Starting with
body energy, alignment, and centering, we will
drop down into soul and sing our way back.”
Rhiannon offers technical skills to develop
strength, dexterity, range, and endurance,
along with emotional work to free the voice.
“Working alone, in pairs, and in ensemble,”
she continues, “we will learn to let go in the
moment and sing what we believe. Learning
to play with improvisational energy, we can
begin to experience our voice as our partner,
playmate, and soul mate, and move into new
levels of joy and creativity.”
This workshop is open to all levels of vocal
experience and inexperience. All that is
required is your commitment to singing in
your body and going to your personal edge.
$885
Unmasking the Soul
Joseph Cavanaugh
What we are looking for is what is looking.
— St. Francis
The Greek word psyche means soul. The
essence of soul is loving. Yet we have all experienced wounds of the heart, causing us to
retract our love to protect against further hurt.
We developed our own unique personality
(from the Latin persona, or mask) to survive in
a world of uncertainty. This left many of us
suffering the greatest wound of all—the illusion
of separation from the sanctity of our soul.
“Love is for-giving,” says Joseph Cavanaugh.
“When we hold on to past wounds, we block
the flow of love and stifle our creativity, vitality, and aliveness.” Using personal and interpersonal processes, this workshop offers
participants an opportunity to penetrate their
own masks and reawaken the vitality of their
soul. In a supportive context, participants will
be guided in learning how to love and accept
themselves while developing empathy and
compassion for the suffering of others. In this
way, the workshop embraces a larger vision, a
transpersonal perspective through which we
can all work together toward the common
goal of healing the planet as a whole.
Prerequisite: Be willing to abstain from alcohol
and nonprescription drugs for the duration of
the workshop.
$885
CranioSacral I
Signy Erickson
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, noninvasive,
hands-on technique to help detect and correct
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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,
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.
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.
done through the Upledger Institute. Please
call the Upledger Institute at 1-800-233-5880.
page 66.
$885
Funerary Pottery at Continent’s End
The poet Robinson Jeffers called Big Sur
“Continent’s End.” For the Native Americans
who originally inhabited Big Sur, looking
westward over the edge meant looking
toward the spirit world, the home of the
ancestors. This workshop will take advantage
of Esalen’s unique setting to illustrate the
power of funerary art to transform grief, loss,
and sorrow into a celebration of loved ones
who have passed away.
For thousands of years funerary art has been a
worldwide tradition. For centuries the
Chinese not only created ceramic items for
burial along with the deceased but also created glazes from the cremated ashes of loved
ones. This pottery workshop will provide a
respectful and sacred space to create ceramic
objects and practice these transformative ceremonial arts. There will be rituals to honor
departed loved ones, a process for transferring
photos onto ceramic glaze, and a Sweat of the
Ancestors in which the only objects inside
the sweat lodge are cherished keepsakes
placed there for purification.
Please bring photos, funerary objects, mementos, crematory ashes, or other memorabilia.
$885
(plus $25 materials fee paid directly to the leaders)
Is It Love or Is It Addiction?
Brenda Schaeffer
No one escapes the effects of love. A love relationship can be a most profound experience
or a place of confusion and hurt. This workshop is designed for individuals and couples
who are ready to let go of the past and move
beyond the dysfunction of codependency,
compulsive love, and relationship addiction.
It is also appropriate for professionals working with love addiction.
The workshop will demonstrate how and
why most relationships harbor elements of
unhealthy dependency as well as mature love.
Love addiction creeps into the best of relationships—the challenge is to acknowledge
the addictive elements, build on the best
aspects, and establish a way of loving that
bonds us with others and yet allows for our
freedom.
Based on the best-seller Is It Love or Is It
Addiction?, the course will distinguish
between healthy and unhealthy dependency
and offer a seven-step model for breaking free
of unhealthy patterns. Other topics will
include: moving from power plays to power
sharing, establishing healthy boundaries, forgiveness and healing, and spiritual intimacy.
The workshop will include lecture, guided
imagery, meditation, and experiential exercises, as well as consider participants’ specific
needs.
$885
A Tender Invitation
David Schiffman
$485
ANDRIS ABELE
Meditating Together:
The Practice of Insight Dialogue
Gregory Kramer
Being mindful is a challenge. Being mindful
while speaking and relating with others
sometimes seems impossible. With practice,
though, one can change. In this workshop,
participants will explore specific ways to
bring mindfulness, spaciousness, and other
meditative qualities into dialogue.
Insight Dialogue, codeveloped by Gregory
Kramer, is a meditation practice which combines Buddhist Insight Meditation
(Vipassana) with Bohm-inspired Dialogue.
Insight Meditation, traditionally done alone
and in silence, is carried into relationship
with others. The practice supports opening of
the heart, a transformed relationship with
words, and letting go into deeper understanding, wisdom, and spiritual freedom. During
the workshop participants will:
• Explore the Insight Dialogue guidelines:
work on surfacing assumptions, notice
roles, suspend reactive judgments, develop
trust in the group and in emergence
• Practice Insight and lovingkindness (metta)
meditation
• Bring refined awareness to consciousness
and the learning process itself
• Learn to speak and listen without abandoning meditation
The essence of Insight Dialogue is the transformation that comes from the letting go of
conditioned responses. This workshop is an
opportunity to experience the creativity, joy,
and wisdom of coherent group process, as
well as the challenges of feelings arising in
enhanced awareness. No prior meditation or
Dialogue experience is necessary.
$485
“We will explore and discover the special natural voice that is within each of us,” writes
Bhagavan Das. “Singing and chanting the
divine mantras repeatedly creates a heightened ecstasy that leaves the mind behind and
brings pure stillness of the heart.”
The workshop will also present the Indian
musical scale and how each note stimulates a
different chakra, using ancient “seed” syllables
to experience different ways of entering
divine sound. Adds Bhagavan Das, “We will
chant to the experience of the white Goddess,
Saraswati, the mother of Sound and the
teacher of the musical form.”
No previous experience is necessary.
Nada Brahma: The World is Sound—
The Path of Ecstatic Devotion
Bhagavan Das & Umananda Saraswati
In this workshop Bhagavan Das introduces
Nada Brahma, the path of ecstatic devotion
and an exploration into devotional music and
the landscape of consciousness. Participants
will learn ancient Sanskrit mantras that have
been used for thousands of years for healing
through sound, intoning, and chanting.
Hatha Yoga will be incorporated into the daily
practice in order to prepare the body for the
journey into sound.
$485
The Embodied Life: The Feldenkrais
Method® and Zen Meditation
Russell Delman
The Feldenkrais Method of Awareness
Through Movement® is recognized as a
sophisticated and brilliant sensory/motor
way of reeducating the nervous system and
eliminating compulsions (the neurological
patterns that underlie our movement patterns
also anchor our psycho-emotional patterns).
It uses ingenious, enjoyable, and intriguing
movement sequences to help promote greater
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self-awareness and to improve functioning.
Zen Meditation is a simple, bare-bones
approach to the study of the human being.
Beyond ideology, it addresses the question:
Unless we learn to be at ease within our own
body/mind, can we ever be deeply settled in
our life?
Both of these traditions emphasize direct,
authentic awareness of self which emerges
through embodied experience. Many participants report finding an ease of movement and
sitting unknown since childhood.
This workshop will be of interest to both
beginners and those experienced in these
approaches. Experience this effective, direct,
and satisfying investigation of moving and
living.
Rob Bauer
The Power of Growth
Seymour Carter
For workshop description see October 15-20.
$885
Big Sur Clay: Raku with Tea Ceremonies
For workshop description see December 8-10.
$885
Yogash Chitta Vritti Nirodhah:
“Mind—Your Own Business”
Sharon Gannon, David Life & Bhagavan Das
$485
V
Authenticity, Intuition, Intimacy:
A Workshop for Gay Couples
Justin Hecht
Gay men in committed partnerships face
challenges similar to all couples. Successful
gay male partnerships have also succeeded in
mastering a number of unique challenges. In
this supportive workshop, partners in gay
relationships will explore how to become
more authentic and less defensive in their
interactions. The workshop will present a
variety of structured exercises designed to
help participants improve their communication, deepen their access to feelings, and
enhance their passion for each other.
Being in a partnership requires creativity and
intuition, but fears of intimacy or of losing
one’s identity can often block access to our
intuitive, knowing self. Toward this end, the
workshop will incorporate group process,
music, and guided meditation to access our
intuition and overcome these fears. This is a
program designed to foster greater intimacy
and to allow you to leave with your relationship enhanced by connecting with your intuition and creativity.
You will explore your relationship with your
own partner for most of the workshop. There
will also be some two-couple and large-group
explorations. The workshop will conclude
with affirmation and celebration of the
unique achievements of our relationships.
$485
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Gay and Single: What Keeps Us Out
of Relationship
Nada Yoga Master Bhagavan Das joins Sharon
Gannon and David Life, codirectors and cofounders of Jivamukti Yoga Center, in a yogic
exploration of ways to overcome disturbances
in the mind and body and to cultivate an atmosphere more conducive to joy and enlightenment.
“Yoga,” they write, “means ‘you do it!’
Purification of the mind is a result of a vigorous yoga practice.” Join Sharon and David
each morning for a challenging Jivamukti
Yoga class, including asana, meditation, breath
awareness, and chanting. Classes will center
on the theme of Patanjali’s second sutra,
Yogash Chitta Vritti Nirodhah, which translates
as “mind—your own business.” Each afternoon, Bhagavan Das will further students’
ability to refine the mind through ancient
Sanskrit chanting in an easy-to-follow format.
$885
“Dreams of loving and being loved spring
from the healthiest aspects of our nature,”
writes Rob Bauer. “Yet growing up gay we are
taught to deny our need for love, support, and
nurturing from each other and to see ourselves as sexual objects. We struggle to find
our true selves and are told to shut our hearts
down. Emotions and needs that we suppress,
however, do not go away—they stay inside our
bodies and psyches, affecting our health and
well-being. Denying feelings, we lose relationship with ourselves, causing contact with others to become confusing and problematic.
“The fulfillment of your dreams is achievable,
whatever your history and whatever your
heartbreak, because through learning about
yourself you can understand your relationship with others. In this experiential workshop, we will learn communication skills and
techniques on how to be present in the
moment (or how to avoid bringing along old
memories that sabotage new beginnings). We
will find new ways to touch each other, emotionally and physically, and learn how to
make contact with other men in respectful
and nonthreatening ways. We will share our
laughter, stories, and feelings, and in so doing,
reclaim our souls hidden beneath our sexual
personas.”
All gay, bi, and trans men are welcome, regardless of age or HIV status, single or in relationship.
$885
Unnamed Desires,
Unacknowledged Powers
Sherry Galloway & Pablo Piekar
This massage workshop explores the fundamental elements of bodywork: grounding, centering, breath awareness, touch sensitivity, and
intention. A hands-on approach will combine
a balance of long, integrative strokes with
detailed attention to specific areas of the body.
There will be emphasis on the issue of boundaries and trust with respect to the client’s physical and emotion well-being. Meditation and
movement will be included to enhance the
connection between client and practitioner.
This workshop is for beginning bodyworkers
and those interested in learning some new
approaches to massage.
$885
George Leonard
Ever since humanity first learned to think
and hope, human beings have been haunted
by an irrepressible dream—that the limits of
human ability lie beyond the boundaries of
the imagination; that each of us uses only a
fraction of our abilities; that there must be
some way for everyone to achieve far more of
what is possible to achieve.
Now science is showing us that the creative
capacity of the human brain/body may be, for
all practical purposes, infinite. Research conducted by George Leonard and Michael
Murphy suggests that the best path to the
realization of our latent powers lies in a long-
term practice that integrates mind, body,
heart, and soul.
Healing, Initiation, Ritual,
and Community
In this hands-on workshop, Leonard introduces you to Integral Transformative Practice
(ITP), a practice that can help you realize your
inborn genius while bringing you pleasure,
fulfillment, and good health. You will be
introduced to a forty-minute series that
includes physical movement, breathing practice, relaxation, transformative imaging, and
meditation. You will practice balancing and
centering and the creation of effective affirmations.
Sobonfu Somé
This workshop involves physical movement
but is not strenuous. All that’s needed is a generous heart and a willingness to participate.
This workshop invites participants to open to
the essential universal need for initiation, for
a deep and radical exploration of the true purpose and place of each individual in this life.
Sobonfu will present how to use ritual prac-
This workshop is for anyone seeking to gain a
practical appreciation for initiation and
sacred space.
Recommended reading: Somé, Welcoming
Spirit Home and The Spirit of Intimacy.
$485
Relationship: 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
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Recommended reading: Leonard & Murphy,
The Life We Are Given; Leonard, Mastery and
The Way of Aikido.
$485
“There is a deep longing among people in the
West to connect with something bigger—with
community and with spirit,” writes Sobonfu
Somé, one of the foremost voices in African
spirituality to come to the West. “People know
there is something missing in their lives, and
I believe that the rituals and ancient ways of
the village offer some answers.” Sobonfu,
whose name means “keeper of the rituals,”
travels the world on a healing mission, sharing the rich spiritual life and culture of her
native Burkina Faso.
tices common to the indigenous world of
Africa and elsewhere, where ritual is used as a
means of connecting with the hidden ancestral realm, the vibration of nature, oneself, the
community, and Spirit.
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3000 years ago, the goddess disappeared.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam expelled goddesses, banned women from conducting
major religious sacraments, and decreed that
property should pass through the father’s line.
Patriarchy and misogyny informed the following centuries. Historians, women, and
those spiritually inclined have puzzled over
this historical enigma for years. What happened? What event could have been so
immense as to change the sex of god?
This workshop will examine these questions
and explore the possibility that the goddess’s
dethronement was due to the invention of literacy, especially alphabet literacy. Using
sacred images and texts, familiar works of art,
and mysterious paintings, the group will
explore the reasons for this dramatic shift,
delving into right brain/left brain differences,
history, mythology, gender issues, and many
other subjects. Before the workshop’s conclusion, participants will discuss Inanna, Isis,
Artemis, Dionysus, Moses, McLuhan,
Gimbutas, Buddha, Gutenberg, Hildegard,
The Tao, television, and the Internet.
Recommended reading: Shlain, The Alphabet
Versus the Goddess: Male Words and Female
Images.
$485
Sensory Awareness:
The Rediscovery of Experiencing
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Jill Harris
rejected parts of ourselves. Relationships provide the opportunity to experience both our
greatest pain and joy. The challenge of this
spiritual 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 environment, 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
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desire. The workshop will draw from Gestalt,
Reichian work, dance, imagery, meditation,
and breathwork to make it easier to express
your truth and take responsibility for your
feelings.
$485
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The
Conflict Between Word and Image
Leonard Shlain
There is overwhelming archaeological and
historical evidence that early societies worshipped goddesses, women were priestesses,
and property passed down through the mother’s line. Around 5000 years ago, this feminine
orientation began to lose ground. With the
advent of a distinct Western culture about
Jill writes: “At the beginning of my study of
Sensory Awareness with Charlotte Selver
(nearly thirty years ago), Charlotte asked me
to come directly and simply from standing to
lying on the floor. After my third attempt
Charlotte observed that I seemed apprehensive. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘the floor seems quite a distance away.’ ‘It is a distance from your head,’
she replied. Then she asked, ‘How far is it
from your feet?’
“With that question I realized that I had no
sensation of standing, that my orientation was
mental and visual, and that something essential was lacking.
