June to December 2012 Esalen Catalog
Transcription
June to December 2012 Esalen Catalog
The Esalen Catalog July–December 2012 Celebrating Fifty Years of Personal & SociaL Transformation “Unique and magical—a rare combination of mind-opening ideas, direct contact with activists and thought leaders (both presenters and fellow participants!), and on top of that, a whale of a good time. We ranged from tears to hilarity, from sober contemplation to excited dialogue to moments of sheer raucous fun. Wouldn’t miss it for anything—we came straight home and put it on our calendar for next year.” — A past participant Esalen’s 50th Anniversary Benefit Weekend Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Creating the Future Special 4-Day Program – October 4-7, 2012 Marianne Williamson, Robert Reich, Byron Katie, Dean Ornish, Michael Krasny, Anna Halprin, Chungliang Al Huang, Michael Murphy, Ken Dychtwald. Other presenters and entertainers to be announced—see www.esalen.org/benefit for up-to-date details. This year Esalen Institute celebrates fifty years as a leader and catalyst in the world of personal and social transformation. Concepts and experiences originating at Esalen have influenced a wide range of areas that are a vital part of the world stage today: psychology, sustainability, health and healing, lifelong personal growth, citizen diplomacy, and our common search for meaning through religion, spirituality, and authentic personal commitments. We are celebrating Esalen’s 50th Anniversary with a very special 4-day weekend benefit event that offers what former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has characterized as “a true growth experience…a true pleasure…a community of people that understands…that personal development and social development go hand in hand.” Presenters include: Marianne Williamson, spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance and Project Angel Food Robert Reich, leading economist, author, professor at UC Berkeley, and former US Secretary of Labor Byron Katie, founder of The Work; author of four best-selling books including, Loving What Is Dean Ornish, founder of Preventive Medicine Research Institute, author, leading expert on fighting illness with dietary and lifestyle changes Michael Krasny, scholar, critic, fiction writer, and host of KQED-FM radio’s award-winning Forum program Anna Halprin, author, teacher, and for nine decades a seminal figure in the world of dance Chungliang Al Huang, philosopher, musician, author, teacher of Tai Ji, East/West Synthesis and the art of movement meditation Michael Murphy, Esalen co-founder, author and head of Esalen’s Center for Theory and Research (CTR) Ken Dychtwald, (emcee) gerontologist, and the nation’s foremost authority on the economic and cultural effects of the “age wave” Additional activities in this extended four-day program include entertainment, music and movement, yoga and meditation classes, Big Sur nature hike, a silent and live auction featuring Ashley Smith Johnson, an opportunity to engage with other Friends of Esalen, to have fun, relax, enjoy the baths, meditate and just be… All speakers are generously donating their time. By participating or sponsoring others to participate, you co-create this weekend while providing philanthropic support for Esalen Institute. To register or learn more, please contact Nancy Worcester, [email protected], 831-667-3032 or www.esalen.org/benefit for current pricing and to reserve your space. See page 63 for more details. July – December 2012 Volume li, Number 2 contents Friends of Esalen.......................................2 General Information................................3 Reflections on the Land..........................4 Guide to Workshops ................................6 Partner Programs ......................................7 DOUG ELLIS Seminar Spotlight.....................................8 Esalen Seminars......................................10 Esalen Birthday Week ...........................62 Extended Benefit Weekend.................63 Join Our 50th Year of Expanding Our Sense of Humanity 28-Day Esalen Massage Training ........84 W Work Study Program...........................105 ith this catalog season Esalen moves toward the climax of our 50th Anniversary Celebration events. Today humankind faces unprecedented challenges and exciting new opportunities to create a world of sustainability, humanity, and justice — the living promise of our creative human potential. Over the past 50 years Esalen has led the way in developing the new tools and practices that equip us to address these challenges in ever-new ways, and evolve, adapt, and lead in an ever-shifting, always open-ended future. Rates and Reservations.......................110 Leader Index..........................................113 Continuing Education Programs.....114 In areas ranging from experiential education, lifelong personal growth and development, sustainability and permaculture, integral leadership and organizational transformation, relationships and intimacy, citizen diplomacy and social change, this catalog offers building blocks for deep shifts in consciousness and windows into your own personal curriculum: adventure, healing, and new tools for transformation in your life, and in our shared world. contact This catalog also brings you your special invitation to join us for Esalen’s 50th Birthday Celebratory Benefit Weekend (inside cover, p. 63, and www.esalen.org), a unique 4-day event this year, with an all-star roster of speakers plus the stimulating company of your fellow celebrants. Don’t miss this one-time milestone extravaganza event! Also check out the fourday period leading up to the Birthday itself (p. 62), when Esalen will feature a special series of days in honor and celebration of our remarkable past and our equally amazing present — and most of all in full embrace of our shared, exciting future. Mailing Address: Esalen Institute, Always remember that the limits of the life we can create and the world we can build together are set only by the limits of our ideas and our imaginations. Join us this fall and anytime to nourish yourself and your journey with this rich feast of offerings, adding the flavor of your unique experience and perspectives to this creative flow. Celebrate, learn, and recharge! See you soon at Esalen. Gordon Wheeler President Website: www.esalen.org E-mail: [email protected] 55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920 General Information: 831-667-3000 Reservations: 9 am–7 pm every day. Preregistration is required for all Esalen programs. Online: www.esalen.org/workshops/ reservations.html Phone: Toll-free US: 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536) Local US: 831-667-3005 International: +1 703-342-0500 Fax: 831-667-2724 Mail: See address above Mail and fax reservations must include a completed reservation form, available online at www.esalen.org. Esalen Institute, 55000 Highway 1 Big Sur, California 93920-9546 friends of esalen A s a Friend of Esalen, you can help ensure Esalen’s place in the world. It is through the generosity of friends like you that Esalen can continue its mission of developing human potential. Your support not only benefits current programs, but also helps secure Esalen’s long-term financial future. Donations are tax-deductible and provide support for sustainability initiatives, intern programs, our organic farm and garden, the Gazebo Park School, special projects, and Esalen’s visionary Center for Theory & Research. As a way of showing our gratitude, Friends who donate $50 or more will receive a $25 reduction on all catalog workshops for the next twelve months. Donors will also receive the Esalen Catalog and a triannual Friends of Esalen newsletter for one year, and will be eligible to book a Personal Retreat at Esalen. Many Friends choose to make Esalen a part of their long-range plans by including a bequest or deferred gift to Esalen in their estate plans. A charitable bequest is one of the easiest ways you can make a lasting difference to the Institute. To donate online: www.esalen.org/donate Email: [email protected] Or call: 831-620-6249 Catalog Requests: 831-667-3000 q Friends Circle: $50+ q Founders Circle: $5,000+ q Hot Springs Circle: $250+ q Partners Circle: $10,000+ q Sustainers Circle: $500+ q Anniversary Circle: $25,000+ q Benefactors Circle: $1,000+ q Coast Circle: $50,000+ Name ___________________________________________________________________________ Phone___________________________________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________ City ___________________________________ State___________ Zip__________________ E-mail___________________________________________________________________________ Please make checks payable to Esalen Institute, in U.S. currency drawn on a U.S. bank, or use one of the charge cards below: q MasterCard q Visa q American Express Amount ________________________________________________________________________ Card No. _______________________________________________________________________ Exp. Date ______________________________________________________________________ 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.” Donations can also be made online at www.esalen.org. Thank you for your support. Esalen Institute is a non-profit public charity corporation, exempt from income tax under IRC section 501(c)(3). Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. Share the magic of Esalen by connecting with Esalen’s Facebook community at facebook.com/EsalenInstitute or on Twitter at twitter.com/EsalenInstitute. Esalen Board of Trustees: Sam Yau Chair Chip Conley Bill James Mary Ellen Klee Nancy Lunney-Wheeler ex officio David Lustig Tricia McEntee Anisa Mehdi Gordon Wheeler Cofounder & Chair Emeritus: Michael Murphy Program Staff: Cheryl Fraenzl, Director Jerilyn Hesse, Faculty Coordinator Kristin Bellando, Admin. Coordinator Jennifer Jaffe, Admin. Assistant John Larmour, Event Coordination Nancy Lunney-Wheeler, Advisor Stacy Carlson, Editor Terry McGrath, Design and Production Esalen Staff: Gordon Wheeler, President Tricia McEntee, CEO Jake Hesse, Facilities Elizabeth Stacey, Advancement and Marketing Doug Ellis, Marketing/Communications Jan Sinclair, Guest Services Phillip Burrus, Kitchen Kathleen Kleinsmith, Reservations Shirley Ward, Farm and Garden Josef London, Housekeeping Deborah Medow, Healing Arts Christina Dauenhauer, Grounds Eric Moya, Residential Education Denise Byrne, Information Services Sonya Sirrs, Accounting Eric Erickson, Security Daniel Cyrns, Maintenance Carolyn Shearer, Bookstore Scott Stillinger, Human Resources The Esalen Catalog is published biannually by the Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA 93920-9546. Printed on recycled paper. ©2012 Esalen Institute. All rights reserved. ISSN 1088-2782 front cover photograph: Doug Ellis back cover: Kodiak Greenwood, Doug Ellis Coming to Esalen? Bring Your Kids! Did you know that our Gazebo Park School offers experiential daycare as a service to visiting parents? Gazebo offers children ages 1–7 the opportunity for full immersion in the natural world through a rich, child-centered park environment. Activities include planting, harvesting, eating, and composting fruits and vegetables, exploring nature, caring for animals, art projects, cooking, stories, dramatic play, and more! Childcare Rates for parents in workshops: KODIAK GREENWOOD • Daily: $150 full day/$75 half day • Weekly: $500 full day/$250 half day We offer monthly rates for local Big Sur families on a sliding scale based on income. To reserve your spot, call Gazebo Park School at 831-667-3026 or email [email protected]. 2 general information S ince 1962, The Esalen Institute has been devoted to the exploration of what Aldous Huxley called the “human potential,” the world of unrealized human capacities that lies at the growing edge of consciousness. Esalen is known for its blend of East/West philosophies, experiential/didactic workshops, a steady influx of expert teachers from around the world, and its breathtaking grounds and natural hot springs. Once home to a Native American tribe called the Esselen, Esalen is situated on the spectacular Big Sur coastline with the Santa Lucia Mountains rising sharply behind. There are many ways to experience Esalen. Workshops Weekend, five- and seven-day workshops and seminars range in subject matter from Gestalt to visual art. The Guide to Workshops on pages 6–7 provides a list of all programs by subject, and the Seminars section contains full descriptions of weekend, five-, and seven-day programs, listed chronologically. Work Study Work Study programs provide an intensive month-long course of study for those who want to make a directed commitment to self-exploration, growth, and the Esalen community for a longer period. See page 105 for a full description of the Work Study program. In addition to its structured programs, Esalen has many ongoing events and features to enrich your stay. Esalen® Massage and Bodywork Esalen has long been known for its unique massage and bodywork modalities, developed by innovative practitioners at the baths overlooking the Pacific, and offered to guests during their stay. Esalen Massage incorporates long flowing strokes over the whole body, and helps release the stresses of everyday life, leaving the receiver feeling integrated and deeply relaxed. Other modalities often available at Esalen include Cortical Field Reeducation®, Craniosacral Work, LaStone®, Rolfing, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, and Transformational Kinesiology. Massage and bodywork reservations must be made and paid for in advance through Esalen Reservations. If you are coming to Esalen for a massage only, or to make an appointment for a massage at Esalen’s Carmel Center, please call 831-667-3002. Hot Springs Esalen is the steward of a natural hot springs overlooking the Pacific. The hot springs are a source of relaxation and healing for those who visit, and you may catch a glimpse into the life of a sea otter, seal, or migratory whale while you enjoy the baths. Swimsuits are optional, and nudity common, in the hot springs and massage areas. Personal Retreats Personal Retreats offer the opportunity to nourish body, mind, heart, and soul without participating in a workshop. Those on Personal Retreat structure their time at Esalen themselves, and can participate in daily yoga and movement classes, enjoy the hot springs, meditate, and explore Esalen’s beautiful land. Esalen Personal Retreats are open only to members of the Friends of Esalen program, which supports Esalen’s transformational mission. For additional benefits of membership, and to join Friends of Esalen, please see page 2. See page 111 for Personal Retreat fee information. Daily Movement Arts Classes Every day, Esalen offers a schedule of free classes open to everyone. Offerings can include yoga, chanting, meditation, free-form dance, and didjeridoo meditation at the baths. You will receive a schedule when you arrive. Wednesday Evening Programs Esalen hosts visiting scholars and teachers, who interface with the rest of the Esalen community in many ways. Usually there is a scheduled program on Wednesday evenings for visiting scholars, workshop leaders, or Esalen staff to share their expertise with the larger Esalen community. Farm and Garden Esalen’s five-acre farm and garden produces hundreds of varieties of vegetables for the kitchen. In addition to enjoying the farm and garden’s bounty during mealtimes, guests may wander among the fields, enjoy the flowers during spring and summer, participate in farm- and permaculture-oriented workshops throughout the year, and volunteer with the farm and garden crew during their stay. Children and Families Esalen welcomes families and offers a selection of family-oriented workshops and child care. See page 7 for a full listing of family-friendly workshops. See page 111 for child care options. Accommodations Esalen offers several types of accommodations including standard shared rooms, premium rooms, and the Point Houses. For full descriptions and pricing, see page 110. Friends of Esalen Friends of Esalen are supporters whose donations of $50 or more will benefit Esalen programs and help build Esalen’s long-term financial base. Please see page 2 for a description of the many benefits of becoming a Friend. Accreditation and Continuing Education Many educational institutions recognize Esalen programs as eligible for credit in their curricula; check with your university or college. Additional information can be provided if needed. Esalen provides continuing education (CE) credit for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses, and bodyworkers. See page 113 for details. For additional details about your stay at Esalen, please see page 112. Esalen is a center for experimental education. We offer neither psychotherapy nor assurances of change. 3 Community Voices Reflections on the Land Steven Harper is a wilderness guide, author, artist, longtime Esalen leader, and Big Sur resident. His work focuses on wild nature as a vehicle for awakening. See pages 13, 32, 49, and 74 for his workshops. Wildness, rich diversity, and the dramatic meeting of edges — both inner and outer — converge to create the place we call Big Sur. Here the elements meet, greet, and co-create. Fire, Air, Earth, and Water come together in a manner so clearly on display that we have no choice but to come to our senses and awaken in our human body. Esalen’s underlying support comes from a constellation of dynamic factors. Well before spoken word and long before people, the elemental dance of creation has been and is now forming and shaping this mountain seascape. If we look at Esalen as just the human-inhabited grounds, we miss the deeper integral webs that literally ground and connect us to the extended community of things — to the timeless source of everything. From this heartfelt and bodily-felt basis we are supported in allowing ourselves to try on the new and different, to deepen, to ask the frightening questions, to touch that which has not been touched. Nature here is not separate, but inclusive of all, and it is the primary teacher of those human beings that choose to inhabit this wild coast. 4 Christine Stewart Price is a teacher and ongoing student of Gestalt Awareness Practice. She was married to Esalen co-founder Richard Price. See pages 11, 12, 48, and 78 for her workshops. Long before any of us fell in love with this place it was home to others, for many generations. In the “Institute Era” of the past fifty years, there have been weddings celebrated, often for couples who met on the property. We have blessed pregnancies, held vigil during births, and delighted in the babies who arrived. We’ve gathered to mourn our dead and rejoice in their lives. Within the shelter of the cypresses, fortified by the sound of the ocean, I have birthed one child here. I’ve said goodbye to my father, my first husband, and another child here. In these very personal ways this property holds my life, my history, and the history of so many of us. I am only one of many who have experienced profound moments of their lives within these village gates. This includes what happens within the bodies, psyches, and souls of those who come here to explore their inner landscape. In these moments of deep opening, we bond with this land, like a newborn turning toward the biggest, nearest, warmest presence. From that moment forward, we belong to this place in some way, and it to us. DOUG ELLIS Mackenzie (Mac) Murphy was raised on Esalen land. He is a holistic health practitioner and the son of Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy As an offspring of the land, I find myself interconnected with the elements in motion at Esalen. I feel the rhythms of the ocean in my heart and the waves coinciding with emotions. All of the elements are represented here: The crisp Big Sur air; the rocky cliffs emerging from the waters; and the earth-warmed springs, bubbling into the bathhouse. The healing culmination of the elements entices the seeker to ground, expand, and to move into a primordial way of being. The spirit of the land is powerful, magnetizing travelers from all over the world. I pray for its continued prosperity — for the land, the institute, and for the heritage and continuing legacy of the Esselen Indians who inhabited this place for so long. Esalen is a beacon of transformation: in the personal, social, and spiritual domains — as long as we listen to the inherent wisdom that is intertwined into the DNA of the Esalen land. Geneen Marie Haugen & Bill Plotkin offer immersions in Soulcraft and in re- wilding our relationships with nature and psyche. See page 103 for their workshop. Esalen is a place where the veil between human dreams and Earth’s dreams is thin, a place where the psyches of human beings become porous to our planet’s longings. The land, waters, and sky of Big Sur deeply inform the immersions we offer at Esalen, where the splendor of the world is experienced in scents of sea and jasmine, glimpses of otters, Gray whales, and condors, thermal spring baths, and in the bounty of the gardens and kitchen. Here, all but the toughest ego-identities crack open in both ecstasy and grief — grief that the human venture has strayed so far from honoring the exquisite exuberance of life, and ecstasy for the glimmering sense that far, far more is possible for each of us, and for our species. The Esalen Grounds Crew consists of five staff and three workscholars. They tend Esalen land day in and day out. We, the grounds crew, are stewards of this land. We have the privilege of maintaining the beauty that exists naturally here. We start our days in silent meditation, giving thanks for all that is provided. Then we make ourselves heard Esalen-wide: singing, laughing, and working until we drop. When you work in the dirt and breathe in the air this land becomes a part of you — a part of us. We try to reflect that love back into the land, and thus better our community. We hope that every person can have a piece of the beauty, love, and magic that flow in this sacred land, and take it back out into the world. Visit www.esalen.org for more Reflections on the Land. 5 V guide to workshops T his is a guide to the workshops offered in this catalog. Many of them defy easy categorization and could be cross-referenced across many disciplines; most are listed in one or two main subject areas. If you have never been to Esalen or taken an Esalen workshop, you might consider the “Experiencing Esalen” workshop scheduled throughout the catalog and listed in the Integral Practices section of this guide. Please call the Esalen office if you have questions concerning a workshop. S ARTS & CREATIVITY Visual Arts July 1-6 • The Magic of Metal July 13-20 • Guiding Lights in Film Aug 5-10 • Framing Nature: Photography Aug 12-17 • Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Aug 17-19 • The Passion of Painting Sept 9-14 • The Alchemical art of Glass Fusing Sept 16-21 • Painting the Inner and Outer Landscape Oct 19-21 • Divinatory Cards: SoulCollage® Oct 21-26 • SoulCollage® and the New Paradigm Nov 11-16 • Painting Improvisations Nov 25-30 • Inspired Art / Inspired Life Dec 2-7 • Awakening the Creative: Painting Dec 9-14 • Discover Your Soul Mandala Writing July 15-20 • Bone Knowing: Access Intuition July 22-27 • The Writing Life Aug 5-10 • The Way of Story Oct 7-12 • Straw into Gold: Memoir Oct 12-19 • The Artplane Painting Workshop Oct 26-28 • The Sun Celebrates Personal Writing Oct 28-Nov 2 • Writing the Wild Nov 9-11 • Writing For Our Lives Nov 18-23 • Deepening the Characters We Create Dec 23-28 • Crafting Your Journey through Memoir Music / Rhythm / Dance July 1-6 • Soul Motion™: Taking Refuge July 8-13 • Dance of Oneness®: Dance Your Passion July 29-Aug 3 • Empowering Creativity Aug 3-5 • The Ecstasy of Sound: Music and Healing Aug 19-24 • Building a Vocal Community Aug 31-Sept 2 • 5Rhythms®: Heartbeat Sept 16-21 • Songwriting: Catch and Release Sept 21-23 • Soul Motion™: Alone Together Sept 23-28 • Soul Motion™: Sanctuary Oct 14-19 • Spirit Songs: The Power of Gospel Oct 14-19 • The Dancing Buddha Oct 21-26 • Songs of the Heart Nov 16-18 • Soul Motion™: The Dance of the Master Nov 25-30 • 5Rhythms®: Heartbeat Dec 23-30 • Soul Motion™: Tenderness Dec 30-Jan 4 • The Natural Singer Creative Expression / Theater Aug 26-31 • Sharing Your Life Story: Page to Stage Oct 12-14 • Everyday Spontaneity Nov 23-25 • Improv Inspiration: Wit and Wisdom Dec 23-30 • A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life 6 S THE BODY Massage July 6-8 • Advanced Esalen® Massage July 22-27 • Current Trends in Esalen® Massage Aug 10-12 • Esalen® Massage in Motion Aug 12-17 • Traditional Thai Massage Sept 2-7 • Meridian Massage: Touch and Core Energy Sept 14-16 • Massage Retreat for Couples Sept 16-21 • The Art of Touch: Esalen® Massage Oct 7-12 • Healing Art of Deep Bodywork Oct 12-14 • Fundamentals of Esalen® Massage Nov 9-11 • Esalen® Massage in the Side-Lying Position Nov 30-Dec 2 • Esalen® Massage for Couples Dec 2-7 • Deep Tissue Techniques Dec 21-23 • Holiday Couples Group Dec 23-28 • Esalen® Massage and Presence Somatic Practices / Movement / Sports July 1-6 • Introduction to Cortical Field Reeducation® July 15-20 • Walking on Clouds: Tai Chi Aug 3-5 • Recapturing Your Posture Aug 19-24 • Core Zero Balancing—Part I Aug 19-24 • Wild Serenity Aug 24-26 • Energy Medicine Aug 24-26 • Spinal Awareness (with Humor) Aug 26-31 • Advanced CranioSacral Therapy 1 Aug 26-31 • The Gokhale Method™ Aug 31-Sept 7 • Gokhale Method® Teacher Training Sept 9-14 • Therapeutic Imagery and Diolague 1 Sept 21-23 • Taoist Chi Kung: The Cloud Hands Oct 12-19 • The Future of the Body: Continuum Oct 14-19 • The Refined Hakomi Method Oct 21-26 • CranioSacral Therapy 2 Oct 26-28 • Zero Balancing Open Forum Oct 28-Nov 2 • Gateway to Soul: Process Acupressure Oct 28-Nov 2 • The Spirited Body Nov 2-4 • Anatomy Trains® and Fascial Fitness Nov 4-9 • Visceral Manipulation 1 Nov 11-16 • Spiritweaves™: Rites of Belonging Nov 18-23 • Feldenkrais® Spinal Awareness Nov 25-30 • Essential Practice: Tai Ji Dec 2-7 • Brilliant Body: Conquering Injury and Pain Dec 7-14 • Gokhale Method® Teacher Training Dec 14-16 • Luminous Being: Radiance Sutras Dec 21-23 • Spinal Awareness (with Humor) S PSYCHOLOGY & RELATIONSHIP Psychological / Transpersonal Process June 29-July 1 • Strengthening the Heart June 29-July 1 • Intro to Gestalt Awareness Practice July 1-6 • Gestalt Awareness Practice July 1-6 • Leading Your Life July 8-13 • Not for The Feint of Heart July 8-13 • Intelligent Risk Taking July 15-20 • Families Under Pressure July 20-22 • Public Speaking July 22-27 • Awakening the Heart July 22-27 • Meditative Hypnosis July 29-Aug 3 • Relational Gestalt Process Aug 3-5 • Introduction to Radical Aliveness Aug 5-10 • The Radically Alive Leader Aug 10-12 • Open Your Heart, Reclaim Your Health Aug 17-19 • Walking an Authentic Path Aug 19-24 • The Joy of an Open Heart Aug 24-26 • Embodiment Tools Aug 26-31 • Dream Action and Dream Meanings Aug 31-Sept 2 • Claiming Your Voice Sept 2-7 • Gestalt Awareness Practice Sept 7-9 • The Work and Future Generations Sept 9-14 • Eat by Choice, Not by Habit Sept 14-16 • Presence: The Heart of Connection Sept 14-16 • The Art of Joyful Living Sept 16-21 • The Courage to Be You Sept 28-30 • The Stories We Tell through Our Bodies Oct 14-19 • Healing Traumatized Hearts Oct 19-21 • The Art of Leadership Oct 19-21 • Integrated Brief Therapy Oct 21-26 • Living in Gratitude Oct 28-Nov 2 • Abandonment to Healing Nov 4-9 • Gestalt Awareness Practice Nov 9-11 • Butterfly Wisdom Nov 16-18 • Changes and Transitions: 30s and 40s Nov 18-23 • Angels and Traitors Nov 18-23 • The MAX Nov 18-23 • Sweet Mischief: Self-Realization Nov 25-30 • Reclaiming Your Authentic Self Nov 25-30 • Gestalt Practice and CFR® Nov 30-Dec 2 • Thriving in Uncertainty Dec 2-7 • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Dec 2-7 • Total Immersion for Total Transformation Dec 7-9 • Rest, Rejuvenation and Renewal: Pause Dec 14-16 • Love Yourself and the Rest Will Follow Dec 21-23 • Loving Yourself Dec 28-30 • This Year I Will... Relationship / Sexuality / Gender July 13-15 • Getting the Love You Want: Couples July 15-20 • Becoming Able-Hearted July 20-27 • Healing the Pelvic Floor: Power, Sexuality July 27-29 • Opening to Relationship: For Gay Men Aug 10-12 • Why We Choose What We Choose Aug 17-19 • Celebrate Seventy! For Women Aug 17-19 • Couples’ Communication Retreat Aug 26-31 • Relational Mindfulness Sept 9-14 • Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving Sept 9-14 • From Isolation to Intimacy Sept 23-28 • The Intimate Couple: IBP Sept 28-30 • The Extraordinary Couples Workshop Oct 7-12 • Pleasure, Intimacy and Connectedness Nov 11-16 • Secrets to Lasting Intimacy for Couples Nov 16-18 • Wild and Precious Life: For Women Dec 2-7 • The Second Half of Life: For Women Dec 14-16 • Traer Calma y Equilibrio a Nuestras Vidas Dec 21-23 • Mindful Communication S NEUROPSYCHOLOGY / NEUROSCIENCE / PARAPSYCHOLOGY July 6-8 • Brain Integration and Self-Development July 13-15 • Words Can Change Your Brain Aug 12-17 • Forgiveness: Brain Change Therapy Aug 31-Sept 2 • The Neuroscience of Resilience Sept 23-28 • Buddha’s Brain S SOCIAL /POLITICAL ISSUES Nov 23-25 • Social Entrepreneurship S PROFESSIONAL GROWTH / TRAINING July 8-13 • Mindfulness with Youth Training July 29-Aug 3 • Full Body Presence Aug 12-17 • StoryPlay®: Play Therapy Aug 31-Sept 7 • EMDR (Parts 1 and 2) Sept 16-21 • Tai Chi Easy™ Oct 19-21 • Yoga One on One Nov 18-Dec 16 • 28-day Esalen® Massage S PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY June 29-July 1 • Paradigm Shift Then and Now July 1-6 • Knowing the Self, Understanding the Mind July 20-22 • Natural Mind-Brain Change Effortlessly Aug 17-19 • The Energetics of Consciousness Aug 19-24 • The Energetics of Consciousness Sept 14-16 • Science Set Free: Dispelling Dogmas Sept 28-30 • Science, Shamanism and the Hidden Self Oct 19-21 • Civilized to Death Nov 2-4 • What’s Next? Revisioning Our Lives Nov 9-11 • The Holy Fool Dec 28-30 • Living Deeply: Transformation S NATURE / ECOLOGY / SUSTAINABILITY June 29-July 1 • An Ecology of Relationships July 1-6 • Simply Wild: Experiencing Nature July 29-Aug 3 • Summer in the Full Moon Garden Aug 3-5 • Succulent Design Aug 5-10 • Big Sur Wilderness Experience Aug 24-26 • Experiencing the Farm and Garden Sept 2-7 • Belonging to Earth Sept 23-28 • Experiencing the Farm and Garden Oct 21-26 • The Nature of Movement Nov 25-Dec 2 • Permaculture Teacher Training Nov 30-Dec 2 • The Tao of Ecology Dec 7-9 • Energy Efficiency for Climate Protection Dec 21-23 • The Festive Cuisine of the Caribbean S SPIRITUALITY Contemplative / Spiritual Studies July 13-15 • Sacred Activism in a Chaotic Time July 15-20 • Music, Spirituality and the Brain July 20-22 • Buddhism and the Twelve Steps July 20-27 • Tibetan Buddhism and Continuum Aug 12-17 • The Transformational Enneagram Aug 17-19 • The Embodied Life™ Aug 19-24 • Gratitude and Forgiveness Sept 9-14 • The Shift: Living in the Flow Sept 16-21 • Relaxed & Awake: Meditation, Feldenkrais® Sept 21-23 • Hidden School, Open Path Sept 28-30 • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Oct 12-14 • Being Present For Your Life Oct 21-26 • Awake in the Wild: Meditation in Nature Nov 9-11 • Falling in Love with the Divine: Nov 11-16 • Way of the Dreamer: Active Dreaming Nov 16-18 • The Heart of Buddhism Nov 23-25 • Applied Zen Nov 30-Dec 2 • Partners in Integration Nov 30-Dec 2 • Spiritual Awakening: Meditation Dec 7-14 • “Pointing Out” Way of Tibetan Meditation Dec 14-16 • Heartfelt Wisdom Dec 14-16 • The Science and Practice of Mindfulness Dec 21-23 • The Power of Mindfulness Dec 23-28 • Entering the Heart of Love Dec 30-Jan 4 • New Year’s Meditation Yoga June 29-July 1 • Learn to Thrive through Change July 6-8 • Esalen Embodied Arts Retreat July 27-29 • Advanced Yoga for Everyone July 29-Aug 3 • Advanced Yoga for Everyone Intensive Aug 5-10 • 2012 Maya Wisdom and Yoga Retreat Aug 12-17 • Radiant Body Yoga Aug 26-31 • Yantra Yoga: Perfect Rhythm of Life Sept 9-14 • Jivamukti Yoga Immersion Sept 16-21 • The Three Faces of Spirit Sept 28-30 • Prime of Life Yoga™: Midlife and Beyond Oct 12-14 • Yoga Psychology Oct 14-19 • Yoga Practice: Body, Mind and Spirit Nov 2-4 • Gratitude Retreat Nov 4-9 • Yoga and Addiction Recovery Nov 11-16 • Advanced Yoga for Everyone Intensive Nov 16-18 • Advanced Yoga for Everyone Nov 23-25 • Heart Fire: Tending the Flame Nov 25-30 • Awakened Heart, Embodied Mind Dec 14-16 • Kripalu Yoga Immersion Dec 21-23 • Moving into Stillness: Winter Solstice Yoga Dec 28-30 • Meditation, Yoga and the New Paradigm Dec 30-Jan 4 • Shadow Yoga and Buddhist Meditation Myth / Ritual / Shamanism Sept 14-16 • Chanting, Ritual and Resonance Nov 18-23 • Thanksgiving and Gratitude Dec 30-Jan 4 • Re-Wilding the Future S Aug 5-10 • Be Present Family Camp Aug 10-12 • Magic and Music in the Gardens Aug 24-26 • Kids Beyond Limits Aug 31-Sept 2 • The Magical Family S V Check out this season’s Milton H. Erickson Foundation Promoting and advancing Erickson’s contributions to the health sciences. Brain Integration and Self-Development, page 14. Foster Natural Mind-Brain Change, page 23. Meditative Hypnosis, page 24. StoryPlay®, page 36. Brain Change Therapy, page 37. Dream Action, Dream Meanings, page 46. Integrated Brief Therapy, page 71. Gokhale Method Institute Helping people reclaim pain-free posture and movement. The Gokhale Method® for a Pain-Free Life, page 45. Gokhale Method® Teacher Training, pages 47 and 95. International Alliance of Healthcare Educators and The Upledger Institute Partner Programs Full Body Presence: Energize Your Life, page 18. Full Body Presence: Healthy Boundaries, page 27. Advanced CranioSacral Therapy 1, page 44. Therapeutic Imagery and Dialogue 1, page 51. CranioSacral Therapy 2, page 72. Visceral Manipulation 1, page 77. Social Venture Network Inspiring and supporting innovation and influential social entrepreneurship. Succeeding with Your Soul Intact, page 33. Enlightened Leadership in Challenging Times, page 33. Stand and Deliver Helping leaders achieve exceptional results through powerful communication. Speak to Inspire, page 35. CHILDREN / FAMILIES / EDUCATION ECONOMICS / BUSINESS / LEADERSHIP July 8-13 • Creating the Work You Love Aug 3-5 • The Leadership Clinic Aug 10-12 • SVN’s Succeeding with Your Soul Intact: Aug 10-12 • Speak to Inspire Aug 17-19 • The Transition Catalyst Intensive Nov 2-4 • SVN’s Enlightened Leadership Nov 9-11 • Crafting Careers that Truly Fit S HEALTH / HEALING July 6-8 • Practical Intuition: Intuitive Lifestyle July 6-8 • The Alchemy of Abundance July 13-15 • Full Body Presence July 27-29 • Your Inner Voice: Power of Intuition Aug 19-24 • Healing Your Heart 101 Sept 9-14 • Eat by Choice, Not by Habit Sept 23-28 • Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality Oct 12-14 • A Renaissance In Herbal Medicine Oct 19-21 • Living the Anticancer Lifestyle Oct 21-26 • Alchemical Healing Dec 7-14 • Wisdom Healing Qigong™ S INTEGRAL PRACTICES Aug 3-5 • Experiencing Esalen Sept 21-23 • Experiencing Esalen Sept 28-30 • ITP®: 40 Years of the Esalen Experience Offering light-touch therapy training programs, information, and products. 7 seminar spotlight A Closer Look I n this section, we highlight a few of the programs we are especially excited about this season, so that you can learn a bit more about our faculty and their specific areas of expertise. Enjoy! Kelly McGonigal & Leah Weiss Ekstrom Nora Bateson & Rex Weyler Nora Bateson writes, “As a child growing up at Esalen, my early memories are of scampering up Big Sur hillsides barefooted, reaching for stable footing on the crumbly earth. It was a good metaphor; it taught me to be flexible. If there is one thing I learned at Esalen, it is that with any luck, and with a great deal of courage, the process of learning to learn never stops. Kelly McGonigal writes, “My passion is bringing together two seemingly disparate ways of understanding suffering and how to relieve it: science and Eastern wisdom. I’m trained as a research scientist and I’m fascinated by new insights about how the brain works, the mind-body relationship, what makes us happy, how we find strength, and how people heal. I’m also a long-time practitioner of Buddhist meditation and yoga, and have been profoundly moved by these traditions’ understanding of suffering. There is so much wisdom to draw on, from the idea of deep practice as a path for freedom, to the importance of supportive community.” “Some may remember my father, Gregory Bateson, lumbering up from the Esalen baths in the 60s and 70s. His body showed age, but his mind was incredibly nimble. He liked to talk about ecology as the totality, or pattern, of relations. Now, thirty-two years after his death, Gregory’s ideas are experiencing a new traction. The world has changed. Now more than ever, his notion of life within dynamic systems provides useful tools to expand our frames of perception. Between and among living things there is only integrated interaction. It is the restless conversation between all subjects: history, biology, creatures, math, psychology, anthropology, and you and me. “This year, as Esalen celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is an honor to bring this conversation—that began so many years ago—to new light. After traveling around the world with the film, An Ecology of Mind, I am happy to be coming back to my childhood home, to play with the ideas, to dangle in uncertainty, and to find footing in the rhythms of nature’s patterns.” See An Ecology of Relationships in Science, Art and Life, June 29–July1. 8 Leah Weiss Ekstrom writes, “Sharing meditation practices with refugees to heal trauma, and with clinicians to transform burnout and compassion fatigue, has greatly informed my approach to suffering and its alleviation. My adult life has alternated between clinical social service work and long meditation retreats. That contemplative practice and service—together—can engage personal and social suffering in a meaningful way is at the heart of my understanding of compassion.” McGonigal and Ekstrom’s workshop is offered through the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research (CCARE), an organization based at Stanford University that conducts and supports rigorous scientific studies of compassion and altruistic behavior. See Strengthening the Heart with Compassion, June 29–July 1. Miguel Angel Vergara & Saul David Raye Mayan shaman Miguel Angel Vergara writes, “The ancient Mayan teachers said, ‘Everything will be unveiled to humankind in its right time and at the right hour.’ According to the Mayan calendar the year 2012 is 12 BAKTUN, 6 AHAU, the ‘time of the return of the wise men.’ All of us have been preparing for this new beginning, in which love and wisdom will shine again. “The Mayan prophecy of 2012 is about a time of hope, humility, forgiveness, and love. It is a time to go to the very depths of our being and a time to share who we are for the benefit of humankind. The prophecy will exist only in the reflection of our state of consciousness and our belonging to the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky. The Mayan elders are very clear that 2012 is not an exact date, and it is not the end of the world. It is the time of a great shift in our consciousness.” Don Miguel and yoga teacher Saul David Raye bring together the sacred traditions of Mayan wisdom and Tantra yoga and integrate these teachings with their students’ contemporary lives. There are ancient connections between the Maya and the yogis of India. The roots of yoga lie in a tantric and shamanic past, connected to the cycles, rhythms, and forces of the universe. During their Esalen workshop, the leaders will explore the profound ways to connect directly with those energies. See Heart of the Sky, Heart of the Earth: 2012 Maya Wisdom and Yoga Retreat, August 5–10. Rick Hanson Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist who writes and teaches about the inner skills of psychological healing, personal growth, spiritual practice, and healthy relationships. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and affiliate of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, Rick has taught at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and in meditation centers internationally. After growing up in the suburbs of LA, he dove into the human potential movement of the early 1970s. He went to graduate school in developmental psychology and then got a Master’s and a PhD in clinical psychology. His work developed into an exploration of the intersection of three circles: brain science, psychology, and contemplative practice, and in 2009, he wrote Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (now in 20 languages). “With the power of modern neuroscience, informed by ancient contemplative wisdom, you can use your mind alone to change your brain for the better,” says Hanson. “This presents truly amazing opportunities for personal wellbeing, fulfilling relationships, and a more peaceful world.” His most recent book, Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time, is about the power of practice: doing those little things in your mind that add up over time to big results. Rick says he loves Esalen: “I’d of course heard about it forever, and when I finally came here it was even more wonderful than I’d imagined. It’s a great place for feeling nurtured, going deep, having fun, feeding your soul, and lifting your heart.” See Buddha’s Brain: Lighting up the Neural Circuits of Happiness, Love and Wisdom, September 23–28. Tom Myers “My journey into the body started at Esalen way back in 1974,” Tom Myers writes. “This journey began as a youthful lark, but deepened rapidly into a career. Through Michael Murphy’s book, The Future of the Body: Explorations into the Further Evolution of Human Nature, and my studies with Ida Rolf and Moshe Feldenkrais, I burrowed into the literal stuff of our corporeal selves: the nerves, fluid exchange, the fascia. I developed a focus in my work and ended up writing some books myself. Anatomy Trains and Fascial Release are all about how to see the patterns between body and spirit and how to connect parts into wholes. How can such base matter manifest such alchemical gifts of spirit? “Now we stand on a threshold: the industrial age is over and the electronic age is washing over us like a tsunami. Our images of heart as pump, lung as bellows, liver as factory, or muscles as levers are all a century out of date. We are entering a world of fluid information, of multiple but tenuous connecting bonds, a world where many of our kids are thoroughly divorced from ‘nature’ as we oldsters knew it — a nature that anyway is rapidly changing. “How do we reduce the stress of constant adaptation for those of us who grew up in a steadier-state world? How do we educate the Neolithic bodies of our youngsters to live successfully in this electronic world? I am pleased to come back to Esalen to present an experiential exploration of both ancient and modern solutions to these questions. And I’m glad to say these solutions are a lot of fun.” See The Spirited Body, October 28 – November 2 and Anatomy Trains and Fascial Fitness, November 2–4. 