“This workshop aims to remind us that our
sense of ourselves and of the world is based
on our being open to the sensory experience
inherent in our daily life. In an age—and a
society—in which both sensory and information overload are common, we may still discover within ourselves unexpected capacities
for discernment and perception, capacities
awaiting the interest, patience, and inner
quiet necessary for their revelation.
“In our time together we will be exploring,
sensing our way through such basic activities
as sitting, walking, coming into contact. . . in
other words, the immediacy of direct experience and the possibility of being more present with whomever we meet and in
whatever we do.”
Recommended reading:, Brooks, Sensory
Awareness.
$485
February 18–25
Clearing a Path: Creating Exact
Moments of Healing
Mariah Fenton Gladis
There are moments in the lives of some people that should never have happened. There
are moments that should have happened and
didn’t. And there are moments from which we
need rescuing. All of these moments have
been and still are deeply embedded in our
beings, causing us to have unhealthy patterns
of living and relating—until they are selectively addressed and transformed. These
moments must be relived and rectified. We
must etch new memories into our cells and
souls. We must provide for the past and current longings of our organism.
In this workshop participants will collectively
create exact moments of healing. The workshop will be both experiential and didactic,
blending individual and group Gestalt work,
music, spiritual practices, and bodywork.
$1370
Renaissance: Exploring Big Sur’s
Artistic Heritage
David Schiffman & Jayson Fann
We’re here only to learn, each in our own way,
how best to be in God’s grace.
— Douglas Madsen, Big Sur artist
David Schiffman writes: “If you’re brave
enough to answer the question ‘What do you
want to be in your life?’ with ‘Everything I am
and nothing less,’ then you’re already in spiritual alignment with the magic of Big Sur’s
artistic ways.”
Throughout its colorful history, Big Sur has
drawn distinguished artists, outlaws, pilgrims,
seekers, and creative, independent thinkers
from all over the world. This legacy, combined with the magnificent, elemental landscape, has produced a unique cultural
heritage, a kaleidoscopic blending of artistry
and self-sufficiency applied to every aspect of
life.
Writes David: “If you crave a break from the
world of conventional logic, if time for what’s
natural, unbounded, and intuitive is essential
for your spiritual growth and well-being, if
you’d like to cultivate practices that make you
feel more juicy, adept, and resourceful, join us
at the Art Barn for a week of handmade
music, artful voicings (poetic and prayerful),
and simple handiwork with clay, stone, and
all manner of naturally gathered materials. It
will be a time to see with your hands, listen
with your eyes, and breathe with all your
being. Our aim: to maximize our creativity
and celebrate together everything we do in a
climate of high spirits, soulful depth, and
sweet self-acceptance.”
$885
Ericksonian Therapy and Aikido:
The Tactics of Change
A Workshop for Therapists
Stephen Lankton & Frank Calhoun
The relationship between Ericksonian
Therapy and Aikido is so close that each
could be a metaphor for the other. Learning
Ericksonian Therapy with conventional lecture, demonstration, and practice alone is a
difficult task that takes years to master. The
same is true for the martial art of Aikido.
Teaching both together enhances Ericksonian
Therapy by making a more solid and creative
foundation of the basic principles and
advanced techniques that arise from them.
Erickson’s approach was often a kaleidoscope
of interaction and experience that challenged
conventional theories of psychopathology
and psychotherapy. He did not have or seek a
theory of personality. He did, however, have a
theory of change. This workshop will cover
the “basic footprint” of his problem-solving
approach and tactics for change: Matching,
Blending, Utilizing, Unbalancing, Reframing,
and Co-creating Outcomes. Participants will
learn techniques of paradoxical interventions,
speaking the client’s language, goal-directed
metaphors, indirect suggestions, hypnotic
induction, and assessment principles for the
appropriate use of Ericksonian interventions.
Simultaneously, Aikido will be presented as a
physical allegory to the Ericksonian princi-
ples to gain a feeling of how the change
process truly works using the energy of the
client to drive the process.
Bring comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, as
Aikido will be used throughout. No previous
training in martial arts or hypnosis is needed.
Prerequisite: Participants must have a master’s
or doctorate in the mental-health professions.
$885
Authentic Breathing for Health and
Self-Transformation
Dennis Lewis
There is one way of breathing that is shameful and
constricted. Then there’s another way: a breath of
love that takes you all the way to infinity.
—Rumi
To breathe is to live. To breathe fully is one of
the conditions of living fully. Unfortunately,
most of us do not breathe fully. We have lost
the dynamic, healthful power of natural, fullbody breathing that we had as babies and
young children. For most us in our busy,
stress-filled lives, our breathing is generally so
“shameful and constricted” that it undermines
our health, our vitality, and our consciousness.
Using ideas and practices from his acclaimed
book The Tao of Natural Breathing and his more
recent audio program Breathing as a Metaphor
for Living, Dennis Lewis will take participants
on a fascinating journey into the physiology,
psychology, and spirituality of “natural breathing.” Through simple but powerful self-awareness, meditation, Qigong, breathing practices,
and “Liangong in 18 Exercises” (a Qigong
form that can help open up the internal
breathing spaces of the body), participants
will learn how to integrate natural, wholebody breathing into their lives to support
their overall health and their quest for selfknowledge and self-transformation.
$885
CEO Summit for New Organizations
Gary Gabel
“This summit,” writes Gary Gabel, “is about
changing the way we do business. It begins
with an exploration of strategies that will
enable us to bring a sense of community,
motivation, and personal fulfillment to our
organizations. We will rethink the purpose of
our organizations. How critical is the cus61
tomer? The investor? The employee? Should
we establish deeper connections with each
group, and if so, how?
“We will explore ways in which we can satisfy
the need for profitability while not ignoring
the development and personal growth of our
people. Participants will have a chance to suggest new models and to share current strategies being employed or contemplated by each,
with ample time to consider both desired outcomes and unintended consequences. This
week can be an important new beginning for
your organization. Choose to look at the
unlimited possibilities of what we might create together.”
This summit is open to CEOs or managers
who believe they can make a difference.
Organizations of all sizes are encouraged to
attend, from twenty-five employees to
Fortune 500 companies. Since the focus is on
application, this is an opportunity for those
who can actually create change within their
own organizations to talk with others who are
trying to do the same.
$885
as resources to lead us into the ecstasy of the
deep self. Although powerful, this journey is a
gently guided, quietly internal experience.
For transformation to occur, traumatized individuals must be willing to let go of the often
deeply held “security” of a predictable (though
constricted) reality for an expanded, more
brilliant world. In thawing trauma, we move
out of fixity into flow. In so doing, we are
graced with awakening.
This workshop—for professionals and laypersons alike—is an opportunity to experience
and observe the leaders work with the subtle
energies underlying the healing of trauma.
The types of trauma to be addressed include
physical injury and illness, surgery,
birth/fetal trauma, catastrophic events, as well
as abuse trauma. The focus of this experiential
workshop is personal work combined with
brief presentations of theory. Methods
demonstrated will be drawn from hypnosis,
Somatic Experiencing, and developmental,
spiritual, and biological perspectives.
Roger Jahnke, author of The Healer Within,
demonstrates how the regular practice of
Qigong can prevent and treat illness, establish
balance by reducing stress, and bring peace by
integrating, body, mind, and spirit.
The workshop will begin with simple selfhealing (tao yin) methods of Qigong that can
be shared with family, friends, patients, or
clients. Inspired by readings from the Tao Te
Ching, the original Taoist book of power and
“the Way,” students will learn ancient Qigong
forms that cultivate “the medicine within.”
Finally, the course will explore the Secret of
the Golden Flower, a highly refined form of
“inner elixir alchemy.”
Used in hospitals and clinics worldwide,
Qigong is a simple and safe healing art that
combines movements and meditation, and
blends knowledge from traditional Chinese
medicine, ancient quantum systems, Taoism,
Confucianism, and Buddhism. The practice of
Qigong can dramatically enhance your health,
healing, vitality, empowerment, and longevity.
$485
$485
Experiencing Esalen
Voices on the Wind
Qigong and Inner Alchemy: The Elixir
of Longevity and the Practice of Pure
Radiance
Roger Jahnke
$485
Awakening the Deep Self from Trauma
Peter Levine & Maggie Phillips
In freeing the immense energies bound in
trauma, we can use these instinctual strengths
Qigong—the skill of attracting and managing
vital energy—can transform your life. Not
merely a form of exercise, Qigong is a way of
being. Designed for beginning students as
well as for more experienced Qigong, Tai Chi,
and Yoga practitioners—and anyone else who
seeks effective self-healing—this course with
Laurel Massé
From earliest times, people have raised their
voices in chant, harmony, and rhythm to gather in community, to lighten the weight of
work, and to deepen the experience of worship. In this workshop Laurel Massé will
guide participants to experience the power of
their own voices to express emotion, rouse
spirit, and alter consciousness.
Writes Ms. Massé: “Drawing from many traditions, including the Scots-Gaelic tradition of
incantation and blessing (as collected in the
remote Scottish highlands and islands), we
will develop our own songs of work, ritual,
and celebration to invoke and influence the
elemental energies within and around us.”
Laurel Massé was a founding member of The
Manhattan Transfer. After many years as an
entertainer, she was drawn by her dreams to
search for the ancient origins and deeper purpose of music. In 1994 she began to sing in
concert and ritual without instrumental backing, exploring the primal path of unaccompanied song.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
This workshop welcomes people at all levels
of experience, including those who think
they can’t sing but have always wanted to.
$485
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$885
Radical Healing and the
Alchemical Body
Rudolph Ballentine & Lorie Dechar
The leaders write: “Today we are experiencing
a crisis of world consciousness. Crises of such
proportions occur at pivotal junctures in history when the future of humanity hangs in
the balance. We must choose: plunge headlong into the abyss of global catastrophe or
leap across time and space into the liberation
of an entirely new way of being on our planet.
This seminar is for those committed to the
leap: leaders in healing, communications, business, education, and the arts, willing to involve
themselves in the transformation needed to
ensure a viable future for life on Earth.”
Holistic medicine is a hot spot for recent
shifts in cultural consciousness. Physician
Rudolph Ballentine and acupuncturist Lorie
Dechar have distilled the universal principles
which form the core of the new medicine.
Drawing from Taoist alchemy, Tantric and
Native American healing, homeopathy,
Jungian psychology, quantum physics, and
energy medicine, they have developed a
vision of transformation which encompasses,
yet goes far beyond, the parameters of personal well-being and health. They present these
principles experientially as well as intellectually so you can apply them not only in the
treatment room but in the classroom, the
boardroom, the community, the family, even
in your most intimate relationships.
This seminar engages body, emotions, mind,
and spirit. Come prepared to learn, laugh,
grieve, wonder, and dance. Come prepared to
take on the challenge and adventure of
alchemical transformation.
$885
Relationship as Spiritual Practice
Charlie & Linda Bloom
The mind desires an easy relationship. The heart
seeks a spiritual partner.
The blissful boundarylessness that arises
when we merge with another is more intoxi-
cating than the most powerful mind-altering
substances. Many of us find this state so compelling that we become slaves to the longing
for love. This desire is actually a displaced
yearning for union with the divine, mistakenly personified in the form of another individual. Since our expectations that this
experience will continue are inevitably disappointed, this leads to disillusionment and suffering.
Although relationships cannot bring permanent bliss, they can provide a means to experience the fulfillment that is our birthright. In
sacred partnership we each vow to use the
relationship as a vehicle to promote our own
and each other’s evolution towards wholeness. This process is not for the faint-hearted,
for we are continually brought face-to-face
with elements in our psyche that resist
growth and exposure, as well as the fears and
attachments that underlie them. It is the fire
of this shadow work that makes it both compelling and challenging.
Through interactive exercises, guided meditations, process work, and dialogue, this workshop presents an understanding of the means
to create sacred partnerships and identifies
the traits and skills that we need to cultivate
in order to do so. The workshop is open to
individuals as well as couples.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Week of February 25–March 2
body-oriented psychotherapy, EMDR protocols, and hypnotic techniques will be presented and demonstrated.
Peter Levine and Maggie Phillips have taught
and published on trauma and stress in national
and international settings, and bring a wealth
of experience and theoretical knowledge.
Please note: Completion of prior training in
hypnosis and Level I training in EMDR is
strongly recommended.
$885
Treating Trauma:
An Integrative Approach
Peter Levine & Maggie Phillips
This workshop—for professionals—explores
the treatment of post-traumatic symptoms
and conditions through a synthesis of
Somatic Experiencing, hypnosis, EMDR, TFT,
and other techniques. By understanding the
biological impact of trauma, participants can
discover and practice more effective ways of
applying “cutting edge” approaches to their
work with traumatized individuals. The leaders will focus on ways of freeing the immense
energies bound in trauma and of using these
instinctual strengths as resources to lead
clients into the ecstasy of the deep self.
This workshop is an opportunity to observe,
practice, and do personal work with the subtle energies underlying the healing of trauma.
Types of trauma to be addressed include accidents, natural disasters, rape, invasive medical
procedures, surgeries, childhood abuse, exposure to violence, and developmental and prenatal stress. Models for interweaving
$885
Paméla Espinoza & Robert Helm
Esalen Massage is a nurturing practice that
honors the sacred and healing quality of
touch. In this massage workshop, special
attention will be given to self-care, movement,
quality of contact, breath awareness, and
stress release. Daily hands-on sessions with
personal instruction and assistance will help
to create a balance of integrated detail with
ease and fluidity in the massage.
“The Esalen Massage long strokes reflect the
movement of the waves in the sea,” writes
Paméla. “As you may discover, each element in
nature has an aspect to contribute to your
practice—and to enriching our human connection.”
This workshop is designed for all levels of
experience. Please bring comfortable clothes
and walking shoes.
$885
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invitational conferences
The Esalen Center For
Theory And Research
I
n its ongoing commitment to
the fields of education, religion, philosophy, and the physical and behavioral sciences, Esalen has regularly sponsored
invitational conferences that bring together
experts who share their research and points
of inquiry. These conferences have promoted
a cross-fertilization of disciplines that have
been shunned by traditional educational
institutions, leading to pioneering projects in
medicine, education, psychology, somatics,
meditation research, physics, and RussianAmerican relations.
Survival of Bodily Death Conference
February 6-11, 2000
The entire human adventure, with all its
hopes, dreams, and ambitions, ends with a
question mark, a mystery writ large. Where
does our consciousness go when we die? Does
it dissolve irretrievably into nothingness? Or
does it perhaps continue to live, grow, and
take on a different form? The answer to these
questions have long been the province of old
wives’ tales, religious mythologies, and folklore. Today, however, we have the opportunity
to approach the subject of human survival of
bodily death with empirical rigor, to subject
ancient beliefs to cross-disciplinary and crosscultural research that may shed light on this
central human question. To explore the existing empirical evidence and to critically examine the related theories put forth, Esalen
convened its second annual invitational conference on the survival of bodily death. A few
highlights:
Philosopher Michael Grosso discussed the
G.P. case, a classic in parapsychology that challenges the hypothesis that all mediumistic
effects are produced by subconscious psychic
ability rather than discarnate spirits. His presentation led into neuropsychologist Ed
Kelly’s discussion of the transmission theory
of consciousness and how it can account for
data that current computational models
ignore.
Esalen cofounder Michael Murphy reviewed
theories and evidence for bodies of “subtle
matter” (which could account for birthmarks
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Most recently, these conferences have been
convened under the banner of the newlyformed Esalen Center for Theory and
Research. Concentrating on fundamental
fields of inquiry that are ripe for develop-
ment, the Center for Theory and Research has
selected four areas in which to begin its activities: evolutionary theory, transformative practices, subtle energies, and survival of bodily
death.
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Bruce Greyson, a leading researcher of neardeath experiences (NDEs), discussed an
extreme medical procedure for removing
aneurysms that cools the patient’s body and
brings brain functioning to zero, a process
which led to one of the most fruitful NDEs
on record, and an area ripe for future research.
Anthropologist Antonia Mills reported on
her work with Northwest Indian tribes, many
of whom have unusual beliefs in reincarnation—including the possibility of one soul
returning in multiple bodies—that challenge
the single-transmigrating-soul theory of reincarnation.
Psychologist Charles Tart discussed the evidence for out-of-body experience and its
implications, and led the group in brainstorming future research projects. Finally,
Richard Baker Roshi, a leading teacher of
Zen, explored the nature of consciousness
from a Buddhist perspective. The week ended
with engaging debates over models of self and
soul and exchanges about how to disseminate
the survival evidence that does exist.
Other participants included John and Alice
Faye Cleese, Esalen board member Mary
Ellen Klee, and Esalen staff members Steve
Dinan and Dorothy Thomas. A full summary
of the conference will soon be available at
www.esalenctr.org. Special thanks to the
Institute of Noetic Sciences, co-sponsor of the
conference.
v
v
v
Spirit Awakening Foundation
Conference
May 26-28, 2000
E
salen once again hosted a
Spirit Awakening Foundation retreat
for eighteen young men and women
from the inner cities of Los Angeles. These
youths were graduates of a “Unmasking Your
Authentic Voice,” a program founded by
writer/actress Akuyoe Graham which utilizes
writing as the vehicle to explore values and
identity issues. Esalen provided the Spirit
Awakening participants a supportive environment in which they were encouraged to push
past cultural and economic parameters into
the realm of spirit and mind.
...I’ve never in my 15 years living here had a time
like that. We were all treated equally. At Esalen all
my problems were forgotten...I got a chance to be
on my own and express all my thoughts and feelings down to paper. It was great even though I was
alone because I got to know more of my hidden self.
— Natalie Martinez
...There was a pure, genuine love born between my
workshop partners and I. We opened ourselves to
one another. I supported them and they in turn
supported me. They were my friendly ears, my
shoulders to cry on, they were a warm embrace
over my soul shielding me from all negativity.
— Tony B. White
None of the young men and women had previously been to Esalen. A sampling of their
post-retreat writings:
My experience in Esalen was unlike any other
experience I’ve ever had before. It’s hard to explain
but I know exactly what I felt...I felt whole. I felt
loved. I gave love...When I woke up and saw
everybody’s face, it made my heart feel at peace. I
felt so comfortable. I felt whole. And I haven’t had
that feeling in a long time. — Florence Kinslow
SPIRIT AWAKENING FOUNDATION
Marilyn Schlitz, director of research at the
Institute of Noetic Sciences, guided the group
through the latest research on distant intentionality, psi processes, and non-local components of mind. Psychologist and
parapsychology researcher David Fontana
relayed extraordinary findings from a seance
group in Scole, England, that purported to be
working with a “spirit team” from the other
side. Investigators of this case witnessed
detailed images produced on sealed film,
dancing lights that penetrated physical barriers, disembodied voices, and accurate allusions to information unknown to the seance
participants.
SPIRIT AWAKENING FOUNDATION
and deformations on purported reincarnations), and proposed that these subtle bodies
might serve as vehicles for our further evolution. Adam Crabtree, a philosopher and clinician, gave a historical tour through theories of
personality and consciousness from Janet to
Myers to Griffin to his own, highlighting the
paradoxes and challenges that multiple personalities pose to our models.
A haven of green and blue and brown./The green
of the grass and of the trees./The ever-extending
blue of the sea./The brown of the cabins where we
slept, but did not stay./The other vibrant colors of
the flowers, the food, and the bugs.../The colors of
life./The never-ending noise./Not of planes, buses,
and angry honking/But of life...pure life.
— Kjerstin Barrett
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special programs
T
he programs listed below are either
part of an ongoing series or longer
than the standard Esalen workshop.
Prices quoted below for these programs are
for standard accommodations as described in
Reservation Information, page 78. Sometimes
bunk bed space is available at a reduced rate.
Scholarships are also available; please see
Scholarship Information on page 79.
November 5-10
A Gathering of Spirit: A Wilderness
Retreat for People Who Like to Feel
Comfortable and Well-Taken-Care-Of
David Schiffman & Tom Little Bear Nason
“Once upon a time, long ago, when California
was still Alta California, it was a land both
magical and serene, abundant with breathtaking beauty,” writes David Schiffman. “In the
days of the early settlers, people lived far away
from one another and visits were few and far
between. Every now and then, though, gatherings would be called to mark the seasons,
the roundups, the harvests, deaths, births, and
marriages, to acknowledge and celebrate what
matters in the passage of time. Word would
spread and, from hill and canyon, folks would
arrive. Their intention: to be generously
acknowledged and graciously involved.”
Join David and Little Bear on a wilderness
journey that recreates this powerfully restorative mood in the spirit of the “Old Ways.” The
location: the unspoiled river and mountains
of Arroyo Seco, home to both the Esselen
tribe and California’s early settlers. This is a
retreat for those who would like to do a
wilderness retreat and not suffer hardships. It
will be a time to hang out, catch up, and celebrate the simple rugged life, a time to create
ceremony and music, to hike, swim, ride horses, dance, and heal—all shared in sweet communion.
This journey is for anyone interested in the
natural world and the gracious comforts of
California’s Rancheria days. For further information call 831-659-9577. No previous wilderness experience is required. $885
Please note: Because of the expenses
incurred in preparing this workshop, a nonrefundable deposit of $200 is required to
reserve a space, with the balance due 14 days
before the program begins. If you cancel prior
to 30 days before the retreat, your deposit may
be applied to other Esalen programs, to be used
within one year. If you cancel 30 days or less
from the start date, your deposit is forfeited.
November 19-December 17
The Esalen monthlong massage program provides a minimum of 150 hours of comprehensive holistic training in fundamental massage
skills. The training includes anatomy, movement, yoga, meditation, self-care, ethics, and
business practices. The daily sessions consist
of lecture, demonstration, and supervised
hands-on practice. Special attention is given
to help students develop a balance between
technique, intuition, and creativity. Bodywork
is studied as a pathway to well-being and
transpersonal growth.
Following successful completion of the program, students wishing to fulfill certification
requirements have six months to complete
and document thirty massage sessions. Upon
payment of a $50 processing fee, a California
state-approved Certificate of Completion will
be issued.
This is a professional training group with limited admission, by application only. To request
an application form, call 831-667-3000.
Standard accommodations: $3975
Bunk bed room, if available: $2795
Ongoing Series
The Kabbalah and Healing
Close collaborators for over thirty years,
Rabbi Steven Fisdel and Dr. Gerald Cohen
have been working to apply the most central
teachings of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, to the areas of diagnosis, physical treatment, and psycho-emotional therapy.
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
In the course of working with clients and
patients, Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen have
identified precise stages of the healing
process and have developed practices for the
expansion of consciousness and for integrated
healing. Their work is enhanced by correlating Kabbalist doctrines with the wisdom
teachings of Tibetan Buddhism as well as with
current scientific research in the areas of consciousness, healing, and spirituality.
As part of an ongoing program of research
and development, Rabbi Fisdel and Dr. Cohen
66
are presenting an evolving series of seminars,
sharing their most recent findings, demonstrating their cutting-edge technology, and
guiding participants through successive
stages of the healing process as well as
through expanding levels of consciousness
and personal transformation.
All seminars in this series are geared for new
participants and former seminarians alike.
Each seminar emphasizes new perspectives,
presents current research, and reviews pertinent material from earlier workshops. See
The Living Kabbalah: Healing Practice and
the Process of Personal Transformation,
October 15-20 and Kabbalah, Buddhism,
and Transformation: Releasing the Past,
Embracing Life, December 22-29.
The Diamond Approach: A Spiritual
Teaching for Our Times
Teachers of the Ridhwan School are offering a
series of workshops in the Diamond
Approach (see Soul Without Shame: A
Compassionate Confrontation of SelfJudgment, October 8-13). This teaching
bridges the traditional divisions between
what is considered sacred and what is considered mundane.
The methodology of the Diamond Approach
is open-ended inquiry into one’s personal
experience leading to an experiential understanding of it. The format includes meditation, awareness and movement practices,
talks, exercises in self-inquiry, and personal
processing within the group. As we inquire
into and travel through our inner terrain, the
identifications and beliefs shaped by our conditioning—the obscuring veils within—
become more and more transparent, and we
are able to contact dimensions of reality and
human potential traditionally accessible to
only a few. As we gradually contact the depths
of who we are, our lives progressively become
embodiments and expressions of our true
nature.
As in many schools of spiritual work, spiritual
development in the Diamond Approach,
while noninvasive and nonconfrontational,
does lead to addressing the defenses of the
ego and the dissolution of its structures, and
so is not appropriate for everyone. It is especially suited to those who have done a lot of
spiritual and/or psychological work and who
still feel that something within has not been
touched. Reading one or both of the books
below is recommended to see if you resonate
with this approach.
While one Diamond Heart workshop may
provide a foundation for the next, each is
complete on its own and may be taken individually or as part of the series.
Recommended reading: Almaas, Essence and
Diamond Heart—Book One.
The Upledger Institute Series
The Upledger Institute was founded by John
E. Upledger, who pioneered the field of
CranioSacral Therapy nearly twenty-five
years ago. Dr. Upledger is a Doctor of Science,
an Academic Fellow of the British Society of
Osteopathy, and a member of the Alternative
Medicine Program Advisory Council of the
National Institutes of Health.
From 1975 to 1983, Dr. Upledger served as
clinical researcher and professor of biomechanics at Michigan State University. During
those years he supervised a team of
anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists, and
bioengineers in experiments testing the existence and influence of the craniosacral system. The results of those studies explained
the function of the craniosacral system and its
use in treating malfunctions of the brain and
spinal cord.
The Upledger Institute teaches noninvasive
modalities such as CranioSacral Therapy to
doctors and health-care practitioners of all
disciplines. Curricula range from the structural/functional anatomical perspective to
approaches that explore the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual origins of pain
and dysfunction.
are available for private sessions and classes. If
you are interested, please let us know. The
Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association
(EMBA) also extends Esalen Massage and
associated skills. Our listings are public information and are not meant to be an endorsement of any individual or institution.
A small library of books on health and transformation, healing, somatics, psychology,
bodywork, and related studies is available for
teachers, practitioners, and students while at
Esalen.
For access to this project and the library, write
to Laurie Lioness Parizek at Esalen, call 831667-3000, or e-mail [email protected]. For further information about the EMBA, write to
EMBA at Esalen, call 831-667-3018, e-mail
[email protected], or visit the EMBA website at
www.esalenmassage.org.
Q
future
programs
L
isted here are some of the special
programs scheduled for the months
ahead. This is not an invitation to register, but information to assist you in your longrange plans to participate in an Esalen workshop. Dates are subject to change; please call
the Esalen office or see the next catalog for
more specific information.
During this catalog period, Esalen is offering
Energy Integration I (September 24-29),
CranioSacral II (October 29-November 3),
Visceral Manipulation IB, (November 1217), and CranioSacral I (February 4-9). This
work is sequential; most workshops require
completion of the previous Upledger course,
either at Esalen or elsewhere.
Esalen Outreach and Education
This project extends Esalen’s work in the healing arts and sciences. An independent service-oriented program of Esalen teachers and
associates, Esalen Outreach and Education
offers a global information network linking
Esalen visitors to centers, teachers, and health
professionals in somatics, psychology, and
massage, so people may continue their Esalen
experience after returning home. Some
Esalen practitioners and teachers travel in the
United States as well as internationally and
March, 2001
C. Jay Bradbury, Kathleen O’Shaughnessy
& Char Pias
The Esalen monthlong massage program provides comprehensive instruction in basic
massage skills. The training provides a minimum of 150 hours. After the monthlong program, students wishing to fulfill certification
requirements have six months to complete
and document thirty massage sessions. Upon
payment of a $50 processing fee, a California
state-approved Certificate of Completion will
be issued.