9 KODIAK GREENWOOD esalen seminars Weekend of June 29–July 1 An Ecology of Relationships in Life, Science and Art ences with nature and society, we will examine the paradigms that keep us bound to non-sustainable thought patterns. We will liberate habitual patterns and rediscover the creative potential of an ever-changing mind in a changing world. Nora Bateson & Rex Weyler Our world is made of relationships. Our bodies are a dynamic interplay of processes. Even our most personal thoughts arise within an ecology of ideas and contexts. Science does not describe “things” but rather changes, patterns, and reciprocity. Simply: Relationships. Humans co-evolve with every creature in nature and with every social context. Our lives are the stories of these relationships. Learning is a dance with a dynamic world. Join Nora Bateson, daughter of Gregory Bateson and director of the film An Ecology of Mind, and author and Greenpeace International co-founder Rex Weyler for a weekend of synchronizing our lives with nature’s patterns. Using Gregory Bateson’s ideas of communication and relation, and our own direct experi10 We’re on a quest for a new kind of thinking before we propose solutions. We need to ask new questions. When Gregory Bateson asked, “What is the pattern that connects?” he nudged us to observe relationships and change. Nature is our guide because the patterns of living systems hold the secrets to revitalize human systems, grow healthy communities, and heal our relationships. See Seminar Spotlight, page 8. Nora Bateson wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father Gregory Bateson’s way of thinking. She has developed curriculum for schools, written for several journals, and produced and directed multimedia projects on intercultural understanding. Rex Weyler is a writer and ecologist. His books include Pulitzer-nominated Blood of the Land, Greenpeace: The Inside Story, and Chop Wood, Carry Water: Finding Spirituality in Everyday Life. Weyler was a cofounder of Greenpeace International and the Hollyhock education center. www.rexweyler.com. Strengthening the Heart with Compassion Kelly McGonigal & Leah Weiss Ekstrom Experience a weekend immersion in compassion cultivation, based on the Stanford Compassion Training program developed by psychologists, scientists, and contemplative scholars at Stanford University. Explore strategies for strengthening self-compassion, connecting with others, finding peace in difficult circumstances, and overcoming compassion fatigue. This session will include lecture, gentle yoga movement and breathing practices, meditation, self-reflection, and discussion. You will also learn about the scientific research demonstrat- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ing the benefits of training compassion, and strategies for sharing these practices with others. To learn more about the Stanford Compassion Training program, visit www.ccare.stanford.edu. mance. Her provocative and original works have been honored with seven Bay Area Critics’ Circle Awards and three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. See Seminar Spotlight, page 8. Learn to Thrive through Change CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. Amy Ippoliti Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, and a senior teacher for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. She is the author of The Willpower Instinct and Yoga for Pain Relief. Leah Weiss Ekstrom directs compassion education for the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University. She practices in the Tibetan tradition and has taught meditation in a variety of secular contexts for more than 10 years. She cofounded the Foundation for Active Compassion. Paradigm Shift Then and Now: Building the Future Together Ralph Abraham & Nina Wise Many people believe we are on the brink of a paradigm shift of great magnitude—as great as the 17th Century’s Scientific Revolution which effectively removed the earth from its tyrannical reign at the center of the universe and set the stage for material science to reign in the minds of men. As so often happens in the course of historic developments, progress is made at the cost of something of value being left behind. Many have posited that in these early years of the 21st century, as we move forward into perceiving the universe not as a collection of distinct and independent parts but as a unified system of interconnected and interrelated beings, that we have the opportunity to reclaim what was lost in the past. In this workshop we will explore this last major paradigm shift in human consciousness, discuss its implications for those living today, and together be active agents in ushering in a new paradigm. The workshop will include talks by Ralph Abraham, dialogues between Ralph and Nina Wise, group discussion, and some movement and easy theater games led by Nina to loosen our bodies and minds and create group synergy. Ralph Abraham chaos mathematician and theorist, is the author or coauthor of several math texts and three philosophical books. He is professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz. Nina Wise is a performance artist and founder of Yoga teaches you that the only thing certain is uncertainty, but it doesn’t just stop there, it teaches you how to skillfully navigate the changing tides of life, loss, and love. In this weekend gathering you will be shown: • Empowering standing poses, single-leg balancing poses, and arm balances designed to strengthen your resolve and fortify your core • Fun, new poses that spark your creativity • Morning rituals that you can do at home to set the tone for your day and inspire you to take action toward your dreams and goals • Specific practices you can do at home to instantly shift your mood and outlook on life • How to be a leader even in the face of challenge • Make lifetime friends to support you as true companions on the path Please bring a yoga mat. Amy Ippoliti travels the globe helping people bridge the gap between ancient yoga wisdom and modern day life. She has appeared on the covers of Yoga Journal and Fit Yoga Magazine, and inside numerous publications nationally and internationally. Introduction to Gestalt Awareness Practice Christine Price 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, Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. Emotional and energetic release and rebalancing are also allowed and encouraged. The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than interpersonal. Participants are not patients but persons actively consenting to explore in awareness. The leader functions to reflect, clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness, and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or accomplishment. This introductory workshop is both didactic and experiential. Utilizing group exercises, meditations, and discussion, participants work with each other to explore ways of increasing our quality of awareness as well as working with what arises in the process. Open seat work may be included but is not the focus of the workshop. Please note: Meeting times for this workshop are longer than the average Esalen workshop. Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Christine Stewart Price is a teacher and ongoing student of Gestalt Awareness Practice and other approaches to developing awareness. Week of July 1–6 Knowing the Self through Understanding the Mind Pierre Grimes Communications from the mind are as profound as they are utterly appropriate to our circumstances, for while the scope of the mind is pervasive, its precision is always directed to what is personally and philosophically significant. During this workshop, we will explore a new paradigm that offers a profound understanding of the way the mind functions and communicates with us for our benefit. The self is always seeking completion; hence, our choice of goals, the problems we face, the daydreams and fantasies we have, the seemingly random thoughts that occur during our meditations and the dreams that visit us in our sleep—each and every one of them is a doorway into the richest source of insights into our lives. What we discover through these insights is that the mind itself continually provides evidence of its own goodness and intelligibility. The master craftsman of these communications is called the Dream Master. Pierre Grimes has developed this path of self-discovery over many years. It has its roots in the Homeric/Socratic tradition. As we focus on our dreams and daydreams with the simple rules of this new paradigm, we are brought to an awareness that our everyday existence can be the doorway to the profound and that what is often ignored can be the key to our inner development. Please bring writing material and a small tape recorder for recording your dreams. Motion Theater, a form of autobiographical perfor11 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. Pierre Grimes is founder and president of the Academy of Platonic Studies and the Noetic Society. He wrote Philosophical Midwifery: A New Paradigm for Understanding Human Problems. He has led workshops and meditation retreats for 30 years. Soul Motion™: Taking Refuge Zuza Engler Every heart to love will come–but like a refugee. —Leonard Cohen “To take refuge in Soul Motion means to engage wholeheartedly in a kinesthetic exploration of aliveness and to give oneself permission to be changed in the process. Ultimately, Soul Motion can be a path of liberation of the mind and expansion of the heart toward a life of inclusion, in service to the whole, where one can become a refuge to others.” Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Zuza Engler has been on the spiral path of kinesthetic investigation into consciousness for more than two decades, in motion, stillness, and process inquiry. She is a long-term practitioner of Buddhism, Soul Motion™, and Gestalt Awareness Practice. Gestalt Awareness Practice Christine Price The Way, when declared Seems thin and so flavorless. Nothing to look at, nothing to hear— And when used—is inexhaustible. —Lao Tzu Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard and Christine Price. The work integrates ways of personal clearing and development that are both ancient and modern. To the extent that awareness is made primary relative to action, Gestalt Aware- DOUG ELLIS “What would it be like to find a place of refuge in the midst of a busy, overwhelming life?” Asks Zuza Engler. “Soul Motion offers just that. More akin to meditation than to formal dance, this movement practice brings attention home to simple facts of aliveness: breath and heartbeat, space and ground, inviting a return to the felt sense of kinesthetic intimacy with the body. Both in solo and in partner or ensemble dances, we are encouraged to investigate the shape and force of motion in space. We are less concerned with what the movement looks like and more with the movement of attention. We move in all directions at once, receiving and using inspiration from all around us. We pause in stillness to listen more deeply while remaining fully present to the dance within and without. 12 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This form is similar to some Reichian work as well, in that emotional and energetic release and rebalancing are allowed and encouraged. The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than interpersonal. Participants are not patients but persons actively consenting to explore in awareness. The leader functions to reflect, clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness, and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or accomplishment. The workshop will utilize group exercises, meditations, and discussion. The format combines introductory group work with the open seat form, in which each participant will have the opportunity to work with the leader in a group context. Please note: Meeting times for this workshop are longer than the average Esalen workshop. Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 11. The Magic of Metal: Blacksmithing, Welding and Sculpting TS O’Grady & Caleb Smith There is a magic about metal that can mesmerize those who appreciate it and energize those who work with it. Experience blasting through steel plates with a cutting torch to create fantastic shapes, or heating, twisting, hammering, and shaping hard metal rods or bars as if they were clay. The results can be useful and infinitely beautiful. The workshop focuses on the basics of cutting, forging, and welding metal. Students will learn through hands-on instruction, design talks, and show and tell sessions. Each student will take home the sculptural or functional pieces they create during the week. All levels are welcome; no experience is necessary. Returning participants can build their skill level and tackle more complex projects. Bring long-sleeved work clothes and leather boots that you feel comfortable getting dirty in. Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. Recommended reading: Sims, Backyard Blacksmith. ($100 materials fee paid directly to the leaders) TS O’Grady is a metal worker and builder who recently moved to New Orleans after a decade in Big Sur. Caleb Smith is an artist/blacksmith who resides in Santa Fe, NM. He creates custom architectural ironwork, works as a glass artist and woodworker. He loves to bring all of these skills together to create artwork. He loves to spread the joys of metal work whenever possible. Simply Wild: Experiencing Nature Steven Harper I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done. —Mary Oliver The week is simple. We stroll through the wilds of Big Sur on hikes, soak in the natural mineral hot springs, eat good wholesome food, commune with ourselves, others, and nature. With the bare attention of awareness and wilderness as our teacher, we show up for our life as it unfolds moment to moment. We make inquiry into the process of getting out of our own way — doing less and being more. Cultivating silence, space, and simplicity we come into intimate contact with the raw beauty of this mysterious world. The group ventures out each day on hikes 4-8 miles in length, exploring the unique natural diversity at the meeting of mountain and sea. From ocean beach to deep canyon to open ridgeline, Big Sur in summer offers an invitation to be fully alive. Simple practices that encourage awareness and contemplation (“how to be idle and blessed”) are shared with the group as well as the wonders of the rich natural history of Big Sur. As this workshop falls over the 4th of July holiday, we will include space to join in the Esalen community celebration on the 4th. No previous experience in simplicity or nature is required. More information and a waiver will be sent upon registration. For an equipment list and frequently asked questions about Steven’s workshops, visit www.stevenkharper.com/faqs.html. Leading Your Life Laurie Gerber & James Phills Leadership is the most celebrated aspiration in the worlds of business, politics, athletics, and religion. We want to be or to have great leaders because they inspire and guide us, and they drive their organizations to be exceptional. What if we took everything we know about what makes leadership effective in these realms and applied it on a personal level to the challenge of building an exceptional life? This retreat applies conventional managerial perspectives on the strategic leadership of organizations to the design and management of your life. We’ll translate fundamental notions of purpose and vision to dreams and aspirations. Apply basic elements of strategy such as scope and competitive advantage to help evaluate basic choices about how you lead your life. These constructs and more all have analogues in individual life—as does the core objective of performance and success. The retreat begins with a hard-nosed and broadbased self-assessment of the quality of your life along a variety of dimensions including relationships, career, money, spirituality, and health. Based on this assessment you will develop a strategy and a set of concrete goals for enhancing the quality of your life in targeted domains. You will develop the skills and knowledge—but more importantly the insight and capacity—to be more strategic (in the best sense of the term) and effective in how you lead your personal and professional life. Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. Laurie Gerber is president of Handel Group™ Life Coaching. Passionate about personal development, Laurie has dedicated the last 15 years to coaching hundreds of individuals and leading large groups. She blogs for The Daily Love, Huffington Post, Crazy Sexy Wellness, and more. www.handelgroup.com. James Phills is professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has more than 25 years of experience as teacher, author, and consultant in the areas of individual and organizational learning, leadership, and strategic change. ($20 park entrance fee paid directly to the leader) Steven Harper is a wilderness guide, author, artist, and Big Sur resident. He has led both traditional and experimental wilderness expeditions internationally for more than 35 years. He has an MA in psychology and his work focuses on wild nature as a vehicle for awakening. www.stevenkharper.com. Your Life Cannot Be Any Easier Than Your Movement: Introduction to Cortical Field Reeducation® Sybil Krauter, Ellen Kindl & Melissa Krikorian How we sit, stand, move, or respond to contact with others reflects patterns wired into our ner13 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. we use this concept of unity in our daily lives to reach our goals and to create a stronger community where we can find an organic, supporting, and supportive role? Many of us have been to psychics and healers to help us find our way or heal our physical, psychological, and spiritual wounds, but how do we use these modalities as a living practice in our lives and communities? “In this workshop you will be taught intuitive and healing practices that you can put into practice in your daily life and in your interactions with others. Working together as a community we will explore different intuitive and healing modalities as we work with one another to heal specific areas of our body, lives, and spirits.” DOUG ELLIS Within each of us is a psychic, a healer, and a teacher. Drawing from her six books on intuition and healing, Laura Day will participate with you in creating a supportive community of healers and intuitives who can be a reciprocal source of guidance and support for the rest of your lives. vous systems in infancy. By early childhood, conflicting intentions distort these patterns. Feeling powerless, we attempt to survive and to win love by figuring out “the rules.” The resulting strategies may protect us as children, but, deeply ingrained in our muscular postures and movements, they imprison us as adults and limit our choices. They remain outside of awareness, causing discomfort and limitation. By reeducating the brain-muscle-emotion connection, restrictions in movement can be released, freeing lifelong behaviors that have organized around that movement, and restoring freedom of choice. The protective postures alter, deeply affecting the body’s habitual defense system and allowing a higher level of energy. This workshop begins the process of relearning the ease, fluidity, and openness taken for granted as a child and lost somewhere along the way. It is for the sedentary; for the active who want to increase physical skills and reduce risk of injury; for those dealing with aftereffects of injury or emotional trauma, and the professionals who work with them; for the chronically tired and stressed who want to take better care of their necks, shoulders, and backs; and for those who want to improve their posture, flexibility, and breathing while deepening their sense of connection and belonging. Please wear loose comfortable clothing; no jeans or belts please. Please note: There will be a property-wide celebration on July 4th. 14 CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Sybil Krauter teaches Integrated Awareness® and Cortical Field Reeducation® internationally. Her background is in education, clinical hypnosis, and neurolinguistic programming. Currently her focus is on how we create reality. Ellen Kindl began Harriet Goslins’ Cortical Field Reeducation® as an attempt to control chronic pain after a 21-hour surgery to fuse 14 vertebra. It worked, she was certified as a teacher in 2000, and has taught at Esalen and other locations nationally since then. Melissa Krikorian, MPT is a physical therapist and CFR® practitioner with a 20-year private practice. She conducts CFR intensives at her Westlake Village, Calif. clinic and co-teaches CFR workshops at Esalen. Important Note: Intuition lends itself to direct, clear insight. This workshop can be very confrontational and sometimes uncomfortable. Please be sure you are able to approach this work with that in mind, and are willing to push your boundaries (and have your boundaries pushed). For more information about Laura Day and her work, visit www.practicalintuition.com. Laura Day has taught at Esalen Insitute for more than two decades. A New York Times bestselling author of six books on intuition in business, love, and healing, Laura travels the world creating communities of intuitives and healers. www.practicalintuition.com. Brain Integration and Self-Development: Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Dan Short Weekend of July 6–8 Practical Intuition: The Intuitive Lifestyle Laura Day “Science, spirituality, and psychology are coming together in the 21st century to illuminate a single concept: we share a unified energy field,” says Laura Day. “We have scientists exploring telepathy, doctors exploring faith, and psychics in the law enforcement and business world. There is no ‘para’ in psychology anymore and new paradigms are addressing a more complete understanding of the human condition. How do What if someone told you that you must climb a tall mountain but with one hand tied behind your back, or with your eyes closed? Would you accept? Most would not because we recognize the importance of using all of our available resources to meet complex challenges. However, many people limit themselves when it comes to the use of the brain. The problem is that modern education and culture do not prepare individuals to address life’s problems with the full capacity of the brain. Rather, it is the left-hemisphere that is developed (i.e. the logical-speech-oriented center of the brain). Not knowing any better, we sometimes turn off entire regions of the brain, thus limiting our overall functionality Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). and problem-solving capacity. In this workshop, participants will engage in a variety of exercises, demonstrations, and dialogue designed to increase brain integration. This workshop is open to anyone who wishes to learn how to “act on instinct” or “trust one’s gut” or many other abilities that originate in underused regions of the brain. Some of these exercises will open pathways to emotional experiencing. Others will open pathways to greater emotional selfregulation. With increased brain regulation, what seemed like a one-way street suddenly transforms into two-way communication within the brain. This workshop will include information on modern brain science, presented in a logical and orderly way. At the same time, participants are likely to achieve understandings that are difficult to define. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Dan Short, PhD, practices in Scottsdale, Ariz., and teaches the dynamics of therapeutic relationships to interns and professionals. He authored Transformational Relationships, coauthored Hope and Resiliency, and currently serves as executive director for the Milton Erickson Institute of Phoenix. Esalen Embodied Arts Retreat Micheline Berry with Joey Lugassy and Red Musette Ensemble Join us for an alchemical, healing celebration of embodied creativity in the pristine nature of Big Sur. During this somatic immersion, you’ll expe- rience transformational Liquid Asana™ vinyasa yoga, ecstatic dance, somatic ritual, tribal painting, spontaneous flights of ecstatic world music, and a deep communion with the healing waters of Esalen. Yoga, painting, and dance sessions will be accompanied by live or DJ’d music by Red Musette Ensemble to guide you deeper into the rhythmic flow of your authentic, embodied art. Through dynamic asana sequences and somatic movements that lead to peak states of embodied creativity, you’ll cultivate a deeply nourished, inspired, and empowered state of being that will remain with you long after you return to your urban lives. The retreat will include: • Four Liquid Asana™ Vinyasa Flow yoga journeys, ecstatic dance, and meditations with Micheline Berry • Summer ecstatic dance concert with Micheline Berry and Red Musette • Tribal art making with artist Domonic Dean Breaux and musicians This retreat is open to all levels of yoga, dance, and painting experience. Please bring a yoga mat. Micheline Berry is a pioneer in the healing integra- tion of live world music with yoga sadhana. As founder of Zen Dancing® and the world music ensemble Shaman’s Dream, she has facilitated more than 500 ritual world music concerts, retreats, and multimedia events. www.michelineberry.com. The Alchemy of Abundance: The Healed Vision Rick Jarow with Dawn Avery Have you ever had the sense that everything in your life is falling into place and that you are right where you are supposed to be? Can you imagine feeling this way on a regular basis? The Healed Vision energizes your life in this truly creative way. Rick Jarow teaches an in-depth and effective process utilizing the power of community and the integrity of the individual to move from what you imagine you want to what your soul deeply seeks. During this workshop you are guided to: • Reflect on events that have occurred and choices you have made in your life • Identify and release conditioned responses that keep you repeating the same scenarios • Incubate “Healed Visions” that galvanize the power of your Spirit into forward momentum Through deeply meditative and reflective processes, you access the alchemy of the conscious and unconscious coming together, which allows you to become the dynamic architect of your life. Experience the phenomenal release of energy through movement, writing, poetry, group dialogue, and dream work that can fuel your fundamental sense of wellbeing and empower you to meet the challenges of your life with dignity and creativity. Transform the “base metals” of resentment, disease, and despair into directed power, vibrant health, radiant compassion, and a new Healed Vision that opens you to profound levels of abundance. Recommended reading: Jarow, Alchemy of Abundance. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Rick Jarow, PhD is professor of religious studies at Vassar College, practicing career consultant, and author of Creating the Work You Love and Alchemy of Abundance, among others. His seminars on career, life-alignment, and transition have been offered at holistic learning centers around the world. A Weekend of Advanced Esalen® Massage DOUG ELLIS Deborah Anne Medow & Jessica Fagan This weekend provides practitioners with the opportunity to inspire their current massage practice. Experienced Esalen Massage and Bodywork practitioners Jessica and Deborah will offer unique explorations in the practices of 15 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. gentle extensions and dynamic mobilization, along with soft tissue release work. Elements of Thai massage will also be brought onto the table, along with range of motion and passive release techniques, creating an atmosphere of innovation and exploration. Come prepared to practice and learn new methods of massage while enjoying the natural beauty and healing waters of the Esalen Institute. Previous massage training and a good sense of humor are encouraged. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Deborah Anne Medow, longtime Esalen workshop leader, yoga instructor, and bodywork practitioner, teaches yoga, massage, creative movement, awareness practices, and related healing disciplines throughout the US, Europe, and Japan. She is also a certified nutrition educator, Zumba® dance instructor, and manager of the Esalen Healing Arts Department. Various curriculum models, lessons, and current research will be presented and practiced, and participants will spend time looking at how these teachings apply to children of different populations and ages. Other focuses will be on working with resistance, trauma, and special needs, and learning how schools and organizations are already successfully integrating these practices. Recommended reading: Greenland, The Mindful Child; Trungpa, Training the Mind; Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go There You Are. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Daniel Rechtschaffen, MA, is founding director of the Mindful Education Institute. He has a private psychotherapy practice and has taught mindfulness practices to youth in such varied settings as highschool basketball and baseball teams, hospitals, and summer camps. www.mindfuleducationinstitute.com and www.mindfulchildren.com. Jessica Fagan, a member of the Esalen massage staff, is a dancer and performer who is deeply immersed in the practice and teaching of Eastern and Western somatic therapies as well as Vinyasa yoga. Not for The Feint of Heart: Be Bold in Your Personal Growth Mariah Fenton Gladis Week of July 8–13 Mindfulness with Youth Teacher Training Daniel Rechtschaffen Through this transformative training, participants have the opportunity to deepen their own mindfulness practices, learn from various mindfulness-based curricula, and bring these practices back into their lives and work. Research shows that mindfulness practices decrease stress, anxiety, and depression in children, while improving emotional regulation, attention capacity, and social relations—all proven contributors to academic achievement. When learned at a young age, these skills have the capacity to transform lives, families, and societies. This training gives educators, counselors, parents, and childcare providers the practical tools they need to bring the many benefits of mindfulness to children aged K–12. The training begins with personal retreat time including guided mindfulness sittings, movement, time spent in nature, and heartfulness. Through settling the mind, relaxing into the body, and developing insight, participants get a taste of the inner teachings of mindfulness. By embodying these teachings, participants train in modeling empathy, presence, and attention. 16 If you’re “feint of heart,” you avoid confronting the emotional injuries or habits that prevent you from enjoying life to the fullest. You feint this way and that, preserving the status quo instead of moving past obstacles. This workshop is not for the feint of heart—nor the faint of heart. It’s for people who have a passionate commitment to creating healthy relationships within healthy lives. It offers opportunities to benefit from intensive individual healing work, which may involve emotional injuries rooted in the past, recurring themes or patterns of dysfunction, or personal longings in the here and now. Whatever the content of your work, this workshop helps you: • Discover the issues that are immediately obstructing the quality of your life • Learn contact skills to authentically and effectively express yourself and assure healthy interaction with others • Risk working deeply in an atmosphere of trust and mutual support • Expand your capacity for generosity and compassion for yourself and others The didactic and experiential sessions are particularly helpful for human-relations professionals and those committed to a path of personal betterment. Mariah Fenton Gladis, known for her effective and innovative use of music to enrich the workshop experience, will blend individual and group Gestalt work in an environment of trust, compassion, and emotional generosity. A thirty-year survivor of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Mariah speaks with what she calls her “ALS accent,” which will be translated. Recommended Reading: Gladis, Tales of a Wounded Healer. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Mariah Fenton Gladis, founder/director of the Pennsylvania Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training for more than three decades, leads workshops and trainings around the US and in Europe. She is recognized for the sensitive and creative way she practices the art of Gestalt. Creating the Work You Love: Thriving in the New Economy Rick Jarow with Dawn Avery Has “work-life balance” become a meaningless cliché? Might it ever be possible to “balance” your life and your work in a truly integral way? This can be done, but it requires the vision and clarity to navigate the new economy in a powerfully engaged manner. Build a career that resonates with your deepest levels of spirit, integrity, passion, and purpose without sacrificing your personal life. In this richly experiential workshop, you can gain clarity and inspiration, learn to discern your true priorities, manifest your creative visions in the world, and design a fluid vocational network that allows you to build a career aligned with your entire life. Utilizing a meditative format of internal exercises based on the chakra system, processes of radical inquiry, and pragmatic methods for designing your life’s work, career consultant and founder of the Anti-Career process Rick Jarow guides you through a step-by-step process to: • Harmonize your personal and professional life • Understand the emerging needs of the global marketplace • Successfully negotiate life transitions • Learn techniques for clear, effective decision making • Discover a holistic approach to your life’s work that reflects your heart’s compassion and soul’s courage Leader bio on page 15. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ment, and service, live your flame to the extent that even chaos feels like home.” Open to all. The workshop includes ceremony and an ecstatic dance celebration. Please bring a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Harvey, Light Upon Light; Barks, ed. The Essential Rumi. Recommended viewing: Sayyad and Harvey, In the Fire of Grace DVD. Banafsheh Sayyad is a pioneer in her unique synthesis of dance and spirituality. A licensed acupuncturist with an MFA in Dance from UCLA, she teaches and performs worldwide a mesmerizing offering of the timeless sacred feminine inside a contemporary gypsy dervish. www.namah.net. The Practical Art of Intelligent Risk Taking: Soulful Life Skills David Schiffman To live with integrity and originality in an increasingly challenging world requires a wide variety of skills, capabilities, and attitudes: soundness in judgment, originality in action, and knowing when and how to act. This workshop examines the essential components of making intelligent, creative choices. The foundation of the curriculum lies in considering the risks we must take to make a life of depth, meaning, and integrity. DANIEL BIANCHETTA Together we will consider: Dance of Oneness®: Dance Your Passion our bodies, our selves, and living as a Lover. Banafsheh Sayyad with Tony Khalife “Drawing from Sufism, tai chi, yoga, Persian dance, flamenco and Middle Eastern tribal dances, Dance of Oneness offers a foundation for creative flight. Banafsheh and Tony will lead the group through an exploration of the chakras and how to ignite the flame in our heart through a sacred marriage of all opposites with structured and free dance, live music, chanting, and meditation. Gain transformative tools to put into immediate practice and move into a place of living an ecstatic life with source energy flowing abundantly and opening you to your full potential. Through peaceful groundedness, empowered embodiment, passionate engage- “In the changing face of our world, to survive and truly serve we need to be passionately alive and joyous,” writes Banafsheh Sayyad. “The time is NOW to connect deeply with what you truly love and align yourself with source energy to ignite your creative flame and uplift yourself and thereby the world. Since ‘No one can light your flame for you and keep it alive but yourself,’ as Rumi says, it is imperative to have a body/spirit-based practice that serves as a cauldron to nourish this flame. Designed by Banafsheh, Dance of Oneness facilitates a way to embody the transcendent flame through loving • The impact of origins and ancestry on our risk-taking style • Conventional thinking versus kaleidoscopic, emergent logic and multi-focal vision • Intuition and imagination: The mutability of consciousness, perception, and presence • Recognizing and developing allies, guardian angels, and supporters • Dealing with antagonists and the judicious use of strength • The soulful, energetic logic of improvisational spontaneity and expressiveness • The use of accurate appraisal and critical analysis • Affirmation and direction through oracular and archetypal perspectives • Fluency, intelligence, and adeptness as measures for sound emotional expression • Timing: The wisdom to know when and how in manageable increments • If at first you don’t succeed: Cultivating persistence and emotional resilience Together we’ll create a community based on goodwill and mutual support aimed at develop17 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. ing risk-taking skills that minimize wasted time and unnecessary suffering. It will be an opportunity for examining and creating your own unique risk taking style. David Schiffman has taught at Esalen for 40 years. His work combines creative elements ranging from sweet mischief to intelligent risk taking and including ceremony, music, movement, and inner work. He has been a consultant to California Institute for Integrative Studies and Saybrook Institute, in San Francisco. www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/index.htm. This seminar may be of interest to other health and mental health professionals. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Francis G. Lu is the Luke & Grace Kim Endowed Professor in Cultural Psychiatry at UC Davis. Since 1987 he has coled 24 seminars at Esalen exploring film and the transpersonal. Brother David Steindl-Rast, Benedictine monk, psychologist, and author, has lectured on five continents. He was Spiritual Teacher in Residence at Esalen, and is concerned with the unique challenges and opportunities of our time. July 13–20 Guiding Lights in Film: Inspirations to Live By Francis Lu & Brother David Steindl-Rast And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. —Nelson Mandela Memorable film characters, luminous actors/actresses, and even some unforgettable great films themselves have inspired audiences since the beginning of movies. This week-long seminar focuses on sixteen feature films from the US, Japan, France, and Germany dating from the 1930s to the present that have depicted teachers, mentors, and spiritual visionaries— both secular and religious—who were able to bring forth inspiration akin to its original meaning: “A divine influence or action upon the lives of certain persons that is believed to qualify them to receive and communicate sacred revelation interpreted within Christianity as the direct action of the Holy Spirit” (Webster’s 3rd International Dictionary, 2002). The films chosen evoke—through their characters, scenarios, bold cinematography, and music—those qualities of inspiration and spiritual leadership that have served to guide oneself and others to embrace the courage, passion, and imagination needed to take up a new way of living. Film-viewing seminars led by Francis and Brother David have become a tradition at Esalen since 1990; this will be their 21st one together. These sessions interweave fine films carefully chosen and sequenced, extensive hand-out materials, state-of-the-art home theatre equipment, and processing of the film-viewing experience through group interaction and personal silent reflection. For further information, contact Francis Lu at [email protected]. For a description of their 2002-2011 seminars, see 18 Weekend of July 13–15 Getting the Love You Want: A Workshop for Couples Rick Brown This workshop is designed to help couples understand at a deeper level why they were attracted to each other, why they get stuck in endless power struggles, and how to safely begin to work through those stuck places toward a safer and more satisfying relationship. Couples share only with their partner and are able to maintain privacy. Couples are shown: • New communication skills to break destructive cycles of relating • How to channel the energy from arguments to create passion and stability • How the unconscious forces that attract partners to each other are also the source of conflict • New tools for re-romanticizing their relationship to reestablish the passion of their early time together • How to use their relationship for emotional healing and spiritual evolution Activities include lectures, written exercises, guided imagery, and live demonstrations of communication skills and processes. Rick Brown has been offering this workshop for more than twenty years, and has appeared on Oprah. The methodology is based on Harville Hendrix’s best-selling Getting the Love You Want. For more information, visit www.rickbrown.org. Please note: This workshop is for couples only. ($20 materials fee for manuals paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Rick Brown is executive director for the Institute for Relationship Therapy in Winter Park, Fla. Rick was executive director for Harville Hendrix’s Institute, and he lectures and gives workshops across the country. He has been married for 33 years. Full Body Presence: Skills to Energize Your Life Suzanne Scurlock-Durana Energize your daily life in this weekend workshop. Gain practical tools and skills that will enable you to meet life’s challenges with new resources that don’t fade but grow stronger with practice. Discover how to tune into your body’s wisdom and acquire skills to stay energized in the face of life stressors and draining situations. Learn exact tools for re-charging your system to calm physical tension and quiet your mind. Leave the weekend more embodied, with clarity about how your own full body presence can support you in your world. In today’s world we all need full access to our inner and outer resources in order to survive and thrive with the daily demands being presented to us. This course teaches the process of allowing the deep wisdom of the body to inform and help us navigate in our living, working, healing, and relating in the world. Learning to respect and listen to this body wisdom as the ground of our knowing helps us rediscover our innate spirituality and to develop our emotional intelligence. Attend this workshop and acquire effective skills to: • Learn about healthy boundaries and how to hold them • Understand the dynamics of your own energy habit patterns • Nourish and rejuvenate in healthy, life-giving ways • Remain grounded, steady, and present, even under stress This course is valuable to individuals from all walks of life, including healthcare professionals and caregivers, life coaches and counselors, parents, and teachers. Prerequisite: Read and listen to the audio CD in Full Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Body’s Wisdom. Note: Registration for this workshop is through IAHE only. To register, please call 1-800-3119204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. Please see accommo- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). dations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, author of Full Body strategy called Compassionate Communication that integrates mindfulness, relaxation, and various “inner values” meditations. By staying deeply relaxed and in the present moment, you can use your tone of voice and facial expressions to generate neurological trust and cooperation in the listener’s brain. Presence, CranioSacral therapy instructor since 1987, and creator of the Healing From the Core training series, specializes in conscious awareness and its relationship to the healing process. She has taught with the Upledger Institute, and at Esalen since 1994. www.healingfromthecore.com. Compassionate Communication undermines neural patterns of defensive communication, interrupts the inner speech that governs everyday consciousness, and promotes a spontaneous dialogue that generates neurological empathy. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Words Can Change Your Brain: Mindfulness in Personal and Business Conversations Mark Robert Waldman & Chris Manning Effective communication is essential in virtually all aspects of life, but the latest neuroscientific evidence shows that the expression of any form of negativity is damaging to both the speaker’s and listener’s brain. Whether it takes place at home or in the workplace, negative speech creates interpersonal stress, neural dissonance, and work-related burnout. Recommended reading: Newberg and Waldman, How God Changes Your Brain. teaches stress reduction and communication strategies at Loyola Marymount University. His research has been featured in Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. He is the author of Words Can Change Your Brain, among other books. www.markrobertwaldman.com. Mark Robert Waldman Chris Manning, PhD, is professor of finance and real estate at Loyola Marymount University. He is on the editorial board for the Journal of Real Estate Research and is a former president of the American Real Estate Society. He has authored dozens of articles. What Breaks Your Heart Open? Sacred Activism in a Chaotic Time Andrew Harvey This workshop begins with an exploration of the tremendous relationship between Rumi and his great beloved, Shams of Tabriz, focusing on how heartbreak shattered Rumi and opened him into divine consciousness. Using this story and some of the magnificent poems that were created as its consequence, participants will discuss the ways that personal heartbreak can lead KODIAK GREENWOOD Mark Waldman, Andrew Newberg, and Chris Manning have developed a new communication This workshop combines experiential practices, lectures, and group discussion. Participants will be guided through the twenty-minute Compassionate Communication training module and several basic mindfulness exercises. Discussions include how to use this process with children and conflicted couples, and Dr. Manning will explain how to bring these strategies into all aspects of business, negotiation, management, and sales. The material in this class will be featured in Newberg and Waldman’s forthcoming book, Words Can Change Your Brain (June 2012). CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. 19 DANIEL BIANCHETTA See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. to a great positive change and, more broadly, how the heartbreak that is happening in the world today can facilitate a more urgent confrontation with the problems, and our commitment to do everything we can to heal them. Drawing on his book, The Hope, Andrew Harvey will lay out his vision of Sacred Activism, a fusion of mystical knowledge, peacemaking, passion, and urgent action. He believes that the fusion of the passion for God and the passion for justice creates an evolutionary force of love in action that can help us not only transform our current crisis, but evolve into divine humanity. Participants will discuss the five forms of service that are necessary to be a Sacred Activist, the seven laws that Harvey has distilled from the world’s mystical traditions that govern the wise use of Sacred Activism, and the four kinds of sacred practice that he recommends to all Sacred Activists to help them build a holistic spiritual container strong enough to withstand the inevitable stresses and pressures we all face. Recommended reading: Harvey, The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism. is an internationally renowned poet, novelist, scholar, and mystic. He is the author of more than 20 books, including The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism and Heart Yoga: The Sacred Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism. He has taught at Oxford University and Cornell University. Week of July 15–20 Music, Spirituality and the Brain: Sacred Practices to Open Your Heart and Mind Mark Robert Waldman & Yuval Ron This workshop takes you deeply into the sacred music, movement, dances, rituals, and practices of five ancient spiritual paths: Kabbalistic Judaism, Sufism, mystical Christianity, Zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. Experience the sacred poetry and storytelling from these mystical paths as the leaders guide you through meditations and chants that have been shown to alter the structure and function of your brain in ways that enhance memory, cognition, and social awareness while simultaneously reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. Andrew Harvey 20 The program includes live music performed by Yuval Ron on the oud, an ancient Middle Eastern lute used to accompany poetry and biblical prophetic recitations; Echad and Nigun meditations; movement exercises from the Zen tradition of Butoh; ecstatic dance and music; and an orchestrated video presentation of the neuro-scientific effects of meditation and prayer on the brain. You can come away with a deep understanding of the commonality of spiritual practices and the love for life that is reflected in these mystical paths. Mark Robert Waldman bio on page 19. Yuval Ron is an Oscar-winning and Grammy-nom- inated musician, composer, and producer for film, television, dance, and theater. He has performed for the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Zia Iniyat Khan, and has been featured on CNN and in National Geographic. www.yuvalronmusic.com. Walking on Clouds: Tai Chi Kenn Chase Move like a river, Walk like a cat, Be still as a mountain. — Tai Chi Classics Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). The focus of this tai chi workshop is effortless movement, with grace and serenity. A special shortened version of Yang-style Tai Chi will be introduced. This health form has twelve moves, which, if practiced regularly, increase chi (personal energy), improve balance, and promote strength and wellbeing. In addition to the tai chi postures, students will learn Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® and chi kung practices. group work in an environment of trust, compassion, and emotional generosity. A thirty-year survivor of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Mariah speaks with what she calls her “ALS accent,” which will be translated. The workshop will culminate in a group excursion to the New Camaldoli Hermitage for meditation followed by a trip to beautiful Sand Dollar Beach for tai chi by the sea. Leader bio on page 16. Recommended reading: Breslow, Beyond The Closed Door; Lo, Inn, et. al, The Essence Of Tai Chi Ch’uan; Man-ch’ing, Tai Chi Ch’uan. Chris Chouteau & Julie Bowden Kenn Chase has taught tai chi for more than 40 years. His Integral Way Practice combines tai chi, The Feldenkrais Method®, chi gong, and meditation. He is a stress management consultant and maintains a private practice in the north San Francisco Bay Area. Becoming Able-Hearted: Essential Skills of Loving Mariah Fenton Gladis Are you able to communicate your love to those most important to you? Do you hold back or inhibit your expressions of love, verbally and/or physically? “In my practice I see the tragic consequences of people’s inability to generate, embody, and express their love,” writes Mariah Fenton Gladis. “Even with the best of intentions and genuine love, people are often plagued by the lack of skills to utilize and deliver their love. There is perhaps no more important work you can do than to expand your capacity for creating fulfilled and sustainable relationships.” This workshop is for men and women or couples who want to develop their capacity to create intimate connections with a present or future partner. Much of the work you will be doing in this workshop will be applicable to other relationships as well. You will be shown how to: • Increase your knowledge base of sustainable relationship skills • Exercise and develop your emotional skill set • Enliven and expand your self-expression • Understand the importance of healthy sex and touch in lasting relationships Mariah Fenton Gladis, known for her effective and innovative use of music to enrich the workshop experience, will blend individual and Recommended Reading: Gladis, Tales of a Wounded Healer. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Julie Bowden, psychotherapist and author, specializes in childhood trauma, substance abuse, and forgiveness. Coauthor of Recovery: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics and Genesis: Spirituality in Recovery from Childhood Traumas, she has been teaching at Esalen for more than 20 years. www.juliebowden.com. Bone Knowing: Using Art, Body Sensing and Writing to Access Intuition Jennifer Allen Families Under Pressure: Diamonds in the Making Every family is vulnerable to the pain of addiction, trauma, and loss. In crisis, family members often feel confused, helpless, and frightened, and fall back on old behaviors. Denial, anger, blame, and control only increase the difficulties. Just as the addict or the one who is sick needs to seek recovery, so must the family. While there are many resources available to the individual, families are often included only as an adjunct, mostly in the hopes of helping the identified patient. But everyone in the family needs information, support, and guidance not just to weather the emotional and physical upset but also to use it as a springboard to stronger ties and deeper satisfaction. Share with others who are facing their family’s challenges and learn the skills and strategies for strengthening your closest relationships in times of crisis. Learn how to separate the person from the problem, distinguish between your part and theirs, and discern what it means to take care of yourself while caring about others. The leaders bring decades of experience in the fields of addiction, trauma, and recovery. Group and individual work includes meditation, awareness practice, structured communication, roleplay, guided imagery, and writing to help participants navigate a path toward clarity, enhanced relationships, and spiritual growth. Participants will develop a plan for continued growth and support back home. This workshop is for family members age eighteen and up. Participants are asked to forgo alcohol and non-prescription drugs during these five days. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Chris Chouteau is a teacher and student of awareness practice and recovery. He has facilitated change for individuals and organizations over the past 30 years. “What do you know deep in your bones?” Asks Jennifer Allen. “With the crazy pace of the world we live in, it can be difficult to access the wisdom to guide us in relationships, life challenges, and creative blocks. “Working from the ‘bones-up,’ we’ll leave the realm of thinking. Residual inhibitions around creativity can drop away as we enter the body for guidance. Our body’s ‘felt-sense’ opens us to a fresh perspective through the language of emotion, sensation, and metaphor. When we learn to hold an opening and create from this place of presence, we invite spontaneity and new knowledge via color, shape, and symbol. “The Esalen Art Barn is where we’ll practice guided imagery to sense into our body’s brilliance and express it through paint, pastels, and collage, followed by journaling exercises and group sharing. Each of our five days will build on the last, deepening the experience and culminating in knowledge that can inform our daily lives. See how to make this creative process your own through various facilitated exercises and readings from Jennifer’s memoir, Bone Knowing, which illustrate examples of intuitive knowing and using art process. Each day will consist of a ‘sit’ to listen-in, guided art experiences, group sharing, and plenty of open-studio time to take explorations further. Professional clinicians will learn, experientially, how this process applies to clients.” Please bring an 8x10 blank journal or sketch book. Recommended reading: Allen, Bone Knowing; McNiff, Trust the Process; Malchiodi, The Soul’s Palette; Rappaport and Kinsley, Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy; Herring, Writing Begins with the Breath. ($30 materials fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Jennifer Allen author of Bone Knowing, is an artist, art therapist, and licensed psychotherapist specializing in children’s grief. She is active in Medicine Wheel, Mystery School, and Elders’ Council groups. www.jenniferallenbooks.com. 21 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. July 20–27 Healing the Pelvic Floor: Reclaiming your Power, Sexuality and Pleasure Potential Suzanne Scurlock-Durana “As women we have a unique power of creativity in our reproductive system,” Suzanne ScurlockDurana writes. “That power is used not only to create new life, but also to bring personal projects into being. However, that energy can be blocked by physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma to the pelvic floor and the female organs. This workshop for women uses guided imagery, movement, and hands-on exercises (while clothed) to heal the pelvic floor, including the vagina and uterus, places that often hold our deepest wounds: sexual abuse, rape, abortions, childbirth tearing and scars, self-esteem, and negative images about our femininity. Because self-knowledge is important, scientific and anatomic information will be presented. Required reading and listening: Read Full Body Presence and listen to the audio portion (available from Healing From the Core at 703-620-4509, or at www.healingfromthecore.com or www.fullbodypresence.com). Recommended reading: Ogden, The Return of Desire and The Heart and Soul of Sex; Berman and Berman, For Women Only; Williamson, A Woman’s Worth; Northrup, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 19. Lotus Borne Perception: Awareness Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism and Continuum Movement Susan Harper & Lama Drimed In this retreat Lama Drimed and Susan Harper open a multi-dimensional inquiry into our spiritual, somatic, and creative human capacity. Recognizing our natural state of awareness as a foundation, we will explore a dynamic range that includes meditative stillness, fresh perceiving, and movement and sounding, which opens a vital flow of creativity. Lama Drimed offers awareness teachings from the Dzogchen tradition. Our natural state is recognized to be all-inclusive awareness. We awaken to the fresh perception of this moment—the natural aliveness that is our birthright. This is the essence of the ancient tantric ways that celebrate the unfolding of our life as sacred. Susan Harper offers explorations from Continuum, a unique sound and movement practice, in which we inquire into our capacity to innovate, and participate with the essential movement processes of life. The dynamics of KODIAK GREENWOOD “This workshop offers a rare opportunity for deep healing. During these five days you can experience new possibilities for renewed feminine energy, greater health, and a deeper sense of pleasure in being a woman. We will spend time exploring nature and how our connection to the earth can deepen our connection to ourselves. The workshop will culminate with an evening of nurturing at the Esalen natural hot spring baths.” This course is valuable for healthcare professionals and anyone wishing to learn alternative approaches to women’s health. 22 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). how we perceive and relate are simultaneously physical and psycho-emotional. They offer perceptual practices to open ways that we pay attention, listen, and speak about our experience. Lama Drimed and Susan share an innovative teaching style, and are open and attentive to each participant’s process of discovery, and to the group process. Many of our explorations will take place outside in nature where we explore the elemental affinity between our bodies and the living lineage of our breathing planetary body. Susan Harper brings her thirty-six years of experience teaching Continuum Movement internationally to all the work she develops. She teaches a Continuum Depths retreat twice yearly with Emilie Conrad, and is developing Portals of Perception with Hubert Godard. Lama Drimed offers awareness teachings from Great Perfection/Dzogchen and Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. His Tibetan teacher, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, recognized Lama Drimed as his lineage holder in 1995. His vision is to open dialogues that include current discoveries and the ancient tantric arts. Weekend of July 20–22 Buddhism and the Twelve Steps Kevin Griffin The Buddha said craving is the cause of suffering. Twelve Step programs work with the deepest forms of craving. How can these two traditions come together to deepen our recovery and our spiritual life? Through a combination of traditional and contemporary Buddhist meditation practices, interactive exercises, lecture, and discussion, this workshop will explore the ways that Buddhism and the Steps complement each other on a path of recovery. We will be delving deeply into the practice of Buddhist insight meditation with plenty of time for question and answer periods. We will also do mindful walking, speaking/listening, and eating exercises as well as group sharing. The goal is to bring a mindful approach to all activities. This quality then informs our recovery and our spiritual growth. There will be time to enjoy the beautiful natural setting, as well as the Esalen hot springs. This workshop is open to all those interested. You need not be in a Twelve Step program, nor have a background in Buddhist meditation. The workshop will include introductory meditation instructions. Beginners are welcome. Recommended reading: Griffin, One Breath at a Time and A Burning Desire. Kevin Griffin is the author of One Breath at a Annellen M. Simpkins, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice who, with her husband C. Alexander Simpkins, specializes in study and research of mind and brain. Together they teach widely on meditation and hypnosis, have written twenty-four books, and live in San Diego. Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps and A Burning Desire: Dharma God and the Path of Recovery. A cofounder of the Buddhist Recovery Network, he is a leader in the mindful recovery movement. www.kevingriffin.net. C. Alexander Simpkins, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice, and, with Annellen M. Simpkins, is the author of twenty-four books. Together they study and research mind and brain, teach meditation and hypnosis in seminars and workshops, and live in San Diego. Foster Natural Mind-Brain Change Effortlessly: Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Public Speaking: Powerfully Presenting Yourself Annellen Simpkins & C. Alexander Simpkins Milton Erickson (1901–1980) was one of the foremost twentieth-century practitioners of hypnotherapy. He created an original and highly effective hypnotic method to foster the natural mechanisms of mind and brain that we all possess. Erickson’s hypnosis was based in a firm belief that the unconscious is a reservoir of potential and that hypnosis is the way to access that potential. Recent neuroscience research corroborates this belief in finding that the brain has many intelligent, unconscious pathways. These pathways function automatically and can be engaged and used to help accomplish goals that might be difficult to do deliberately. By working indirectly and unconsciously, people can bypass conscious limitations to resolve problems and live a happy, fulfilling life. This workshop will teach Erickson’s powerful and individualized self-hypnosis approach. All participants will be shown how to experience trance in themselves, use direct and indirect suggestion, experience the ideomotor mindbody link, work with the utilization method, and experiment with varied trance phenomena. Therapists will gain hypnotic techniques to use with clients, and everyone can enjoy deep relaxation, fostering creativity, and the experience of natural, effortless change. With stories from case examples, guided trance experiences, handouts, and a clear understanding of the effects in the brain, this workshop will inform, inspire, and uplift. Recommended reading: Simpkins and Simpkins, Neuro-Hypnosis and The Dao of Neuroscience. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Mary Goldenson & Robert Corff Why are some people so inspiring and impactive when they speak? What inhibits us from delivering our message? This workshop will explore the inhibitions to self-expression and communication, and help participants move beyond them with more freedom in both personal and professional life. It is designed for those who want to develop a more powerful personal and public presentation, and better professional and business communication skills. The leaders combine their expertise in the fields of psychology and the performing arts to guide you through this pulse-raising adventure. The focus will be on self-exploration through individual and group work. Participants will use voice and body to express themselves with more power and passion. Courage, passion, and clarity need not be restricted to rare moments in life. Learn to express yourself more fully and experience the satisfaction of being more authentic and selfassured. This process can help awaken your dreams and invigorate your life. Recommended listening and reading: Corff, Bob Corff ’s Speakers Voice Method; B. & C. Corff, Achieving the Standard American Accent (CD and workbook), available at www.corffvoice.com. 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, and leads mediation trainings and workshops around the country. Robert Corff is one of Los Angeles’ most prominent performance teachers. His clients include such awardwinning celebrities as Sally Field, Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Hank Azaria. In addition, he has had leading roles on Broadway, television, and in motion pictures. 23 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Awakening the Heart Week of July 22–27 Joe Cavanaugh The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives. Writing and Knowing Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux & Joseph Millar What another would have done as well, do not do it. What another would have said as well or written as well, do not say or write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself. — André Gide There is a world inside each of us that we know better than anything else, and a world outside of us that calls for our attention. Our subject matter is always right with us. The trick is to find out what we know, challenge what we know, own what we know, and then give it away in language. The leaders write: “We will write poems, share our writing, and hear what our work touches in others. We’ll also read model poems by contemporary poets and discuss aspects of the craft. But mainly this will be a writing retreat—time to explore and create in a supportive community. Though we’ll focus on poetry, prose writers who want to enrich their language will find it a fertile environment.” There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy… that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist… It is not your business to determine how good it is… It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. — Martha Graham Recommended reading: Bass, The Human Line; Laux, The Book of Men; Millar, Fortune. Ellen Bass has supported and inspired writers for 40 years. Her many books include Mules of Love,The Human Line (poetry), and The Courage to Heal, which has sold over a million copies. She teaches at Pacific University. www.ellenbass.com. Dorianne Laux is the author of four collections of poetry, Awake, What We Carry (a finalist for the 1994 National Book Critics Award), Smoke, and Facts About the Moon. She has received a Pushcart Prize for poetry, two NEA fellowships, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Joseph Millar’s first collection of poems, Overtime, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. His work has won fellowships from the NEA, received a 2008 Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in many journals. Millar teaches at Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA program. 24 —Albert Schweitzer We are born with an abundance of creative energy, vitality, and aliveness. Yet, simply by living in an imperfect world, we have all experienced some degree of wounding of the heart, causing us to retract our love to protect ourselves against further hurt. We then develop strategies to survive in a world of uncertainty and change. These defense strategies, once essential for our survival, now simply perpetuate our own suffering while further alienating us from who we really are. Through personal and interpersonal processes, including Gestalt, psychodrama, meditation, and other self-awareness tools, this workshop is designed to assist participants in identifying and working through their own self-imposed limitations and thus reclaim the true identity of their authentic selves. This requires the courage to awaken the heart from its slumber (from Latin, courage cor means heart!) and embrace life to its fullest, including the full range of our human emotions. This, once again, opens us up to the wellspring of joy and gratefulness (great-fullness) that comes naturally from just being fully alive! Prerequisite: Be willing to attend all sessions and abstain from alcohol and non-prescription drugs for the duration of the workshop. Recommended reading: Cavanaugh, Who Am I, Really? How Our Wounds Can Lead to Healing. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Joseph Cavanaugh is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in the Sierra foothills and a psychology instructor at a local community college. He has facilitated personal-growth workshops throughout California for the past 30 years. Meditative Hypnosis—Trusting Your Unconscious: Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Annellen Simpkins & C. Alexander Simpkins We have all had the joy of accomplishing something almost effortlessly and automatically. These intuitive moments may seem unusual, and yet a large part of the brain is devoted to unconscious processing. In fact, your unconscious is a reservoir of potential. Recent neuroscience research shows that the brain has many intelligent, unconscious pathways. You can engage and use these unconscious pathways to help accomplish goals that might be elusive to your deliberate efforts. Meditative hypnosis provides ways to access that potential. This workshop will give an intensive and powerful experience of meditative hypnosis to activate unconscious processing automatically and naturally. You will familiarize yourself with your own positive unconscious through exercises that develop an intuitive felt-sense. You will learn to use different forms of direct and indirect suggestion, experience the ideomotor mindbody link, and learn focusing, open-monitoring, and self-transcending meditation methods that tap into unconscious processing. You will experience ways to bypass conscious limits and overcome barriers as you learn how to work with your unconscious to overcome difficulties and discover wellbeing. Therapists will also gain techniques for attuning to their own unconscious and utilizing clients’ unconscious resources to facilitate lasting change. This workshop will inform, uplift, and transform. Recommended reading: Simpkins and Simpkins, Zen Meditation in Psychotherapy: Techniques for Clinical Practice, Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy: Techniques for Clinical Practice, and Meditation for Therapists and Their Clients. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Leader bios on page 23. Current Trends in Esalen® Massage and Bodywork Peggy Horan & Vicki Topp This workshop is an invitation to explore and experience the current trends in Esalen Massage and Bodywork. During the week, attention will be focused on various ways to: • Sensitively and comfortably work at deep levels • Utilize both active and passive movement to enhance effectiveness • Develop a deeper understanding of the terms listening, balance, and integration The workshop leaders will offer various ways of working that can easily be incorporated into existing personal styles. Unusual, interesting, and fresh aspects of Esalen Massage will also be introduced, expanding technique repertoire and inspiring creativity and innovation. Sessions will include plenty of personal attention and assistance to support the process of learning. Come prepared to touch and be DANIEL BIANCHETTA Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). touched by the beauty, power, and spirit of Esalen and the Big Sur coast. All levels of experience are welcome. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Peggy Horan has been practicing and teaching massage at Esalen for more than 35 years. She has also been involved in childbirth education and has practiced midwifery in Big Sur for 15 years. Peggy is the author of the book Connecting Through Touch. Vicki Topp is a senior practitioner and instructor of Esalen Massage and somatic bodywork. She teaches workshops and training groups internationally and is a Registered Movement Therapist and practitioner of Body-Mind Centering. Weekend of July 27–29 Your Inner Voice: Awakening the Power of Intuition Judith Orloff Intuition is an incredible source of wisdom that everyone can tap into. The magic comes in awakening it and trusting its guidance in our lives. Yet too many of us walk around out of touch with our inner voice. What stops us from listening? How can we listen more? Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist, intuition expert, and author of Second Sight, shows how to reclaim this intelligence. She passionately believes that the future of medicine lies in using intuition to access deeper insight, empathy, and greater wellness. Orloff offers practical methods to tap into medical intuition and use it to improve the quality of your decisions, health, and life. This workshop offers practices to help you access your intuition. You’ll be shown how to listen to the body, identify different forms of intuition, incorporate the analytic mind, and use medical intuition for healing. You will be taught how to tell the difference between intuition and fear, recognize what blocks intuition, and deflect the negativity of others. You’ll also be shown how to remember and interpret dreams as well as recognize déjà vu, synchronicities, and predictions. For more information, visit www.drjudithorloff.com. Recommended reading: Orloff, Second Sight and Dr. Judith Orloff ’s Guide to Intuitive Healing. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and intuitive, is author of the New York Times bestseller Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life and Second Sight. She synthesizes traditional medicine with intuition, energy, and spirituality. www.drjudithorloff.com. The Promise: Advanced Yoga for Everyone Mark Whitwell Yoga is not a linear process. It is direct intimacy with life, and it is available to everyone. This weekend, Mark Whitwell offers yoga’s advanced practices in a way that you can integrate and make your own, whether you are just beginning to practice or have years of experience. The weekend involves an interwoven promise: You promise to practice yoga, and in return you receive the promise of yoga’s gifts, including health, intimacy, wellbeing, and joy. In order to experience these benefits, your yoga practice must be adapted to you, not you to yoga. With Mark’s skillful and heartfelt guidance, you will: • Explore the five principles of advanced personal practice CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. 25 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. The atmosphere of the workshop is deeply rejuvenating, accepting, supportive, and alive. Our focus is on exploring and gaining first-hand experience of the Nine Principles of Harmony, which can be applied in any activity or situation. Through the Nine Principles, we discover a receptive mind, supportive feelings, and a relaxed body. Breema bodywork and SelfBreema exercises are ideal vehicles for entering into Breema’s comprehensive philosophy and understanding of the meaning and purpose of life. Practicing Breema also brings increased flexibility, ease, comfort, vitality, and a tangible sense of wholeness and aliveness. By the end of the weekend, you will have learned a variety of SelfBreema exercises and Breema sequences that you can comfortably and joyfully practice on your own. The bodywork is received fully clothed; participants should be comfortable sitting and working on a padded floor. Recommended reading: Schreiber, Breema and the Nine Principles of Harmony and Freedom Is In This Moment. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. is director of the Breema Center and the Breema Clinic in Oakland, Calif. The author of several books, he is also a licensed chiropractor. He has taught Breema worldwide since 1980. Jon Schreiber DOUG ELLIS Opening Our Hearts to Relationship: A Workshop for Gay Men Rob Bauer • Dive into asana, pranayama, and meditation as a seamless process • Discover how yoga transforms life into an intimate celebration with everything • Experience the nurturing principle as a constant in your life from now on • Return home with understanding and the embodied felt sense of your own joyful practice This program is a regenerative and joyful event that will continue to reverberate through your daily life in very practical ways. For all levels; no prior yoga experience needed. Please bring a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Whitwell, Yoga of Heart and The Promise; Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga. 26 has enjoyed a lifelong relationship with the teachings of Krishnamacharya through his students T.K.V. Desikachar and Srivatsa Ramaswami. He travels the world teaching yoga and is the author of Yoga of Heart: The Healing Power of Intimate Connection. Mark Whitwell Breema®: The Art of Being Present Jon Schreiber Breema bodywork is a teaching of the heart, an expression of the unifying principle of existence. Its purpose is to enable us to live fully in the present. Both practicing and receiving Breema help create harmony and balance between your mind, feelings, and body, and in your relationship to yourself, to others, and to all life. We dream of loving and being loved. Yet we often deny this need for love, support, and nurturing from another, even when we’re in a committed relationship. We struggle to find our true selves but shut our hearts down. However, emotions and needs that we suppress do not go away – they stay inside our bodies and psyches, affecting health and wellbeing. In this workshop we will learn what keeps us alone and apart, how we sabotage new beginnings, and how to be present in the moment with another. We will find new ways to communicate and make contact with each other in respectful, non-threatening ways. While many of us have been taught to see touch with a man as sexual and nothing more, we will learn how the power of touch can initiate emotional and physical healing. Most of all, we will share our Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). laughter, stories, and feelings, and reclaim our souls. Rob will teach through individual demonstrations, group process and hands-on techniques. Join Rob Bauer, find your true self, and learn what holds us back from relationship in the stunning landscape of Big Sur. All gay, bi and trans men are welcome, regardless of age or relationship status. Rob has been working with gay men singly and in relationship for more than twenty-five years as a body-centered psychotherapist. He is celebrating fourteen years of teaching at Esalen. inspire, envision, and catalyze new resources to bring back into daily life. The workshop is designed for everyone, with no previous experience in dance/art needed. Live music by Billy Cauley. Recommended reading and viewing: Anna Halprin, Moving Toward Life: Five Decades of Transformational Dance and Returning to Health: With Dance Movement and Imagery; Gerber, Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin (DVD); Daria Halprin, The Expressive Body in Life, Art and Therapy, Working with Movement, Metaphor and Meaning, and Body Ensouled, Enacted and Entranced. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Rob Bauer has been working with gay men for 25 years. His workshops incorporate the Rubenfeld Synergy Method, a body-centered psychotherapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, as well as experiential exercises, relationship dynamics, and meditation. He has presented workshops across America. www.robbauer.net. Week of July 29–August 3 Empowering Creativity through Movement/Dance and Life/Art Metaphors Anna Halprin & Daria Halprin In celebration of Esalen’s 50th year, Anna Halprin and Daria Halprin will join forces for this one-time, very special workshop. They were both part of the groundbreaking human potential movement that flourished in the early 1960s and they worked with Fritz Perls, Ida Rolf, and others in the early years at Esalen. Throughout time, movement, dance, and the expressive arts have provided individuals and communities with a means of soulful expression, healing, and connection with the spirit. This workshop will generate opportunities for participants to find such meaning and connect it with the real issues in their lives. Pioneers in their respective fields of dance and expressive-arts-based psychology, Anna and Daria will interweave their original work in an exploration of the body in movement and imagination, life and art, and individual and collective stories and myths. The Life/Art Processâ developed by the Halprins includes the following tools: movement/dance, drawing, poetic dialogue, individual and group dance, reflective writing, and the natural environment. These elements will be utilized to renew, regenerate, Anna Halprin was named one of “America’s 100 Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by the Dance Heritage Coalition. She founded the San Francisco Dancer’s Workshop in 1955 and the Tamalpa Institute in 1978 with her daughter, Daria. Daria Halprin, dancer, poet, psychologist, teacher, and author, is among the leading pioneers in the field of movement/dance and expressive arts education and therapy. Her work bridges the fields of somatic psychology, movement/dance therapy, expressive arts therapy, and community-based arts and health education. www.dariahalprin.org. blocks. This will take place in a safe, supportive circle, through guided explorations, conscious intention, gentle movement, breath, journaling, and dream work. This course is especially beneficial for healthcare professionals or anyone wanting to be a healing influence in the world. For more information about Suzanne ScurlockDurana’s work, visit www.HealingFromTheCore.com. Note: Registration for this workshop is through IAHE only. To register, please call 1-800-3119204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. Required reading: Scurlock-Durana, Full Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Body’s Wisdom, book and CD. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 18. The Promise: Advanced Yoga for Everyone Intensive Mark Whitwell Full Body Presence: Grounding and Healthy Boundaries Suzanne Scurlock-Durana To thrive in today’s demanding world, we all need full access to our inner and outer resources. This course teaches how the deep wisdom of the body can help navigate our living, working, healing, and relating. Listening to this bodywisdom as the ground of knowing enables us to rediscover our innate spirituality and develop our emotional intelligence. Many of us are inspired to be a healing influence, to have a strong and beneficial presence in our work and personal lives. Yet unless we know how to hold a healing space for ourselves, the outcome is often burnout. This course presents a step-by-step process of reclaiming and transforming the tight, numb, or painful places within so that we can feel, in each moment, our wholeness—the sense of aliveness that allows us to be in a state of grace with our core. Although each person’s journey is different, the underlying principles are the same. These principles will be explored first conceptually, then experientially. You will learn about your unique energy flow and how to create new energy habits that will help you heal your internal Yoga is not a linear process. It is direct intimacy with life, and it is available to everyone. This week, Mark Whitwell offers yoga’s advanced practices in a way that you can integrate and make your own, whether you are just beginning to practice or have years of experience. The weekend involves an interwoven promise: You promise to practice yoga, and in return you receive the promise of yoga’s gifts, including health, intimacy, wellbeing, and joy. In order to experience these benefits, your yoga practice must be adapted to you, not you to yoga. With Mark’s skillful and heartfelt guidance, you will: • Explore the five principles of advanced personal practice • Dive into asana, pranayama, and meditation as a seamless process • Discover how yoga transforms life into an intimate celebration with everything • Experience the nurturing principle as a constant in your life from now on • Return home with understanding and the embodied felt sense of your own joyful practice This program is a regenerative and joyful event that will continue to reverberate through your daily life in very practical ways. For all levels; no 27 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. prior yoga experience is needed. Please bring a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Whitwell, Yoga of Heart and The Promise; Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga. Leader bio on page 26. Intermediate Level Chinese Pulse Diagnosis and Integrating Western and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Brian Weissbuch & Brian LaForgia This intermediate level class is open to all acupuncturists, naturopaths, and health care professionals who have attended the Introductory Pulse course taught by Brian LaForgia or any of the certified Shen/Hammer pulse teachers. We will first review pulse positions, qualities, and the Three Depths. Without a precise understanding of the location of the positions and depths, it is impossible to make accurate readings of the qualities, and then make an accurate diagnosis. The leaders will then record the pulse qualities of patient models, followed by the students attempting to feel the same qualities as are recorded. We will then review the pulse picture and qualities of the patient models and work up diagnoses. The focus is on learning and developing the process of preparing a diagnostic presentation. Treatment with herbal medicine is dependent upon accurate and thorough pulse diagnosis. We will briefly discuss Dr. Shen’s herb formulas in the context of pulse presentation and corresponding treatment protocols. We will continue to build upon and explore the Traditional Chinese Medicine energetics and indications of Western herbs; incompatibilities and contraindications of herbs with pharmaceuticals; food and supplements; herb combinations; posology (dosage and administration); phytopharmacology; pharmacognosy; toxicology; and dysjunct cosmopolitan Asian and American species with similar properties and uses. For this seminar, we will focus on slide presentations with an emphasis on case histories and formulation. and studied Dr. John Shen’s pulse system intensively with him. Since 1995 Brian has been teaching Pulse Diagnosis internationally. High Summer in the Full Moon Garden: Growing Food and Ourselves on the Esalen Land Shirley Ward, Amigo Bob Cantisano & Wendy Johnson From the beginning, the fertility of the garden depends on the fertility of the gardener’s imagination. seasoned growers are encouraged to attend this dynamic workshop. No prior experience is necessary. Join Shirley Ward, manager of the Esalen farm and garden, Wendy Johnson, Buddhist meditation teacher, organic gardening mentor, and a founder of Green Gulch Zen Center’s farm and garden, and Amigo Bob Cantisano, one of the most widely experienced and influential advisors in California organic agriculture. Recommended reading: Johnson, Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate. —Wendy Johnson Follow your heart’s desire to be connected to the land that sustains you and feel the simple pleasure of growing, harvesting, and sharing food with community. There is a need to work together and create new economic models to make self-reliance a viable option for everyone. This immersion in the life of the bountiful fouracre Esalen farm and garden will focus on the fundamental practices and principles of local, organic agriculture. Our teaching sessions will include hands-on work experience in harvesting, cultivation, seed starting, transplanting, compost-making, fertility, seed saving, and plant propagation — as well as a full review of current ecological practices to help enhance and maintain the health and vitality of any farm or garden. Our time together will include ceremony and daily practices that connect us to the land on the rugged Big Sur coast, as well as ample time for rest and relaxation in the restorative beauty of the Esalen environment. Aspiring and Shirley Ward’s loving expertise has blessed the Esalen Farm and Garden for the last six years: as groundskeeper, farm manager, and consultant. Prior to Esalen, she created magnificent, sustainable, organic landscapes for a large East Coast clientele. Wendy Johnson is a Buddhist meditation teacher and organic gardening mentor who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is one of the founders of the organic Farm and Garden program at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center and author of Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate. Relational Gestalt Process: The Transformative Power of Emotion Dorothy Charles In order to become whole, we must engage in the ongoing process of discovering our own personal truth. This truth may challenge us, may even be painful, before it gives us new freedom and expands our horizons. When we choose to Recommended Reading: Hammer, Chinese Pulse Diagnosis: A Contemporary Approach. CE credit available for acupuncturists; see workshop leaders. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Brian Kie Weissbuch, LAc, is an herbalist and Brian LaForgia, LAc, has been practicing Chinese Medicine since 1979. In 1992, he met Leon Hammer 28 DOUG ELLIS acupuncturist in private practice in Northern California since 1991. Cofounder of KW Botanicals, Inc. in San Anselmo, Calif., he has 41 years of experience as a botanist and western herbalist. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). remain content with intellectual wisdom only, we limit ourselves and limit our relationships. When we integrate the full breadth of our emotional wisdom, we open the path toward becoming whole. Experiencing and expressing emotions are integral to being alive. Learning to fully experience feelings and express them in healthy ways enables us to have more pleasurable and fulfilling relationships. We cannot change the past. We can change what we have come to believe about our capacity for love and belonging. This experiential and didactic workshop will blend individual and group Relational Gestalt work with the intention of finding individual truths through our felt and expressed emotions, and exploring how these truths will help strengthen our relationships to self and others. We will experiment with tracking emotions as sensations and learn to recognize them as signals calling for awareness and attention, rather than problems to be avoided. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Dorothy Charles has been a student and teacher at Esalen since 1982. A student of Esalen cofounder Dick Price, she combines Esalen body-centered Gestalt with relational Gestalt theory, and leads workshops in Asia, Europe, and the US. Weekend of August 3–5 The Ecstasy of Sound: A Music and Healing Workshop Jennifer Berezan At the core of all that exists in the universe is vibration. Many cultures have long believed that the world itself was created through sound. Some peoples believe that illness is a musical problem, a result of a lack of harmony in the system. This workshop will explore music as a spiritual practice and a path to opening one’s heart and uncovering one’s true nature. Participants will engage in a wide range of musical experiences, from traditional and contemporary traditions, designed to open the heart and DANIEL BIANCHETTA Relational Gestalt process is a holistic, processoriented, dialogical, phenomenological, existential, and field theoretical approach to human change with the centrality of contact, awareness, and personal responsiveness and responsibility. Primacy is given to the uniqueness of the individual. In this way of working, people are viewed as an integrated whole with the innate potential of growth and mature self-expression. create equanimity, joy, ecstasy, and healing. The workshop will include sessions of toning, chanting, harmony and rhythm, improvisational sounding, meditation, and silence, in a safe, humorous, and sacred environment. No musical experience is necessary. To learn more, visit www.edgeofwonder.com. Jennifer Berezan is a singer/songwriter, teacher, and activist. Her groundbreaking work as a recording artist and teacher has established her as a leading voice in the field of music, ritual, and healing. She has released 8 albums and produces large-scale multicultural, ecstatic ritual events. Introduction to Radical Aliveness Ann Bradney Ann Bradney writes, “There is a state in which you are fully alive, authentic, and spontaneous. You are open to all of your feelings, connected to your strength and your truth. You are not afraid to know anything about yourself. I call this radical aliveness. In this state you embrace your creativity and see life in all its possibilities. “Standing in the way of radical aliveness are chronic patterns formed in your past to survive. These live as frozen feelings and history in your body and no longer serve you. “Core Energetics is a powerful body-based system. It frees the frozen feelings and history in your body by working with the blocked and held energy. It helps you reconnect with deep parts of the self that you disconnected from as a child. It uncovers the power and goodness at the source of your most destructive patterns. It leads you to connection with your deepest essence. “In this workshop, you will work individually and in groups to understand, transform, and release the past as you deeply explore, experience, and express your blocked and held energy. You will work on your relationship to yourself and explore relating to others in radically alive ways. You will find what stands in the way of your full potential for life.” Please note: An interview is required for admission. Please e-mail [email protected]. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Ann Bradney is director of the Radical Aliveness/Core Energetics Institute of Southern California. She studied under Core Energetics founder John Pierrakos and teaches internationally. Ann’s Radical Aliveness model expands Core beyond the individual, to address community healing and world issues. Recapturing Your Posture: Release Biomechanical Stress and Maximize Your Energy Harvey Deutch Sometimes it is sudden, but more often it is a slow realization that our postures and energy have started to slump and drag. We assume positions and engage in tasks that our bodies are not meant to do nor were ever taught how to perform correctly. Without mindfulness and grace in our movement and without awareness of our energy systems, our bodies begin to break down faster and earlier than expected. Is your body heading down this path? Has your once pristine 29 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. temple turned into a fixer-upper? Good news! You can change this course and re-fortify your foundation starting now. The key is to uncover the “what” and the “how” of healing and aligning your own body. Come join us for a playful weekend of exploring proven self-help practices to release tension in your system. Incorporating the principles of yoga, chi gong, and pranayama, and therapeutic equipment such as foam rollers, medicine balls, and yoga straps, we will draw from various methods of healing to help you regain balance and harmony in your body and mind. Come prepared to unwind and laugh, and to fill your toolbox with simple do-it-yourself tactics to maximize your energy. It’s time to excavate the healer that lives inside of you. Arrive curious, depart aligned! CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. ($45 materials fee for 3 containers and plants, paid directly to the leader. More plants and containers are available for an additional small fee.) Christina Dauenhauer is a landscape designer Succulent Design Christina Dauenhauer Containers can be elegant additions to any garden or patio. Here at Esalen, succulent plants thrive; this is a perfect place to garden with them. Containers of succulents are drought tolerant, easy to maintain, and a great accent to Esalen’s gardens. In this workshop we will play with basic design principles, exploring shape, form, texture, color, and line. We will learn about propagation and care of succulents (they thrive in a wide range of climates), and each participant will create and take home two to three small container gardens. We will also replant a few raised beds at Esalen (around the art center) to explore succulent design in a larger space. I am collecting found containers for our use and feel free to bring your own smallish containers from home. This beginner course will give you tools to create your own inspired succulent containers and keep the spirit of Esalen alive at home. and manager of the Esalen grounds crew. She graduated from The Art Institute of Chicago in 1993, in sculpture, and founded her own design/build landscape company in Seattle. Her passion for design, rare plants, and found objects inspires her creative work. The Leadership Clinic Gustavo Rabin You may be familiar with tennis or golf clinics, intended to examine your game and help you improve it, but what about leadership? This workshop is designed to rapidly identify what may be limiting your leadership capability and pinpoint how to gain the competencies needed for the next stage of your personal and professional journey. Through short “lecturettes” and discussion, we will review the principles of effective leadership, powerful communication, and how to build the executive presence needed KODIAK GREENWOOD Harvey Deutch has been both a physical therapist and yogi for the past 25 years. His life path has blended the intricate knowledge of movement with the practice of yoga. He is the owner and one of many physical therapists at Red Hawk Physical Therapy in San Francisco. 30 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). to move your career forward. Participants in this class will receive an individualized leadership profile by completing an online assessment in advance of the clinic. Based on these profiles, we will review the traits and tendencies that best support effective leadership and strengthen those skills. The same reasons that keep us from learning how to ride a bike just by reading about it also apply to leadership. This will be an experiential and highly interactive class. We will create a learning community and a supportive environment in which to look at ourselves clearly and compassionately and try new ways of exercising leadership in relation to self, others, and our work. Recommended reading: Rabin, Becoming a Great Leader. ($35 fee for leadership profile paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Gustavo Rabin is a psychologist and an organizational consultant based in Silicon Valley, Calif. He specializes in improving leadership skills of individuals and the effectiveness of teams and organizations. Gustavo is also a cofounder of Skyline Group. Experiencing Esalen Experiencing Esalen Staff We must answer anew the old questions. “What are the limits of human ability, the boundaries of the human experience? What does it mean to be a human being?” be exquisitely present, fully alive, and unafraid to know anything about themselves. When you can engage the powerful feelings of others without the need to control or tame them, that’s radical aliveness. When you can learn to hold a space where conflict and challenge are welcome because they serve as doorways to fresh insights, that’s also radical aliveness. This workshop is designed for established or emerging leaders—therapists, businesspeople, community leaders, health care workers, ministers, educators, social activists, and other professionals who want to learn the principles and apply the techniques of Core Energetics and Ann’s Radical Aliveness approach to bring more charge and creativity to their work. Participants will work with blocks to leadership, facing conflict head-on, and opening to the unpredictable energy of life. Everyone will be encouraged to lead, take risks, be emotionally honest, shed personal agendas, and help build a dynamic group process where every member is an essential part of the whole. The aim is to become leaders who serve the greater purpose of life. This group process may be like group work you’ve done before, demanding courage, committed engagement with others, and a strong desire to discover and develop your leadership potential within an accelerated, intense time frame and setting. Please note: An interview is required for admission. Please e-mail [email protected]. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. — From the 1965 Esalen Catalog Leader bio on page 29. Experiencing Esalen is a workshop that introduces participants to some of the transformational practices of Esalen. Designed for firsttime participants or those renewing their acquaintance with Esalen, the emphasis is on finding those approaches to personal growth that work most effectively for each participant. Sessions may include: meditation, sensory awareness, Gestalt Practice, group process, art, movement, and massage. There will also be time to explore the magnificence of the Big Sur coast. Week of August 5–10 The Radically Alive Leader: A Core Energetics / Radical Aliveness Workshop The Way of Story: The Craft and Soul of Writing Catherine Ann Jones We’ve become lopsided living only in our heads. Writing, in order to serve the soul, must integrate outer craft with the inner world of intuition and feeling. —Catherine Ann Jones, New York Times The Way of Story offers an integrative approach to writing narrative, combining solid craft with the experiential discovery of the intangible dimensions of writing, because craft alone is not enough. This unique workshop is for writers of all levels and all narrative forms including plays, screenplays, short stories, novels, and memoirs. In this workshop, you can learn: Ann Bradney People in leadership positions who strive to be inspiring, influential, and highly effective must • The seven steps to story structure • How to create memorable characters and dialogue • How to balance craft with intuitive skills • How to access and free your potential story Catherine Ann Jones is an award-winning writer whose films and TV shows have enjoyed widespread success. She has served on the writing faculties of several universities, lectures internationally, and published a book on narrative writing and professional memoir, The Way of Story (Michael Wiese Productions, 2007). For more information visit www.wayofstory.com. Recommended reading: Jones, The Way of Story (The Craft & Soul of Writing). Catherine Ann Jones is an award-winning author, playwright, and screenwriter whose films include Unlikely Angel, The Christmas Wife, and the series Touched By An Angel. She was a Fulbright Scholar to India and winner of the National Endowment for the Arts Award. www.wayofstory.com. Heart of the Sky, Heart of the Earth: 2012 Maya Wisdom and Yoga Retreat Saul David Raye & Miguel Angel Vergara Join us for a powerful and inspiring week of sacred wisdom teachings, ceremony, yoga, meditation, and chanting as you discover the common understandings and shared practices of the Mayan Cosmo vision and yoga. The ancient Mayans were great visionaries who developed an advanced culture with systems of mathematics, architecture, science, and art. They were excellent astronomers fascinated by time and space. According to the Maya, much of what has been written through “his-story” is a misrepresentation of their culture, including what is being taught about 2012. The Maya are very clear: 2012 is not the end of the world. It is the end of a cycle of imbalance, greed, and darkness. It is not an exact date per se, but a period of transition, a shift in consciousness; and we are in that time now. The roots of yoga lie in a tantric and shamanic past of connection to the cycles, rhythms, and forces of the universe and how people can connect with those energies. Tantra is the mother of yoga. It is the harmonizing of the masculine and feminine, an exploration of our essence that weaves together all parts of ourselves into a state of oneness. Please join Mayan shaman and wisdom keeper Don Miguel Angel Vergara and acclaimed yoga teacher Saul David Raye to dive deeply into these two ancient paths. The morning sessions will include yoga, meditation, and chanting with Saul and the afternoon 31 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. sessions will be lecture, meditation, and ceremony with Miguel. They will also co-teach during certain sessions. Please bring a yoga mat. and the PBS broadcast The Grove. His focus is using the camera to create a bridge between ourselves and our environment. See Seminar Spotlight, page 9. Saul David Raye is an internationally acclaimed teacher, healer, and spiritual activist known for his empowering and transformational approach to yoga. He holds certifications in yoga, bodywork, and energy healing, and is an ordained minister and musician who infuses his classes with healing music and chants. www.sauldavidraye.com. Miguel Angel Vergara is a Maya priest and master teacher who lives and works in Yucatán, Mexico. He was a director at Chichen Itza for four years and has written books and given lectures and conferences on the Maya sacred knowledge internationally. www.casakin.org. Framing Nature: Photography as Meditation and Mirror Andy Abrahams Wilson In every step of the process, photography is a balancing of relationships (light, time, space, etc.), the merging of which creates a still moment–a meditation. Both an inward and outward journey, this workshop invites you to go deeply with the camera–into the world of nature and your own nature. Photography becomes a bridge, a metaphor for living, and a means to experience flow. Through field trips, photo assignments, and group critique, we explore ideas of seeing and being, and discover how our photographs tell us as much about ourselves as what we photograph. An adventure into the sights and secrets of Esalen and Big Sur, the workshop allows us to see the world anew: to alter perspective, shift focus, find detail, notice contrast, and receive the light and shadow around us. It is a way to encourage intimacy and engagement with our environment and our selves–sparking connections and insights, and creating an art that informs our life. Taught by Emmy-nominated cinematographer and photographer Andy Abrahams Wilson, the workshop covers basics of photography and camera, but is geared toward those with some familiarity. Please bring your own digital SLR camera, laptop, and photo editing software, if possible. Enrollment is limited for an optimal and intimate group experience. Early registration is encouraged. is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer. Recent projects include the Academy Award semifinalist Under Our Skin Andy Abrahams Wilson 32 Big Sur Wilderness Experience Steven Harper & Michael Newman Esalen is the trailhead to one of the most spectacular mountainous coastlines in the world. With the Big Sur wilderness as the primary teacher, participants will explore the beauty of this alive and wild coast, from ancient redwoodforested canyons to dramatic coastal beaches, from rugged rocky mountains to the soft grassy slopes of the Big Sur hills. Drawing from nature and various experiential awareness practices, individuals will be encouraged to open both to the natural world and to the landscapes of their inner world. It is said that Big Sur is not just a place but a state of mind. This wilderness experience seeks to merge mind and place, then to embody what is learned. Participants in this weeklong workshop will venture out into the richness of the summer season of Big Sur on five day-hikes, four to ten miles in length. The leaders will draw from a wide range of contemporary and age-old wisdom traditions, borrowing from psychology, meditation, aikido, and the natural sciences to weave together a holistic experience of self and the natural world. Each hike begins after breakfast and concludes in time to enjoy the hot springs and dinner at Esalen. Evening sessions include informal sharing, basic awareness practices, and useful outdoor skills, with attention given to incorporating what is learned during the week into our daily lives. 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 and a waiver will be sent upon registration. For an equipment list and frequently asked questions about Steven’s workshops, visit www.stevenkharper.com/faqs.html. ($20 park-entrance fees paid directly to the leaders) Steven Harper bio on page 13. Michael Newman is an attorney-mediator, surfer, and lifelong resident of the Big Sur coast. He has an MA in psychology and promotes the integration of wilderness into contemporary life. Be Present Family Camp Lillie Allen, Eugene Allen & Noa Mohlabane Be Present Family Camp brings together diverse families to learn and practice the Be Present Empowerment Model® (BPEM®), a holistic leadership development model for individual and collective effectiveness. BPEM replaces silence with information, assumptions with a diversity of insights, and powerlessness with a sense of personal responsibility. Through engaged creativity, imaginative play, and community celebration, Be Present, Inc. supports people to create wellbeing within themselves and in their families, organizations, and communities. Family Camp empowers children and adults with skills to build trust and connection, improve communication, and help family members transform challenging moments into learning opportunities. Our goal is for campers to: • Experience sharing their voices in a nurturing environment where their feelings and experiences are validated and supported • Increase knowledge of self and awareness of others through learning how to listen in a clear and conscious state • Practice ways of supporting one another within the family system and among peers to increase feelings of connection and community • Engage in the conversations that nurture and sustain authentic relationships across the interconnected issues of race, gender, class, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity Family Camp integrates BPEM into child- and adult-friendly activities with emphasis on the process of the children. Families with children of all ages are welcome. Lillie Allen is founder and executive director of Be Present, Inc. and developed the Be Present Empowerment Model™. Lillie has more than 30 years of experience in public health education, human development, interpersonal relations, group dynamics, and the interconnections and conflicts between work, home, and personal goals. Eugene Allen is a national Be Present, Inc. trainer and member of the Regional Community Organizing Core Group in Atlanta, Ga. Eugene’s areas of focus are developing the leadership of young men and boys, and building sustainable partnerships with social justice organizations. Noa Mohlabane is a community activist who has worked with families and teachers for more than 40 years in the nonprofit world in organizational development and program directing. She is a Be Present Inc. regional core organizing group member, trainer, and former board member. DOUG ELLIS Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Weekend of August 10–12 Why We Choose What We Choose: Career, Love and Everything in Between Ayala Pines Two of the most important choices we make in life are work and love. Both may seem at times random, but in fact reflect deep, largely unconscious processes. This is why we enter both our careers and our love relationships with such high expectations and why so often we are disappointed and burned out. What influences those choices and what is the relationship between them? This unexplored territory is the focus of this workshop. In the workshop, participants will hear about relevant theories and research and undertake a series of experiential exercises and group discussions that will enable them to explore their career and love choices and the relationship between them, and understand why they are experiencing burnout rather than joy and satisfaction in their work, marriage, or both. Social Venture Network’s Succeeding with Your Soul Intact: Lessons from Sustainable Business The goal is to gain deeper understanding of the underlying dynamic for our career and love choices and learn better skills for coping with both career and couple burnout. Jeff Mendelsohn, Mike Hannigan & Margot Fraser This workshop is for individuals, couples, and career and couple therapists interested in understanding the impact of career and love choices. Recommended reading: Pines, Falling in Love: Why We Choose the Lovers We Choose and Couple Burnout: Causes and Cures. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Ayala M. Pines is a clinical social and organizational psychologist, a university professor, and the dean of the faculty of management at Ben-Gurion University in Israel. She is the author of 10 books, including Career Burnout, Couple Burnout, Romantic Jealousy, and Falling in Love. This workshop can help you develop the art of successful, values-based leadership. Through interactive dialogues and exercises, explore ways to create and grow the kind of organization you’ve always wanted to work in—one that lets you bring your values to work, is successful in accomplishing its mission, and generates a healthy profit. You will hear practical advice, lessons, and confessions from visionary social entrepreneurs who are members of Social Venture Network, a San Francisco-based organization that supports a community of business and social leaders to build a just and sustainable planet. The group will share their stories and insights throughout this interactive workshop, and you will have the opportunity to schedule one-on-one sessions with the presenters. This 33 DOUG ELLIS See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. workshop is open to established and emerging business and non-profit leaders, as well as those in transition. It’s a great opportunity for those interested in bringing more purpose, creativity, innovation, and effectiveness into their professional lives. founded New York Recycled Paper in 1991, and New Leaf Paper in 1998. He has focused his career on building a highly successful green business and driving a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Jeff Mendelsohn Mike Hannigan is president and cofounder of Give Something Back, California’s largest independent business-to-business office supplier. Founded in 1991, GSB donates its profits to community organizations. Margot Fraser founded Birkenstock USA in 1966. Her focused and innovative management style turned Birkenstock USA into a company with more than $100 million in annual revenues. She coauthored Dealing with the Tough Stuff in 2009, with Lisa Lorimer. Open Your Heart and Reclaim Your Health Eva Selhub Fear, anger, and anxiety that go on for too long can lead to a list of debilitating ailments that are 34 so common we assume they are unavoidable: insomnia, heart disease, arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, and more. The key to reversing the negative impacts of stress and reclaiming our health is simple: love. Love sets off a series of physiological events in the body that help us adapt to life’s challenges, stop and reverse disease, maintain health, and make it easier for our bodies to improve rather than deteriorate with age. Eva Selhub, MD, provides a practical framework to rid the body of the ravaging effects of these stressors, overcome hurtful past life events, and shape an empowered personal future. The Love Response® addresses how to change the body’s physiology quickly and lastingly through the deliberate evocation of biochemical reactions that counteract the unhealthy effects of fear and stress. This allows us to experience the myriad health benefits of nature’s own antidote: love and affection. Recommended reading: Selhub and Infusino, The Love Response. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Eva Selhub, MD, is board certified in internal medicine and trained in Eastern medical practices. A clinical associate of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, she has a private practice and is an instructor at Harvard Medical School. www.theloveresponse.com and www.drselhub.com. Magic and Music in the Gardens Joanna Claassen & Banana Slug String Band Celebrate summer in the land of rejuvenation with a unique collaboration between the worldrenowned Banana Slug String Band and Esalen’s Gazebo Park School environmental education teachers. We will use music, theater, puppetry, poetry, arts, and games to deepen our connection to this magical earth. The program will culminate in a performance by the budding children stars and the Banana Slug String Band. Together we’ll create a community of families to laugh, connect, and renew as we explore dance, family yoga, harvesting and eating delicious organic food, hiking among the redwoods on the Esalen grounds, a night walk, stargazing, and plenty of time to soak in the baths. We will watch the sun set on the ocean bluff and feed the goats and chickens at Gazebo Park School. You’ve been busy all year; take the time to drop into your sense of wonder and reestablish your loving bond with each other and the earth. This workshop is open to children of all ages. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Participants under 18 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Joanna Claassen is Esalen’s Gazebo School Park director, outdoor and early childhood educator, and community organizer. She leads parent education and seminars for educators. Joanna is inspired by work happening in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and the No Child Left Inside outdoor education movement. The Banana Slug String Band is a group of lovable musicians and educators from the coastal redwoods of Northern California. Since 1987 the Slugs have dedicated themselves to making great music for kids that teaches science and a love of this green earth. www.bananaslugstringband.com. leader and a strategy for your future growth. Note: Registration for this workshop is through Stand & Deliver only. To register please call 415627-7477 or email [email protected]. Only after you have reserved your place through Stand & Deliver will you be able to reserve your accommodations by contacting Esalen (course fees and accommodations are separate). Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/ reservations.html. Peter James Meyers is the founder and president of Stand & Deliver, a global communications consultancy that helps leaders and their teams to engage, inspire and achieve exceptional results through the vibrant power of human communication. Speak to Inspire Peter Meyers with Stand & Deliver Staff Social networks and the instantaneous exchange of information have made us more connected than ever. But in this new era of virtual community, more and more people are left feeling depleted and detached. In the face of this uniquely 21st-century challenge, how can leaders rise above the din of data to truly connect, engage, and inspire others through the power of the human voice? This exclusive weekend summit will bring together leaders from around the world and across industries to examine the critical question of their power and responsibility to foster vital human connections in their organizations. Peter Meyers, author of As We Speak and founder and president of Stand & Deliver, a global communications consultancy, has worked for more than a decade helping leaders and their teams to enrich their presence and effectiveness through greater clarity, credibility, and connection. This workshop challenges high-level leaders to tackle difficult questions about themselves and their organizations. Most importantly, participants will learn—and practice—models and methods for expanding their leadership voice; provide insight in the face of confusion; create confidence in place of doubt; and ignite empowering beliefs that inspire others to action. Activities include lecture, group discussions, self-awareness exercises, simulations, coaching, and personal feedback. You will have an opportunity to examine your underlying assumptions and beliefs; overcome inner blocks; discuss and test new ideas with a group of accomplished peers; step away from the frenetic demands of your day-to-day routine and ask big questions in an awe-inspiring natural setting; and create a vision for yourself as a Esalen® Massage in Motion Brita Ostrom & Vicki Topp We live our lives in motion. A muscle appears static on the anatomy chart, and the ribs nicely align, but in fact we are reaching, bending, and coordinating dozens of fine motor skills every second. A joyous mood opens the limbs wider; an anxious thought freezes our breath and contracts our core. In this course, we will be shown to use lifting, passive joint rotations, gentle movement, and stillness to make our bodywork more effective, fun for the receiver, and easier for the practitioner. We will build a field of trust by offering gentle supportive lifts. We will practice passive stretches to release the shoulders; we will roll to access the low back; we will rock the leg and articulate the hip; we will gently mobilize the neck to free our minds. The diaphragm, keystone of a relaxed state will release, and we will breathe more easily. This workshop offers the practitioner a threedimensional approach into the body-mind experience. The basic lengthening strokes add another dimension to the massage, welcoming a sense of release and acceptance. The schedule allows ample time for guided practice sessions, feedback, and questions, including individual attention from Brita and Vicki. The course is suitable for those interested in learning basic massage skills or for advanced practitioners who want to add a fresh dimension to their massage. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. is a founding member of the Esalen Massage School, trained in Gestalt awareness work, and participated in Esalen’s two-year somatics education project. Vicki Topp bio on page 25. Week of August 12–17 Traditional Thai Massage: Sacred Bodywork Richard Gold What in the West we call traditional Thai massage is known in Thailand as Nuad Bo’Rarn. Nuad is a Thai word that translates as “to touch with the intention of imparting healing.” Bo’Rarn is derived from Sanskrit and translates as “something ancient and revered.” Historians date this traditional medical practice from approximately 500 BC. Thai massage fulfills the Buddhist principle of bringing spiritual philosophy into everyday life and work, allowing both practitioner and recipient an opportunity to experience the four divine states of mind: loving kindness, compassion, mental equanimity, and vicarious joy. This workshop is an immersion into the practice of Thai massage. An extensive curriculum in northern (Chiang Mai) style will be taught and practiced. The course will focus on the meditative aspects of this traditional healing art, with emphasis on proper body mechanics. Combining aspects of yoga, acupressure, and assisted stretching, Thai massage is a healing and deeply relaxing form of bodywork. Practitioners learn to work with their feet, knees, forearms, and elbows, as well as with their hands. Thai massage is practiced slowly, on a futon or mat placed on the floor, with the client dressed in loose-fitting clothing. No oils or lotions are used. Come and join this comprehensive immersion into an ancient healing art. Required reading: Gold, Thai Massage: A Traditional Medical Technique, 2nd edition. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for acupuncturists pending. Richard Gold has been practicing and teaching Oriental healing arts since 1978. A graduate in Thai Massage from the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he is chairman of the board of the International Professional School of Bodywork in San Diego, Calif. www.traditionalthaimassage.com. Brita Ostrom, a licensed MFT, has led massage and other workshops at Esalen for more than 20 years. She 35 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. The Transformational Enneagram: Mindfulness, Insight and Experience Russ Hudson A growing number of people are aware of the Enneagram as an accurate and profound map of personality. The nine Enneagram types are based on the three primary centers of intelligence: thinking, emotion, and instinct. However, in almost all human beings, distortions or blockages in these centers have led to a loss of connection with our essential nature and to the arising of ego structures to compensate for this loss. Thus, while our Enneagram type usually obscures our true nature with a characteristic web of defenses, it can also serve as an opening to the deeper reality of spirit. This workshop will emphasize recognizing the ways that each of the nine types plays out in our own personalities. It will combine psychological insight into the inner workings of the types with meditation practices and exercises to lead participants toward a more direct experience of qualities of essence such as presence, clarity, compassion, and joy. Conversational instruction will be combined with group meditations, small-group work, physical movements, and music so that participants can more fully integrate the richness of the Enneagram material into their daily work and relationships. Recommended reading: Riso and Hudson, The Wisdom of the Enneagram, Personality Types (Revised Edition, 1996), and Understanding the Enneagram (Revised Edition, 2000). CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Russ Hudson is executive director of the Enneagram Institute in New York. He is the coauthor, with Don Richard Riso, of several books, including The Wisdom of the Enneagram and Personality Types (Revised Edition). Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Lynda Greenberg For many of us, drawing seems to be a mysterious process reserved for the “talented” few, but Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain has debunked this myth. Welcoming students who are convinced they have little talent for drawing and those who wish to expand their current artistic abilities, this workshop offers an intensive combination of discussion and studio exercises. The class is designed to awaken the perceptual skills necessary for drawing with confidence, and has proven valuable to students at all levels. 36 Based on the pioneering work of Dr. Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain provides a forum on how to see and think differently by tapping into the non-verbal (nondominant) side of the brain. Set in Esalen’s Art Barn on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, students will have a host of stunning views to draw and contemplate, including rocky streams, sunsets, jagged cliffs, and an expansive evergreen forest. In a carefully sequenced process, participants will explore the strategies of seeing that will enable them to draw with a high degree of skill. By workshop’s end, participants will have finished drawings and gained new thinking strategies to help enhance their general problem-solving capacity. Please register early; enrollment is limited to twenty. A materials list will be sent upon registration. All exercises will be preceded by demonstrations and followed by assessments of individual progress. Recommended reading: Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. ($15 materials fee paid directly to the leader) Lynda Greenberg has been practicing art for thirty years and holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree. She teaches at Antelope Valley and Harbor colleges, among others. She was trained by Dr. Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. StoryPlay®: A New Ericksonian Indirective Model of Play Therapy Joyce C. Mills This play therapy course for healing professionals teaches participants the origins, key elements, and essentials of StoryPlay Therapy, including therapeutic metaphors, storytelling, story-crafts, sensory synchronicity, artistic living metaphors, and therapeutic rituals and ceremonies. A trauma and program development specialist, Dr. Joyce Mills shows how the Play Therapy model of StoryPlay can be effectively utilized with specialized populations or situations, such as natural and man-made disasters, PTSD, abuse, ADHD, attachment, grief and loss; and various treatment modalities. StoryPlay is a multicultural, resiliency-based, indirective Play Therapy model that draws on the natural inner resources, skills, and strengths of each child, adolescent, adult, or family member to generate healing, growth, and change. StoryPlay Therapy is founded on the principles of Milton H. Erickson, indigenous teachings, and the innovative approaches of healer and therapist Dr. Mills. With the power and spirit of therapeutic storytelling and play at its center, each element of the StoryPlay approach provides participants with play therapy, hands-on, creative tools for working with difficult or traumatized clients using their favored treatment modality or philosophy. By the end of the course participant will be able to: • Define three essential elements of StoryPlay • Utilize Ericksonian psychotherapy to facilitate positive change • List the four stages of the Therapeutic Metamorphosis process of healing • Apply the StoryPlay steps for creating and utilizing therapeutic metaphors • Identify and utilize a child’s blocked sensory system • Recognize how to utilize the elements of our natural ecology Note: Esalen has been selected to host Continuing Education courses offered by StoryPlay®Global/Joyce C. Mills, PhD, LLC. To reserve a space in this course, you must first contact Dr. Joyce Mills, 602-923-2704 or visit www.storyplayglobal.com/esalen. Only after you have reserved your place in the course through Dr. Joyce Mills will you be able to reserve your accommodations through Esalen at 831-6673005 (course fees and accommodations are separate). Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. Joyce C. Mills, PhD, is an award-winning, internationally recognized trainer, author, play therapist, consultant, and program development specialist. Founder of StoryPlay® Global and codirector of the Phoenix Institute of Ericksonian Therapy, she has authored 8 books including Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within and Butterfly Wisdom. Radiant Body Yoga Kia Miller As modern humans, we process a tremendous amount of information each day. How can we find a way to respond from a place of consciousness and grace, rather than blind reaction to the immense demands of life? Yoga and meditation are the technologies that have become ever more applicable to these stressful modern times. Radiant Body Yoga focuses on revitalizing energy, calming the fluctuations of the mind, and Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). thriving in life is more than an intellectual decision to forgive those who have harmed you. Brain Change Therapy is a new approach that shifts states of mind and conditions happier and more stable emotions so that you can access clarity of thought, successful actions, a sense of personal control, confidence, and heightened intuition and awareness. This is a five-day Deep Dive workshop that invites you into the alpha/theta states where you can gently release and resolve old wounds. We will explore patterns that block you from being happier, discover your unique gift and purpose, and plan for your life success. By journeying to the edge of sleep and observing your own archetypal imagery, you can unlock and apply the best in life. The Deep Dive process involves naming chronic negative states including people and events that have harmed you, and what triggers them; creating a sanctuary for releasing trauma; learning how to release inner forgiveness, love, and compassion; practicing the witness mind state to move beyond survival strategies; creating an action plan, commitment to the life you want, and follow-through. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Carol Kershaw, EdD, is a psychologist, codirector of the Milton Erickson Institute of Houston, and coauthor of Brain Change Therapy. She is an international trainer and has produced several programs on personal growth and creating lasting solutions. KODIAK GREENWOOD Bill Wade, PhD, is a licensed professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, and codirector of the Milton Erickson Institute of Houston. He is coauthor of Brain Change Therapy (2012, WW Norton). He has taught meditation and given Dharma lectures at various Buddhist temples. connecting with the divine. In this exciting and comprehensive workshop, Kia Miller shares her deep experience and love of yoga as a way to thrive in these turbulent times. Participants will explore ancient yogic teachings that have been passed down from teacher to student for thousands of years. The group will practice Vinyasa Flow to open and strengthen the body as well as Kundalini yoga and meditation to shift through energetic blockages and build vitality and awareness. Take this “time out of time” to rejuvenate yourself in the healing waters of Esalen, connect with like-minded individuals, and establish a practice that will enable you to touch and experience your true self and connect to your neutral mind and purpose. This workshop is for anyone looking for a toolbox for elevation, ways to excel in life, and to be a lighthouse for all those around you. All levels welcome. Kia Miller teaches at YogaWorks in Los Angeles and leads several of their 200- and 300-hour teacher training programs. Trained in Hatha and Kundalini yoga, she offers a powerful combination of asana, breath, meditation, and chanting that leaves students uplifted and empowered. The Heart of Forgiveness—Brain Change Therapy from Trauma to Thriving: Erickson Hypnosis Seminars Carol Kershaw & Bill Wade Life trauma hinders you in the pursuit of your dreams. The secret to resolving trauma and Weekend of August 17–19 Walking an Authentic Path: Awakening to Purpose and Meaning in Your Twenties Soren Gordhamer & Kerena Gordhamer Saltzman Are you part of the “Y” generation of people currently in their twenties? Generation Y grew up in the information age of social networking, texting, and constantly-connected life, yet often seek a more authentic, deeper connection to their inner wisdom. This workshop is for people who want a life that is aligned with the deep care and passion that they feel inside for the 37 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. world—a life that is not confined by ideas of who others think they are and who their families want them to be. We will practice mindfulness meditation, dyad self-inquiry exercises to reveal inner calling, and give and receive authentic feedback in the larger group. AATISH MEHMOOD People will have the opportunity to find a deeper connection to what is true for them and create next steps to express this truth. Through the various activities, we will allow people to more clearly see what life is calling forth in them and how that calling wants to be expressed in the world. Participants will come away with a deeper connection of what is true for them, potential next steps to take, and ways the group can support each other after the workshop. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Soren Gordhamer is the founder of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference. He has written several books, walked for a year through various countries, and has taught mindfulness to incarcerated youth, trauma workers in Rwanda, teachers in Nigeria, and at US technology companies. Kerena Gordhamer Saltzman, LCSW, is a Gestalt therapist who founded the business Through Insight. The company works with UCSC students. Kerena and Soren Gordhamer are siblings and were former staff at Esalen in their twenties. ing, and those attending will be supported in moving to the next level of their own spiritual development. Recommending reading: Selig, I Am the Word: A Guide to the Consciousness of Man’s Self in a Transitioning Time. Paul Selig’s channeled books are I Am the Word: I Am the Word: The Energetics of Consciousness Paul Selig In his breakthrough work of channeled literature, I Am the Word, author and medium Paul Selig recorded a program for personal and planetary evolution as humankind awakens to its own divine nature. Through a series of lectures, attunements, and energy activations, workshop participants will be introduced to the frequency of the Word, which can be described as the energy of “God in action.” You will be shown exercises for healing the self and others, along with practical techniques for developing and sustaining higher levels of consciousness. You will also receive individual instruction that will support you in moving through the physical and emotional blocks that may be keeping you from manifesting your own higher nature. You can discover how realizing your own true potential is inexorably linked to the wellbeing of others and our planet. Paul’s workshops can be deeply transformative. The energy he works with is palpable and lov38 A Guide to the Consciousness of Man’s Self in a Transitioning Time and The Book of Love and Creation (Tarcher/Penguin, 2012). A conscious channel, intuitive, and empath, Paul also directs the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College. www.paulselig.com. Celebrate Seventy! How Women Flourish in the Eighth Decade Jane Giddan & Ellen Cole “What does it look like and feel like to be women in our seventies today?” ask the leaders. “What are our challenges? Are we still working for a paycheck? If not, how do we identify ourselves, particularly if we had meaningful careers? And above all, what brings us satisfaction and joy? How are we thriving and flourishing as we enter and proceed through our eighth decade? “We have been blogging (www.70candles.com) and conducting conversation groups for seventy-ish year-old women and have learned, above all, that the benefits are tremendous when we meet together to share our stories and celebrate our lives. After all, we are the generation that in our thirties invented consciousness-raising groups; we are indisputably the generation that began to change the landscape for professional women. We pre-baby boomers have much say to one another and to the multitude of women closely behind us who are about to turn seventy. “In this weekend workshop, participants will explore what’s been written and said about our generation and will have the opportunity to look back at our lives, share our challenges and joys in the present, and imagine our futures. Longtime Singing Gestalt teacher and former Esalen programs director Nancy LunneyWheeler will help us celebrate with music and Janet Carnay, LMFT and Board certified Art Therapist, will expand our explorations through the visual, tactile, and creative arts. We will conclude with a seventy candles birthday party. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Jane Giddan, M.A.,CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and professor emerita of the department of psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine. She has specialized in language development and disorders and is coauthor of numerous articles and books. www.70Candles.com. Ellen Cole, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in women’s mental health and human sexuality and is professor of psychology emerita at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. At age 70 she earned a second master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. www.70Candles.com. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Couples’ Communication Retreat Warren Farrell Our inability to handle personal criticism from loved ones is a common Achilles’ heel. The more deeply we are in love, the harder it is to handle. Soon, couples feel they are walking on eggshells, unable to express themselves honestly, and the love fades. Raising children and dealing with money during an economic recession magnifies the problems even as those problems become the reason couples stay together. The result? Couples often remain legally married but psychologically divorced—in a minimum-securityprison marriage. The biggest culprit in this dynamic is defensiveness. Active listening, a good solution, is rarely used. Warren Farrell developed Cinematic Immersion, a method that enables couples to actively listen to their partner without feeling defensive. Once defensiveness is replaced by feeling loved, work on the discipline of mutual appreciation can begin. Through this process, passion is reignited without sacrificing stability. As couples master Cinematic Immersion and the discipline of love, they will be shown how to apply what they’ve learned to other family members and to work colleagues. This workshop is for couples. A couple is any two people who have a history together (such as parent-child, siblings, married or divorced parents) and who want a future with improved communication. Required reading: Farrell, Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say, pages 1-87. All methods devoted to human potential emphasize the importance of awakening to the present moment. All that we long for—love, joy, peace, harmony, truth—require the fundamental capacity for presence. This seminar uses ancient and modern methods for directly and simply uncovering this natural capacity. Put simply, we need the capacity to: 1. Sit quietly with our own thoughts. 2. Mindfully welcome our feelings/emotions. 3. Find comfort in our own bodies. The meditation we will practice is a bare-bones approach to experiencing the present moment “As It Is.” This is the basis for being at home in ourselves. Chairs are available and help is given to those who find sitting challenging. Guided Inquiry includes a variety of awareness experiments based in the Focusing method of Eugene Gendlin. Learning to bring a warm, caring, curious presence to our feelings/emotions/“negative” thoughts is truly transformative. The movement lessons of Moshe Feldenkrais are perhaps the most neurologically sophisticated and effective ways of transforming our motor patterns and self-image; these lessons are also interesting and fun. Through meditations, awareness practices, movement lessons, and conversation, we anticipate a meaningful and joyful time of learning together. This retreat is open to all people who are interested in living an awakening life. Participants are welcome to register for this weekend seminar only or combine it with the five-day workshop, August 19-24. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Recommended reading: Farrell, Father and Child Reunion and Why Men Earn More - What Women Can Do About It. When we are struck by the awesome, the beautiful, or the extraordinary, we are compelled to express our feelings through making a mark, even something as random as a stroke of red crayon on white paper. Yet often in the act of making this mark, we are besieged by self-doubt, restraint, the voice of our inner critic, and the bold and honest response is lost. Painting with passion commits the artist to exploring not only color, texture, composition, and line, but love, death, the meaning of life, and risk. Creating an environment that nurtures a sense of safety and non-judgment, Big Sur artist Erin Gafill leads participants through visual explorations using expressive painting, tornpaper collage, and mixed-media image making. By eliminating all but the nonessential forms, participants must examine what matters and what doesn’t, what to leave in and what to leave out, in telling their visual story. Each participant will create a series of pieces in various media, exploring the passion of painting while learning new techniques for seeing, thinking, drawing, and self-examination. Recommended reading: Gafill, Drinking From a Cold Spring: A Little Book of Hope. and cofounded the Big Sur Arts Initiative. She was artist-in-residence at the Children’s International Art Museum in Hamada, Japan. In 2009, she was named Champion of the Arts by the Arts Council for Monterey. is author of the best-sellers Why Men Are The Way They Are and The Myth of Male Power. His Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. He has appeared on more than 1,000 TV shows worldwide. Warren Farrell The Transition Catalyst Intensive Charles Eisenstein KODIAK GREENWOOD The Embodied Life™: Meditation, Guided Inquiry and the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais —Rumi Erin Gafill with Tom Birmingham Erin Gafill is a painter who teaches internationally CE credit for nurses; see page 113. The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you— don’t go back to sleep. The Passion of Painting ($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Russell Delman Russell Delman studied with Moshe Feldenkrais for many years. One of the first Feldenkrais trainers, he has been teaching the method since 1975. He has also maintained a Zen meditation practice for more than 35 years, and conducts workshops and training programs internationally. What would life look like if money were aligned with the more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible? Today, for most people, it is not— whether on a personal level or the level of political change, social renewal, or ecological wellbeing. Crises in the economy, the ecosystem, health, education, water, energy, and more portend the end of the world as we know it. These crises are propelling our civilization toward a radically different way of living on earth. 39 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. This gathering is for people who want to deeply understand our unique historical moment, and who also want to embody it, energize it, and catalyze the transition. We will approach it through the lens of money and all that surrounds it: gratitude, gift, scarcity and abundance, community, work and purpose, and the sense of being at home in the universe. The transformation of money mirrors a shift in our own psychology and the way we relate to the world. We can indeed live in sacred economy today, seeding cultural rebirth through our words and actions. This program applies stories, dialogue, and engaged processes to bring clarity to: what money is and could be; financial collapse and what’s next; the story of the self, from separation to reunion; the story of the people, from ascent to cocreation; aligning money with the sacred; integrity in a monetized world; and finding life purpose. Charles Eisenstein is the author of Sacred Economics and The Ascent of Humanity, a teacher, and speaker considered by many to be a leading voice of his generation. He is on the faculty of Goddard College. www.charleseisenstein.net. Week of August 19–24 inner resources one can muster. Drawing on three decades of teaching and twenty-nine years of relationship, authors Maurine and Roche share their experience with humor and compassion. If you’ve given up on meditation, or are ready to take your practice to a new level; if you want to tap into more joy and inspiration; if you long for more intimacy with yourself and others, then perhaps it’s time for Wild Serenity. This course is also useful for those in the helping professions. Recommended reading: Maurine and Roche, Meditation Secrets for Women; Roche, The Radiance Sutras (available at www.lorinroche.com) and Meditation Made Easy. Living and loving fully takes courage and all the 40 Your heart is your life! Change your heart, change your life. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Camille Maurine coauthored Meditation 24/7 and Meditation Secrets for Women. A dancer and performing artist who has taught movement, meditation, and expression since 1975, Camille is the creator of kinAesthetics and the transformational Moving Theater process. Kenn Chase has taught tai chi for more than 40 years. His Integral Way Practice combines tai chi, The Feldenkrais Method®, chi gong, and meditation. He is a stress management consultant and maintains a private practice in the north San Francisco Bay Area. Lorin Roche has meditated since 1968. He is the author of The Radiance Sutras, a new translation of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, and coauthor of Meditation Secrets for Women and Meditation 24/7. His other books include Meditation Made Easy, Breath Taking, and Whole Body Meditations. more than 30 years. She is the executive director of the Heart Health Institute in Marin County, Calif., and has managed cardiac rehabilitation and stress management programs since 1981. Vicki Chase, RN, has been a health educator for Building a Vocal Community Ysaye Barnwell Camille Maurine & Lorin Roche Meditation can be defined as paying attention to the current of life and love flowing through us and riding it inward to our essence. This is an instinctive ability, a way of accessing inner wisdom, and we all can do it. The course alternates sitting and moving meditations that awaken the senses, soften the heart, and stretch the muscles of the mind. Through body awareness, sound, and breath, you gently and gradually let more life force stream through you. In this approach, you learn to embrace the fullness of your nature—vastness and vulnerability, sensuality and surging power. You will discover that what might seem like obstacles—raw emotions, restlessness, desire—are actually gateways into vitality, renewal, and creativity. • Individual risk assessment and strategic plan for lowering risk • Up-to-date facts regarding activity and nutrition • Mindfulness techniques including tai chi, Feldenkrais™, and meditation • Group discussion • Discussion of the medical aspects of heart disease • Natural and complementary medicine options CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Wild Serenity Wild Serenity is a radically liberating, deeply revitalizing weekend of meditation, movement, and energy practices. The workshop explores the interplay between meditation and expression—the way that contact with the soul inspires dynamic engagement with the outer world, which in turn contributes to a rich inner life. Utilizing their unique comprehensive and integrated approach, this workshop includes: Your heart is essential to life and yet, as a nation and worldwide we choose a lifestyle that threatens our very existence. Heart disease remains the number one cause of death, but it is mostly preventable. Since the time of Aristotle, we have touted the health benefits of exercise, good nutrition, and relaxation. Most people know or think they know what to do to maintain a hearthealthy lifestyle, but they struggle to integrate these life-giving habits into their daily routine. There is an awesome power in the human voice, and when uncommon voices are blended for the common good they become a “vocal community” at its best. Masterfully led by Ysaye Barnwell, composer and longtime performer with Sweet Honey in the Rock, singers and non-singers alike will share the common experience of learning in the oral tradition and singing rhythms, chants, traditional songs from Africa and the Diaspora, and a variety of songs from African American culture including spirituals, ring shouts, hymns, gospels, and songs from the civil rights movement. The historical, social, and political context will be provided as an introduction to the songs. Kenn and Vicki Chase have been teaching heart disease prevention and rehabilitation for more than twenty-five years with amazing results. In this workshop, you will explore evidence-based and clinically proven approaches to preventing and/or reversing heart disease. The Chases use a balanced, practical approach to maximizing your health and energy. Through activities designed to increase awareness, you’ll learn how to transform old patterns into a new, heart-healthy lifestyle. Throughout this experience, the group will explore from an African-American worldview the values embedded in the music, the role of cultural and spiritual traditions and rituals, ways in which leadership emerges and can be shared by and among community members, the nature of cultural responses to and influences on political and social struggle, and, finally, the significance of a shared communal experience in one’s personal life. A willingness to sing is all that is required. Healing Your Heart 101: Combining Science and Spirituality to Maximize Heart Health Kenn Chase & Victoria Chase Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Ysaye Barnwell, a member of the African-American female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in The Rock, is a composer, arranger, author, and actress. A vocalist with a range of more than three octaves, she appears on more than 25 recordings with Sweet Honey and other artists. I Am the Word: The Energetics of Consciousness Paul Selig In his breakthrough work of channeled literature, I Am the Word, author and medium Paul Selig recorded a program for personal and planetary evolution as humankind awakens to its own divine nature. Through a series of lectures, attunements, and energy activations, you will be introduced to the frequency of the Word, which can be described as the energy of “God in action.” Paul’s workshops can be deeply transformative. The energy he works with is palpable and loving, and those attending will be supported in moving to the next level of their own spiritual development. This five-day intensive will offer the opportunity for more individual work, advanced teachings, and a deeper immersion in the higher energies. Recommending reading: Selig, I Am the Word: A Guide to the Consciousness of Man’s Self in a Transitioning Time. Leader bio on page 38. The Joy of an Open Heart: Love, Awareness and Intimacy Karishma Darby There is a natural desire in all of us to fully be ourselves, to live and love from our deepest essential nature. We feel this desire most keenly in our longing for authentic human intimacy. Unfortunately, painful and frightening experiences often lead us to withdraw from the gift of our own luminous beauty. Instead of cultivating our capacity for intimacy, we hide from ourselves and others, too anxious, depressed, or numb to honor and embody our true radiance. In this workshop we will embark on an odyssey of self-discovery, exploring how the barriers and blocks that keep us from fully being ourselves can simply melt away in the light of our own welcoming consciousness. Through listening, awareness, and movement, we will gain an experiential understanding of our patterns of reaching and withdrawing, opening and closing, contracting and expanding, and pausing and moving in the immediate play of relating to others. Through dance and movement, silent and dynamic meditations, psychotherapeutic practices, and interpersonal processes, we can come alive to our inner topography, moving from our inner awareness to the experience of open and transparent relating. We will discover how to live our joy and share that joy with others. Join us for an opportunity to nourish your own deep aliveness and experience the essential radi- DOUG ELLIS You will be shown exercises for healing the self and others, along with practical techniques for developing and sustaining higher levels of consciousness. You will also receive individual instruction to support you in moving through the physical and emotional blocks that may be keeping you from manifesting your own higher nature. You can discover how realizing your own true potential is inexorably linked to the wellbeing of others and our planet. 41 DOUG ELLIS See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. ance of your own being as it dances with the radiance of those you meet face-to-face. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Karishma Deanna Darby is a licensed psychotherapist in the Sierra foothills, specializing in somatic psychotherapy. A certified massage therapist for 20 years, her passion is bringing together mind, body, and heart to create the opportunity for profound self-understanding and greater ease. Gratitude and Forgiveness: Deepening into The Embodied Life™ Russell Delman During this five-day seminar, you will experience direct, enjoyable, and reliable practices for inviting embodied presence. You can uncover the natural meditation of “just sitting” as you learn to walk through the doorway of embodiment. mation. Research confirms the life-giving influence of these mind states. We can experience practices which can change fear into love, resentment into forgiveness, and disappointment into gratitude. Please see the description for The Embodied Life™: Meditation, Guided Inquiry and the Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais, August 17-19, for a full description of the work. Participants are welcome to register for this fiveday seminar only or combine it with the weekend workshop, August 17-19. If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice. —Meister Eckhart CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 39. Core Zero Balancing—Part I Fritz Smith We will also work directly with the thinking and feeling patterns that interfere with our natural radiance. Growing our capacity for gratitude and forgiveness is central to this transfor42 Zero Balancing (ZB) is a nondiagnostic system of healing which clarifies and coordinates energy fields in the body, balances body energy with body structure, and focuses on bone energy and the skeletal system. Science has shown that energy and matter are fundamentally coupled; psychology has shown that the mind and body are interconnected. ZB embodies both perspectives. It is based on the experience that balancing the body’s energy with its structure has a direct positive effect on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Imbalances often lead to loss of vitality, chronic pain, and decreased potential for vibrant health. The body’s structural/energetic interface is beneath conscious awareness. When imbalances occur at this level, the body tends to compensate around them rather than resolve them. Rooted in both Eastern healing and energy and Western medicine and science, ZB brings unique touch and relevant design to overcome imbalanced patterns. This program, part one of a two-part Core Zero Balancing series, is the entry level program. Didactic and experiential, it is open to all health care professionals. The workshop will teach newcomers how to perform a complete handson session, and for the experienced it will deep- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). en understanding and enhance skills. It also includes theory and practice of the ZB protocol, methods for evaluating and balancing the body’s structural/energetic interface, and how to use energy as a tool. This workshop qualifies for credit toward Zero Balancing certification. Recommended reading: Smith, Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure and The Alchemy of Touch; Hamwee, Zero Balancing: Touching the Energy of Bone. CE credit available for acupuncturists. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. is a physician, osteopath, cranial osteopath, certified acupuncturist, and founder of Zero Balancing. He is the author of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure, and Alchemy of Touch. Fritz Smith ly expanding and vitally important frontier called energy medicine.” This workshop is for anyone interested in awakening the body’s potentials and learning to heal with energy. Assisting Donna will be her husband David Feinstein, a clinical psychologist and longtime Esalen workshop leader. Wendy Palmer is a sixth-degree black belt in aikido Recommended reading: Eden, Energy Medicine. Kids Beyond Limits: Transforming the Lives of Children with Special Needs CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. is among the world’s most sought, joyous, and authoritative spokespersons for energy healing. Her classic book, Energy Medicine, is published in 10 languages and won Health Book of the Year in the Nautilus competition. She teaches internationally. Donna Eden David Feinstein is coauthor of The Mythic Path and The Promise of Energy Psychology. He serves as executive director of the Energy Medicine Institute and has taught on the faculty of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Weekend of August 24–26 Energy Medicine: A Hands-on Experience Donna Eden with David Feinstein By learning how to work with your body’s energies, you can improve your health, increase your vitality, and enrich your life. In a class designed to be both transformational and fun, Donna Eden will show you how health concerns can be a path to a more harmonious and joyful relationship with your body. Your body is designed to heal itself and feel good. During this hands-on training, you’ll be shown how to: • Test for energy blocks and dysfunction and move energy in yourself and others • Use energy tools to improve the harmony of all the body’s systems and help alleviate pain and stress • Boost your energies when you are exhausted, strengthen your immune system, and feel more alive • Discover the ways health problems can be helped, if not overcome, by intelligently shifting the energies that are maintaining them Dr. Jean Houston, one of the foremost visionary thinkers of our time, called Donna’s approach “perhaps the most comprehensive and effective system in the genre that I have ever seen.” Dr. Christiane Northrup, pioneer of health and wellness, has referred to Donna as “one of the most joyous and effective pioneers in the rapid- Embodiment Tools for an Empowered Life Wendy Palmer Many of us aspire to be more centered, mindful, and compassionate in our lives and as leaders, but we return again and again to unskillful reactions and habits. When stressed or when faced with conflict we are unable to embody the changes that we know we want. Founded by Wendy Palmer, the Conscious Embodiment personal development program draws on the traditions of Aikido and mindfulness practice to offer simple yet powerful practices that help you recognize how your mind and body habitually react to pressure, and how to access different ways to be powerful and to collaborate with others. During this workshop we’ll explore the following three basic energetic leadership competencies: • Inclusiveness. It is the foundation of leadership, and should infuse the way we communicate the message, “we are in this together.” • Action without aggression. Take a stand and speak and act in a genuine way that is clear and magnetizing. • Listen without taking it personally. To listen and hear what is being said without reacting, a leader needs an open mind, a strong center, and the ability to detach while maintaining a receptive presence. The exercises associated with each competency provide a vivid sense of what it feels like to align conceptual, emotional, and embodied aspects of yourself. and the author of two books, The Intuitive Body and The Practice of Freedom. She leads trainings in the US, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. She has been practicing aikido and mindfulness for 40 years. www.embodimentinternational.com. Anat Baniel Is there a child with special needs in your life that you love and care for? Whether a family member or a helping professional, you most likely are facing tremendous challenges in your quest to help this child. Imagine being given easy-to-use and highly effective tools that can help your child grow, learn, and transform on a daily basis, leaving both you and your child feeling happier and more empowered. Imagine being able to “talk” with your child’s brain through the language of movement and the Nine Essentials of the Anat Baniel Method™, a method fully supported by current brain science, and which harnesses the brain’s remarkable capacities to heal itself. With a better and stronger brain, no matter what your child’s diagnosis, improvements that weren’t possible before become possible: in movement, thinking, emotion, and social skills. Imagine shifting from trying to fix your child to better connecting with your child, freeing yourself and your child from dreary and at times painful routines, or from not knowing what to do. Learn how to awaken your child’s inherent intelligence and turn the brain into the miraculous learning machine that it’s designed to be. Become a better leader in your child’s life and a more enlightened parent. In this workshop experience the remarkable powers of your brain to change through movement lessons, lectures, demonstrations, and practice, and learn to apply the Nine Essentials in your child’s daily life. Recommended reading: Baniel, Kids Beyond Limits and Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Anat Baniel established an international reputation for her breakthrough work with children with special needs. A clinical psychologist who trained and worked with Dr Feldenkrais, she has refined her method for over thirty years, and now runs the Anat Baniel Method Center. www.AnatBanielMethod.com. 43 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Experiencing the Esalen Farm and Garden Farm and Garden Staff For more than forty years, the Esalen Farm and Garden has provided a holistic model of food security and sustainability—producing food that sustains, heals, and educates the community. Growing one’s own food is a powerful form of activism and a deep source of spiritual experience. The Esalen Farm and Garden staff strives to cultivate soil, plants, and people while honoring the spirit of the land and its ancestors. This dynamic workshop experience provides the opportunity to immerse yourself in the Farm and Garden alongside our talented and experienced staff. This week will introduce you to the practical and experiential knowledge needed to start or refine your own garden, as well as a chance to revel in the beauty and power of the Esalen land. You will gain hands-on experience with topics including seed starting, harvesting, cultivation, transplanting, composting, seed saving, flowers, and herbs. We invite you to explore working on the land as a physical, emotional, and spiritual experience. As an Esalen work tradition, Gestalt awareness practice is integrated into our time together, to support our growth processes and group relationships. Each morning after harvest, we gather in a sharing circle to connect with ourselves and each other before the day of learning and working. We ground and connect with the land through mindful and playful activities and rituals. The week culminates with a farm-to-table dinner that we prepare and share in gratitude together on the beautiful farm. Spinal Awareness (with Humor): The Essence of Feldenkrais® and Energy Work Patrick Douce The movements of Spinal Awareness are quite different from normal exercises. They emphasize learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your body. They involve learning to use the floor to organize and integrate your own spinal column. Standing lessons lead to a new awareness of ways to move with better balance and fluidity. Special emphasis will be placed on any difficulties participants may have, such as lower back pain, hip trouble, tension in the neck and shoulders, and knee injuries. This work will focus on how we can re-learn how to overcome our limitations in movement 44 and functioning. Special emphasis will be placed on Skeletal Awareness. Students will be given a new understanding of how tension and injury are often involved with the disorganization in the skeletal-muscular parts of our bodies. Lessons inspired by Indonesian Silat will be used to stimulate the energy body, effecting internal health and increasing energy. These movements, originating from the monasteries of China and Tibet, further increase healing possibilities. Safe and noninvasive hands-on lessons will be presented that can greatly speed up improvements. This workshop will evolve with humor and playfulness. Fun partner lessons will help bring about not only freedom in the body but the return to the childlike energy essential to us all. This is a program designed for both the beginner and the professional. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. 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. Week of August 26–31 enhancing the quality of each participant’s more subtle and powerful energies. The following series of movements will be taught during this workshop: The Vairocana Position, The Nine Purification Breathings, Lungsang (Purifying the Prana), Tsadul (Controlling the Energy Channels), and the Pranayama of Rhythmic Breathing. Please bring yoga clothing and a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Norbu, Yantra Yoga: The Tibetan Yoga of Movement. Recommended viewing: Andrico and Diaz, Tibetan Yoga of Movement: Perfect Rhythm of Life and Breathe: Perfect Harmony of Breathing. Fabio Andrico is an internationally recognized expert on the unique tradition of Tibetan yoga known as Yantra Yoga, from the lineage of Dzogchen Masters Vairocana and Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Andrico has been studying, practicing, and teaching Yantra Yoga since 1978. The Upledger Institute’s Advanced CranioSacral Therapy 1 Stan Gerome The Advanced CranioSacral course is especially designed to provide an in-depth experience for the serious CranioSacral Therapy practitioner. Class is limited to ten participants. Course highlights include opportunities to: Yantra Yoga: Perfect Rhythm of Life Fabio Andrico Yantra Yoga is one of the oldest recorded systems of yoga in the world. It originated in Tibet, a land that holds a vast, rich Buddhist knowledge and heritage. Yantra Yoga’s unique series of positions and movements, combined with conscious breathing, can help coordinate and harmonize one’s personal energy so that the mind can relax and find its authentic balance. This is a superb method to attain optimal health, relaxation, and harmony through the coordination of breath and movement. In this workshop, senior Yantra Yoga instructor Fabio Andrico will help participants discover the real essence of Yantra Yoga by clarifying its rich theory and practice. Andrico will begin by demonstrating techniques that will help participants discover the experience of naturally relaxed, complete breathing. Using this fundamental experience as a base, he will then introduce the most essential Yantra Yoga exercises, which can reshape, transform, and deepen the effect of the practice by coordinating and • Participate in multiple hands-on sessions • Benefit from one-on-one instructor-toparticipant skill evaluation • Refine technique applications and further develop palpatory capabilities • Participate in an in-depth mind/body integration study using the craniosacral system as the core vehicle The prerequisite for this course is Upledger’s SomatoEmotional Release 2 (SER2). Note: Registration for this workshop is through IAHE only. To register, please call 1-800-3119204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. For accommodations pricing chart, see www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Stan Gerome is an instructor and visiting therapist with the Upledger Institute. He’s had a private practice in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. since 1986. He has been a CranioSacral and SomatoEmotional Release practitioner since 1986. DOUG ELLIS Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Sharing Your Life Story: From the Page to the Stage Ann Randolph As we write, we are both describing and deciding the direction that our life is taking. —Julia Cameron Everything in your life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be told. This workshop is an invitation to discover your own unique and powerful story. Michel de Montaigne, the great personal essayist, said, “Every man has within himself the entire human condition.” The intention of this workshop is for you to delve deep into your own personal narrative. Writing from your deepest source, gain insight and self-understanding that can bring peace and healing. You will then make your words leap from the page to the stage, sharing them orally to uncover the power of story to transform your life and your listeners. Through improvisation, writing exercises, and group discussion, you will find your authentic voice, along with an honest, organic way to express your truth. Ann Randolph creates a supportive, fun, and dynamic space in which to cre- ate. All levels are welcome. This is a workshop for those seeking to explore personal essay, memoir, solo performance, or the sacred practice of journaling. Topics include: even in our stillness (sleeping)? And why do some populations in the world enjoy pain-free, relaxed, and potent lives into old age? How can we improve our situation? • Writing exercises to stimulate memory • Learning to structure the narrative in a compelling way • Discovering ways to create spontaneously • Overcoming performance anxiety • Tools to release yourself from the inner critic • Transforming your ideas/stories into performance In this workshop you will be taught to use everyday activities to support pain-free Primal Posture. In a small group, using gentle touch, images, and reason, Esther Gokhale will help you realign and restore your spine to its natural shape, restructure the arches of your feet, realign your knees, hips, and shoulders, and elongate your back. Reduce back pain, neck pain, foot problems, and muscle or joint dysfunction. Discover improved appearance and athletic performance, as well as a new level of wellness in your body. Ann Randolph has been described as “revolutionary,” a “tour de force,” “Whitmanesque,” and “hilarious” for her award-winning solo performances. Direct from an Off-Broadway hit (produced by the late Anne Bancroft), Randolph teaches and tours extensively throughout the US. The Gokhale Method™ for a Pain-Free Life Esther Gokhale Why are so many of us in pain? Why are we damaged from our normal activities (bending and lifting), exhausted from our most basic positions (sitting and standing), and uncomfortable The Gokhale Method is based on historical, anthropological, and medical research on populations who have virtually no musculoskeletal pain. Interwoven intellectual, visual, kinesthetic, and aesthetic cues make the Gokhale Method remarkably efficient and effective. Join Esther Gokhale for this transformative and empowering five-day experience…and expect to grow half an inch taller! CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. 45 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Esther Gokhale, LAc, author of 8 Steps to a Pain- Free Back, was educated at Harvard, Princeton, SFCAOM (in Chinese medicine), and by people in non-industrial cultures worldwide. She and other certified Gokhale Method instructors offer instruction online and all around the world. Relational Mindfulness—A Path to Intimacy and Reducing Barriers to Love Robert Fisher & Dyrian Benz During the workshop you can learn how to: • Develop compassion for yourself and your partner • Find your relationship’s strengths and resources • Apply mindfulness to couples dynamics • Discover the hurts and beliefs that shape our present experience • Clarify and change limiting, repetitive systemic patterns of interaction • Develop clear and compassionate boundaries • Explore sex with kindness and mindfulness • Deal with your partner’s anger and complaints • Communicate without hurt and blame CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Robert Fisher, MFT, is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in Mill Valley, Calif. He is an adjunct professor at JFK University and the codeveloper of the certificate program in mindfulness and compassion for psychotherapists at CIIS in San Francisco. Dyrian Benz, PsyD, is a mindfulness and somatic psychology educator. A cofounder of Hakomi Institute and Embodied Psychology Association, he conducts trainings in Relational Constellations and is a longtime Diamond Approach student. He published Group Field: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dream Action and Dream Meanings: Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Eric Greenleaf Jung said that “Dreams are the reality of the psyche,” and Freud called dreams “The royal road to the unconscious.” Their emphasis was on the interpretation and amplification of the meanings of dreams. Yet, throughout the world, before and outside of western psychiatry, dreams are seen as sources of guidance in action. They are seen as prophetic or as a set of spiritual instructions to be ceremonially enacted in social groups, healing ceremonies, and individual quests. Milton H. Erickson saw the unconscious not as a one-way flow of information, passing through the translation booth of the analyst. Rather, he DANIEL BIANCHETTA This workshop is designed for couples and the therapists, coaches, and healers who work with them. Short talks on key couples’ issues culled from thousands of hours of couples’ therapy will be followed by experiential exercises designed to help heal these areas and move couples from contraction to expansion, from alienation to closeness. The concepts and exercises will be immediately useful to couples themselves, as well as applicable to a therapeutic setting. We will use mindfulness, art, movement, interaction, and present-moment experience in the body to uncover the issues deeper than simple communication often permits, and begin to transform key issues that keep you from your partner and yourself. 46 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). imagined a set of processes that operate resourcefully to the benefit of the person. He also believed that there are means—story, trance, art, ceremony—by which to enact and communicate with these unconscious resources. Eric Greenleaf has incorporated active approaches to dream material that move easily between dreamlife and waking life. He has utilized elements of Active Imagination, Senoi dreamwork, and his own work of Passing the Trance. This workshop will be highly experiential and involve lecture, demonstration, practice, and each day emphasis on a different approach to dream materials, mental imagery, dream trances, and trance ceremonial. The group will follow Senoi prescriptions with one another based on our nighttime dreams. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Eric Greenleaf, PhD, has practiced and taught Ericksonian hypnotherapy for 40 years. He has studied Balinese trance possession and healing ceremonies for 20 years, and he ran a dream group continuously from 1968 to 2008. He wrote The Problem of Evil: Ancient Dilemmas and Modern Therapy. classes, doing initial consultations, and teaching the six-lesson Gokhale Method Foundations course to small groups and individual students. Prerequisite: Students must have already completed a Gokhale Method Foundations course. Note: There are additional requirements to be completed after the teacher training week at Esalen before a teacher is qualified to teach the Gokhale Method. Please see www.egwellness.com for full details. Note: Registration for this workshop is through the Gokhale Method Institute only. To register, go to www.egwellness.com or contact [email protected]. Only after you have registered with the Gokhale Method Institute and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 46. Transforming Trauma with EMDR: Comprehensive Training (Parts 1 and 2) August 31–September 7 Gokhale Method® Teacher Training Esther Gokhale The Gokhale Method uses kinesthetic, visual, intellectual, aesthetic, and technological cues to gently guide students back to the way they moved when they were children—the same way their hunter gatherer ancestors moved. Gokhale Method teacher training teaches the craft of restoring primal architecture and movement patterns. Using high-touch and high-tech tools, teachers guide their students in relearning the daily movements of life. By mastering powerful, basic techniques such as stretchsitting, stacksitting, stretchlying, tallstanding, hip-hinging and glidewalking, Gokhale-trained teachers are able to help their students get to the postural root of most back, neck, hip, knee, foot, and shoulder problems. Through observation and hands-on experience with real cases, study of relevant anatomy, and instruction in use of databases, apps, and class blogs, teachers learn to use both ancient wisdom and state-of-the-art technology to facilitate life-changing experiences. They learn to be eloquent with their hands, perceptive with their eyes, and compelling with their voices. When they graduate, Gokhale Method teachers are proficient in presenting introductory the standards for basic EMDR training, participants must complete this course, receive ten hours of consultation from recommended EMDRIA-approved consultants, and then take Laurel Parnell’s Advanced Clinical Workshop and Refresher Course in order to complete the requirements for basic EMDR training. Participants will be required to submit licensure documentation before attending and must bring copies of their professional licenses or certification to the training. Interns must submit a letter from their supervisors stating that they will supervise the interns. Required reading: Parnell, A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR: Tools and Techniques for Successful Treatment. Recommended reading: Parnell, Transforming Trauma: EMDR, EMDR in the Treatment of Adults Abused As Children, and Tapping In: A Step-by-step Guide to Activating Your Healing Resource Through Bilateral Stimulation. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Laurel Parnell is an internationally recognized psychologist, author, consultant, and EMDR trainer who has trained thousands of clinicians in the US and abroad. The author of four books on EMDR, she maintains a private practice in San Rafael, Calif. Laurel Parnell Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful therapeutic method for healing trauma-based problems. Shedding new light on trauma survival—including sexual and physical abuse, accident and surgical trauma, and grief—EMDR is opening doors of the heart to genuine spiritual transformation. This course is limited to mental-health professionals who are licensed to provide treatment, and mental-health interns who are currently being supervised by an EMDR-trained supervisor. Through lecture, hands-on practice, and demonstrations, participants will be shown: • Protocols and procedures for using EMDR with a wide range of diagnostic categories • Client selection criteria and cautions necessary for safe use of EMDR • Techniques for working with blocked processing and abreactions (catharsis) • The use of imaginal and cognitive interweaves • How to use EMDR with adults traumatized as children • Methods for developing inner resources used for interweaves, ego strengthening, and client closure This course has been approved by the EMDR International Association. In accordance with Weekend of August 31– September 2 The Neuroscience of Resilience and Renewal Linda Graham This experiential workshop is saturated with brain-savvy resources for recovering resilience— our body-brain’s innate capacity to cope with the dilemmas and disasters of everyday life and restore vitality and life balance. Linda Graham guides participants through practical tools and techniques including resourcing through breath and movement; deepening emotional empathy and self-compassion; shifting perspectives through mindful awareness and reflection; expanding relational resonance and resourcing in community; and evolving consciousness toward compassion and connection. Linda integrates recent discoveries from modern neuroscience with guided meditations and visualizations, experiential exercises and inquiry in dyads and small groups, and stimulating dialogue and discussions in large groups. Participants learn how to harness their own neuroplasticity to: See pages 94-95 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. 