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audio recordings
The Dolphin Tape Series
Dolphin Tapes has no complete catalog, just overlapping tape lists. When you place an order,
let us know your field of interest or your favorite speakers. We may have more information
on some of them. Many tapes are in stereo. Tape length is normally 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Single-tape titles are $10:
Abraham/McKenna/Sheldrake: TRIALOGUES: Cast of Characters, 1989-90
Anne Armstrong: On Being a Psychic, 1971
Anne & Jim Armstrong: The Power of Intuition, 1987
Angeles Arrien: Eight Universals that Sustain Health, 1990
Gregory Bateson: Cultural Relativity and Belief Systems, 1976
John Blofeld: Taoist and Zen Practice, 1978
Robert Bly: Six Powers of Poetry, 1983
David Brower: Breaking the Species Barrier, 1971
Fritjof Capra: Ecological Vision, 1984
Barry Commoner: Human Meaning of Environmental Crisis, 1971
Prem Das: The Singing Earth (Huichol Chanting), 1977
Ram Dass: Yoga of Daily Life, 1970
Big Sur Drums: The Sky Children, 1968
James Fadiman: Guided Fantasy and Fairy Tales, 1972
James Fadiman: Hasidic and Sufi Teaching Stories, 1980
Stanislav Grof: A New Paradigm for Psychotherapy, 1980
Willis Harman: Origin of the Psychedelic 1960s, 1977
Arthur Hastings: Transpersonal Realities, 1979
John Heider: Living in the Tao, 1987
Albert Hofmann: LSD and the Nature of Reality, 1978
Aldous Huxley: Human Potentialities (MIT Cambridge), 1961
Aldous Huxley: Visionary Experience (MIT Cambridge), 1961
Robert Johnson: The Roots of Modern Masculinity, 1990
Stanley Keleman: Biological Roots of Consciousness, 1970
Jack Kornfield: The Sword of Wisdom (Boston), 1979
Jack Kornfield: The Smile of the Buddha (Bombay), 1982
Stanley Krippner: Communes, Telepathy, and Dreams, 1977
Timothy Leary: American Culture: 1945-1985 (College of Marin), 1977
Janet Lederman: Early Childhood Experience (Gazebo), 1987
George Leonard: Steps Toward Utopia, 1966
John C. Lilly: The Dolphin Experience, 1969
John C. Lilly: Dolphin Behavior with Humans, 1976
Abraham Maslow: Self-Actualization, 1966
Abraham Maslow: Psychology of Religious Awareness, 1967
Terence McKenna: Hot Concepts and Melting Edges, 1994
Terence McKenna: Laws and Freedom, Habits and Novelty, 1994
Ralph Metzner: Varieties of Human Transformation, 1984
Robert Muller: Toward the Language of Happiness (Tarrytown), 1983
Humphry Osmond: Early Psychedelic History, 1976
Joseph Chilton Pearce: Intelligence of the Heart, 1992
Fritz Perls: Dream Theory and Demonstration, 1967-1968
Fritz Perls: Gestalt Therapy and How It Works, 1966
Paul Rebillot: The Pluto Story: Journey into Madness, 1984
Carl Rogers: The Person of Tomorrow, 1970
Carl Rogers: My Philosophy and How It Grew, 1972
Rogers/Bateson: Dialogue on Thinking, Feeling, Learning, 1975
Will Schutz: An Inner Fantasy Experience, 1969
Will Schutz: Principles and Philosophy of Encounter, 1970
Bob Schwartz: Shifting Nature of the Human Journey (Tarrytown), 1983
Charlotte Selver: An Introduction to Sensory Awareness, 1969
Rupert Sheldrake: Morphic Resonance, Formative Causation (Bombay), 1982
Sheldrake/Pearce: Resonant Fields of Heart and Brain, 1993
John “Jay” Shelfer: Taoist Chi Energy Breath Movement, 1993
Julian Silverman: A Lighthearted Course in Miracles, 1984
Huston Smith: The Coming World Civilization, 1968
David Steindl-Rast: The Body, Sensuousness, and Spirituality, 1990
Richard Tarnas: The Passion of the Western Mind, 1993
Charles Tart: On the Paranormal, 1971
Wilson Van Dusen: The Nature of Humanness, 1969
Alan Watts: Divine Madness, 1968
Carl Whitaker: On Becoming a Professional Therapist, 1989
Arthur M. Young: The Reflexive Universe, 1973
Two-tape titles are $16:
Walt Anderson & Ted Roszak: (2) The Upstart Spring (Esalen), 1984
Angeles Arrien: (2) Cross-Cultural Shamanic Practice, 1991
Gregory Bateson: (2) Balinese Culture and Shamanism, 1976
Prem Das: (2) The Huichol Cosmology (Creation & Return), 1977
Ram Dass: (2) One Man’s Journey to the East, 1969
Bruce Kumar Frantzis: (2) Taoist Philosophy and Practice, 1994
Buckminster Fuller: (2) The Critical Path (Maui), 1982
Stanislav Grof: (2) The Birth Trauma, 1981
Stanislav Grof: (2) The Cosmic Game, 1987
Jean Houston: (2) The Possible Human (Boston), 1979
Robinson Jeffers’s Poetry: (2) A Dramatic Celebration (Carmel), 1972
Timothy Leary: (2) The Power of Imprinting, 1982
Joseph Chilton Pearce: (2) The Magical Child, 1975
Frederic Spiegelberg: (2) India and the Saints, 1964
Wilson Van Dusen: (2) Confronting Hallucinations, 1982
Alan Watts: (2) Eastern Religion and Western Therapy, 1971
Watts/Grof/Silverman: (2) The Science of Madness, 1968
Watts/Perry/Ginsberg/Naranjo: (2) The Poetry of Madness, 1968
Janet Zuckerman: (2) The Feeling Process, 1987
Four-tape titles are $34:
Ralph Abraham: (4) The Chaos Revolution, 1994
James Fadiman: (4) A Weekend of Stories, 1984
David Finkelstein: (4) Indeterminacy and Undecidability, 1978
Roland Fischer: (4) Creative, Psychotic, and Ecstatic States, 1969
Buckminster Fuller: (4) Integrity Day (Marin), 1983
Abraham Maslow: (4) An Informal Weekend in Big Sur, 1966
Terence McKenna: (4) Eros, Chaos, and Meaning’s Edge, 1994
Terence McKenna: (4) Deeper and Broader Questions, 1994
Rupert Sheldrake: (4) Resonance and the Habits of Nature, 1987
Rupert Sheldrake: (4) Rebirth of Nature: Revival of Animism, 1990
David Steindl-Rast: (4) Living in the Now, 1988
David Steindl-Rast: (4) Enjoying Poetry, 1992
Andrew Weil: (4) New Insights into Addiction, 1987
Colin Wilson: (4) Human Evolution and a New Psychology, 1968
The Dolphin Vinyl Album Tape Sets:
Gregory Bateson: (6) Steps to an Ecology of Mind, 1980
UCSB Symposium: (6) Entheogens, The Spiritual Psychedelics, 1983
John C. Lilly: (6) Ego, Self, and Essence, 1971
John C. Lilly: (6) The East Coast Workshop, 1973
Abraham Maslow: (6) The Eupsychian Ethic, 1969
Joseph Chilton Pearce: (6) Journey to the Heart, 1990
Rupert Sheldrake: (6) Resonance and Presence of the Past, 1985
Andrew Weil: (6) All You Wanted to Know About Drugs, 1993
Robert Anton Wilson: (6) The “Coincidance” of Joyce, 1985
Ruthy Alon: (6) Lessons in the Feldenkrais Method (Series I or II)
Terence McKenna: (8) Collected Talks: Series I (1982-83) or II (1983-86)
Terence McKenna: (8) The Esalen Scholar-In-Residence Series, 1989
Julian Silverman: (8) Commentaries on A Course in Miracles, 1980
Colin Wilson: (8) The New Analytic Philosophy, 1967
Colin Wilson: (8) New Pathways in Human Evolution, 1990
Selections: (8) Early Psychedelic Years (Series I), 1977-1983
Buckminster Fuller: (8) The Pajaro Dunes Tapes, 1977
Moshe Feldenkrais: (6) Awareness Through Movement Lessons (Series I)
Terence McKenna: (8) True Hallucinations (A Talking Book), 1984
Abraham/McKenna/Sheldrake: (10) TRIALOGUES at the Edge, 1989-90
Virginia Satir: (10) Conjoint Family Therapy, 1968
Esalen Symposium: (12) Wilhelm Reich: His Life and Work, 1974
Gregory Bateson: (12) Informal Esalen Lectures, 1975-1980 (Archives)
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$56
$60
$66
$66
$66
$66
$66
$72
$72
$72
$72
$84
$84
$96
$96
Please add $3.00 to your complete order for handling and mailing (add $3.00
more if you wish priority mail). Overseas orders add $1.00 per tape for mailing.
California residents include 7.25% tax. Institutional purchase orders please add
10% to tape cost for invoicing and deferred payment. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for
delivery (most orders are mailed within two weeks). Please mail your order and
your check payable to:DOLPHIN TAPES, P.O. Box 71, Big Sur, CA 93920
Advertisement: Sales of these tapes support the Human Potential Audio Foundation
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68
S
work study program
T
he Work Study Program is a 28day program for those interested in an
intense involvement with the Esalen
environment. It is a work- and service-oriented program, emotionally and physically challenging, and only rarely is it restful.
Participants work 32 hours per week in one of
Esalen’s departments and participate in that
department’s program.
Selection of work students is done by the
Work Study Coordinator. 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).
DANIEL BIANCHETTA
During most evenings and one weekend
intensive, work students are together in one of
two groups (see below). Each group emphasizes one type of growth practice, such as
Gestalt, meditation, creative arts, massage, or
somatics work, and has a specifically assigned
leader(s) who is with the group throughout
the month, coordinating the study schedule
and facilitating many of the evening sessions.
Applicants may state their preferred group
and must be prepared to stay at Esalen for the
entire month.
Guersenzvaig, participants will be practice
the fundamentals of hatha yoga (with a focus
on the philosophy and spirituality of yoga
practice) as well as explore the basic elements
and archetypes of astrology and its relationship to yoga. The program will provide and
support an immersion into the practices of
meditation, yoga, and astrology as a means of
understanding and unifying core underlying
principles.
Please note: This program is designed to explore
October 15–November 12
and apply human values and potentials. It is not
intended as a substitute for therapy or as a “cure.”
A month with John Soper will center on
ways to improve the quality of one’s life.
Gestalt Practice will be the vehicle for personal growth in a group setting. The work will
create a safe environment from which to
experiment and take risks. As new and unfamiliar ways of behavior and expression
emerge, group members can begin to see
themselves and others with greater understanding and compassion for the pain and suffering which has led to so much distortion in
human behavior. Each individual’s personal
journey will be respected.
Work Study Programs scheduled for this
catalog period are:
September 17– October 15
Self-exploration and group process will be the
emphasis of a month with Seymour Carter &
Associates. The program will feature Gestalt
group process, both structured and unstructured, along with meditation, sensory awareness, guided fantasy, and massage to create a
transformative experience for participants.
Each participant’s process of development
will be honored, encouraged, and treated as
unique.
In a monthlong program with yoga teacher
Thomas Fortel and astrologer Sylvia
Maria Lucia Sauer Holloman will lead a
monthlong program teaching spiritual massage and healing—the laying on of hands. This
practice integrates both hands-on and energetic work. Yoga, meditation, artwork, and
Tibetan and bioenergetic exercises 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 and group process as
they organically emerge.
November 12–December 10
The focus of a month with David Schiffman
is the theme of transition. This program is
geared for people facing major changes who
would like to create a time for sanctuary and a
mood of mutual support. The intention will
be to cultivate an individual approach to
change that is heartfelt, open-minded, and
resourceful in spirit. Traditional methods of
self-inquiry (Gestalt Practice, bioenergetics,
psychosynthesis) will be combined with
innovative methods incorporating music,
meditation, poetry, ritual, and prayer.
Kenn Chase leads a monthlong intensive
exploration of the entire Yang-style T’ai Chi
Ch’uan sequence. Students will study the
fifty-four postures of this ancient movement
meditation, with hours of practice and refinement. Kenn will integrate Feldenkrais®
Awareness Through Movement exercises into
the class, helping students to free the body for
more efficient mastery of the T’ai Chi forms.
Movement analysis and Functional
Integration will also be part of the program,
helping to relieve stress and pains arising
from chronic misuse of posture.
69
December 10–January 7
A month with Paula Shaw & Peter Friedberg
focuses on play, process, presence, and selfexpression. Applying theater games, improvisation, group process, and irreverent humor,
this program is designed to help participants
experience themselves in ways they haven’t
experienced themselves previously. In the
midst of this process, the group will be creating an end-of-the-month show to perform,
without a net, for the Esalen community.
Using rhythms and songs of celebration from
West Africa, the Caribbean, and New Orleans,
Gordy & Zoë Ryan will focus on music,
dance, and ritual to “unload your baggage and
soar into inspiration.” Movement sessions will
include the 5RhythmsTM of Gabrielle Roth as
well as traditional West Indian dances. The 9
Ways of ZhikrSM, an ecstatic ritual of rhythmic
breathing, movement, and chanting, will also
be offered. Bring African hand drums, if you
have them.
January 7–February 4
A month with Dean Marson focuses on body
awareness and self-care. The group will
explore the body/mind connection utilizing
the tools of meditation, movement, yoga, selfmassage, and touch. Participants will have the
opportunity to create and implement a personal practice for self-healing, increased ease
of movement, and ongoing body maintenance
which they can incorporate into daily life.
Eric Erickson leads a group devoted to the
development of integral practices. Gestalt
Practice (both intrapersonal and interpersonal), meditation, movement exercises, and the
experience of nature will be explored as complementary awareness practices which, when
combined, integrate mind-body-spirit into a
greater whole and enhance personal development and transformation.
The group will seek to restore spiritual power
and to apply shamanism in contemporary
daily life to help heal oneself, others, and the
planet.
“Open Circle” with Howard Schechter &
Barbara Lee is a voyage into the realm of feelings and a celebration of our identity as divine
beings. This program integrates the psychological methods of psychosynthesis, Gestalt,
and process work with the applied arts of
movement and art therapy. The movement
within the circle will be determined by the
individuals and the group in the moment.
Surrendering to the spontaneous unfolding
of the circle can lead to elevated states of
consciousness and a sense of full aliveness.
Jeremiah Abrams leads a monthlong
practicum exploring the connections
between inner work and outer choices,
between body and psyche, soul and spirit, ego
and shadow. In addition to traditional and
innovative methods of dreamwork, the program will employ shamanic Dreamtime journey, bioenergetic release, soul retrieval, trance
induction, music, meditation, and ritual. This
is an opportunity to learn the skills of constructive dream interpretation (built on the
work of C.G. Jung) and to cultivate a personal
vision of a life worth living.
Helen Jerene Malcolm guides a month of
Vision Painting in which painting is used as a
process to expose the limitations of the conditioned mind. The atmosphere will be one of
exploration and acceptance, encouraging participants to suspend judgment and enabling
the creative impulse to play, take risks, and
face fears. Emotional awareness, visualization,
meditation, music, and dream images will be
used to evoke creative expression—through
color, light, and form—from one’s inner source
of wisdom and intuition.
Month of February 4–March 4
70
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 are included in
your tuition.
Transportation: When making travel
Month of March 4–April 1
Please note: There will be a $40 materials fee
paid directly to the leader.
Shamanism is the oldest spiritual system in
the world. Nan Moss & David Corbin offer a
monthlong exploration of the shaman’s
ancient and universal methods to enter
nonordinary reality for problem solving, wellbeing, and healing. Participants will learn to
enter the shamanic state of consciousness and
be initiated into the shamanic journey to
experience the same sources of profound wisdom and compassion known to our ancestors.
in full at the time you apply. The work scholar
fee is $795 for the first month, $745 for the
second month, and $695 for the third month.
Work students may be invited to remain for a
second or third month depending on space
available and community needs (work scholars may not, however, stay longer than three
months in a twelve-month period). Occasionally it is possible to stay for a longer period as
an Extended Student. There are no scholarships available for the Work Study Program.
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. Professional services, such
as massage and counseling, are available at
staff rates.
Fees: A deposit of $400 in U.S. currency is
required with your application. You may pay
arrangements, 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 4 pm.
Cost: $30
Monterey Transit Center: Departs 4:20 pm.
Cost: $30
San Francisco Airport: Departs 1:30 pm.
Cost: $80
For van reservations call 831-667-3005.
Please note: Application is not registration
in the program. Registration is made only
after approval of application and upon receipt
of deposit. 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. Of the
original amount paid, you will be refunded
the following amount if you choose to cancel:
15+ days prior to start, $300; 8-14 days, $200;
3-7 days, $100; 0-2 days, $0.
Please mail the application form (see next
page) with your personal statement and
deposit to:
Work Study Program
Esalen Institute
Big Sur, CA 93920
or fax to:
Work Study Program
831-667-2724
We will mail you a response within 14 days
of receipt of your application. For more
information contact the Work Study
Coordinator at the above address or phone:
831-667-3010; fax: 831-667-2724; e-mail:
[email protected]
Q
work study program application
please print legibly.
Name _______________________________________________________________________________________
o Male o Female
Today’s Date __________________________________________
Phone: Day ( ————— ) ___________________________________ Evening ( ————— )_____________________________________ Fax ( ————— ) _______________________________________
Home Address __________________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________________________
Country___________________________________ E-mail Address _______________________________________________________ Date of Birth ___________________________ Age ______________
Occupation ______________________________________________________________ Place of Employment____________________________________________________________________________________
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 If yes, please specify ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are you currently taking any medication? o Yes o No
If yes, please specify ________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If a former Work Scholar, list approximate dates and where you worked _________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Work Study Program is for 28 days, beginning and ending on Sunday. Sometimes particular dates and/or leaders are not available. List below,
in order of preference, the dates/leaders for which you are available. (For example, Choice 1: 10/15 to 11/12, Soper; Choice 2: 10/15 to 11/12,
Holloman; Choice 3: 11/12 to 12/10, Chase; Choice 4: None.)
dates
Choice 1 _________________________________ to ___________________________________ Preferred Leader ____________________________________________________________________________________
If your application is accepted and we cannot give you Choice 1 above, we will place you in your next available choice. Should this occur,
would you like to be on a wait list for your preferred choice(s) or take the available guaranteed space only? o Wait list(s) o Guarantee only
If on a wait list, you will automatically be enrolled or changed if a space becomes available, and then notified. You must let us know if you wish to be removed
from a wait list.
Work students may be invited to remain for a second or third month, depending on space available and the needs of the Esalen community.
Please indicate your availability for such an invitation (no obligation): o No extension o One-month extension o Two-month 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;
Either give or 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 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
o Please check here if you have emergency medical skills (M.D., R.N., or E.M.T.) and are willing to use them during your stay.
Please attach a personal statement about your interest in the Work Study Program and why you’d like to participate.
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, 4 pm ($30 fee); o Monterey Transit, 4:20 pm ($30); o San Francisco Airport, 1:30 pm ($80).
Payment o $400 deposit
o $795
o $————— Other
Card No. _______________________________________________________________________________
o Check (U.S. funds only), attached and payable to Esalen Institute
Credit Card Expiration Date _____________________________________________________
o MasterCard o VISA o American Express
Name (if different from name above) _________________________________________
Please Note: No pets, drugs, or violence allowed.
Authorizing signature ______________________________________________________________
Applications cannot be considered without a deposit and a personal statement included.
71
R
biographical information
A
B
Horst Abraham, a longtime associate
of Tim Gallwey and his Inner Game
approach to learning, was both an Olympic
athlete and coach. He consults to world-class
leaders and has taught leadership internationally for more than thirty years. p. 51
Richard Balaban, a licensed clinical
psychologist and certified group psychotherapist, has taught at Indiana University and
SUNY at Buffalo. His passion is for his family, his work, and life’s journey. p. 41
Ralph Abraham has been a professor
of mathematics, chaos pioneer, and author
since 1960. He has recently written or
cowritten Chaos, Gaia, Eros; The
Evolution Mind; and Bolts from the
Blue: Art and Mathematics in the
Evolution of Consciousness. p. 14
Jeremiah Abrams is director of the
Mt. Vision Institute, a certificate program
in pastoral counseling in Marin County,
Calif. His books include the best-selling
Meeting the Shadow, The Shadow in
America, and Reclaiming the Inner
Child. p. 70
Mark Abramson is a part of the
Stanford Complementary Medicine Clinic
and heads the Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction Program at UCSF/Stanford
Hospital and Stanford University. He
teaches a required meditation program at
Stanford University School of Medicine.
p. 37, 48
Carol Adrienne is the author of The
Purpose of Your Life, The Purpose of
Your Life Experiential Guide, The
Numerology Kit, and coauthor (with
James Redfield) of the two Experiential
Guides for The Celestine Prophecy and
The Tenth Insight. p. 32
Dee Ahern is a physical therapist who
has studied with The Upledger Institute
since 1984. A Visceral Manipulation practitioner for ten years, she also has extensive
clinical experience in acute care, long-term
care, and outpatient rehab settings. p. 34
Ronald Alexander, a psychotherapist
in Santa Monica, Calif., specializing in
mind/body therapies, has explored Buddhist
meditation and healing disciplines for twenty-eight years. An entertainment industry
consultant, he focuses on leadership coaching, creativity, and communication.
p. 20, 54
Dani Antman is a member of the supervisory faculty of A Society of Souls, a fouryear training in Integrated Kabbalistic
Healing®. She brings a non-dual approach
to healing, based on the Judaic metaphysical
path. p. 54
Thomas Ashley-Farrand is one of
the West’s foremost authorities on Vedic and
Buddhist Sanskrit mantras. He has gathered over 4,000 transliterated mantras, and
is recognized for his mastery of mantra practice by swamis, pundits, and shastris across
India. p. 24
72
Rudolph Ballentine is the
founder/director of the Center for Holistic
Medicine in NYC. A Duke Medical School
graduate, he completed a residency in psychiatry, then a post-graduate fellowship in
Ayurveda in India, where he also studied
homeopathy. p. 63
James Baraz has taught vipassana
insight meditation since 1977. Cofounder of
Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin
County, Calif., he leads retreats internationally. He teaches classes in Berkeley, where
he also has a counseling practice. p. 26
Edmundo Barbosa is a body-oriented
psychotherapist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He
is the founder and director of Revida, a center for work with cancer patients, and
Iniciativa Gaia, an institute for human
growth in Brazil. p. 46, 48
Amelia Barili is an Argentine-born
journalist and university professor who
teaches Latin American Literature at UC
Berkeley. Coauthor of Conversations with
Borges, she is author of Jorge Luis Borges
y Alfonso Reyes and the forthcoming
Borges, A Weaver of Dreams. p. 27, 55
Sondra Barrett is a longtime explorer
of “the mysteries of inner space.” A scientist
and photographer with more than twenty
years of academic medical research, she is at
the forefront of merging medicine with complementary health care. p. 32
Ellen Bass has supported, encouraged,
and inspired writing for over twenty years.
She has published a dozen books, including
poetry, nonfiction, and children’s stories.
p. 25, 40
Mary Catherine Bateson is a cultural anthropologist teaching at George
Mason University. Her books include With
a Daughter’s Eye: A Memoir of
Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson;
Composing a Life; and Peripheral
Visions. p. 16
Rob Bauer has been working with gay
men for fifteen years as a body-centered psychotherapist. He has presented his groundbreaking “Touching the Body, Healing the
Spirit: The Rubenfeld Synergy Method for
Gay Men” at Esalen and Omega Institutes.
p. 58
Therese Baxter is a classically trained
actress and certified instructor of Physio-synthesis with over twenty-five years’ experience in Alexander Technique. She has
trained in Ki healing since 1984 and has a
private SIKE practice in Los Angeles. p. 44
Tandy Beal, dancer, choreographer,
actress, comedienne, and dreamer, has performed as a solo artist and with her own
ensemble in major cities and festivals
throughout the world. She is director of the
Pickle Family Circus. p. 30
Richard Beban, screenwriter, poet, professional storyteller, and teacher, has taught
“Living Mythically” with Kaaren Kitchell
at Esalen, the Los Angeles Jung Institute,
and UC Santa Cruz, and has conducted
myth courses with Phil Cousineau. p. 29
Jeff Berner has photographed worldwide, and photo-illustrated Uncarved
Block, Unbleached Silk: The Mystery of
Life by Alan Watts. His work has received
two awards from Life magazine and has
appeared in Omni and Psychology
Today. p. 21
Charlie Bloom is a teacher, consultant,
and therapist specializing in relationship
issues. He has designed and facilitated experiential seminars since 1982, and codirects
The Empowerment Network with his wife
Linda. p. 29, 63
Linda Bloom is a psychotherapist,
seminar leader, and codirector of The
Empowerment Network. She has facilitated
relationship workshops throughout the U.S.
as well as internationally. p. 63
Julie Bowden worked as a psychologist
for twenty-two years, specializing in substance abuse, children of alcoholics, and
childhood trauma. Her mission was to facilitate people to live beyond their past. Now
she has begun the life of a sadhu (wanderer). p. 41, 46
C. Jay Bradbury is a member of the
Esalen massage staff and in private practice.
The developer of Muscle Lengthening, he
works to encourage the quieting of the
mind-body with the intention to expand
consciousness. p. 50, 67
Carolyn Braddock is a body-centered
therapist and consultant in private practice
in Lakewood, Colo. She authored Body
Voices and trains professionals in posttraumatic stress disorder using breath,
sound, and movement. p. 35
Devers Branden is coauthor, with her
husband Nathaniel, of What Love Asks of
Us. She also works as a business consultant.
p. 18
Nathaniel Branden is a practicing
psychologist in Los Angeles who does phone
therapy with clients nationwide. He is a
psychological theorist and author of sixteen
books, including The Art of Living
Consciously and The Six Pillars of SelfEsteem. p. 18
Deborah Brenner, an artist displayed
in galleries internationally, is an art therapist devoted to exploring the creative process
of relationship. She and her husband Paul
have offered workshops throughout the U.S.
and Canada. p. 52
Paul Brenner holds a doctorate in medicine and psychology. Moderator of the PBS
series “Healing Through Communication,”
he is the author of A Shared Creation,
Health is a Question of Balance, and
Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes.
p. 52
Byron Brown has been a teacher in the
Ridhwan School for ten years, working with
individuals, groups, and teachers-in-training. A student of A.H. Almaas and the
Diamond Approach since 1982, he is the
author of Soul Without Shame. p. 23
Robin Burnside is a former manager
of the Esalen kitchen as well as former
chef/owner of two successful restaurants.
She is currently working on a collection of
recipes for an Esalen cookbook. p. 18
C
Frank Calhoun is a third-degree black
belt in Aikido and a full-time Aikido
teacher and secondary school teacher. He
has studied Aikido for over twenty years
with Dennis Hooker Sensei and Mitsugi
Saotome Sensei as well as other Shihans.
p. 61
Susan Campbell is a spiritually-oriented psychologist, mediator, team-building
consultant, and professional speaker. She
has been helping people use their work and
their intimate relationships for emotional
healing and spiritual development for thirty-three years. p. 31
Fritjof Capra, physicist and systems
theorist, is a founding director of the
Berkeley-based Center for Ecoliteracy. He is
the author of several international bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics, The
Turning Point, and most recently The
Web of Life. p. 36
Seymour Carter, longtime Gestalt
teacher at Esalen and in Europe, is a lifelong
student of the ever-evolving models of psychotherapy. He combines studies in family
systems theory with Buddhism, sensory
awareness, and other body-oriented practices. p. 25, 45, 55, 58, 69
Tom Case has been practicing massage
for the past ten years. Since 1993 he has been
on the Esalen massage staff. p. 13
Michele Cassou, passionate artist and
teacher, is the founder of The Painting
Experience Method, now called the
Cassou Method. She is internationally
recognized for using painting for self-discovery and exploring the spiritual dimensions
of the creative process. p. 18
Joyce Catlett, coauthor of Fear of
Intimacy, has collaborated with Robert
Firestone on all his publications. She is also
coproducer of the Glendon Association’s thirty-seven video productions, and conducts
couples workshops nationwide. p. 52
Joseph Cavanaugh is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in the Sierra
foothills, a psychology instructor at a local
community college, and has facilitated personal growth workshops throughout
California for the past thirty years. p. 56
Carl Chase (CC), developer of the CC
Flow™, is a bodyworker who specializes in
cross-fiber friction and deep tissue methods.
He has also studied sports massage and softtissue manipulation. p. 50
Kenn Chase has taught traditional
Yang-style T’ai Chi Ch’uan for thirty years
and has studied with several T’ai Chi masters. A certified Feldenkrais teacher, he is
stress management consultant for Marin
General Hospital. p. 69
Gerald Cohen is a lecturer on the subject of consciousness and healing. He is the
executive director of the Foundation for
Mind-Being Research in Los Altos, Calif.
p. 25, 42
Stephen Cohen, Gestalt practitioner
and longtime golf hacker, is founder and
president of The Shivas Irons Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing
golf’s beauties and virtues. p. 19
David Corbin is a shamanic practitioner and teacher, with a private practice in
shamanic counseling and healing in Maine.
He is a faculty member of the Foundation
for Shamanic Studies. p. 53, 70
Olivia Corson is a pioneering movement/story artist, teacher, and performer
with a degree in Dance and a master’s in
Culture and Spirituality. “Body Tales,”
infused with devotion to Earth’s sacred and
creative powers, has inspired people internationally. p. 43
Phil Cousineau is a writer, filmmaker,
adventure tour leader, and worldwide lecturer. His latest books include The Book of
Roads, The Art of Pilgrimage, Riddle
Me This, and Soul Moments. p. 41
Stewart Cubley is cofounder of the
Painting ExperienceSM in San Francisco and
has led seminars in creativity for eighteen
years. He currently works as a consultant
for corporations concerned with the creative
well-being of their employees. p. 27
D
David Darling is a cellist, teacher, and
composer. He is cofounder of Music for
People, an organization dedicated to selfexpression through music and improvisation. His latest recordings include 8-String
Religion, Cello, Darkwood, and The
River. p. 53
Bhagavan Das is a California-born
Bhakti Yogi who in the 1960s was the first
Western disciple of Neem Karoli Baba.
Author of It’s Here Now (Are You?), he
was instrumental in bridging the philosophies of East and West. p. 57, 58
Lama Surya Das is a Buddhist scholar, poet, storyteller, activist, and Dzogchen
lineage holder. Founder of the Dzogchen
Foundation, he is author of Awakening
the Buddha Within and The Snow
Lion’s Turquoise Mane: Wisdom Tales
from Tibet. p. 16, 17
Lorie Dechar is an acupuncturist,
body-psychotherapist, consciousness explorer,
and planetary activist. She writes and leads
workshops on the psychological aspects of
Chinese medicine and the relationship
between embodied spirituality and planetary healing. p. 63
Russell Delman studied with Moshe
Feldenkrais and has been teaching the
method since 1975. For thirty years, he has
maintained a Zen meditation practice. He
conducts workshops and professional trainings internationally, and has a private practice in Santa Rosa, Calif. p. 57
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. 21
Jim Dreaver has been facilitating healing and transformational work for more
than twenty years. He is the author of The
Way of Harmony, The Ultimate Cure,
and Somatic Technique. p. 43
Dennis Duitch has practiced public
accounting and business consulting for over
twenty-five years, working with entertainers, artists, and professionals to focus on
achieving their goals. p. 49
Timothy Dunphy is a gold-medal
martial artist who makes his longtime personal inner practice of energetic transformations available to the public, working with
individuals and groups to assist in healing
the energetic body. p. 36
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. 63
Maty Ezraty is a founder and director
of Yoga Works in Santa Monica, Calif. She
has been teaching and promoting yoga for
the past fifteen years. p. 24, 25
F
Jayson Fann, Coordinator of the Esalen
Art Barn, is a percussionist who teaches
rhythm traditions from around the world.
He has studied in West Africa, Central and
South America, and the Caribbean, and has
collaborated with recording artists internationally. p. 61
Robin Fann 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. 45
John Felstiner has been at Stanford
since 1965, and has also taught alumni and
adult education. He has held Rockefeller,
Guggenheim, and NEA fellowships, and his
books on poets Pablo Neruda and Paul
Celan won national prizes. p. 29
Lisa Firestone is Education and
Program Director of The Glendon
Association, adjunct faculty at UCSB, and
in clinical private practice. She is involved
in training and research in the areas of couple relations, parenting, and suicide and violence prevention. p. 52
E
John Firman, a psychotherapist in Palo
Alto, trained in psychosynthesis with its
founder Roberto Assagioli. He is an adjunct
faculty member at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology and coauthor of
The Primal Wound. p. 29
Sigrid Emerson, founder of Integrated
Fitness in Sherman Oaks, Calif., is a certified personal trainer, aromatherapist, and
yoga teacher. Her training and experience
also include aerobics, weight training, and
Alexander Technique. p. 32
Michael Fischman is a stress management expert and personal development
consultant. A founding member of The Art
of Living Foundation, he has been a devotee
of the Indian spiritual master Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar for the past twelve years. p. 33
Eric Erickson has studied Gestalt for
many years and was a student of Richard
Price at Esalen. He is currently studying
intersubjectivity theory and working on his
doctorate in psychology. p. 39, 70
Rabbi Steven Fisdel is a teacher and
author who has lectured on Kabbalah for
over twenty-five years. His current book is
titled The Practice of Kabbalah. p. 25,
42
Signy Erickson is in private practice in
Sisters, Ore., treating patients of all ages
with a wide variety of conditions, using
CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional
Release as the basis of her work. She specializes in pediatrics and neurological disorders.
p. 56
Lilias Folan continues to share yoga
through her PBS series “Lilias!”, her books,
and award-winning videos and audio tapes.
She conducts seminars internationally and
has taught yoga and meditation in Russia
and Australia. p. 28
Victor Erofeyev is an internationally
acclaimed Russian writer and the author of
the novel Russian Beauty. His memoirs
are being published in The New Yorker.
p. 13
Thomas Michael Fortel is a longtime yoga practitioner/teacher, influenced
by the Iyengar and Ashtanga styles. He
blends strong practice, focus on alignment
and breath, and compassionate support. He
leads workshops and retreats internationally. p. 12, 26, 47, 69
Tamara Frankiel is an internationally
known scholar from the University of
California, Riverside, who teaches Kabbalah
in Los Angeles. She is coauthor of Minding
the Temple of the Soul. p. 38
Gregory Franta, principal architect of
ENSAR Group, an international sustainable design firm, has led many design workshops and has a wealth of experience in
environmental design for residences, including “Greening of the White House.” p. 16
Joyce Frazee, a Gestalt practitioner in
private practice, is the senior supervisor of
the Gestalt Training Institute of Vancouver,
Canada. She leads workshops in the U.S.,
Canada, and Europe. p. 36, 37
Fred Friedberg is a psychologist in private practice who has lectured extensively on
controversial illnesses. He is author of
Coping With Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome and coauthor of the forthcoming
professional volume, A Practitioner’s
Guide to Controversial Illnesses. p. 42
Peter Friedberg edits the Esalen
Catalog. He has lived at Esalen for ten years
and must have learned something. p. 70
Linell Fromm, certified in fundraising,
received her doctorate in organizational
behavior and holds degrees in public health
and public policy. A grantwriter for over
twenty years, she has a consulting practice
based in San Diego. p. 33
Mallory Fromm received his doctorate
in Far Eastern Studies, has trained in Ki
healing in Japan since 1981, and is an
instructor of aikido. He has led SIKE workshops in the U.S. and Japan, and is the
author of The Book of Ki. p. 44
G
Gary Gabel is President of Great Lakes
Strategies, whose clients include both small
and Fortune 500 employers. A 1999 finalist
for Michigan entrepreneur of the year, he
has over twenty years of research and application in motivation and leadership. p. 61
Sherry Sanders Galloway is an
Esalen massage staff practitioner and
teacher whose focus is sports massage, balanced with Esalen bodywork. A practicing
RN, she specializes in emergency medicine
and psychiatric intervention. p. 13, 58
Sharon Gannon is the cofounder and
codirector of Jivamukti Yoga Center in New
York City. A student of the philosophies and
sacred arts of India, she travels there yearly
to further her studies. p. 58
Glenna Gerard is a nationally recognized consultant in the area of interpersonal
communications and transformation. She is
coauthor of Dialogue: Rediscovering the
Transforming Power of Conversation.
p. 54
Ann Gila is a psychotherapist in Palo
Alto who has been a psychosynthesis teacher
and trainer for over twenty years. She is an
adjunct faculty member at the Institute of
Transpersonal Psychology and coauthor of
The Primal Wound. p. 29
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DANIEL BIANCHETTA
Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s two most
recent CDs, Spinning Around the Sun
and Braver, Newer World, received
Grammy nominations in the category of
Contemporary Folk Music. His songwriting
integrates his life in music with his spiritual
life. p. 14
Mariah Fenton Gladis, longtime
Gestalt practitioner and trainer, founded
and for sixteen years has directed the Bucks
County Institute. She is director of the
Pennsylvania Gestalt Center for
Psychotherapy and Training. p. 61
Mary Goldenson is a clinical psychologist, chiropractor, and certified Radix®
teacher in Los Angeles. She has a private
practice specializing in relationship therapy
and transitions. p. 26, 34, 41, 51, 59
Akuyoe Graham is founder of the
nonprofit Spirit Awakening Foundation
and serves as panelist for the California Arts
Council. She is currently touring nationwide with her one-woman play, Spirit
Awakening, and working on her first
novel. p. 17
Diane Greenberg, a senior instructor
at Charles and Caroline Muir’s Source
School of Tantra, is a certified tantric educator with over ten years’ experience. She leads
women’s empowerment groups and has
been a professional bodyworker for eighteen
years. p. 13
74
Judy Greenfeld is a professional
dancer, owner of a fitness company, and
coauthor of Minding the Temple of the
Soul. She teaches new approaches to the
body. p. 38
Sylvia Guersenzvaig has been a
teacher, counselor, and passionate student of
astrology since 1978. She believes that “the
Universe is what we are” and uses astrology
to picture the Self as an organized presence.
p. 69
Rachel Harris was in the 1968 Esalen
Residential Program. A psychotherapist in
private practice in Princeton, N.J., and a
consultant for executives on leadership and
interpersonal skill development, she is the
author of Children Learn What They
Live. p. 33
Justin Hecht is a Jungian psychologist
and executive coach in private practice in
San Francisco. He teaches meditation and
leads groups and workshops designed to
awaken authenticity and creativity. p. 58
H
Robert Helm is a rogue wave.
63
Steven Harper is a wilderness guide,
author, and Big Sur resident. He has led
both traditional and experimental wilderness expeditions internationally for over
twenty years. His work focuses on wild
nature as a vehicle for awakening. p. 12,
26
Paul Heussenstamm is a fourthgeneration artist and has taught “Art as a
Spiritual Path” throughout the U.S. and
abroad. Gabrielle Roth’s book, Maps to
Ecstasy, features his original mandala on
the cover. p. 51
Jill Harris, resident and staff member at
Esalen from 1967-1971, is still grappling
with the question “But what about real
life?” She has a massage practice in Palo
Alto and has recently co-led Sensory
Awareness workshops with Charlotte
Selver. p. 60
p. 35,
Deborah Ardell Hill is a licensed
massage therapist and reflexologist experienced in a variety of modalities, including
shiatsu and craniosacral. She also incorporates the chakras and meridians as a framework for looking at the body. p. 47
Gilah Yelin Hirsch is an internationally-known multidisciplinary artist and a
professor of art at CSU Dominguez Hills.
Her work in writing, painting, photography, and video have been inspired and
informed by extensive travel and extended
solitary sojourns in nature. p. 36
Martina Hoffmann is a painter,
sculptor, and Reiki master whose art
explores women’s connection to the Goddess.
Her work is featured in the books Return
of the Great Goddess and One Source.
p. 43
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. 14, 51, 69
Peggy Horan has been practicing and
teaching massage at Esalen for over twentyfive years. She is a student of childbirth,
dance, and movement. p. 15
Russ Hudson is executive director of the
Enneagram Institute in New York. He is
the coauthor of Personality Types
(Revised Edition) and the forthcoming
The Wisdom of the Enneagram. p. 26
Terry Hunt is a licensed psychologist and
certified bioenergetic therapist. He has a private practice in Boston, with subspecialties
in adult children of alcoholic and abusive
homes, addiction, and older adolescents. He
is a consultant to the Hazelden Institute.
p. 33
Leigh Hyams is a painter/teachingartist at UC Berkeley Extension, JFK
University, and Atsitsa in Greece. A
Fulbright Scholar whose work is exhibited
internationally, she leads painting intensives and museum tours in Latin America
and Europe. p. 35
I
Lawson Fusso Inada is the author of
two books of poetry, Legends from Camp
and Drawing the Line, and editor of Only
What We Could Carry, a book on the
Japanese-American internment experience.
He is on the faculty of Southern Oregon
University. p. 38
Constance Jones is an MFT in private practice in Palm Springs, Calif. She
developed and instructed human sexuality
courses at Mt. San Jacinto College. She is
also a single mother. p. 45
Richard Jones is a poet whose books
include Country of Air; A Perfect Time;
and The Blessing: New & Selected
Poems. For twenty years he has edited the
journal Poetry East. He directs the creative
writing program at DePaul University in
Chicago. p. 21
Arthur Samuel Joseph is a teacher
and professor of voice and creator of Vocal
Awareness, a method that integrates mind/
body/spirit through the vocal arts. He is
author of Sound of the Soul: Discovering
the Power of Your Voice. p. 30
J
Lynne Jacobs is cofounder of the
Gestalt Therapy Institute of the Pacific, and
Teaching and Supervising Analyst at the
Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis.
She publishes articles, teaches, and conducts
workshops nationally and internationally.
p. 48
K
Connie Kaplan, author of The
Woman’s Book of Dreams: Dreaming as
a Spiritual Practice, is a visionary and an
authority on dreaming who teaches a comprehensive spiritual framework by reading
each person’s “soul contract.” p. 38
Roger Jahnke has practiced Chinese
medicine for over twenty-three years, and
has traveled to China five times to learn the
secrets of the Qi (universal life force) from
master teachers and monks. He is the chairperson of the National Qigong Association.
p. 62
Jane Rachel Kaplan is a psychologist,
consultant, and writer who has specialized
in the treatment of eating disorders since
1977. The author of several books, she is
founder/director of Optimal Eating and has
a private practice in Albany, Calif. p. 38
Joseph Jastrab is a counselor, wilderness guide, and workshop leader who has
been guiding men’s vision quests since 1982.
He is the author of Sacred Manhood,
Sacred Earth: A Quest into the
Wilderness of a Man’s Heart. p. 27
Sevanne Kassarjian is a stage and
screen actor who has taught acting and
improvisation on both coasts, and recently
appeared in The Miracle Worker at
Missouri Rep. She frequently conducts
workshops with her mother Mary
Catherine Bateson. p. 16
Mehri Jensen specializes in relationship, “romantic rage,” and love/sex/intimacy counseling. She has a doctorate in psychology and is in private practice in Fort
Collins, Colo., for twenty years, blending
modern clinical techniques with ancient
spiritual healing arts. p. 37
Lynne Kaufman is an award-winning playwright who has had ten plays premiered at such theatres as The Magic
Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville,
Florida Studio Theatre, and Theatreworks.
She has taught improvisation at UC
Berkeley Extension. p. 54
Robert A. Johnson is a noted
Jungian analyst, lecturer, and worldrenowned author whose numerous works
include He, She, We, Inner Work,
Owning Your Own Shadow, and his
recent memoir Balancing Heaven and
Earth. p. 41
Pauline Kirby, a teacher and health
practitioner for over twenty-five years, has a
background in both traditional medicine
and a variety of complementary medical
practices including acupuncture, herbs, and
homeopathy. p. 28
Blackwolf Jones is an Ojibwe elder
who received the teachings of the Ojibwe
traditions for forty-five years. He is an
addictions specialist, psychotherapist, and
coauthor of Listen to the Drum, The
Healing Drum, and Earth Dance Drum.
p. 50
Cathrine Ann Jones is an awardwinning playwright and screenwriter
whose films include “The Christmas Wife”
(Jason Robards) and “Unlikely Angel”
(Dolly Parton). A Fulbright Research
Scholar, she studied shamanism and indigenous healing in south India. p. 24
Kaaren Kitchell writes fiction, essays,
and poetry, and has traveled the world
studying myth and literature for thirty
years. She is currently writing a novel and
the nonfiction book Living Mythically:
Invoking the Gods in Your Everyday
Life. p. 29
Gregory Kramer, a Vipassana teacher
for twenty years, studied Buddhist meditation and psychology with respected Asian
teachers. He directs the Metta Foundation,
dedicated to supporting the development of
Insight Meditation and the teachings of the
Buddha in our current society. p. 57
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 fiction
writer. p. 53
L
Stephen LaBerge is a scientist dedicated to the transformation of human consciousness. He teaches and researches conscious or “lucid” dreaming at Stanford
University. p. 12
Stephen Lankton studied with Dr.
Milton Erickson for five years and has
authored, coauthored, and edited seventeen
books and dozens of chapters on the
Ericksonian approach. He has been a student of Aikido for several years. p. 61
Barbara Lee has been a circlemaker for
the past eighteen years. Her primary focus is
on the heart-centered remembrance of the
Divine. She is the author of Loving
Yourself. p. 17, 27, 49, 70
George Leonard is the author of
twelve books, including Mastery, The
Ultimate Athlete, and The Way of
Aikido. He is a fifth-degree black belt in
aikido, founder of Leonard Energy Training
(LET), and president of Esalen. p. 22, 58
Peter Levine holds doctorates in both
medical biophysics and psychology. A stress
consultant to NASA’s early space shuttle
project, he directs the Ergos Institute for
Somatic Education and is the author of
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma.
p. 62, 63
Dennis Lewis has been developing his
approach to natural breathing since 1966. A
longtime student of the Gurdjieff Work and
Taoism, he also teaches qigong, tai chi, and
meditation, and is a practitioner of Chi Nei
Tsang (internal-organ chi massage). p. 61
David Life co-created the Jivamukti
Yoga method. He completed the Sivananda
Teacher Training in India in 1986, and has
been teaching yoga since. He was initiated
into the sunyas order of Shri Shankaracharya
by Swami Nirmalanda in 1991. p. 58
Larry Lima is the founder and president
of The Place—A Resource Center for Men.
He is a licensed social worker, a certified
holistic health educator, and trained as a
Gestalt Therapist. p. 27
Amory Lovins has been a resource-policy consultant to ten heads of state and has
published 26 books. The Wall Street
Journal named him among 28 people in the
world most likely to change the course of
business in the 1990s. p. 30
Til Luchau is a Somatic Psychotherapist
and a Certified Advanced Rolfer®. A coordinator and faculty member of the Rolf
Institute’s Foundations of Somatic Practice
program, his workshops in the somatic arts
have been offered in twelve countries.
p. 41
Fred Luskin works at Stanford
University’s Complementary and
Alternative Medicine Program studying the
psychospiritual factors of heart disease. He is
also a licensed therapist who lectures and
conducts research on the training of forgiveness. p. 24, 37
Carol Lynch is a registered art therapist
and licensed marriage and family therapist
with a private practice in New Jersey. She
integrates art therapy, psychodrama, and
emotional release work in her practice.
p. 35
M
Patricia Ryan Madson, a senior lecturer in the Stanford Drama Department, is
Coach of the Stanford Improvisors and a
Constructive Living instructor. She received
the 1998 Dinkelspiel Award for innovative
contributions to undergraduate education at
Stanford. p. 50
Loralee Makela is a Feng Shui practitioner of the Compass School. Formerly a
human resources specialist at Honeywell
and Intel, she places enhancements in offices
and homes to catalyze vision and promote
productivity. p. 19
Helen Jerene Malcolm, artist, consultant, and teacher, works with a visionary
consulting team designing long-range vision
paintings for individual clients and Fortune
500 corporations. p. 23, 48, 70
Noel Mapstead is a local fine artist
and potter. He has studied and exhibited
extensively in New York and is now at
home with Big Sur clays using traditional
firing techniques. p. 24, 39, 45, 51, 56, 58
Dean Marson is a practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage who uses selfcare techniques as a means of introducing
people to the pleasure and potential of
human touch. p. 21, 37, 70
Vin Martí is codirector of Body Moves,
an innovative movement arts studio in
Portland, Ore., and a movement teacher for
over twenty-five years. A faculty member of
Gabrielle Roth’s Moving Center, he conducts
workshops throughout North America.
p. 52
Laurel Massé, cofounder of The
Manhattan Transfer, left the group after
seven years to pursue a successful solo performing and recording career. She currently
sings a cappella concerts and rituals, and
leads workshops in the power of song.
p. 62
Charlea Massion is a family physician and women’s health specialist who is
on the clinical faculty of Stanford
University Medical Center. She is a member of the founding board of the American
College of Women’s Health Physicians.
p. 22
Tom McDonough is a Ph.D. candidate in health care, specializing in manual
therapy and energy medicine. The developer
of Energy Integration as well as the Health
and Personal Mastery Program, he has a
private practice in the Boston area. p. 19
75
Jeff McKay has worked as a leadership
educator since 1972, conducting programs
across North America, in Europe, and Asia.
He founded and directed the Redwood
Leadership Program at Stanford, based on
teamwork, communication, risk, and selfawareness. p. 51
Al McLeod has been a professor of social
psychology and a group leader for twentyfive years, specializing in researching and
creating deep learning states. His leadership
style reflects his interest in Jungian psychology, shamanism, and Tibetan Buddhism.
p. 22
Deborah Anne Medow, Esalen
workshop leader and bodywork practitioner
since 1969, teaches ashtanga yoga, massage,
creative movement, Gestalt awareness, and
related healing disciplines throughout the
U.S. and Europe. p. 15, 35, 42
Brian Melvin has been playing drums
for thirty-five years and practicing martial
arts for twenty. He has played and recorded
with some of the giants of jazz and rock,
including Jaco Pastorius, Joe Henderson,
and Bob Weir. p. 41
Nan Moss is a faculty member of the
Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She
teaches shamanism and Tai Chi, and has a
shamanic counseling and healing practice
in Maine. p. 53, 70
Robert Moss is a lifelong dream
explorer, a shamanic counselor, novelist, and
former professor of ancient history and philosophy. He teaches courses in personal
growth, creativity, and Active Dreaming—
his original synthesis of dreamwork and
shamanism—worldwide. p. 15
Caroline Muir has been a yoga practitioner for over twenty years. She is a Tantric
sex expert who specializes in sexual healing
and awakening the Goddess energy in
women. p. 13
Charles Muir, a professional yoga
instructor for twenty-seven years, is director
of the Source Schools of Tantra Yoga in
Hawaii and California. He is coauthor
(with his wife) of Tantra: The Art of
Conscious Loving. p. 13
Elizabeth Murray, gardener, author,
artist, and photographer, was trained as an
organic gardener by Scott and Helen
Nearing. She helped restore Monet’s gardens
in Giverny, France, and is a certified
Horticultural Therapist. p. 16
Linda Trichter Metcalf, formerly a
professor of English and humanities,
cofounded the practice of Proprioceptive
Writing and has been teaching it since
1976. She is codirector of the Proprioceptive
Writing Center in Portland, Maine. p. 30
N
Deena Metzger is a novelist, poet, and
teacher who thinks about creativity and
healing. Her most recent books are Writing
For Your Life, the novel Looking For the
Faces of God, and a book of poetry, A
Sabbath Among the Ruins. p. 34
Hani Naser is a Jordanian-American
hand drummer as well as an accomplished
oud player, songwriter, and producer. He
has performed and recorded with musicians
such as Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Hamza
el Din, and David Lindley. p. 36
Charles Miedzinski, a teacher in the
Ridhwan School, is an expressive arts therapist and cofounder of the Arts and
Consciousness program at JFK University.
For nearly thirty years his transformative
arts approach has integrated sacred arts, psychology, and spiritual practices. p. 14
Katie Nash is coordinator of the Group
2000. She currently lives at Esalen, and is
an enthusiast of improvisational theatre,
dance, meditation, and massage. p. 33
Chuck Miller has been practicing yoga
for over twenty-five years and is an
advanced Ashtanga student and teacher.
His teaching reflects his deep commitment
to yoga as a way of life. p. 24, 25
Emmett Miller, physician, philosopher, scientist, and musician, is a highly
respected innovator and clinician who has
won widespread acclaim for his role in creating the field of mind/body medicine.
p. 48
Barry Minkin has more than thirty
years of experience as a futurist, author, and
global management consultant, including
ten years at the Stanford Research Institute.
He has consulted with scores of companies,
nonprofits, and government and trade associations. p. 25
Beverly Kitaen Morse is a marriage and family counselor in private practice in Santa Monica and a senior instructor
at the Rosenberg-Kitaen Morse Institute for
Integrative Body Psychotherapy. p. 31
76
Tom Little Bear Nason is a seventh-generation spiritual leader of the
Esselen Tribe of Big Sur and a wilderness
guide who is dedicated to helping others to
mend the sacred hoop of life. p. 31
Maria Nemeth, a clinical psychologist,
has been leading seminars for over twentyfive years emphasizing successful communication and the development of excellence
with ease. p. 46
Andy Nusbaum is a twenty-five year
member of the P.G.A., a longtime teacher,
and a founding board member of The
Shivas Irons Society. He is committed to the
mysteries, beauties, and transformative
capabilities of the game of golf. p. 19
O
Rollin Oden is a former practicing
physician whose longtime love for cooking
and baking led him to develop his skills as a
staff baker at Esalen. His passion is developing methods to bake hearth-style breads in a
home kitchen oven. p. 18
Brian O’Leary was a NASA scientistastronaut during the Apollo program and
has served on the faculties of Cornell, UC
Berkeley, and Princeton. He is the author of
Miracle in the Void, The Second
Coming of Science, and Exploring
Inner and Outer Space. p. 35
Jessie O’Neill is founder/president of
the nonprofit Affluenza Healing and
Education Foundation and cofounder/partner of Acacia Clinic, a full-service psychiatric clinic. She is a certified experiential
therapist in Milwaukee, Wisc. p. 38
Jim Oschman is a biophysicist, author,
and award-winning scientist exploring the
relations between conventional biomedicine
and complementary therapies. He has made
major contributions to somatics by synthesizing diverse scientific and clinical theories
and practices. p. 36
Kathleen O’Shaughnessy’s lifelong fascination for what happens in the
mind/body has led her to massage, delicate
meditation practices, hatha yoga, the major
psychotherapeutic and transpersonal
approaches, and the explorations of
Continuum. p. 22, 67
Brita Ostrom, a licensed MFT, has led
massage and other workshops at Esalen for
over twenty years. She is trained in Gestalt
awareness work and participated in Esalen’s
two-year somatics education project.
p. 21, 55
P
Robert Chi-Noodin Palmer is an
Ojibwe descendant practicing tribal traditions, certified in child psychiatry, Gestalt,
and Radix. He has taught on the clinical
faculties at Cornell, Hawaii, and Stanford
medical schools. p. 50
Wendy Palmer is a fifth-degree black
belt in aikido. She has taught classes in
Conscious Embodiment and Intuition
Training for nineteen years. She is the
cofounder of Aikido of Tamalpais and
author of The Intuitive Body. p. 17
Laurie Lioness Parizek combines
traditional and innovative ways of healing.
She teaches and practices Chakra
Integration and is a longtime teacher of
Esalen bodywork. She also pilots Esalen
Outreach and Education, extending Esalen’s
services out to the world. p. 47, 67
Larry Payne is coauthor of Yoga for
Dummies and is featured in the User
Friendly Yoga video series. He is founder of
the corporate yoga program at the J. Paul
Getty Museum and the yoga curriculum at
the UCLA School of Medicine. p. 32
Maggie Phillips is a psychologist in
private practice and director of the California
Institute of Clinical Hypnosis in Oakland,
Calif. She leads workshops on hypnosis and
personal growth and is coauthor of Healing
the Divided Self. p. 62, 63
Char Pias, Esalen massage staff member
since 1980, is a facilitator and founding
member of the Esalen Arts Center. She is a
licensed minister of the Center for Spiritual
Healing in Tiburon, Calif. p. 67
Pablo Piekar has been practicing bodywork for ten years. He is a member of the
Esalen massage staff and has a background
in psychology. p. 58
Amy Pine, an expressive arts therapist
from Santa Cruz, Calif., has been leading
groups, workshops, and professional trainings for over fifteen years. She is coauthor of
the forthcoming book As You Like It: The
Power and Joy of Your Erotic Self.
p. 40
Christine Stewart Price is a teacher
and ongoing student of Gestalt Awareness
Practice and other approaches to developing
awareness. p. 19, 38, 63
Carol Proudfoot-Edgar leads workshops in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. She
integrates shamanism, Native American
teachings, and the mystic traditions. In
addition to her own workshops, she teaches
advanced courses for Michael Harner’s
Foundation for Shamanic Studies. p. 40
R
Jude Rachele is a human rights consultant and trainer who works with businesses in the U.K. and Europe, addressing
the issue of unfair treatment within the
workplace and its effect on individual and
organizational creativity, productivity, and
morale. p. 21
Rollin Rachele, considered one of the
world’s leading authorities on overtone
singing, embarked upon his overtone
singing career in 1979. Originally from
Oregon, he has been living and working in
Europe since 1982. p. 23
Aminah Raheem is a transpersonal
psychologist, the originator of Process
Acupressure, an international teacher of
body psychology, and the author of Soul
Return: Integrating Body, Psyche, and
Spirit. p. 32
Caitríona Reed has studied meditation in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the U.S.
since 1971, has led retreats since 1982, and
received Dharmacarya transmission from
Thich Nhat Hanh in 1992. Caitríona, formerly Christopher, is transsexual and now
lives as a woman. p. 14
Rhiannon is an acclaimed jazz singer,
improviser, and storyteller as well as an
inspiring vocal teacher. Her current performing and teaching collaborations include
Bobby McFerrin and Robert Hall. p. 55
Don Richard Riso is president of the
Enneagram Institute in New York and the
most published author in the field. His
books include Understanding the
Enneagram, Discovering Your
Personality Type, and Enneagram
Transformations. p. 26
Jack Rosenberg is a psychologist and
director of the Rosenberg-Kitaen Morse
Institute of Integrative Body Psychotherapy
in Venice, Calif. He is the author of Body,
Self, and Soul. p. 31
Ilana Rubenfeld, thirty-five-year pioneer in the integration of body-mind-spirit
and originator 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. 45
Onàyémi Gordy Ryan, dubbed “the
pulse of the planet” by Coleman Barks, has
laid down the groove for the Olatunji
Drums of Passion and Zhikr Ritual for
three decades. His lineage: Yoruba and
Mande culture, Papa Ladji Camara, Oscar
Ichazo, and inner work. p. 46, 47, 70
Zoë Iyayo Ryan is a dance catalyzer
empowering people to experience the healing
and transformative nature of dance.
Trained in London and apprenticed with
Gabrielle Roth, she has a background in
theatre and African drumming and dance.
p. 46, 47, 70
S
Stèphano Sabetti, founder of the Life
Energy Process®, has a doctorate in psychology and trains therapists internationally. He
is also an organizational consultant. p. 53,
54
Yoshi Sakuyama is a sixth-degree
black belt of Shorinji Kempo, a Japanese
martial art rooted in Zen Buddhism. He
has systematized basic martial arts movements to create the Liu-Ki System, a practice
for anyone interested in enhancing
mind/body health. p. 20
Umananda Saraswati has been
practicing yoga since she was seventeen and
currently serves as a mentor to the
Jivamukti Center’s teacher trainees.
Passionate about all dance, she focuses on
the Asana dance, the sacred dance of the
Yogis. p. 57
Brenda Schaeffer is an international
teacher, psychologist, and addictions specialist whose passion is to put soul back into psychology. She is author of Is It Love or Is It
Addiction? p. 56
Howard Schechter integrates a variety of Eastern and Western psychological
and spiritual traditions. He is founder and
former chairman and professor of the
Department of Organization Development
at the California Institute of Integral
Studies. p. 17, 27, 49, 70
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. 13,
23, 29, 31, 42, 44, 50, 54, 56, 61, 69
Stephen Schuitevoerder is a
Diplomate in Process Work and is on the
faculty of the Process Work Center of
Portland. Trained as a clinical psychologist
in South Africa, he facilitates trainings in
Process Work internationally. p. 41
Laurie Schutz, senior Esalen Massage
practitioner and teacher, integrates her
degree in body awareness psychology with a
nonintrusive massage approach to maximize the release of both mind and body tension. p. 55
Sobonfu Somé, born into the Dagara
Tribe of Burkina Faso, was recognized by
village elders as possessing special gifts. From
the age of five, she was prepared to teach
ancient African wisdom, ritual, and practice
to the West. p. 59
Will Schutz is one of the most respected
leaders in the field of human relations. He
has served on the faculties of Harvard,
Berkeley, and the University of Chicago,
and worked as a consultant with such organizations as General Foods, ITT, and The
World Bank. p. 13
John Soper is a Gestalt practitioner
with a background in international business. He is deeply aware of the need to
improve the environment. p. 69
Margaret Stevens is a senior member of the Esalen massage staff and a student
of yoga, dance, and voice. p. 50
Maggie Seeley brings vision and practical tools to a variety of organizations:
Fortune 500, nonprofit, and governmental.
A management consultant and professor of
management for twenty-one years, she is
also a practicing Buddhist and an outdoor
enthusiast. p. 19
David Streeter, a certified sports massage practitioner on the Esalen massage
staff, has taught yoga and anatomy and
worked as an athletic trainer. Before joining
the Esalen faculty, he lived as a Camaldolese
monk. p. 22, 26, 45
Paula Shaw, a professional actress and
acting teacher for over twenty years, conducts workshops in expanding self-expression, well-being, and creativity for nonactors across the United States and Canada.
p. 38, 39, 49, 70
E.C.G. (George) Sudarshan is a
professor at the University of Texas who
focuses on particle physics, quantum
mechanics, quantum field theory, quantum
optics, and foundations of physics. He is
author of the forthcoming A Hundred
Years of Quantum Physics. p. 31
Leonard Shlain is the author of Art
and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space,
Time, and Light and a contributor to the
Encyclopedia of Creativity. He is the
Chief of Laparoscopic Surgery at CaliforniaPacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
p. 60
Cynthia Silverman has been an
Advanced Rolfer and teacher of bodywork
for seventeen years. A longtime student of A
Course in Miracles, she also teaches meditation and body awareness. p. 34
Julian Silverman has had successful
careers as a scientist, people-helper, educator,
and organizational consultant. He harmonizes individual development and community-building techniques with Gestalt
awareness training and age-old spiritual
principles. p. 34, 35
Tobin Simon is cofounder of
Proprioceptive Writing and codirector of the
Proprioceptive Writing Center in Portland,
Maine. He is formerly a professor of English
and humanities. p. 30
Allan Singer is a Boston psychotherapist
who speaks and facilitates workshops
nationally. He is a contributing author on
gay/lesbian/bisexual issues to three books:
On Intimate Ground, The Voice of
Shame, and a forthcoming book on adolescence. p. 16
Fritz Smith is a physician, cranial
osteopath, certified acupuncturist, and
founder of Zero Balancing. He is the author
of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy
Movement and Body Structure. p. 31
Gerald Smith is a licensed psychologist
in private practice in San Mateo, Calif. He
has authored two books on relationships,
Couple Therapy and Hidden Meanings,
and has led workshops at Esalen for thirty
years. p. 46
Keiko Suga is a ceramic artist whose
focus is on traditional pottery-making techniques using local clays. p. 24, 39, 45, 51,
56, 58
Ray Swartley is a wholistic-somatic
massage practitioner, herbalist, gardener,
and trailblazer. An Esalen massage crew
and teaching staff member for nine years, he
focuses on breath use, passive circular movement, and subtle yet deep structural-tissue
contact. p. 35
T
Fran Thompson, a lifelong artist, has
hiked and sketched the Western wilderness
all her life. A thirty-year Zen practitioner
and a Chinese brush-painting student since
1973, she exhibits in galleries and publishes
illustrated hiking and biology identification
guides. p. 26
Vicki Topp is a senior practitioner and
instructor of Esalen Massage and somatic
bodywork. She teaches workshops and training groups internationally and is a student
of Body-Mind Centering®. p. 50
U
Daniela Urbassek is a long-term
member of the Esalen massage staff. Her
work is strongly influenced by her studies in
craniosacral work, movement, yoga, and
dance. p. 15, 35
V
Sietze VanDerHeide is a clinical
psychologist in private practice in Los
Angeles and a faculty member at Ryokan
College. He specializes in neuropsychology,
behavioral medicine, and interpersonal relations, focusing on the integration of psychotherapy and neurophysiology. p. 32
Robert Venosa is considered one of the
outstanding masters of Fantastic Realism.
His work has been the subject of three books,
Manas Manna, Noospheres, and the
recent Illuminatus (with Terence
McKenna). p. 43
W
Ellen Watson teaches massage and
movement at Esalen where she has worked
and studied since 1984. Her work incorporates spiritual healing, hypnosis, Holotropic
Breathwork, and the use of essential oils.
She coordinates the Esalen Movement Arts
Program. p. 15, 26, 45
Paul Watson is a biology professor at
the University of New Mexico, specializing
in the evolution of social and reproductive
psychology and pondering traditional esoteric teachings under the sobering influence
of evolutionary theory. p. 15
Gordon Wheeler is senior faculty at
the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and
author of Gestalt Reconsidered. He writes
and trains extensively in the Gestalt model,
focusing on men’s issues, intimacy and
shame, and building interpersonal support
systems. p. 48, 51
Anna Wise has been training brainwaves for high performance and meditative
states for over twenty years. A member of the
Academy of Certified Neurotherapists, she is
the author of The High-Performance
Mind: Mastering Brainwaves for
Insight, Healing, and Creativity. p. 18,
27, 47
Nina Wise is a performance artist whose
provocative and original works have been
honored with seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle
awards and three National Endowment for
the Arts fellowships. Her written pieces have
appeared in numerous magazines. p. 18,
45
John Worcester, a former project
engineer, changed careers in 1991 to follow
his longtime dream of becoming a hands-on
healer. He has been teaching CranioSacral
Therapy for the Upledger Institute since
1995. p. 30
John Wymore is the founder and
director of The Gestalt Center of New
Mexico. His current fascination is with neuroscience and evolution and how they will
impact the theory and technique of psychotherapy. p. 15
Attila Thomas Vaas has been a
member of the Esalen massage staff since
1976. His skills include polarity, acupressure, and Esalen’s free-form style of massage.
p. 47
77
Q
reservation information
Making Contact with Us
Mail or Fax: The most efficient way to
payment is due five days before arrival.
(Please see page 79 for information on discounts and reduced rate options.)
register for a workshop at Esalen is to fax
or mail your reservation. If you fax your
reservation, be sure to include accurate
credit card information.
Please indicate your second choice for a workshop in case your first choice is cancelled and
we are unable to reach you.
Esalen’s Fax: 831-667-2724
Esalen Institute reserves the right to cancel any
program at any time.
(Our fax line is exclusively for reservations—
no personal correspondence, please.)
Phone: If you prefer to make your reserva-
Workshop Accommodations
tion by phone, please be prepared with your
completed reservation form, workshop dates
and leaders, and your credit card. We know
that all calls to Esalen are long-distance and
will try to be as efficient as possible.
Please Note: Workshop fees cover
tuition, food, and lodging. Fees are
subject to change without notice.
General Information: 831-667-3000
Express Reservations: 831-667-3000
(Express reservations are for those who have previously taken a workshop at Esalen and know
the workshop, date, and leader of the workshop
for which they are registering. Dial extension
7321.)
All Other Reservations: 831-667-3005
Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000, ext. 7100
Messages: 831-667-3000, ext. 7402
(to leave a message for a seminar participant or
room and board guest.)
Phone Reservation Hours:*
Mon., Tues., Thur.:
10 am to 7 pm
Wednesday:
10 am to 12 noon
Friday:
10 am to 5 pm
Saturday:
10 am to 3 pm
Sunday:
12 noon to 5 pm
*The reservation office is closed on Christmas
and New Year’s Day.
World Wide Web: http://www.esalen.org
Fees
Fees and Reservations: Preregistration, by
fax, mail, or phone, is required prior to arrival.
A registration form is provided on page 80.
Since workshops fill quickly, it is advisable to
sign up as early as possible. In order to reserve
a space in any workshop, we require full payment or the following deposits:
Weekend:
$150
5 to 7 days: $300
12 to 14 days: $400
19 to 21 days: $450
More than 21 days:
$600
Deposits are payable in U.S. currency only.
Overseas residents must pay by checks drawn
on U.S. banks or use a credit card. Balance of
78
All accommodations are shared. We
cannot guarantee requests for singles.
Standard Accommodations: This is shared
housing, two or three persons per room. In
some cases, bathrooms are shared. Couples
will always be housed together. The rates listed
with the workshop descriptions throughout
the catalog refer to these shared standard
accommodations.
7-Day Rate,
per person
5-Day Rate,
per person
Weekend Rate,
per person
$1370
$885
$485
Bunk Bed Rooms: This is shared housing,
four or more persons per room. There are a
limited number of these spaces, which are
reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
$1020
$660
$360
Sleeping Bags: Meeting rooms are sometimes used as shared sleeping bag space and
may be available for workshop participants
with limited financial means. Sleeping bag
spaces are for sleeping only, as meeting rooms
are frequently in use and therefore inaccessible
between 9 am and 11 pm. There is a 7-day
limit on sleeping bag stays.
$655
$425
$230
Own Accommodations: If you are staying
off the property the following rates apply.
Own Accommodations fees must be paid in
full prior to arrival.
$805
$520
$285
Camping on the grounds, either in tents or
campers, is prohibited. We do not have parking space to accommodate RVs.
We would like to remind you that scholarship
assistance is available; refer to Scholarship
Information as well as Reduced Rate Options
and Discounts for other economical ways of
staying at Esalen.
Room and Board
Occasionally, when beds aren’t needed for
seminarians, room and board is available. This
gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the
grounds, the baths, and massage without participating in a workshop. Accommodations
are standard (2 or 3 per room) or bunk bed (4
or more per room). Not all rooms have private
baths. Room and board rates include dinner
on the day of arrival and breakfast and lunch
on the following day. We require full payment
at the time of reservation. There are no cancellations; this payment is nonrefundable and
nontransferable.
Note: Room and Board reservations must be made
by phone with a reservation specialist, not by fax.
For a room and board stay between Sunday
and Thursday, please call us no earlier than
the Thursday before for room availability. For
a Friday or Saturday night stay, please call no
earlier than the Sunday before. The following
rates are per person, per day.*
Weekend
(Friday and
Saturday nights)
Weekday
(Sunday through
Thursday nights)
Standard Accommodations (2 or 3 per room):
$150
$130
Bunk Bed (4 or more per room):
$95
$90
*Off-season rates are in effect from October 1
through March 31, holidays excepted.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
Cancellations must be made by phone with
one of our reservation staff. If you cancel or
change any part of your reservation at least
five full days before the start of your workshop(s), your nonrefundable deposit, less a
$30-per-workshop processing fee, will be
transferred to a credit account to be used
within one year. (“Five full days” means by
Tuesday before a Sunday workshop and by
Sunday before a Friday workshop.) If you
cancel with less than five days’ notice, you
forfeit your entire deposit. If you have prepaid
your entire reservation fee, we will retain the
deposit, as above, less the $30 processing fee,
and return the balance to you.
Scholarship Information
Esalen is able to provide some scholarship
assistance to workshop participants in exchange
for a work commitment (usually in the kitchen).
Approved scholarship recipients will receive
their work schedules upon arrival at Esalen.
Assistance
Weekend
5-9 days
$ 50
$100
Work
4 hours
8 hours
If additional scholarship assistance is required,
please send a letter of explanation to:
Scholarships at Esalen. Due to the number of
requests we receive, we can only provide one
scholarship per person per year.
Reduced Rate Options
and Discounts
If you pay in full at the time you make your
reservation, you will receive a $10 prepayment
discount per workshop and be eligible for
express check-in upon arrival. This discount
does not apply to scholarship recipients, sleeping bag accommodations, own accommodations, or the Ongoing Residence Program.
Senior Citizen Discount: Esalen offers a
special discount to individuals over 65 years
of age. The discount for a weekend workshop
is $25; for a five-day or longer program, it’s
$50. Please request this discount at the time
of registration. When you complete the reservation form on page 80, please indicate the
discounts for which you qualify. If you qualify, and you make your reservation by phone,
be sure to ask for this discount. (Please note:
Senior discounts are not available for the
Work Study Program.)
Accommodations for Families: Two full-
paying adults housed in standard accommodations may have their children in the room
for a meal charge of $20 per child per day
($10 for children under six). Note: If children are enrolled in Gazebo School Park or an
Esalen workshop, additional fees are required.
Contact the Gazebo, 831-667-3026, for
information regarding their fees.
Workshops for Families: Participating fam-
ilies will pay full workshop rates for the first
two participants (adult or child). Each additional participant will pay the following rate:
Weekend
5-day
$130
$270
Additional sleeping mats and bedding will be
provided for each room.
The Gazebo School Park
Early Childhood Program
The Gazebo School Park is a unique educational experience for children one to six years. It is
open year-round and has an average of 15 to
20 children in attendance each day.
The Early Childhood Program is available to
seminarians who would like child care at
Esalen. Child care is provided during workshop hours only. Daytime activities for the
children include gardening, pony rides, learning about animal care, exploring nature, a real
boat, the magic castle, and an Indian tepee.
Evenings are spent with a teacher in the
Gazebo Farmhouse, engaged in activities that
are age-appropriate, such as reading, learning
and playing with the computer, baking, arts
and crafts, or building-block play.
Reservations should be made at least a month
in advance. Call the Gazebo Farmhouse,
831-667-3026, for more information and
reservations.
Weekend: $250 Week: $450
next to Ordway Drug) at approximately
4:20 pm. If you plan to use this service, please
inform the Esalen office at least 24 hours
prior to your arrival. The $30 one-way fee
(subject to change) is payable to the Esalen
office when you check in. Return reservations
may be made at that time. The only departing
van service from Esalen is on Fridays and
Sundays at approximately 6:30 pm. If you plan
to use this departure service, please make sure
that your plane reservations are after 8 pm.
Schedules
Check-in/Check-out and Meals: Rooms
become available at 4 pm; however, guests are
welcome to arrive anytime after 2 pm. Weekend
programs begin with dinner on Friday and end
with brunch on Sunday. Five-day and longer
programs begin with dinner on Friday or Sunday and end with lunch on Friday or Sunday.
Check-out time is noon on departure day.
Workshops: Workshop sessions normally
begin at 8:30 on the first evening and end at
noon on the final day.
Internship Program: This is a three-month
program for those who wish to have intense
exposure to life at the Gazebo School Park and
its unique educational resources. The Internship Program offers experience with children,
the Gazebo environment, and its teaching philosophy. Applicants must have completed at
least three work scholar months at Esalen
before being considered for this program.
Call the Gazebo Farmhouse, 831-667-3026,
for more information or reservations.
1st month $450/2nd month $400/3rd month $350
Seminarians as Volunteers
Seminarians in residence at Esalen are invited
to contribute one or two hours per week to
work with the 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.
Transportation to Esalen
Ridesharing: We would like to encourage
ridesharing to reduce the number of cars on
the road and at Esalen. See the reservation
form on page 80 for ridesharing options.
Van Service: On Fridays and Sundays we
have van service from the Monterey Airport
at approximately 4 pm and from the Monterey
Transit Plaza (corner of Pearl and Alvarado,
For Your Information
Health Services: There are no medical ser-
vices or pharmaceutical supplies available at
Esalen. If you will require medical attention
or supplies during your stay, please come
prepared to administer to your own needs.
Esalen is 45 miles from the nearest medical
facility or pharmacy.
Technology and Communications:
Esalen is technologically inconvenient and
lacks ready access to e-mail, computers, faxes,
television, and other inventions to which you
may be habituated.
Money: We are unable to act as a banking service. Please bring adequate funds for your stay.
Flashlight: Please bring a flashlight for use at
night while walking on the grounds.
Snoring: All of our accommodations are
shared. You or your roommate may snore.
Please come prepared (nose guards, ear
plugs, etc.) for this possibility.
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in any
of our accommodations or meeting rooms.
Illegal Drugs: In accordance with state and
federal laws, the possession or use of illegal
drugs on Esalen grounds is strictly prohibited.
Guests: Seminarians are not allowed guests
on the property during their stay.
Pets: No pets are allowed on the property.
Lost and Found: To inquire about items left
behind from your Esalen visit, call 831-667-3019.
79
S
esalen institute reservation form
phone number. A nonrefundable deposit for each person registering
and each workshop applied for must accompany this form. (Please see
Reservation Information, page 78, under Fees and Reservations,
Making Contact with Us, and Cancellation and Refund Policy.)
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
Name of Registrant___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PLEASE PRINT
Sex: M o F o Couple o
Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________________________________________________________
State __________________________________________________
Zip _______________________________
Home Phone ( __________ ) ____________________________________________________________
Work Phone ( __________ )___________________________________________________________________
o Check if you have previously been to Esalen and this is a new address.
Passenger Van Service:
Ridesharing: If you are driving to Esalen and willing to give a ride to someone
from your area, check here o ; if you need a ride, 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?
I want transportation from (check one):
o Monterey Airport at approximately 4:00 pm on
___________________________________________________________________________________
(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)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please mark your first and second choices for housing after referring to page 78 for accommodation descriptions and rates. Total cost includes workshop fees, lodging, and meals.
o
o
o
o
Check for standard accommodations, if available.
of the passenger van service change after you have made
your reservation, please notify us. The only departing van
Check for bunk bed room, if available.
Check for sleeping bag space, if available.
service from Esalen is on Fridays and Sundays at approximately
6:30 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.
Check if you wish to room as a couple.
Write here the name(s) of any person(s) with whom you wish to room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other Notes:
All of our rooms are non-smoking. If you smoke, please plan to
do so outside.
No pets allowed.
We are unable to act as a banking service for our guests. Please
bring adequate funds for your stay.
All workshop reservations require a nonrefundable deposit. Balance is due five days
before arrival. (Own Accommodations fees must be paid in full prior to arrival.)
Your signature below authorizes Esalen to charge your credit card for the balance.
Workshop Date
The $30-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
Leader’s Name
Fee
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
o We occasionally make our mailing list available to other organizations who have services, information, or events that might
be of interest to our subscribers. Please check here if you prefer that your name be used for Esalen mailings only.
o Check here if you do not want your phone number given out
Workshop Deposits Enclosed __________________________
Tax-deductible contribution to Esalen (Optional) __________________________
$5 Catalog Contribution (Optional) __________________________
Subtotal __________________________
Total Amount Enclosed __________________________
o
o
o
o
Check here for $10 prepay discount (see page 79).
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.
Card No. ____________________________________________________________________________
Expiration Date __________________________________________________________________
RES INITIALS
CIRCLE DEPOSIT CC
DEPOSIT AMT.
RES. BK
CC AUTH. #
DATE TYPED
TYPED INITIALS
80
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
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
DATE REC.
for ridesharing.
PP
SCHOL
CK
LIMO
CA
SUS
SENIOR
Authorizing Signature _________________________________________________________
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.
Esalen Institute
Highway 1
Big Sur, California 93920-9616
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PA I D
San Francisco, CA
Permit No. 2

September 2000 Esalen Catalog

Transcription

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