47 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. • Reduce stress, return to their window of tolerance, and restore well-being after overwhelm • Activate the release of oxytocin, the hormone of safety and trust, bonding and attachment, calmness and connection • Cultivate pro-social emotions to antidote the negativity bias of the brain • Re-wire habitual patterns of response and resolve old traumas to increase adaptability and flexibility in coping strategies • Recover social connectivity and replenish the wellspring of balance and wholeness Participants can take home new understanding, new perspectives, and a new sense of competence to recover their own inner resilience. Recommended reading: Hanson, Buddha’s Brain; Goleman, Social Intelligence; Siegel, Mindsight. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Linda Graham, MFT, is a psychotherapist and trainer specializing in the integration of relational psychology, somatic resourcing, mindfulness, and neuroscience. She is writing a book on the neuroscience of recovering resilience. www.lindagraham-mft.net. The Magical Family Ivy Mayer Lavie The Esalen Art Barn is home base for this weekend of play, creativity, and celebrating the renewal of the season. Families will have the opportunity to explore, make art, and celebrate a renewed connection with each other. There will be space to connect as a family unit, and connect with the larger community. Special discussion for parents and those in the health professions will offer information on assisting children with self regulation utilizing dyadic regulation techniques, nature, and the arts. There will be visual arts activities, including making puppets, magic wands, painting, and more. Expressive arts such as yoga, dharma games, sports, night hikes, and exploring in nature are also shared. Families can journey through a magical space that brings together the natural California coast and the creativity that emerges when a group comes together. This workshop is designed for families of all configurations, with children of all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. If you have specific questions, please feel free to contact the workshop leader at [email protected]. ($10 fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. 48 Ivy Mayer Lavie, MFT, is influenced by Somatic Experiencing, the Hakomi Method, and her teaching experience, including for The Marin School, The Moving Center School, Spirit Rock, and Yes!. She offers Coming of Age programs, psychotherapy, trauma and resiliency work, and movement workshops. 5Rhythms®: Heartbeat Lucia Horan The body does not lie. –Gabrielle Roth Embark on a journey into Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms: Heartbeat map. “In this practice, we embody the art of being a fluid emotional athlete,” writes Lucia Horan. “We will learn how to use the tools of the dance to lead us in a healthy and creative way through life. We have a rich landscape to investigate in the territory of the body. As we dance, the old energies that have been hidden in our hands, hips, and chest begin to shake loose. We will explore how we have been shaped by our emotions. We will work with these forms, learning how to unwind them, expressing our past and present in each unique dance. In this place we are able to notice when our hearts are open and when they are closed. We all have the need to love and be loved. Through the embodiment of this practice, we will learn skills to take home and use in our daily lives. We will dance, write, and create ritual theater. Please come with a journal and pen, and ready to dance.” Recommended reading: Roth, Sweat Your Prayers and Maps to Ecstasy. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Lucia Rose Horan was born into the family of the 5Rhythms® and raised at Esalen Institute. She became a 5Rhythms® teacher in 1997, is now internationally recognized, and a current faculty member of Gabrielle Roth’s Moving Center School, NY. www.LuciaHoran.com. Claiming Your Voice Meredith Haberfeld Some of the greatest leaps in personal development come when we stop believing that others have more access to deep wisdom than we do, have superior opinions to ours, or hold sway over us—when we finally know at the end of the day that we can trust ourselves. This workshop will address many aspects of claiming your voice—in writing, in vocal work, and, most importantly, in daily life through the choices you make in it. The program will help you gain access to your many inner voices as well as different aspects of your character, many of which you suppress and ignore, but which can each provide important insights and wisdom in your everyday life. Finally you can get comfortable in your own skin. You will deepen the ability to hear yourself—and all that there is to hear. What does your body say about how you feel right now? What do your emotions have to tell you? What feelings and messages have you been resisting? This workshop will teach you to allow them to surface so you can come deeper into your own power. The days of being guided by pleasing others and trying to fix yourself are over. This program is for anyone of any age ready to sink into the experience of being and trusting yourself. Meredith Haberfeld is acclaimed for her work with individuals, couples, and families. She participated in the creation of the life coaching program at MIT, and her advice has been included in Forbes, Woman’s Day, and Yoga Journal magazines. Week of September 2–7 Gestalt Awareness Practice Christine Price The Way, when declared Seems thin and so flavorless. Nothing to look at, nothing to hear— And when used—is inexhaustible. —Lao Tzu Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard and Christine Price. The work integrates ways of personal clearing and development that are both ancient and modern. To the extent that awareness is made primary relative to action, Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This form is similar to some Reichian work as well, in that emotional and energetic release and rebalancing are allowed and encouraged. The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than interpersonal. Participants are not patients but persons actively consenting to explore in awareness. The leader functions to reflect, clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness, and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or accomplishment. The workshop will utilize group exercises, meditations, and discussion. The format combines introducto- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ry group work with the open seat form, in which each participant will have the opportunity to work with the leader in a group context. Please note: Meeting times for this workshop are longer than the average Esalen workshop. Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 11. Belonging to Earth: Finding Our Place in Nature our sense of place, of nature, and of belonging to this earth. Steven Harper & Michael Newman This program will explore our relationship to the earth through increasing our knowledge of the basic life and earth sciences, and increasing awareness of self and nature. Participants will be introduced to an overview of the natural sciences and then to the geology, weather, ecology, native peoples, flora, and fauna that make up the incredible landscape we call Big Sur. In every moment of our lives we are supported by natural systems, both seen and unseen. Yet, in our culture, many of us are cut off from the natural world. We have little contact with wild nature, little idea of where we live, and little notion of what directly sustains our daily life. Esalen, surrounded and sustained by wild natural systems, is an ideal place to learn more about This workshop will include evening introductory lectures, dialog, and day-hikes that venture into Big Sur’s backcountry for field sessions that expand our practical knowledge of nature and, more specifically, of Big Sur. Attention will be paid to how we take our newfound eco-literacy and integrate it with how we sense our belonging so that we may more fully inhabit this extraordinary third planet from the sun. This program is open to all levels of experience in hiking and the natural sciences. Participants should be prepared to hike in varied terrain (four to six miles), enjoy periods of silence, and have a curiosity about nature and our place in the world. More information and a waiver will be sent upon registration. For an equipment list and frequently asked questions about Steven’s workshops, visit www.stevenkharper.com/faqs.html. ($20 park-entrance fees paid directly to the leader) Steven Harper bio on page 13. Michael Newman bio on page 32. Meridian Massage: Touch and Core Energy Brita Ostrom & Daniela Urbassek Esalen Massage® combines the personal experience of present-centered attention with awareness of the whole energetic field. During this week, we will highlight the core meridian system of Asian medicine with the attentive flowing strokes of Esalen Massage. The result will bring greater balance and chi energy flow without loss of the personal, intuitive connection. DOUG ELLIS The course will address the basic premises: how to begin a massage in a calm, centered state by utilizing balancing chi gung movements, ways to easily incorporate the slow integrative strokes following structural and meridian pathways, and how to add depth and detail. Attention will also be directed to the physiology of relaxation and to the impact of touch. Guided practice sessions will include individual attention to problem areas, feedback, and questions. 49 DOUG ELLIS See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. This course offers a refreshing opportunity to learn the Asian energy anatomy within the core of Esalen massage, and for practitioners to reconnect with the heart of the work. The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. —Marcel Proust. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Brita Ostrom bio on page 35. Daniela Urbassek is a longtime member of the Esalen massage staff. Her work is strongly influenced by her studies in craniosacral work, movement, yoga, and dance. turnaround. “When we question our thoughts,” Katie says, “we see choices that we could never have imagined before.” In this workshop, Katie and her daughter Roxann will guide the group in using The Work to create a kinder and more joyous world with and for our children, and will help awaken the best gift we can pass on to future generations: our own true selves. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Byron Katie is founder of The Work; a simple yet revolutionary process of inquiry, and author or coauthor of four best-selling books: Loving What Is; I Need Your Love—Is That True?; A Thousand Names for Joy; and Who Would You Be Without Your Story? Weekend of September 7–9 Week of September 9–14 The Work and Future Generations Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving Byron Katie with Roxann Burroughs Charles Muir & Caroline Muir with Diane Greenberg Byron Katie has one job: to teach people how to end their suffering. She does this through a simple but powerful process of self-inquiry called The Work, which shows us how to examine our stressful thoughts using four questions and a 50 This is a “reset point” for couples who want to dramatically improve the quality of sex and intimacy in their love lives and open up to more ecstatic pleasure and spiritual connection in their relationship. Few of us have been blessed with healthy childhood conditioning and education regarding the mysteries of sexual love and sexual energy. This can leave individuals less successful and conscious in their sexuality than they are in other aspects of their lives. Tantra transforms sex into a loving meditation, putting more consciousness, energy, intimacy, joy, and love into sexual exchanges. It is time to study sex as an art form. Sexual loving is a vital skill to be mastered by every conscious individual. Sexual energy is a sacrament that, used well, 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 experience offers couples ways to increase intimacy and passion in their relationship. Practices include ways to free female sexual orgasm and methods to increase pleasure for both partners. Esoteric practices of kiss, movement, and touch, along with many other exotic lovemaking skills, are introduced in class, and then practiced in the privacy of your own room. Discover Tantric wisdom with insight, gentleness, humor, and love. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). The workshop is open to couples only and is not designed for same-sex couples. For twenty major media articles about this work and a free informative CD on Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving, visit www.Sourcetantra.com. Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 44. Recommended reading: Muir and Muir, Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving, available at www.Sourcetantra.com. Charles Muir, a professional yoga instructor since 1976, is director of the Source School of Tantra Yoga in Hawaii and California. He is coauthor of Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving. His work was featured in the Hollywood movies Bliss and The Best Ever. Caroline Muir, founder of the Divine Feminine Institute and coauthor of Tantra: The Art of Conscious Loving, inspires women of all ages to claim their birthright to be all they can be and to delight in their sexuality. The Upledger Institute’s Therapeutic Imagery and Dialogue 1 Stan Gerome This workshop offers a dynamic adjunct to the work of CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and is designed to help you access the client’s “inner physician” by using the cranial rhythm, the soft touch of CST, and interweaving concepts from the work of Carl Jung, Fritz Perls, and Roberto Assagioli. With this method you are guided by imagery as it is presented by the client, rather than serving as the guide to imagery. Course highlights: • Explore techniques to bring your “nonconscious” into a more material existence • Practice drawing your nonconscious images and dialoguing with them face to face • Use sounding vowels and other internal vibrations, along with a ten-step protocol designed to enhance imagery and dialogue • Discuss in detail Dr. Upledger’s ideas on imagery and dialogue and the psychosynthesis map • Practice using the significance detector Prerequisite: The Upledger Institute’s SomatoEmotional Release 1 Note: Registration for this workshop is through IAHE only. To register, please call 1-800-3119204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen course fees and accommodations are separate). Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Cod, Mass. Deborah teaches shame and belonging work at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and elsewhere. Jivamukti Yoga Immersion Gabriela Bozic From Isolation to Intimacy: A Relational Journey Deborah Ullman & Carol Swanson Many of our most difficult and stuck behaviors developed in a felt sense of isolation from our world. These include a sense that we should be able to pull ourselves together, ought to stop needing the approval of others, must initiate the changes we long for in our lives on our own. These are shameful feelings generated in a world that celebrates individual competitive accomplishments over cooperation and shared vulnerability. Shame and the defenses we develop for managing shameful feelings are among the most difficult of all our life experiences. We develop strategies, some of which are clearly protective postures, to defend ourselves from further wounding. On the other hand, shame can open us to finding our way to the wholeness and intimacy we long for. The workshop leaders will cocreate a safe space for sharing journeys that can transform these longings we have for connecting into new experiences of support, balance, and belonging. We will explore specific ways to change the impact of our history on our current relationships. The outcome of our time together will be tools, including a seven-step practice, for transforming shame and fear of new woundings, and the habitual, often self-destructive behaviors we’ve developed to protect or comfort ourselves, into a new sense of creative empowerment, accessible support, and belonging. This can infuse our relationships with clients, colleagues, throughout our personal life, and as visionary leaders in the larger world. This work is especially important for psychotherapists and healing practitioners. It is also helpful for leaders, managers, and parents. Recommended reading: Ullman and Wheeler (eds.), Cocreating the Field; Jacobs and Hycner (eds.), Relational Approaches in Gestalt Therapy, chapter titled, “The Scarf that Binds,” by Carol Swanson; Lee and Wheeler (eds.), Voice of Shame. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Deborah Ullman is editor and codirector of GestaltPress. She has more than 20 years of Gestalt coaching practice and bodywork practice on Cape The Jivamukti Yoga Immersion takes you deep into the study of Jivamukti Yoga. The curriculum is derived from the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training Course, and Gabriela Bozic is an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher who has been on the faculty of the international Jivamukti teacher training. This course provides a terrific opportunity to awaken or deepen your yoga practice, meet old and new friends, and build a global yoga community. Immersions are suitable for practitioners of all levels and spiritual disciplines who are looking to broaden their knowledge and techniques of yoga. The immersion schedule includes meditation instruction and practice, daily asana practice including a deeper look at alignment, study of the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, practical exploration of the link between yoga and spiritual activism, integration of the yogas of karma (service), jnana (knowledge) and bhakti (devotion), and question-and-answer sessions with the leader. Please bring a yoga mat. For more information about Jivamukti Yoga, visit www.jivamuktiyoga.com. Gabriela Bozic, MA, is cofounder of the Jivamukti Yoga Centers in Munich, Germany. She holds a master’s degree in linguistics and advanced certification in Jivamukti Yoga. Currently based in London, Gabriela leads workshops internationally and is an established presenter at yoga conferences worldwide. www.gabrielabozic.com. The Alchemical Art of Glass Fusing Dana Zed Glass is a particularly magical medium for making art. Clear as water, strong like stone, transparent yet solid, glass can be invisible and yet act as a barrier. Being a synthesis of opposites, it is an ideal medium through which we can express our spiritual nature. During this workshop we will learn a variety of glass sculpture techniques and use these to give our ideas form. When we play with light and color and glass, the objects we make will change in satisfying and surprising ways. Light through colored glass can create desirable illusions and we will take this inspiration into the land of symbol and beauty. Meaningful personal jewelry, small unique treasure boxes, tiles with special messages, logo 51 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. medals that change colors, and magic wands are some of the projects you might choose. Many ideas will be presented, but you will be encouraged to find your own voice. Glass is a gorgeous medium and very seductive, so you may want to leave the world of thought behind and immerse yourself in its colors, textures, and forms. Whatever your heart’s desire, the workshop is designed to help you take your highest spiritual intention and transform it into a beautiful material form. ($40 materials fee paid directly to the leader) Dana Zed has been fusing glass into art for three decades. A pioneer in the field, she has abundant experience in many artistic aspects and media. Zed Studio creates fine art sculpture, and public and private commissions. She exhibits and is published worldwide. www.danazed.com. Eat by Choice, Not by Habit: Bring Consciousness to Your Eating Experience Sylvia Haskvitz Using Marshall Rosenberg’s powerful Nonviolent (Compassionate) Communication process, this workshop helps you uncover the past and present messages that underlie your eating patterns. You will be shown practical strategies for developing a healthier relationship with your body and food, and the group will explore what is keeping you from having the kind of relationship with food that you would like and support one another in making change. During the workshop you will: • Uncover the needs of your inner critic • Practice skills of self-connection • Translate your “should” messages into your “wants” • Insert a pause between stimulus and response when emotions are triggered • Transform self-judgments and judgments of others into underlying needs • Recognize your emotional and physical body’s needs • Observe the triggers for eating more than your body would like • Differentiate between a need for food and using food as a strategy to meet other needs • Practice a “power with” relationship with food • Increase your capacity to say “no” with compassion • Support others on their food journeys ($30 materials fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Sylvia Haskvitz, MA, RD, is a certified NVC trainer and nutritionist, and author of Eat by Choice, Not by Habit. She offers Nonviolent Communication training and Eat by Choice workshops worldwide. She cares about what goes into your mouth and what comes out of it. www.eatbychoice.net. The Shift: Living in the Flow Jim Dreaver with Lee Chiacos The shift is like a zen satori. It is a moment of true awakening, when you become aware of awareness itself, aware that the world between DANIEL BIANCHETTA Food is a basic human need. But what if you are caught in cycles of over consumption or emo- tional eating? Are you tired of the struggle, tired of trying every new diet and not finding sustainable relief? Are you ready to make peace with your body and food? 52 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). your ears—all thoughts, beliefs, and stories—is unreal, yet you, as a conscious being, are still very much here. The shift always results in a profound feeling of inner peace and wellbeing. Right action then flows naturally. Jim teaches a simple, powerful practice which helps facilitate the shift. You use it whenever you experience conflict, upset, or struggle. It starts with welcoming whatever you are feeling because it is showing you where you are not yet free. Then you notice the stories around the emotions and see how they, like the suffering, come and go, but you are still present. You are right here, now. Learn how to: • Free yourself from stress, anxiety, fear, guilt, anger, depression, and other emotional upsets • Forgive everyone in your past so you can develop relationships rich in love, joy, and meaning • Awaken to the inner peace that does not depend on circumstances • Discover your unique purpose, and embody it with clarity and certainty This work is experiential, involving dialogue and processes designed to uncover and free ourselves from the stories that keep us bound. Lee will lead us in daily meditation and chi gong. Recommended reading: Dreaver, End Your Story, Begin Your Life. Jim Dreaver was on a spiritual journey for twenty years before finally awakening to the freedom that is his true nature. His mission now is to guide others to the same realization, but in a much shorter period of time. www.jimdreaver.com. • Transforming suffering that arises from loneliness, loss, and overwhelm due to “over caring” for others • Cultivating states of mindfulness and softer, spacious self-awareness • Avoiding “thinking barriers” that arise from analysis and avoidance • Learning to strengthen bonds that sustain us in our inner and outer communities Experiential exercises will help us to tap the unlimited resources of the bioenergy system, the generative creative mind, the restorative “deep self,” and collective spirituality and intelligence. This course is suitable for mental health practitioners. Recommended Reading: Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living; Phillips, Finding the Energy to Heal and Reversing Chronic Pain. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Maggie Phillips has created an online multi-media self-healing program. She teaches uses of Energy Psychology with stress-based difficulties. As a member of the Somatic Experiencing international faculty, Maggie specializes in methods that release trauma and relieve emotional and physical pain. www.reversingchronicpain.com. Noelle Poncelet is a psychologist and trainer in hypnotherapy in the US and Europe. She is also on the international faculty of the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. The Healing Voice: Chanting, Ritual and Resonance Jill Purce Weekend of September 14–16 Presence: Living the Heart of Connection Maggie Phillips & Noelle Poncelet The stress of our hectic lives, as well as effects of past trauma, can rob us of the rich experience of full presence. Join us for a replenishing weekend focused on exploring the heart of connection with yourself and others. You will be shown how the quality of connection changes and repairs your brain; how to forge a “sole mate” relationship with yourself through radical selfacceptance practice; how to change injury into acceptance through true forgiveness; and how to befriend pain and fear to support forward movement that is guided by wisdom and aliveness. Additionally, we will practice: Liberate your voice, your heart, and your mind in a joyful and uplifting exploration of breathing, chanting, mantra and sonic meditations, sacred chants, trance healing, and shamanic ceremony. Discover and master the power of your voice to free you from anxieties and negative thought patterns. Develop breath and sound in ways that set parts of the body and mind into resonance while experiencing the healing capacity of sonic massage. In this workshop, Jill Purce will guide you in pursuit of the lost voice. Working with ancient vocal purification practices, you’ll learn to cleanse and tune the chakras and experience the nature of the radiant body. You’ll enter subtle dimensions of reality through magical voice techniques and Mongolian and Tibetan overtone chanting. You’ll work with powerful, healing, sonorous ritual to be acknowledged and to safely give up those parts of yourself that no longer support you. You’ll discover an unlimited source of power through the encounter of your own voice in resonant and ritual community. Working with the voice in this way—freeing the voice to find physical health, emotional joy, and spiritual ecstasy—is one of the most effective ways to empower your life, balance the mind and body, and ultimately achieve enlightenment. For more information, visit www.healing voice.com. Jill Purce, international pioneer of the sound-healing movement, rediscovered ancient vocal techniques, the power of group chant, and spiritual potential of the voice as a magical instrument for healing and meditation. She is the author of The Mystic Spiral and Overtone Chanting Meditations. Experiencing Esalen Experiencing Esalen Staff For program description, see page 31. Science Set Free: Dispelling Dogmas and Opening New Frontiers Rupert Sheldrake Many scientists like to think that science already understands the nature of reality, in principle. The fundamental questions are answered, leaving only the details to be filled in. The impressive achievements of science seemed to support this confident attitude. But recent research has revealed unexpected problems at the heart of physics, cosmology, biology, medicine, and psychology. Rupert Sheldrake shows how the sciences are being constricted by assumptions that have hardened into dogmas. Should science be a materialist belief-system, or an exploration? Sheldrake turns the dogmas of science into questions, opening up startling new possibilities, some of which this workshop will explore. For example, the “laws of nature” may be habits that change and evolve. The Fundamental Constants may not be constant. Minds may extend far beyond brains. The total amount of matter and energy may be increasing. Memories may not be stored as traces in our brains. In this workshop, his first weekend event in the US after the September 2012 publication of his book, Science Set Free, Sheldrake will suggest that the sciences, and our own personal lives, would be better off without the dogmas of materialism: freer, more interesting, and more fun. Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, is a biologist and author of 10 books, including Science Set Free (September 53 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. 2012). He was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge University, a Research Fellow of the Royal Society, and from 2005 to 2010 the Director of the PerrottWarrick Project for research on unexplained human abilities. www.sheldrake.org. The Art of Joyful Living Linda Bloom & Charlie Bloom The desire to experience happiness is the underlying motivation behind nearly all of our behaviors. Acts characterized as altruistic as well as those seen as selfish are all driven by an expectation that we will be happier as a result. Happiness does more than make us feel good; it enhances our health, our wellbeing, our relationships, the quality of our lives, even our longevity. Happiness is the experience that affirms that we are where we belong in life, that we are who we need to be, and that the world is right as it is. This is not a Pollyanna-ish concept that denies life’s challenges and difficulties, but rather a state of mind in which there is a sense of goodness, wholeness, and sufficiency that allows us to see life’s possibilities and blessings with clarity and hopefulness. In cultivating happiness, we don’t deny suffering, but rather bring a perspective that allows us to experience everpresent grace and to see with eyes unclouded by delusion and fear. coauthors of Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love and 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married. www.bloomwork.com. with sensitivity with children as well as friends and family, providing a useful tool for health and wellbeing. Massage Retreat for Couples Laurie Lioness Parizek graduated from the Laurie Lioness Parizek & Oliver Bailey This workshop is designed for loving partners who wish to bring the nurturing practice of massage into their daily lives and spend a special weekend together cradled in the beauty and intensity of the Big Sur coast. It is also for couples who want to deepen already existing skills and for those who want to create more time in their lives for healing and intimacy. This weekend intensive will focus on teaching couples to give and receive a pleasurable fullbody massage. It will also address issues such as keeping love, touch, and a healing interchange alive at home during busy or stressful times, touching with care and sensitivity, asking for what you need, and reciprocity so that both partners feel nurtured and loved. Sessions will include both demonstrations and hands-on instruction with plenty of practice time. Although our emphasis will be on loving touch and communication between couples, the massage techniques presented are useful for relaxation, pain, and stress and can often increase vital energy. The techniques may also be used Perennial wisdom reminds us that happiness is to be found within, not in pursuit of external rewards, yet the compulsion to look outside of ourselves is relentlessly reinforced by our culture. The focus of this seminar is to de-condition the internalized tendencies to focus on changing external conditions and to strengthen our capacity to cultivate inner happiness. Thus we can more fully tap into the happiness that has always been within us, regardless of the external conditions of our lives. 54 KODIAK GREENWOOD Linda Bloom is a licensed clinical social worker his wife Linda are cofounders of Bloomwork and Oliver Bailey is a practitioner and instructor of Esalen® Massage. His background includes training in Gestalt Practice, neurolinguistic programming, intuitive work, and meditation. Week of September 16–21 The Three Faces of Spirit: Practicing Enlightenment Sally Kempton In this contemplative retreat, we’ll explore enlightened awareness through three different perspectives, or “faces.” One face of spirit is the innermost essence of yourself—your pure I awareness. The second is the divine other—the Friend, the Beloved, the Guru or guide. The third is the living presence that manifests through the natural world. Sally Kempton teaches at the cutting edge of contemporary tantra, and is known for her ability to transmit deep meditative states through the heart. A former monk and 40-year practitioner of Shaiva yoga, Sally teaches internationally and writes the “Wisdom” column for Yoga Journal. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Charlie Bloom is an educator and therapist. He and Montreal General Hospital School of Nursing, McGill University. She studied and teaches hands-on interactive and energy healing and is a longtime teacher of Esalen bodywork. Though most traditions concentrate on one facet of spirit, for true enlightenment we need to unfold them all. As we unfold them, you’ll discover aspects of practice that you may not have explored, and recognize how each approach to spirit can expand your heart, empower your actions, and propel you into a more enlightened relationship with yourself, others, and the world. The retreat includes deep meditation, daily yoga practice, interpersonal processes, journaling, contemplation, and study of key sutras from from two tantric texts, the Vijnana Bhairava and the Shiva Sutras. Please bring a yoga mat. The workshop will include interactive exercises, meditation, dialogue, and group process. It will also include suggested practices for the cultivation of happiness. and educator. She and her husband Charlie are cofounders of Bloomwork and coauthors of Secrets of Great Marriages: Real Truth from Real Couples about Lasting Love and 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married. www.bloomwork.com. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Songwriting: Catch and Release Cris Williamson What’s in a song and how do I write one? “A song is a made thing, and is most often com- DOUG ELLIS Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). posed of words, melody, rhythm, and a shape that holds them all,” writes Cris Williamson. “We will write every day. We will explore different ways of writing, which will allow you to access your inner river of thoughts. We will catch words from that river, fasten them to the page, and add music to allow a song to emerge. We will employ a combination of solo and group writing. A compressed style of writing can enable us to be more aware, to be better listeners, and to realize that songs live everywhere. We must capture them and set them free. “You do not need to be a musician or writer to take this workshop. Anyone can do this, and I will show you how. Not only can you do this, but you can be good at it. We all start with baby steps and grow before our own eyes. This is deeply beautiful work, hard and so much fun. Everyone is invited. There is so much joy in this endeavor.” Bring a small tape or digital recorder, a thesaurus, dictionary, and rhyming dictionary if you have one. Bring an instrument if you play one. You may also bring works-in-progress and Cris will help you bring them to completion. Cris Williamson’s body of work includes more than 30 albums. Recognized by Performing Songwriter Magazine as one of the decade’s most influential songwriters, her groundbreaking record, The Changer and the Changed, remains a best-selling independent record. Tai Chi Easy™: Practice Leader Certification Training Roger Jahnke The most profound medicine for body, mind, and spirit is produced in the human system for free. Bring the best of the ancient Chinese wellness methods—Tai Chi and Qigong—to your community as a Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader. In the Chinese language, Tai Chi means the “balance and harmony” of natural forces within ourselves and our world. This can mean physical balance and harmony for stability of body and mind, work/life balance, harmony between the practical and the spiritual life. Tai Chi is a form of the ancient self-healing art known as Qi Gong, which means to cultivate healing life energies and resources. In this Practice Leader Certification Training, Dr. Roger Jahnke, one of the nation’s foremost experts on Chinese medicine, Tai Chi, and Qi Gong, will train participants in a step-by-step program for bringing Qi Gong and Tai Chi home to their schools, corporations, community centers, faith ministries, hospitals, social service agencies, YMCAs, spas, etc. In the new health care system, health professionals and inspired citizens will help to empower people to improve health, prevent disease, enhance longevity, and achieve inner peace. Tai Chi Easy is a mind/body practice which combines exercise and meditation (in motion) to activate inner self-healing forces that the ancient Chinese texts call the “healer within” and the “elixir of life.” In this program you will learn to share simple Qi Gong and Tai Chi practices with others and join the holistic health revolution. For more information, visit www.TaiChiEasy.org. ($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. 55 KODIAK GREENWOOD See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Roger Jahnke has practiced Chinese medicine clini- cally for more than 30 years. He has traveled to China eight times and is the director of the Institute for Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. His books include The Healer Within and The Healing Promise of Qi. Painting the Inner and Outer Landscape Adam Wolpert Painting in oils can be a profound experience, one that engages all of our senses, our minds, and our spirits. One of the most rewarding ways to explore oil painting is through painting outside. Faced with nature’s dynamic forces, we are challenged to develop visual sensitivity, flexibility, and resilience. We come into deeper relationship with the world and with ourselves when we open to the living landscape around us. We begin to see the world as never before, and our paintings give evidence of that new vision. This workshop invites both beginners and experienced painters to immerse themselves in the practice of oil painting. Daily sessions will be devoted to painting rapid sketches and more developed small oil paintings out of doors, and exercises in the studio during inclement weath56 er. Basic oil technique, instruction in setting up a palette, mixing colors, and brushwork will be balanced with slide lectures on visual theory, composition, and special issues in landscape painting. Participants will learn from individual instruction and each other, with opportunities to share their paintings and experiences in a supportive environment. The spectacular beauty of Esalen, with its radiant gardens, flowing waters, and rugged coastline, provides the perfect setting to explore this exciting practice. Bring a sun hat, layers of clothes, and a portable easel. If you don’t have an easel and need to reserve one of the available six portable easels, please let the instructor know. Feel free to email with any questions: [email protected]. (Materials fee of $125 paid directly to leader includes all supplies for the class. No materials fee if you bring your own supplies.) Adam Wolpert is an artist, teacher, and facilitator. He cofounded the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in Sonoma County, Calif. In addition to leading art workshops and exhibiting his work, he has been leading trainings in decision-making, facilitation, and consensus process for more than a decade. Relaxed and Awake: Mindfulness Meditation and Feldenkrais® Movement Wesley Nisker & Dan Clurman By changing our habits of movement, we relax and awaken the body; by changing our habits of thinking, we awaken and relax the mind. We can then join in the dance of existence with freedom and ease. This workshop combines the traditional practice of Buddhist mindfulness meditation with sessions of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons, the brilliant sensory-motor approach to reeducating the nervous system and developing self-awareness. Periods of meditation will alternate with guided Feldenkrais movement lessons, allowing the practices to support each other and create a sense of mind-body connection, vitality, and wellbeing. The workshop will provide ample time for discussion and interviews, as well as attention to individual challenges. There will also be talks, poetry, and good humor. Wes Nisker has practiced Buddhist meditation for more than thirty-five years in Asia and the West. Dan Clurman brings more than ten years of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). teaching experience. The workshop is appropriate for both experienced and beginning students of either mindfulness meditation or The Feldenkrais Method®. Recommended reading: Nisker, Buddha’s Nature and Essential Crazy Wisdom. The Courage to Be You: Letting Go and Moving On Mary Goldenson Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall, and falling, they’re given wings. —Rumi CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Wesley “Scoop” Nisker is a Buddhist meditation teacher, radio commentator, and performer. His books include Essential Crazy Wisdom, Buddha’s Nature, and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! Wes teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Calif. He founded and co-edits the journal Inquiring Mind. www.wesnisker.com. is a Feldenkrais Practitioner and personal coach who integrates somatic work with his coaching. He has led Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes for more than 10 years. His books include Floating Upstream and You’ve Got To Draw The Line Somewhere. Dan Clurman The Art of Touch, An Esalen® Massage Workshop Rob Wilks & Jessica Fagan This week is an exploration of “quality of touch” and its importance in Esalen Massage. Our hands play a very important role in gathering information about our clients. Deepening our understanding of touching and feeling brings us closer to understanding our clients’ physical structures and where habitual muscular tension is held. Our touch facilitates and encourages the release of this muscle tension. When using this conscious touch, a strong component of Esalen Massage, the result is full-body integration and a general release of both recent and long-held tensions. Workshop sessions will include demonstrations of Esalen Massage with detailed focus on common problem areas, breath work, and yoga. Whether you are a working practitioner or just beginning on the bodywork pathway, this workshop may expand your idea of what it means to feel. Recommended reading: Juhan, Job’s Body. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Rob Wilks is a full-time bodywork practitioner and yoga teacher at Esalen. He specializes in Deep Bodywork®. He has taught experiential leadership education in the US and Eastern Europe. Jessica Fagan bio on page 16. Much in life is beyond our control. Our choices lie in how we respond to these moments. We can develop the ability to move into these moments with aliveness and passion. This choice is an act of courage. This workshop helps you explore what you are holding in, holding onto, and holding back that keeps you from experiencing who you truly are. “The courage to be you” means the ability to appropriately express the repressed anger, fear, resentments, sadness, joy, and laughter that keep you stuck in old patterns. Using emotional release work, writing, movement, Gestalt, meditation, and silence, the workshop provides a safe environment to explore your deepest emotions. The focus will be on: • Having adult relationships with partners, parents, and children • Taking full responsibility for your life • Discovering your own personal rhythm of closeness • Distinguishing accountability from blame The workshop constitutes an in-depth life review. All that is required is a willingness to engage wholeheartedly. This workshop may have up to thirty-four participants. Recommended reading: Goldenson, It’s Time— No One’s Coming to Save You. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Leader bio on page 23. Weekend of September 21–23 Soul Motion™: Alone Together Vinn Martí “Consider the many benefits available when we focus attention on an unequivocal acceptance of the present moment in our everyday dance world,” says Vinn Marti. “We relax in the dance that is taking place. We move into a broader view of acceptance and compassion. Our gratitude quotient skyrockets to levels not experienced before. We move graciously between events, conditions, and experiences knowing that no feeling or thought is final. We are at ease with ourselves. “In this weekend Soul Motion retreat, we become familiar with points of view of conscious dancing that inform us. Alone, together, we invoke a frequency of aliveness that alone, together, hones our responses to magic, mayhem, and mystery in our everyday dance world. “Soul Motion is a viewpoint of conscious dancing that invites practitioners to listen to the still, small voice singing throughout the body dance, as well as the music in the room. Using dance and music to engender awareness, we court sensitivity and presence without shame or judgment. It encourages practitioners to identify and nourish the song they sing in the body choir of expression and ecstatic release. “You are invited to move body and soul, centered on an edge of aloneness, together with the unique song that sings and dances you in the everyday world.” Vinn Martí is a movement artist, teacher, and spiritual friend, living in Portland, Ore. He teaches Soul Motion internationally, and is a certified Chaplain and Prayer Practitioner through the New Thought Alliance of Churches. Hidden School, Open Path: The Peaceful Warrior Awakening Dan Millman This new workshop presents key elements from Dan Millman’s forthcoming book, The Hidden School, a spiritual adventure. These are the elements that prepared Dan for the death-andrebirth described in Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Participants will have a rare opportunity to explore higher states of awareness through various meditative and partner exercises, supportive lectures, and direct insight into their true nature—and some may even experience that flash of awareness described as kensho in the Zen tradition. This workshop includes: • The paths to awakening: “Different fingers pointing to the moon” • How to “die” in order to truly live—a meditation preparation • How to move beyond the beliefs that shape your world, your work, your life • How to see through the self—an enlightenment process • How to explore free will: Does it exist? • The higher self meditation • Dialogues with Dan and with one another All that you may have read or heard from Dan Millman, along the peaceful warrior’s way, is 57 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. preparation for these final steps to breaking through and waking up. A variety of partner exercises—and your own confrontation with the paradoxical separate self (or ego)—provide a taste of enlightenment and a re-cognition of secrets you have always known at deeper levels of your being. Join Dan to discover for yourself how to live with your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground—with a peaceful heart and a warrior’s spirit. Dan Millman is a former world trampoline champion, Stanford University gymnastics coach, and Oberlin College professor whose books, including Way of the Peaceful Warrior, Everyday Enlightenment, The Laws of Spirit, and Living on Purpose, have inspired millions of lives in 29 languages. Taoist Chi Kung: The Cloud Hands Share Lew & Juanita Lew The youthful ninety-four-year-old Master Share K. Lew will teach his beginning set of Chi Kung exercises, The Cloud Hands. This set of Chi Kung builds a foundation for both better health and further Chi Kung. The Cloud Hands consists of five relatively non-strenuous movements along with quiet seated meditation which is the core of the Chi Kung system. These traditional Taoist exercises help your body to maintain good health and increased vitality. The time required for practice will easily fit into anyone’s schedule once participants are home after the workshop. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Master Share K. Lew, a youthful 94 years old, is a healer and Taoist priest from Wong Lung monastery in Southern China with more than 70 years of experience teaching Taoist health practices such as Chi Kung. Juanita Lew co-teaches Taoist health practices such as Chi Kung with her husband, Master Share K. Lew. Week of September 23–28 Soul Motion™: Sanctuary Vinn Martí sanc•tu•ary n, 1. A sacred place, such as a church, temple, or mosque. 2. A place of refuge or asylum. Vinn Martí, designer of Soul Motion, asks, “What is it like to move in a fresh, authentic manner? Is it possible to hang in the place within that allows for unbridled expressive contact with self, other, and divine?” This week in the 58 natural sanctuary of Esalen will open doors that enter new rooms of creation, expression, and union with others. “Soul Motion,” writes Vinn, “is a movement ministry, a dance practice, and a philosophy of living that supports our unconditional acceptance of ‘what is’ and our fearless exploration outside the box of the familiar, sleep-inducing trance we sometimes find ourselves dancing to. We use the dance as metaphor for living a creative, expressive, and unified life of integrity, immensity, and intensity. Our hearts are ablaze with love of the divine and divine love toward all beings, and this becomes the beat, and the steps, and the music, to which we dance the everyday dance. “During this time together, we nudge the spirit of innovative action and creativity to awaken and hold a high watch of unconditional acceptance as we stumble our way toward self-expression, self-acceptance, and self-recognition: we are spirit dancing this human experience. Through guided imagery and relaxed induction, we track conditions and attitudes which no longer serve our ability to unwind in the stream of creative expression, and we open ourselves to the next movement moment with radical awe and wonder.” Leader bio on page 57. Experiencing the Esalen Farm and Garden Farm and Garden Staff For more than forty years, the Esalen Farm and Garden has provided a holistic model of food security and sustainability—producing food that sustains, heals, and educates the community. Growing one’s own food is a powerful form of activism and a deep source of spiritual experience. The Esalen Farm and Garden staff strives to cultivate soil, plants, and people while honoring the spirit of the land and its ancestors. This dynamic workshop experience provides the opportunity to immerse yourself in the Farm and Garden alongside our talented and experienced staff. This week will introduce you to the practical and experiential knowledge needed to start or refine your own garden, as well as a chance to revel in the beauty and power of the Esalen land. You will gain hands-on experience with topics including seed starting, harvesting, cultivation, transplanting, composting, seed saving, flowers, and herbs. We invite you to explore working on the land as a physical, emotional and spiritual experience. As an Esalen work tradition, Gestalt awareness practice is integrated into our time together, to support our growth processes and group relationships. Each morning after harvest, we gather in a sharing circle to connect with ourselves and each other before the day of learning and working. We ground and connect with the land through mindful and playful activities and rituals. The week culminates with a farm-to-table dinner that we prepare and share in gratitude together on the beautiful farm. Buddha’s Brain: Lighting up the Neural Circuits of Happiness, Love and Wisdom Rick Hanson with Jan Hanson Using the power of modern neuroscience, informed by ancient contemplative wisdom, you can use your mind alone to change your brain for the better. Mental activity changes neural structure in a process called neuroplasticity, which gives you a great opportunity to redirect the brain, and thus your whole being. During this workshop, you will explore “selfdirected neuroplasticity” for steadying the mind (a key to both worldly success and spiritual practice), cooling the fires of stress reactivity, and weaving positive experiences into the fabric of your brain and self. And as a bonus, you’ll learn about the research-based foods and supplements that optimize neurochemistry. Rick Hanson is a leading neuropsychologist whose work has been featured on the BBC, Consumer Reports Health, US News and World Report, and elsewhere. He has been meditating since 1974. Recommended reading: Hanson, Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. See Seminar Spotlight, page 9. is a psychologist and author who has been teaching contemplative neuroscience since 1974. Dr. Hanson founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, and teaches at Stanford, Spirit Rock, and other organizations. He is the author, most recently, of Buddha’s Brain. www.RickHanson.net. Rick Hanson The Intimate Couple: Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) Jack Rosenberg & Beverly Morse Trust, love, erotic sexuality, and a core experience of self are building blocks for a vital rela- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ing themes in your relationship and provide tools to deal with them before they become terminal problems. It will also provide tools for experiencing heightened aliveness, sustaining a sense of self in the body, making sex better, and an opening to existential/spiritual themes of intimacy and aging. With IBP, couples can learn how to regain their hope and excitement. Please note: This workshop is for couples only. Recommended reading: Rosenberg & Morse, The Intimate Couple; Rosenberg, Rand & Asay, Body, Self, and Soul; Rosenberg, Total Orgasm. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Jack Lee Rosenberg is in private practice in Venice, Calif. Founder and clinical director of the RosenbergKitaen Integrative Body Psychotherapy Central Institute and the 12 IBP International Institutes, he authored Total Orgasm and coauthored Body, Self, and Soul and The Intimate Couple. Beverly Kitaen Morse is a marriage and family therapist in private practice in Santa Monica, Calif., and executive director of the Rosenberg-Kitaen Integrative Body Psychotherapy Central Institute and the 12 IBP International Institutes. She is coauthor of The Intimate Couple. Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality KODIAK GREENWOOD Share Lew & Juanita Lew tionship. Yet, unless our bodies are awakened, these remain elusive ideas rather than familiar body feelings. Until we recognize the themes that distort our views, cause our prejudgments, and perpetuate old defensive patterns, it is difficult to trust or be trusted. For a conscious relationship, or even just one that works well over time, we must know ourselves and have practical body-mind mental health tools to resolve the inevitable dilemmas that interrupt our sense of wellbeing. Today, most couples want an equal and reciprocal relationship, but few know how to accomplish this attunement of partnership. Once you simultaneously experience the internal feeling of self and attunement with your partner—and know what gets in the way—you will know how you got there and how to achieve it again and again. Designed as a preventive model, this workshop can help you uncover the key undermin- Master Lew, a monastery-trained Taoist priest from southern China, will introduce traditional Taoist concepts of health, longevity, and harmony with nature. The core of the workshop will be instruction in the Shen, a set of twelve Chi Kung exercises (six standing, six sitting) whose primary purpose is self-healing. These rare exercises can also help develop better concentration, increase visual and auditory acuity, and enhance sensitivity to oneself and others. Master Lew will tell stories from his Taoist practice as well as his life in the monastery. Master Lew, now ninety-four, was among the first to openly teach Chi Kung (Taoist internal energy cultivation) to non-Chinese. His monastery style, Tao Ahn Pai, dates back 1300 years to Lui Dong Bin of the Tang Dynasty, who is one of the Eight Immortals of Taoism. Recommended reading: Wong, The Pocket Tao; Feng, Tao Te Ching. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bios on page 58. 59 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Weekend of September 28–30 Opening to the Infinite: Science, Shamanism and the Hidden Self Stephan Schwartz Recommended reading: Schwartz, Opening to the Infinite; Radin, Entangled Minds; Dossey, The Power of Premonitions. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Stephan A. Schwartz is Senior Samueli Fellow for Brain, Mind and Healing of the Samueli Institute, research associate of the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory of the Laboratories for Fundamental Research, and a BIAL Fellow. He is cofounder of Remote Viewing research. The Secret Narrative: The Stories We Tell through Our Bodies Michael Clemmens & Patrice Hamilton Your body is a tremendous resource. It has been present for every experience and stores the memories of these events. Our physical presence, posture, and gestures and our tone of voice and speech patterns all relay a message. We “tell” others how to be with us and how to treat us by this presence—our embodiment. What story does your body tell the world about who you are, your experience of the world, and how you expect to be treated? Habitual beliefs and behaviors formed early in life lead to habitual ways of responding that limit life experience. How has your childhood, your primary relationships, and the culture and environment you grew up in informed who you are today? Learning the language of your body opens a doorway into clarifying the connection between DOUG ELLIS Explore the part of your consciousness not limited by space and time. There is no way to understand the nonlocal, what traditionally has been called the spiritual, as an abstraction. It has to be experienced to be fully comprehended. This workshop teaches you protocols to do that, using paths grounded in science and also found in both shamanic and spiritual traditions: remote viewing, therapeutic intention/healing, and psycho-physical self regulation. Stephan Schwartz walks you through doing them, so that you can have the actual experience. One of the acknowledged founders of remote viewing, a modern mental yoga, and a scientific approach to experiencing the nonlocal, Stephan has spent four decades studying meditation, healing, creativity, the power of intention, and how that is successfully expressed to change culture. His workshop is based on three things: years of scientific research; his study of shamanic and religious traditions throughout the world; and his own personal experiences. The workshop systematically covers techniques for accessing the nonlocal, and then follows with an experience of what has just been discussed. You will do several remote viewings, experiencing consciousness outside of space time— experiences that can be objectively validated. Then there will be an intuitive diagnosis, and feedback given as to accuracy. Stephan also shows how the individual experience expressed collectively shapes culture, and how individuals and small groups can and have changed history. You will leave empowered to do the same. The workshop closes with remote viewing your own future. 60 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Michael Craig Clemmens, PhD, is a psychologist and trainer in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a faculty member of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and teaches at the Metanoia Institute in London. He is the author of Getting Beyond Sobriety and numerous articles. Patrice Hamilton has worked in the fields of education and counseling for more than 20 years. She holds an MEd in counseling, is a certified Cortical Field Reeducation practitioner and teacher, a certified Hakomi Practitioner (The Refined Method), and is trained in Esalen Massage. The Extraordinary Couples Workshop Anne Watts & Jason Weston Do you remember the magic of the beginning of your relationship, when just seeing your partner got your adrenaline running? Perhaps you met only weeks ago, or maybe years ago, and the electricity is still there. Is it possible that the “juice” can feel even more intense? Presented by the Human Awareness Institute, The Extraordinary Couples Workshop is designed exclusively for couples, and focuses specifically on couples’ issues. This workshop is very interactive and experiential, and focuses on you and your partner, with the goal of deepening and embodying love—between partners and within the self. You will spend most of your time together, some time alone, and time working in small groups and the full group. It is open to adults of any sexual orientation or gender identification. The Couples Workshop creates a safe environment in which to explore your relationship and take a fresh look at parts of it, regardless of what state your relationship is currently in. Participants may be couples who are at the beginning of their relationship or who have been together for many years; couples who are already happy and loving; or couples who are fighting or upset. Couples whose relationships were faltering or stalled (or just needed a boost, or were doing great already) have come away more deeply in love than they had ever been. For more information about the Human Awareness Institute, visit www.hai.org. Anne Watts was deeply influenced by her father, the pioneering philosopher Alan Watts. She leads workshops on four continents, teaching adults to have more loving, fulfilling relationships. Anne has been leading Love, Intimacy and Sexuality workshops since 1985. www.annewatts.com. Jason Weston has more than 30 years of experience with the Human Awareness Institute. He assists people in creating the lives they really want by guiding them to see and express their own beauty, power, and love. He is the Executive Business Director for HAI Global. DOUG ELLIS body, mind, and spirit and can assist in increasing self-awareness, uncovering “the issues that are in the tissues,” letting go of beliefs that no longer serve you, and creating a different reality. Join us as we explore our earliest movements and learn within the safe context of the group that which we learned in relationship to our families and culture. Through mindfulness, movement, and contact with others, we can learn to move beyond limiting ways of responding we learned as a child. Literally rewiring our nervous systems, we allow more functional movement patterns and more nourishing relationships to develop. Prime of Life Yoga™: Optimum Health for Midlife and Beyond Larry Payne & David Allen Prime of Life Yoga reflects adaptations recommended for the majority of our population, which is now in the second half of life. In a balanced format of lecture and movement, two health professionals provide an introduction to the Prime of Life Yoga lifestyle program. This year’s lecture topics by Dr. David Allen include the latest concepts on nutrition, mind-body medicine, and longevity. The yoga, taught by Larry Payne, offers a safe, gentle, breath-oriented approach based on the needs of participants and inspired by the teachings of Indian yoga master T.K.V. Desikachar. In addition to the emphasis on breath and movement for general conditioning, focus will be on movement of the spine, with special consideration for lower and upper back problems and chronic knee and hip ailments. The workshop will also include effective stressreduction techniques, advanced breathing methods simplified for all levels, biomechanical reeducation, healthy lifestyle tools, and guided meditation. Please note: This workshop is not recommended for people with acute back problems. It is also not recommended for those seeking a vigorous yoga workout. For more information, call 1-800359-0171. Please bring your own yoga mat. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Larry Payne was named one of America’s most respected yoga teachers by the Los Angeles Times. He is coauthor of Yoga for Dummies and Yoga Rx, and founder of Yoga Therapy Rx and Prime of Life Yoga certification programs at Loyola Marymount University. www.samata.com. David Allen, a graduate of UCLA School of Medicine, has 25 years of experience in anti-aging and preventative medicine, as well as in alternative treatment of acute and chronic diseases. He is boardcertified in emergency medicine, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and body-mind medicine. 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. In 1996 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. 61 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Approximately 3,000 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.” Recommended reading: Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Mark Abramson is part of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine and heads Stanford’s MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction Program. He teaches at Stanford’s School of Medicine and is on staff at Stanford Hospital. Integral Transformative Practice®: Embodying 40 Years of the Esalen Experience Pam Kramer & Barry Robbins Are you living the life you were most meant to lead? Join us on a journey of transformation through the use of meditative movement, visioning exercises, powerful affirmations, and the support of a warm-hearted community. In this experiential workshop, you’ll discover your infinite capacity for creative evolution, get a clearer picture of your true nature and take home a daily practice for ongoing integration of body, mind, heart, and soul. Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), the creation of Esalen Institute co-founder Michael Murphy and President Emeritus George Leonard, is a synthesis of their forty years of experience at Esalen. ITP is a well-researched program that cultivates all aspects of your being and is designed to increase your vitality, fulfillment, and joy. Presented by senior ITP teachers Barry Robbins and Pam Kramer, this workshop uses Leonard Energy Training (LET) exercises to boost your resilience and to help you solve everyday challenges by tapping into your body’s vital flow of energy. You will learn practices designed for living life to the fullest and discover new capacities that you may have only dreamed were possible. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to: • Practice the ITP Kata, a series of integrative, fluid movements that include relaxation, visualization and meditation • Create affirmations for manifesting vital and positive changes in your life • Access your body’s wisdom through LET • Master highly effective and peaceful communication skills with yourself and others • Discover the power of intentionality, deep relaxation, and presence The workshop involves physical movement but it is not strenuous. All that’s needed is a generous heart and a willingness to participate. Recommended reading: Leonard and Murphy, The Life We Are Given. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Pamela Kramer, a senior ITP teacher and student of George Leonard and Michael Murphy, creates a supportive community setting to grow, learn, and enjoy. She has coled the longest-running ITP group in the country. Pam is the president of ITP International. Barry Robbins, a senior teacher of ITP and a student of George Leonard and Michael Murphy, is the cofounder of the longest-running ITP group in the country. Barry serves as vice-president of ITP International. Come Celebrate Esalen’s 50th Anniversary! This fall, join us for a two-part week celebrating our 50th Year. “The Best of Esalen: A Moveable Feast” (see below) Esalen’s 50th Anniversary Benefit Weekend: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Creating the Future. (see facing page) KODIAK GREENWOOD Sunday, September 30 – Thursday, October 4 The Best of Esalen: A Moveable Feast Esalen has always been a remarkable confluence of body, mind, spirit, and community. Help us honor our past and welcome the next fifty years by joining us for part or all of a four-day celebration for our 50th year. Choose from a medley of uniquely Esalen offerings, including, (but not limited to) extraordinary teachers and presentations, dance, singing, yoga, and Gestalt, and more — plus time to enjoy the healing hot springs, movement, massage, meditation, and food harvested straight from our farm and garden. This promises to be a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience, and, for ease of scheduling and budget, you can join us for one, two, three, or all four days of the event. Call 888-837-2536 to register. 62 The Best of Esalen is offered for Personal Retreat prices plus a $25 per person per day activities fee. Room, board, and most activities are included. You may also choose to stay for the 50th Anniversary Benefit Weekend starting on Thursday, October 4 – Sunday, October 7. Tickets for special events and registration for the 50th Anniversary Benefit Weekend are priced separately. Visit our Birthday Party Week web page at www.esalen.org/esalen50th for updates, news, and to plan your visit. You never know who might show up for this party! Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Esalen’s 50th Anniversary Benefit Weekend Thursday, October 4 – Sunday, October 7 2012 presenters include: A special 4-day event Marianne Williamson, spiritual activist, author of the inter- T his year Esalen celebrates fifty years as a leader and catalyst in the world of personal and social transformation. Concepts and experiences that originated at Esalen have influenced a vast spectrum of areas that are a vital part of the world stage today: psychology, sustainability, health and healing, lifelong personal growth, citizen diplomacy, and our common search for meaning through religion, spirituality, and authentic personal commitments. Join us to celebrate Esalen’s 50th Anniversary with a very special benefit event This year Esalen welcomes an extraordinary group of presenters to lead you on a wide-ranging journey of ideas, activism, and entertainment. Other activities include music and movement, yoga and meditation classes, a Big Sur nature hike, a silent and live auction featuring Ashley Smith Johnson, an opportunity to engage with other Friends of Esalen, to have fun, relax, enjoy the baths, meditate, and just be. This intimate 4-day experience promises to inspire and empower, with ample opportunity for questions, dialogue, informal conversation, and reflection in the magical setting of Esalen. With the guiding hand of our facilitator Ken Dychtwald, each of us may find new opportunities to make a difference in these unprecedented times— through philanthropy and through our own roles as change agents and leaders. national bestseller A Return to Love, lectures widely and founded The Peace Alliance and Project Angel Food. She has been a popular guest on television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Charlie Rose. Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at the Goldman School at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as Secretary of Labor under President Clinton and is author of several books including Supercapitalism. Byron Katie is founder of The Work, a simple yet revolu- tionary process of inquiry, and author or coauthor of four best-selling books: Loving What Is; I Need Your Love— Is That True?; A Thousand Names for Joy; and Who Would You Be Without Your Story? is founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, Calif. He is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is an author and leading expert on fighting illness with dietary and lifestyle changes. Dean Ornish Michael Krasny is a professor of literature at San Francisco State University and an award-winning broadcaster who hosts the weekday talk program Forum on KQED radio, the San Francisco National Public Radio affiliate. He is also the author of Sound Ideas and Spiritual Envy. Anna Halprin was named one of MICHAEL MURPHY, ANNA HALPRIN, CHUNGLIANG AL HUANG, KEN DYCHTWALD, ROBERT REICH, ASHLEY SMITH JOHNSON “America’s 100 Irreplaceable Dance Treasures” by the Dance Heritage Coalition. She has created revolutionary directions for the art form and inspired fellow choreographers to take modern dance to new dimensions. She founded the San Francisco Dancer’s Workshop in 1955 and the Tamalpa Institute in 1978 with her daughter Daria. Chungliang Al Huang teaches Tai Ji philosophy, East/West Register early—this unique event will sell out. The cost is $2,070/person for shared room ($1,000 tax deductible); $2,950 guaranteed single (limited availability, $1,500 tax deductible). Call the number below for pricing on our premium rooms. Staying off-property rate (includes entire program and food): $1,583/person ($1,000 tax deductible). To learn more and register, please call 831-667-3032 or email [email protected]. synthesis, and the art of movement meditation. He is the founder-president of the Living Tao Foundation and director of Lan Ting Institute in the Sacred Mountains of China. Michael Murphy is Esalen’s co-founder, an author, head of Esalen's Center for Theory & Research and leader of a new human story, integrating consciousness studies, science, political realities, and spiritual practices. Ken Dychtwald (emcee) is a gerontologist, psychologist, author of 13 books, and the nation’s foremost authority on the economic and cultural effects of the “age wave.” For up-to-date information please visit www.esalen.org/benefit. 63 DOUG ELLIS See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Week of October 7–12 Straw into Gold: The Alchemy of Memoir Katy Butler Do you have a story you are longing to tell? This is your chance to take a great leap forward with the help of a memoirist whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. In a spirit of spontaneous play, using prompts and free-writing, we’ll first let the pen glide rapidly over the paper in short bursts. Be prepared to be surprised by what turns up, and to draw deeply from wells unfamiliar to you. Later, you’ll spin straw into gold, refining first drafts and long-held memories into polished scenes that can electrify other readers, even strangers. The workshop will pay careful attention to questions of craft, voice, and narrative structure. This is a perfectionism-free zone. Nothing is off-limits. Although this workshop is not therapy, writing your truth and unleashing your creativity can be joyful and, almost by accident, therapeutic. You may tame your inner critic, heal your heart, and take home tools that 64 deepen and enliven everything you write from now on. Be prepared for a personal writing breakthrough. This workshop is suitable for beginning and experienced writers. Please bring 250 pages of lined paper, a favorite passage of published memoir, and plenty of smooth-flowing pens. Katy Butler is an award-winning writer and teacher whose personal essays and journalism are widely published and anthologized in many places, including Best American Essays 2011, Best Science Writing 2011 and Best Buddhist Writing 2006. She was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Healing Art of Deep Bodywork: Healing the Back, Shoulders and Hips Perry Holloman & Johanna Holloman Deep bodywork, practiced with great sensitivity, is one of the most effective healing modalities available to the bodywork practitioner. Through slowly opening the body’s deeper soft tissue layers, we connect the mind to normally unconscious, “stuck” areas of the physical body, which can release enormous amounts of previously held energy. This energy in turn becomes available to support the body’s innate capacity to self organize and self heal, enabling practitioners to support clients in overcoming previously stubborn, seemingly intractable physical conditions. This program, designed for professional massage and bodywork practitioners, will focus on exploring the modality of deep bodywork as a healing art, and is designed for massage and bodywork practitioners seeking to incorporate effective deep tissue techniques into their work. Whether in private practice or working in a spa, the demand for practitioners who have mastered the art of moving deeply into the body with skill and sensitivity is growing. Our areas of focus will include relieving chronic and acute pain in the back, and around the major joints of the shoulder and hip. We will spend a good deal of time learning to recognize how to feel soft tissue lesions with our hands wherever we find them, and learn why, at physiological and energetic levels, competent deep bodywork needs to be done slowly to be most effective. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). The teachers will be available to answer questions of specific interest to students as they arise during our practice sessions. Professional massage experience is highly recommended for this advanced level class. rather than fear, assertion rather than suspicion. We will follow our instincts for pleasure into moments of wholeness.” Come alone or with an intimate. Please visit www.deepbodywork.com for more information. Recommended reading: Hunt & Paine-Gernée, Emotional Healing and Secrets to Tell, Secrets to Keep. Recommended viewing: (DVD) Deep Bodywork I: Healing the Back, Shoulders and Hips, available at www.deepbodywork.com. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Terry Hunt is a licensed psychologist and certified Perry Holloman has been a teacher and practitioner of Esalen® Massage, Deep Bodywork, and body-oriented approaches to Gestalt therapy for more than 20 years. He teaches in the US, Asia, and Europe, and makes his home in Big Sur, Calif. Johanna Holloman is a German-born clinical psychologist, Diamond Approach® teacher, and certified Esalen® Massage and Deep Bodywork instructor, teaching at Esalen and internationally. She is a yoga teacher (E-RYT 500) and created the Esalen In-house Yoga training program. Bioenergetic therapist with a private practice in Boston. He is coauthor of Emotional Healing, Secrets to Tell, Secrets to Keep, and Addiction as Transformation. His life work revolves around the enhancement of vitality in everyday lives. Terry Hunt This workshop is about healthy relationships— in love, in friendship, in daily life. The focus is on how to nurture our own vitality in situations where we long for connections that are 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 whether in love or friendship, in same- or opposite-gender relationships, the reality of sustaining delight in one another is often a mystery and a struggle. 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 out of fear, sadness, or rage, keeping our relationships locked in the “cultural missionary position.” Giving up carefully honed pain-avoidant habits releases new energies for the pursuit of personal fulfillment in relationships. This workshop is designed to help you 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. We will explore new language that more honestly communicates our desires. We will encourage each other to approach our gender gaps with intention Please note: Advance approval and prior Continuum experience is required. Please contact the Continuum Studio and speak to Donna at 310-593-4651 before registering for this course. Participants are encouraged to register early. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. is the founder of Continuum. Her work has been incorporated by international professionals in rolfing, craniosacral, osteopathy, physical therapy, dance, and psychoneuroimmunology, among others. Emilie is the author of Life on Land. Emilie Conrad October 12–19 The Future of the Body: A Continuum Workshop Emilie Conrad I-You-Us: Pleasure, Intimacy and the Search for Connectedness beyond time/space. Like trees growing their roots farther into the earth with branches that spread eagerly toward the sky, we, in fact, have the same ability and purpose. It is time for us to claim our birthright and its future. For more information about Continuum, please visit www.continuummovement.com. Since 1967, Emilie Conrad has been a pioneer in somatic studies. She founded Continuum, through which she teaches that as humans we are fundamentally an expression of an emergent planetary process. Our bodies are a continuum of a boundless intelligence that permeates every cell, every nerve fiber, every neuron with the memory of its own source. Cells thrive through communal resonance, creating a range of inclusion that increases their function and viability. Cellular resonance at the human level allows for a larger body in which a greater field carries the opportunity of restorative health. Vocal sounds are used to stir the magnificent fluid that resides within our tissues. When awakened, the primary choreographer of our bio-sphere begins its remarkable dance as our bodies become glistening examples of timeless shifts. We learn that our spines are our “cosmic antennae” as we adventure through the miracle of undulating vertebral play. Our heads become chambers of discovery, our throats the song of trees and wind, our hands and feet reflect the nuanced array of unburdened movements—we are now free to move among the many streams of what it means to be alive. Like awakening from a deep sleep, we comprehend that our systems were designed to continue interactions with the environment far The Artplane Painting Workshop: Artful Life Nicholas Wilton & Jennie Oppenheimer This workshop is a playful exploration of the creative image-making process. Utilizing imagery inspired from our own personal stories and life experience, we will engage in a handson exploration of fundamental painting principles. Throughout the week, we will work on a series of small paintings on wood panels, often working on several pieces simultaneously, leaving little time to worry about success or failure. We will also explore how themes of change and spontaneity enable us to create our own unique artwork, and illuminate life lessons inherent in the creative process. We seek to engage both sides of the brain, inviting mistakes, intuition, and spontaneity, along with our knowledge of the six Artplane principles: value, design, color, texture, risk, and soul. Generous time will be given for experimentation with new tools, mediums, and techniques. Join us as we celebrate a process of inspiration, reclamation, and the journey of self-discovery through painting. This workshop is designed for people from a wide variety of disciplines. All skill levels are welcome. For more information, visit www.artplaneworkshop.com. ($80 materials fee paid directly to leaders includes everything needed for the course) Nicholas Wilton’s paintings have graced best-selling book covers, children’s books, editorial and corporate print media, in addition to gallery exhibitions and private collections. Developer of the Artplane Workshop, he has taught in such places as Esalen, Tokyo, and Sundance, Utah. 65 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Jennie Oppenheimer’s work, a playful exploration of pattern, texture, and color inspired by fabrics, weathered architecture, and colors found in cultures around the world, has been featured in cookbooks and magazines, as gift cards and papers, and as backdrops for retail environments. Weekend of October 12–14 Everyday Spontaneity: Improvising Our Lives Patricia Ryan Madson This weekend is especially for those who cannot imagine themselves as improvisers. Join Stanford professor and award-winning author Patricia Ryan Madson, who will shepherd participants with a gentle hand and a twinkle in her eye. Imagining can be as effortless as breathing. Come and kindle the spark of the spontaneous life. Recommended reading: Madson, Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up; Johnstone, Impro: Improvisation and Theatre. Patricia Ryan Madson, an Emerita professor from Stanford, is the founder of the Stanford Improvisers and a certified Constructive Living instructor. Winner of the 1998 Dinkelspiel Award for innovation in undergraduate education, she is author of Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. Being Present for Your Life: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation James Baraz How much are you present for your own life? Most of us spend more time in our own inner world—worrying about the future, replaying the past, or lost in fantasy—than experiencing what life is offering to us right now. The present moment is where we can most directly be intimate with our life—touched by beauty and intimacy, while learning through the difficult lessons how to open our hearts. Mindfulness—or vipassana—meditation is the practice described by the Buddha for developing wisdom, compassion, and peace by learning to be mindful of what is actually happening in the present moment. Using the breath, body sensations, thoughts, and emotions as objects of attention, we can learn to be more fully awake. DOUG ELLIS “Improvising asks us not to be clever but rather to be awake,” says Patricia Ryan Madson. “It calls upon us to access our common-sense intelligence as well as our chutzpah. Sometimes as we age, the world starts to become gray and serious. We lose touch with our capacity for delight and play. Fortunately there is a yellow brick road back to this place of color and adventure: The world of improvisation offers a metaphor and a practice that can renew our vision and crack open our hearts to unexpected insights. “We will explore the terrain of saying YES, making mistakes, and learning how to work with a partner. The games and exercises focus on seeing what is inherently real around us. Improv teaches us to use what we have and to make an artful life from what comes to us unexpectedly. We will tell stories, find gifts, and above all, learn to trust our own voices. Life lessons emerge as we laugh, play, flounder, fall, pick ourselves up, and help others to do so.” 66 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). When we see directly that the nature of reality is change, we begin to let go of clinging to the pleasant or avoiding the unpleasant. We become more capable of meeting each situation with spontaneity, fearlessness, and love. Participants will be introduced to this meditation practice and the principles on which it is based. There will be periods of silent sitting and walking meditation as well as discussion, providing a foundation for applying mindfulness practice to everyday life. Recommended Reading: Baraz and Alexander, Awakening Joy: 10 Steps that will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness; Goldstein, The Experience of Insight; Salzberg, Real Happiness. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. James Baraz has been teaching meditation since 1978. He leads workshops internationally, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Calif., and is on the International Advisory Board of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. James coauthored Awakening Joy with Shoshana Alexander. A Renaissance In Herbal Medicine Brian Kie Weissbuch For over 13,000 years, herbal medicine has been a primary healing art. Practitioners have studied, practiced, and taught succeeding generations in extended apprenticeships, with empirical and clinical knowledge accumulating over the centuries. Today modern scientific research and technology provides an evidence-based approach to herbal safety and efficacy. The union of empiricism with laboratory and clinical studies provides validation for many herbal treatments and opens new avenues of discovery. In this seminar, we will explore the glorious garden, canyon, and trails of Esalen and learn to identify plants and discern their proper usage. Topics include botany, pharmacognosy/laboratory and clinical studies, traditional and modern uses, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and western herbal energetics, safety, rational usage of medicinal plants, and when to seek professional help. Please bring layers of clothing and comfortable walking shoes. We’ll have indoor presentations during our evening sessions. This seminar is open to everyone and does not require previous experience. We utilize stories and case histories to personalize each plant. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 28. Yoga Psychology: Authenticity and Reality-Based Spirituality James Bailey “The term reality-based spirituality is a simple way of saying that the work in yoga and in spiritual life in general is in the here-and-now, contained within the real issues before us: relationships, our thoughts, conditioned reactions, trauma, ego defensiveness, shame, shadow elements of our life, attachments, addictions, denial, etc.,” James Bailey writes. “In contrast, there are yogis out there who devote themselves to teachers and hindu deities and sadly avoid the real issues right in front of them. They can recite the Hanuman Chalisa 108 times every morning but they’re still angry with their mothers and can’t hold a stable relationship. Yoga was designed traditionally to be a practice of consciousness and was largely a psychological set of techniques and tools. “In my work I have refined the traditional psychological methods of Patanjali’s yoga and found ways to make it relevant and applicable in these times. This course is an exploration into the psychological teachings and practices of yoga. Participants can expect a combination of lecture, dialogue, and meditation practices. Most of the study will be from the pratyahara limb of yoga, which teaches sensory awareness, witnessing, detachment, and withdrawal methods that are applicable to daily living beyond yoga practice. There will be no asana/physical postures practice. Participants will go home with a clear understanding of how the mind works and how yoga works as a mindfulness practice.” CE credit for acupuncturists pending. James Bailey, LAc, Dipl OM, Dipl Ayu, E-RYT is a licensed practitioner of Ayurveda and Oriental Medicine and has been teaching yoga philosophy and advanced yoga worldwide for nearly 20 years. He specializes in eastern teachings. He teaches internationally and maintains a private practice in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Fundamentals of Esalen® Massage Daniela Urbassek & Robin Fann-Costanzo This workshop will introduce the core concepts of Esalen Massage. Through brief lectures and demonstrations, and with plenty of personal supervision of hands-on work, the workshop will present essential tools and information, including the long, balancing strokes and gentle stretches that are the foundation of Esalen bodywork. The principle elements of bodywork, including breath awareness, grounding, move- ment, and quality of touch will also be introduced and practiced, creating a firm foundation for learning massage. Come prepared to enjoy the healing waters of the natural hot springs and the magical beauty of the Esalen grounds. All levels of experience are welcome. Please bring your favorite CDs for massage and dance. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Daniela Urbassek bio on page 50. Robin Fann-Costanzo has a lifelong background in dance and movement. An Esalen® Massage practitioner, CranioSacral practitioner, and certified yoga instructor, she has taught and assisted Esalen® Massage trainings, yoga retreats, and Upledger Institute trainings. Week of October 14–19 Yoga Practice: Refining and Magnifying Body, Mind and Spirit Thomas Michael Fortel “One of the fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy,” writes Thomas Fortel, “is that every human being is, at core, an expression of divine light and love. The yogis refer to this as the Supreme Self or Inner Self. We can imagine it as consciousness expressing itself as an individual. Many of us glimpse this from time to time, but the thrust of our journey is to honestly address the physical, mental, and emotional toxicity that covers up our inner luminosity. This is the necessary paradigm shift as we move into a fuller expression of our true nature. “Yoga practice is a double-edged sword requiring both effort and surrender. Effort is necessary as we purify, refine, and integrate body, mind, emotion, and spirit. Surrender is critical in the face of alchemical transformation; letting go leads us into the restoration and edification of our true nature, divine light. These principles unfold in the yoga room as we place our bodies into postures (asanas), focus our awareness on breath (pranayama), and enter the sanctuary of the heart (meditation or dyana).” Everyone is welcome. Please have a minimum of three months of recent yoga experience. Please bring a yoga mat. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Thomas Michael Fortel is a longtime yoga practi- tioner/teacher, influenced by the Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Anusara styles of Hatha yoga, and drawing from 67 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. his devotional experience in Bhakti yoga. He travels widely, sharing his love for yoga. Spirit Songs: Freeing Your Voice through the Power of Gospel Vernon Bush Do you want to feel musical and spiritual freedom in every cell of your body? Connecting to your spirit through song, gospel rhythm, and spontaneity is what this lively, heart-opening workshop is all about. You can experience inthe-moment expression and give your dreams voice with joy and laughter. Get ready to dive into rhythm, singing, and dancing from a personal spiritual place. You will explore gospel and inspirational music, powerful breathing techniques, song arrangement, improvisation, harmony, and also learn how to truly listen to yourself and others to free the voice that is uniquely and exclusively yours. All levels are welcome. Vernon Bush is a singer/songwriter, recording artist, musical director, and educator who has taught the power of reclaiming your voice through singing for more than 20 years to many individuals around the world. He also is a featured vocalist at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. www.vernonbush.com. Healing Traumatized Hearts: The Power of Attachment, Intimacy and Autonomy JoAnna Chartrand & Dyrian Benz Love and a sense of belonging are the cornerstones to fulfilling relationships throughout life. When the flow of love and acceptance is interrupted, especially through traumatic events, the soul and the family soul suffer. With Relational Constellations we uncover the disturbances and entanglements so that we, as well as our family members, can find strength, value, dignity, love, and a deeper sense of belonging. At the same time constellations also look for resources of strength and potential that may help us in dealing with any issue at hand. The body is the reservoir for somatic-based memories of trauma going back many generations. The hidden memories are locked into the fibers of our bodies. Historical amnesia burdens our hearts, minds, and bodies, establishing repetitive patterns and familial dynamics that are at the source of suffering. In Relational Constellations we aim to reconcile this intergenerational stress, trauma, and suffering. Traumatic experiences in the nervous system and in our 68 consciousness are passed on through the generations (epigenetics), and they need to be processed. We want to find ways to help love flow freely again. We will include Powerpoint presentations, family and systemic constellations, mindful and somatic practices, and focus on how to deal with bonding attachment trauma. By exploring relationships, family, ancestors, and trauma, we are looking at loss of connection to ourselves, to our family soul, to our surroundings, and to embodied presence. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. JoAnna Chartrand is a European-trained practitioner who has been a somatic psychology educator since 1980. Her specialty is in somatically-based, transpersonal, relational psychology, and trauma work. She is a codirector of The Constellation Institute of California. Dyrian Benz bio on page 46. The Refined Hakomi Method of Body-Centered Self-Discovery Adama Hamilton Healing isn’t just about telling our stories. It’s about remembering what happened in a new way. It happens through re-experiencing and re-consolidating old memories with the guidance and loving support from those around you. —Ron Kurtz, creator of Hakomi The Refined Hakomi Method embraces new and powerful concepts based on the principles of mindfulness, nonviolence, and mind-body holism, including recent discoveries in neurology. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, the Refined Method is a simple, elegant, and powerful method of assisted self-discovery. This five-day Hakomi retreat offers The Refined Hakomi Method. This method is the latest version of Hakomi, developed and fine-tuned by Ron for more than forty years. During our time together, we will explore the details and innovations that define the legacy and full refinement of Ron’s life’s work. The Refined Hakomi Method is easy to understand and apply for anyone who is passionate about their personal growth and awareness and wants to help others. No formal background in medicine or psychology is required. The course will include many experiential exercises, demonstrations, videos of Ron working, and discussions of principles and techniques. Participants will learn how to create the safety required to release core emotional blocks, weave together elements that reconsolidate past mem- ories, and support the spontaneous and lasting re-patterning of core beliefs. Opportunities for profound personal growth and nourishment will be offered and received, while participants are taught one of the most respected and powerfully innovative holistic methods of our time. Recommended reading: Writings from Ron Kurtz, available at www.hakomi.com. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Adama Hamilton apprenticed and cotaught with Ron Kurtz, originator of The Hakomi Method, during the last eight years of Ron’s life. Along with Marina McDonald, he was entrusted to teach Ron’s refinements and methodology the way Ron saw it at its most polished. www.ronkurtzcenter.com. The Dancing Buddha: Meditation, Movement and the Divine Abodes of the Heart Heather Munro Pierce & Donald Rothberg In this workshop, we will combine traditional Buddhist practice of the “Divine Abodes” (brahmavihara) of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, with movement meditation and ecstatic dance, to help us access and cultivate these wonderful and transformative qualities of the open heart. We will particularly focus on developing embodied expressions of these four abodes based on our understanding that embodied practices are the key to making the qualities real in our daily lives. Most of the workshop will involve silent practice and spaciously guided freeform movement meditation and ecstatic dance to music, complemented by talks. There will also be some time for discussion and interactive exercises. We will begin with a foundational emphasis on mindfulness and embodiment. We will then build on this foundation by bringing in, over the five days, teachings and practices on the “Divine Abodes” and explorations of these themes through dance. We will emphasize especially how lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity interpenetrate each other as they become more mature and how these qualities might be further expressed in our daily lives. Come join us in celebration and inspiration as we evoke the depths of our hearts through silence and sound, stillness and movement. Movers and meditators of all levels are welcome. Please Note: Some mornings will be in silence and there will be optional sessions offered before breakfast. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. STEVEN HARPER Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Heather Munro Pierce is the founder of TransDance® and has led inspirational, transformative, and healing movement for more than 20 years. Her passion for movement springs from her own experience with dance as a path to healing, health, and wholeness. www.TransDance.com. Donald Rothberg, PhD, is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life, coeditor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue, and a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council in northern California. He teaches meditation, daily-life practice, and engaged spirituality. www.donaldrothberg.com. Weekend of October 19–21 The Art of Leadership: Communication, Creativity and Vision Ronald Alexander In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities While in the expert’s mind there are few. —Suzuki This workshop is for individuals who are inter- ested in exploring an intensive experiential process to become more effective as mindful 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, mindfulness meditation practice, and roleplaying exercises for real-life work situations. We will also explore the functions of building and shaping mindstrength, a power tool for change that enables you to enter and lead from the state of Big Mind, Wise Mind, and Open Mind. Enrollment is limited to thirty-five participants. Recommended reading: Alexander,Wise Mind Open Mind; Heider, The Tao of Leadership; Bennis, On Becoming A Leader; Goss, The Last Word on Power. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Ronald Alexander, PhD, is the director of the Open Mind Training Institute, and leads trainings internationally in mindfulness, mind-body therapies, and transformational leadership. He is the author of Wise Mind Open Mind. www.ronaldalexander.com. Civilized to Death Christopher Ryan Comedian Louis CK said, “Everything’s amazing, but nobody’s happy.” In this workshop, we’ll explore why this is so by looking at points of conflict between the creature we evolved to be and the “civilized” life we’re expected to live in the modern world. These conflicts create psychological, emotional, and physical trauma from which we all suffer to some extent every day of our lives. 69 CHRISTY HENGOT See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. By elaborating a holistic understanding of the evolutionary trajectory of Homo sapiens, and viewing that trajectory in the context of contemporary life, we’ll learn to anticipate and possibly mitigate these conflicts. We’ll look at many aspects of the life cycle, from how we exercise to how we work, from our sexuality to our diets, from the way we’re born to how we die. In this interactive workshop, the group will help determine which aspects of life we’re going to examine in most detail. We’ll begin with an in-depth look at the physical and social world in which our ancestors evolved and then examine our own lives, looking for often surprising sources of discontent. We’ll then work on generating novel approaches to resolving these conflicting demands. The workshop will be especially valuable for therapists and clinicians seeking a systemic understanding of the sources of dis-ease in their clients, as well as for anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of what kind of ani- 70 mal Homo sapiens really is, how and why we became that way, and how we might create a healthier, more human and humane world for future generations. those touched by cancer. Starting with their own individual lifestyles, participants will learn specific recommendations for living the anticancer life, from diet to mind-body practices. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Chaoul and Cohen will present the most recent scientific evidence that demonstrates the link between lifestyle and cancer and how this empowers us to create change in our lives. The workshop will address four main areas where we can change our risk of cancer and influence outcomes for those with cancer: diet/nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and social network. Participants will leave the workshop with an increased knowledge of cancer and how to increase the odds of preventing cancer and improving outcomes. Participants will learn about simple, tasty, and healthy eating; how to incorporate physical activity into aspects of everyday life; how to harness and expand the benefits of one’s social network; and how to use mind-body practices as part of a daily routine to foster inner calm. The leaders will emphasize concepts of mindfulness throughout the week- Christopher Ryan, PhD, coauthored Sex at Dawn with Cacilda Jethá. An interdisciplinary and multicultural scholar, he specializes in the prehistoric roots of human sexuality and distinguishing the human from the cultural. He’s been featured on NPR, Oprah, in the New York Times, and elsewhere. http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/sex-dawn. Living the Anticancer Lifestyle Alejandro Chaoul & Lorenzo Cohen During this weekend, Drs. Alejandro Chaoul and Lorenzo Cohen will discuss the current worldwide cancer epidemic and how to lower your risks of cancer and improve outcomes for Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). end and the ways this important construct will ultimately lead to success in living the anticancer life. The workshop will take advantage of Esalen’s beautiful environment, activities, and nutritious food to enhance the learning experience. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. M. Alejandro Chaoul, PhD, has studied with emi- nent teachers of Tibetan Buddhism and Bon for more than 20 years, including Lopon Tenzin Namdak. He teaches internationally and is assistant professor at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he conducts research and holds a clinic in mind-body practices as part of the Integrative Medicine Center. Lorenzo Cohen is professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Cohen conducts research examining the biobehavioral effects of programs aimed at reducing the negative aspects of cancer treatment and improving quality of life and clinical outcomes. www.mdanderson.org/integrativemed. Yoga One on One: The Art of Teaching Privately Julie Wald Teaching yoga one on one, whether it is in the context of a yoga experience or any therapeutic relationship, requires a unique skill set. In this workshop designed for yoga teachers, social workers, and psychotherapists, Julie Wald presents important material that is not discussed in yoga teacher training programs or graduate schools, and reveals the secret to meeting people where they are and using yoga to create transformational experiences. Informed by her background as a psychotherapist and mentor for teachers at her company, Namaste New York, Julie shows you how to approach working with people from a holistic and nonjudgmental perspective. Topics covered in the workshop include how to: • Develop the ability to quickly assess your clients’ needs • Know what it means to meet your clients where they are, and the value of doing so • Address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of your clients with confidence and compassion • Work intuitively • Provide clients with real tools to cultivate a greater sense of wellbeing This special workshop teaches you how to give and receive more as a teacher or therapist and enables you to build, enhance or refine your practice with joy and excitement. Others, he is a recipient of the prestigious APF Cummings Psyche Prize for lifetime contributions to the role of psychologists in organized healthcare. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Carol A. Erickson, MSW, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and clinical social worker based in Northern California. The oldest daughter of Milton H. Erickson, MD, she has taught therapy and hypnosis workshops worldwide. Julie Wald, CSW, RYT, founded Namaste New York, and teaches private yoga to leaders in business, philanthropy, and the arts in NYC. Julie’s work is influenced by her former practice as a therapist, life coach, meditator, and mother, and by her deep love for her students. Integrated Brief Therapy: Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Michael Hoyt & Carol Erickson How we look influences what we see, and what we see influences what we do. Some stories are better than others, some ways of looking and acting are more invigorating and rewarding than others. People often come to therapy when their ways of looking aren’t getting them what they want. They come looking for a new story, a new perception, a new way of understanding— which can lead to new behaviors and new outcomes. Many therapies involve brief lengths of treatment, including a single session. In this workshop for therapists and other healing professionals, a structure will be presented for organizing the tasks and skills involved in different phases (pre-, early, middle, late, follow-through) of therapy. Drawing from the work of Milton Erickson and others, numerous case examples will illustrate brief therapy techniques (including goal setting, seeding, utilization, reframing, suggestion, hypnosis, storytelling, future pacing) that can be useful both in initial sessions and in the course of longer treatments. Participants will learn productive therapist attitudes, methods for finding a focus, and ways of facilitating clients’ strengths and resources. They will gain skills associated with different phases of treatment, including recognizing why and how to end therapy successfully, and have fun! Recommended reading: Hoyt, Brief Psychotherapies; Haley, Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, MD; Short, et al, Hope and Resiliency: Understanding the Psychotherapeutic Strategies of Milton H. Erickson, MD. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Michael Hoyt, PhD, is a pioneering brief therapist. The author of Brief Psychotherapies: Principles & Practices and Some Stories Are Better than Create Personal Divinatory Cards with SoulCollage® Seena Frost & Mariabruna Sirabella Imagine spending a creative weekend beginning to collage (or continuing to collage) your own deck of imaginal cards. You will browse through piles of images and find those that call to you. They could be images that represent some of the many guides, allies, and challengers active in your soul. Using these images you will collage cards that depict your personality parts, your archetypal guides, your energetic companion animals, and even some of the sentient beings that have loved, taught, and challenged you. Along with time for creating cards will be time to gather in small groups and speak from your images. You will be surprised by the wisdom that bubbles up from your deep soul when you step imaginatively into an image and speak to a question from this new perspective. A supportive community listening as witnesses and scribing your words will help make this a memorable experience. For people new to SoulCollage, we will give explanations of the four suits and the three transpersonal cards that are in a typical SoulCollage deck. For advanced SoulCollagers, there will be additional work with the founder of the process, Seena Frost. The process is based on the work of C.G. Jung, James Hillman, psychosynthesis, and more. For more information, visit www.soulcollage.com. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Seena Frost, LMFT, MDiv, is a clinician, teacher, poet, and gardener from California, and the founder of the SoulCollage® process. She wrote SoulCollage® Evolving and has recorded several CDs. Currently she trains SoulCollage® facilitators. www.soulcollage.com. Mariabruna Sirabella, LMFT, MS, is an artist, edu- cator, and SoulCollage® trainer. Her clinical work blends ancient wisdom and Jungian humanistic psychology aimed at soul mentorship. She founded BodYnvocations™: Imagination in Motion. For her CDs and articles visit www.sirarte.com. 71 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Week of October 21–26 The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral Therapy 2 Eric Moya CranioSacral Therapy 2 studies cranial-base dysfunctions as diagnosed and treated by Dr. William Sutherland, the “father” of cranial osteopathy. The course material and hands-on sessions will focus on cranial-base dysfunctions, the masticatory system-hard palate, mandible and temporomandibular joint; whole body evaluation; and the energy cyst with regional unwinding. An introduction to SomatoEmotional Release will also be presented. The prerequisite for this course is Upledger’s Institute CranioSacral Therapy 1 (CS1) and thorough working knowledge of the 10-Step Protocol. Note: Registration for this workshop is through IAHE only. To register, please call 1-800-3119204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen course fees and accommodations are separate). Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. Recommended reading: Upledger & Vredevoogd, CranioSacral Therapy (chapters 7–15); Upledger, CranioSacral Therapy II: Beyond the Dura (chapter 3). CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Eric Moya, MFCT, CST-D, is a career manual ther- apist, instructor for the Upledger Institute, and mental health therapist specializing in mind/body awareness and growth. Eric is also director of education at the Esalen Institute, where he oversees staff and student development. Alchemical Healing: Entering the Inner Laboratory of the Soul Benjamin Fox & Lorie Dechar Alchemy is an ancient spiritual science that focuses not only on physical forces and substances but also on the ephemeral aspects of life traditionally regarded as the domain of the soul. Rather than being a precursor to modern science, alchemy is a complementary system that offers a unique set of tools to engage body, mind, and spirit in the investigation of what it means to be human. It opens us to the presence of spirit as well as matter in all life. 72 Open a doorway to the alchemical laboratory within by learning concepts and skills that can transform the lead, or stuck places in your life, into the gold of vital, new possibilities. This is the essence of Alchemical Healing. Join us on an adventure into the realms of European, Taoist, and Vedic alchemy and other systems rooted in alchemical consciousness, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, archetypal psychology, evolutionary astrology, and plant spirit medicine. Working with our own stories, imaginations, bodies, and dreams as well as symbols and myths, we use the support of our inner guides, the wisdom of the group, and the magical environment that Esalen provides to create a unique piece of alchemical inner healing for each participant. The workshop is relevant for individuals working in health care who want to reinvigorate their practices, support their patients in moving beyond symptomatic quick-fixes, and deepen their skillfulness in working at psychological and spiritual levels. It will also be transformational to anyone who longs to bring eros, the flow of life, back to their work, their relationships, and their being. Benjamin Fox is a licensed massage therapist, astrologer, and avid gardener with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of holistic medicine and organizational administration. He is a cofounder of the Alchemical Healing Mentorship. [email protected]. Lorie Eve Dechar wrote Five Spirits: Alchemical Acupuncture for Psychological and Spiritual Healing. She practices acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy, Gestalt, and archetypal psychology. She teaches at Tri-State College of Acupuncture and is cofounder of the Alchemical Healing Mentorship. Awake in the Wild: Meditation in Nature at Esalen Mark Coleman Following ancient spiritual traditions that value the transformative power of nature, this experiential workshop will be spent meditating outdoors in the natural beauty and mystery of Esalen. Whether it is during a sunset meditation, listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean, or sitting graced in the stillness of cypress trees, we will open to the profound serenity and wisdom of nature. We will learn about the practice of mindfulness—the capacity to be present to ourselves and our environment, and then learn how to apply this receptivity to developing a contemplative relationship with nature. By cultivating this inner quiet and open curious spirit outdoors, we can learn from nature and deepen our connection and appreciation of the earth in which we live. We can discover how meditative time outdoors leads to beautiful states of joy, peace, wonder, love, and connection with oneself, one another, and the larger web of life. During the week, there will be nature-based meditations, individual and group exercises, and talks on meditation and nature. There will be time to relish the silence outdoors and ample opportunity to explore and discuss the art of meditation in nature. This workshop is appropriate for beginning and experienced meditators who are curious about meditation, mindfulness, and how to deepen our connection with the beauty and mystery of the natural world. Be prepared for unexpected rapture, delight, mystery, and stillness. Please bring comfortable layers of clothing and be prepared for cool or warm days spent outside. Recommended reading: Coleman, Awake in the Wild. Mark Coleman is author of Awake in the Wild. He has studied Buddhist meditation since 1984. He is a Spirit Rock meditation teacher and has led wilderness meditation retreats from Alaska to Peru. Mark is also a coach and therapist. www.awakeinthewild.com. Living in Gratitude Joe Cavanaugh Gratefulness is the key to joy. Joy is the happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens. —Brother David Steindl-Rast Many ancient wisdom traditions refer to the natural state of the human psyche as joy, peace, and love. The Greek word psyche means soul, and the essence of the soul is love. Yet, simply by living in a world of uncertainty, we all have experienced some wounding of the heart, which causes us to retract our love to protect against further hurt. When we hold on to our stories from the past, we perpetuate our suffering in the present and alienate ourselves from our natural state of love and joy. Utilizing group processes including Gestalt, psychodrama, and meditation, this workshop will assist you in working through self-imposed limitations to release the burden of the past. It will provide participants, including mental health professionals, with the skills necessary to identify and overcome self-defeating thoughts and behaviors, shift the emotional meaning of past experiences to enhance person- Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). al growth, and develop a healthy internal support system and cohesive sense of self. Songs of the Heart: A Songwriter’s Inspiration and Craft When we empty ourselves of stories from our past, we open to the wellspring of joy and gratefulness (great-full-ness) that spontaneously arises in the present moment from the core of our being. In this state of gratitude (Latin, gratia, “to give thanks”) we recognize that love is for-giving, and we naturally experience greater empathy and compassion for all human suffering. Johnsmith Participants must be willing to attend all sessions and abstain from alcohol and non-prescription drugs for the duration of the workshop. Recommended reading: Cavanaugh, Who Am I, Really? How Our Wounds Lead to Healing. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Johnsmith has been writing heartfelt songs for more than 30 years. He’s won national awards and contests, The Nature of Movement: Embodiment and the Wilds Steven Harper Throughout the ages and across cultural traditions, nature has inspired the human spirit. The wilderness of Big Sur allows us to imprint the collective wisdom of this alive and wild coast in our bodies. The ancient redwood-forested canyons, dramatic meeting of earth and sea, and soft grassy hills remind us of the presence, wisdom, and deep sense of belonging that live in each of us. This workshop will present simple yet profound practices designed to access our capacity to innovate and participate with the essential movement processes of life. Through physical practices, work in pairs, group discussions, and DOUG ELLIS Joseph Cavanaugh is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in the Sierra foothills and a psychology instructor at a local community college. He has facilitated personal-growth workshops throughout California for the past 30 years. Take your seat in a circle of songwriters and join us as we delve into the emotional heart of our personal story, and translate those experiences into song. Learn to cultivate your own unique songwriting voice through writing exercises, song assignments, group performances, co-writing, and constructive feedback. Explore the tools of the craft: verse, chorus, and bridge, melody, rhythm, and rhyming. Break open your emotional heart and learn how to tap the wellspring of all songs. Come roll up your sleeves, do the work, and bust through old limits bringing forth the deep elusive songs of your life. This workshop is for individuals who have had some experience in songwriting and are working on refining their musical voice. It is not required to play a musical instrument, but if you have one, bring it. There are also evening jams. was a staff songwriter in Nashville, and has recorded 6 CDs. He’s taught songwriting workshops nationwide, and has been featured on NPR’s “New Dimensions.” 73 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. direct experience of nature, we draw on ancient movement traditions of tai chi and aikido and contemporary somatic practices that offer ways of centering, grounding, and knowing our belonging to the greater community of being. During our time together, we will venture out on hikes four to eight miles in length. During this time in the wild, we can literally come to our senses. We will experience increasingly refined awareness and perceptual practices to enhance our sensitivity to all that wilderness can offer, and reawaken the elements of wilder- ness within. With awakened senses we can receive nature’s richness and beauty, inspiring our deepening relationship with ground, center, and embodiment. All evenings and most meals will be at Esalen. All levels of experience are welcome. More information and a waiver will be sent upon registration. For an equipment list and frequently asked questions about Steven’s workshops, visit www.stevenkharper.com/faqs.html. ($20 park-entrance fees paid directly to the leader) Leader bio on page 13. SoulCollage® and the New Paradigm Seena Frost & Mariabruna Sirabella During this workshop participants will collage personal cards, speak to questions from their card images, and discover firsthand how this creative practice reflects vital elements of the dawning paradigm. Collage itself is a metaphor for what millions of people are, right now around the world, calling into reality: a new, cosmic unity. With collage we take separated, seemingly unrelated images, and find how they fit together into a beautiful and balanced unity. The more we practice the SoulCollage process the more our innate creativity will unfold in all aspects of our life. We become co-creators on many levels. Cooperation takes the place of competitiveness; feminine energy rises to balance masculine energies. We learn the value of listening to many perspectives, both internally as our many personality parts state their needs (and gripes), and externally as the needs (and gripes) of other persons and other nations are listened to and honored. These are critical pieces of the new paradigm and of this practice. SoulCollage is deceptively simple; no special artistic talent is needed. And still it can jostle and wake up a part of the human soul which this dying paradigm has ignored or minimized: our creative core. Arising in the new paradigm must be the compassionate, heart energy of creative souls. For more information, visit www.soulcollage.com. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Leader bios on page 71. Weekend of October 26–28 Zero Balancing Open Forum Fritz Smith This weekend is an opportunity for people practicing Zero Balancing to reconnect with Fritz Smith, with Zero Balancing, and with each other. “It is critically important,” says Fritz, “to periodically meet with like-minded people and to openly, freely, and safely discuss problems, insights, and successes of your work—in this case, the leading-edge therapy of balancing energy and structure.” DOUG ELLIS 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, hon74 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). ing 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. Recommended reading: Smith, The Alchemy of Touch, Inner Bridges; Hamwee, Zero Balancing. CE credit for acupuncturists; see workshop leader. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. For a complete program and a list of materials to bring (or to order a free-trial issue of the magazine) visit www.thesunmagazine.org. A large enrollment for this workshop is expected; we recommend registering soon. The Sun is offering two full scholarships to aspiring or established writers (application deadline August 17). Scholarships cover lodging, meals, and tuition for the weekend. Visit www.thesunmagazine.org for details. Sy Safransky is editor and publisher of The Sun. Fritz Smith is a physician, osteopath, cranial osteopath, certified acupuncturist, and founder of Zero Balancing. He is the author of Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure, and Alchemy of Touch. Week of October 28–November 2 Writing the Wild Marisa Handler Into the Fire: The Sun Celebrates Personal Writing Sy Safransky & Authors from The Sun To write about ourselves in a way that touches others and reminds them of our fundamental connectedness we must be willing to take a leap—with all our passion, fear, and longing— into the fire. And that fire is not just a metaphor. It’s as real as our own mysterious existence; as real as a painful moment that has broken, and maybe opened, our hearts. Since 1974 The Sun has published the kind of brave, revealing writing that lives up to the magazine’s motto, a line from concentration-camp survivor Viktor Frankl: “What is to give light must endure burning.” We invite you to join Sun readers, authors, and staff — including editor and publisher Sy Safransky and authors Doug Crandell, Tony Hoagland, Gillian Kendall, Frances Lefkowitz, Alison Luterman, and Sparrow—for a weekend of investigating our lives through the written word. We’ll discuss essays, fiction, and poems with their authors, who will lead exercises geared to bring forth similar elements in your own writing. Readers Write-style writing sessions will help get your pen moving. (You don’t have to be a writer to attend. We create a space in which people can tell their stories from the heart.) The weekend will conclude with Sy Safransky reading from his Notebook. Of course, the best part of a Sun gathering is getting to meet everyone: staff, writers, and other people who love the magazine and share its compassionate, unflinching view of the world. We hope you’ll join us. “I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.” As Thoreau reminds us, the wildness of nature is paramount to the fathoming of the wildness within. Have you forgotten the ebbs and flows of the wilds within, their fierce beauty, the Dionysus of your soul? Have you forgotten the passion that is continually crafting you? It is time, then, for a return. It is time now to uncover your own buried mysteries. In the tradition of Joseph Campbell, our five days together will traverse the hero’s journey through our perennial questions. Writing our way into these wilds can lead to revelations we had no idea we possessed, to insights that stem from a place deeper than our conscious minds. We will use writing as a tool to unearth the dynamic between the natural world and our own minds and hearts. We will quiet our minds to meditatively listen to the divine elements of nature to which we are drawn, and experiment with writing from that fresh perspective. Together we will go spelunking into the rich hidden questions that have lain within us longer than we can remember; we will look to the natural world for inspiration, echoes, reflections, and a thickening of the mystery with which we began our inquiry. Please bring warm layers for when we’re outside, and a blank notebook. Recommended reading: Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet. Marisa Handler, is the author of Loyal to the Sky, which won a 2008 Nautilus Gold Award for worldchanging books. Her essays, journalism, fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, and she teaches creative writing at Stanford and the California Institute for Integral Studies. www.marisahandler.com. Abandonment to Healing: Overcoming Your Self-Defeating Patterns Susan Anderson Abandonment is a primal human fear and the underlying cause of emotional distress and dysfunction. Susan Anderson, psychotherapist and author of Taming Your Outer Child and Journey from Abandonment to Healing, will share powerful tools of emotional and spiritual healing to help you reverse abandonment’s universal wound. You will be taught exercises for each of the five stages of abandonment: shattering, withdrawal, internalizing, rage, and lifting; how to conquer “abandoholism” and other outer child behaviors; how to make new connections; and steps for healing abandonment. Whether you’re experiencing a recent breakup, a lingering wound from the past, or struggling to overcome selfdefeating patterns, the tools will propel your growth, help restore your sense of self and increase your capacity for love. Recommended reading: Anderson, Taming Your Outer Child, Journey from Abandonment to Healing, and Black Swan: 12 Lessons of Abandonment Recovery. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Susan Anderson, is a psychotherapist who has spent 30 years of research, scholarship, and clinical experience working with victims of abandonment trauma and loss. Founder of “Abandonment Recovery,” she is author of Taming Your Outer Child, Journey from Abandonment to Healing, Black Swan, and others. www.outerchild.net and www.abandonment.net. Gateway to Soul: Process Acupressure Aminah Raheem Would you like to find wise inner guidance from all parts of yourself? From your body’s internal promptings, your heart’s intelligence, your mind’s clearest insight, and even your own soul’s wisdom? Would you like to get all of yourself together in an integrated way? Process Acupressure teaches you how to gain a holistic perspective on your life directions and general health. And it teaches the skills of how to uncover the wise guidance that lies at your own unique center. This class teaches a combination of body/mind skills, including hands-on work to the body (fully clothed), movement, meditation, and dialogue. The acupressure protocol strengthens and balances the body’s vital energy (chi) flow that opens to soul consciousness and the Infinite Source. Psychological and spiritual 75 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. process skills facilitate more awareness in body, emotions, and thought. This combination of bodywork and conscious processing reveals the whole person and facilitates individual organic growth. Buckminster Fuller as well as in traditions of esoteric anatomy and mystical practice. Tom lives on the coast of Maine. The skills can be applied with health care clients, family, or on oneself alone. PA is helpful for bodyworkers who want to know more about processing psychological material, and for psychological helpers who want to learn more about the body. It is valuable for anyone who wants to understand more about integrative development. Weekend of November 2–4 Recommended reading: Raheem, Soul Return: Integrating Body, Psyche, and Spirit and Soul Lightning: Awakening Soul Consciousness; Mindell, Working with the Dreaming Body. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Aminah Raheem is a transpersonal psychologist, the originator of Soul Lightening Acupressure, an international teacher of body psychology, and the author of Soul Return: Integrating Body, Psyche and Spirit and Soul Lightning: Awakening Soul Consciousness. The Spirited Body Tom Myers Written in your body is your entire story. But the body gets stuck and blocks that story from unfolding in its full glory. This workshop uses body work, voice work, dance, writing, and body-centered meditations to gently expose and advance your untold or unfinished stories. Grounded in contemporary somatic science and interwoven with spiritual traditions from Sufism, gentle martial arts, the book of the Tarot, and other esoteric practices, this course is designed to stretch your being, open your voice, and give you more capability to create meaning in your outside life. With minimal talk-talk and maximal experience, come prepared to work, play, and move. Help your inside match your outside and vice versa by energizing your own physically spirited body with five days of expressive fun, deep exploration, and time to give the soft animal of your body room to love what it loves. See Seminar Spotlight, page 9. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains and Fascial Release, directs Kinesis, which offers seminars for manual and movement professionals. Tom worked directly with Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, and 76 Gratitude Retreat Janet Stone “We gather at Esalen in Big Sur for a weekend to remember, with our bodies, minds, and spirits, all that we have to be grateful for,” Janet Stone writes. “This experience includes yoga, reflection, renewal, soaking in the healing baths, hiking, and detoxification of body, mind, and spirit. Before you step into the swirl of the holidays this year, give yourself the gift of looking within. Immerse yourself in a dynamic ritual of asana, pranayama, chanting, meditation, and yoga nidra. “Let’s recognize each breath as a gift as we’re nourished by delicious organic meals, the natural hot springs, hikes amongst the majestic redwoods, or simply curl up in an ocean-view chair. Whether you come alone or with loved ones, you are sure to return to your daily rhythm with a newfound sense of ease, inspiration, and deep gratitude for the life you’re living.” Janet Stone traveled to India in 1996, where she dedicated herself to a conscious evolution through yoga. Janet blends a wealth of knowledge and yoga experience to create a unique, vigorous-yet-sumptuous approach to Vinyasa yoga. She teaches in San Francisco, and leads retreats internationally. www.janetstoneyoga.com. Anatomy Trains® and Fascial Fitness Tom Myers An understanding of the unique properties in the fascinating fascial webbing is essential to any contemporary therapist involved with the body. Originated by Tom Myers, Anatomy Trains is a revolutionary lens for seeing myofascial patterns. This workshop combines an overview of the Anatomy Trains “myofascial meridians” with applications to both manual therapy and movement training. Open to all massage therapists, physiotherapists, personal trainers, Pilates and yoga teachers, dancers, and anyone who has a body, this workshop teaches you to see and work with the deep and underlying strain patterns that produce chronic pain. The “fascial fitness” material in this course takes recent amazing research on the fascial web and applies it to stretching, injury prevention and repair, and long-term healthy functioning. Train your eyes to see the patterns, train your hands to release them, and get the latest on the cutting-edge research. See Seminar Spotlight, page 9. CE credits available for Pilates Method Alliance; please see instructor. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 76. What’s Next? Reviewing and Revisioning Our Lives Sam Keen Periodically, we need to review and revision our lives. Every decade of the life-cycle brings new challenges, goals, pleasures, and horizons. Every crisis—divorce, illness, tragedy, success, failure, retirement—requires us to make a new beginning, take stock of our past, and look for a new vision to guide us toward a more hopeful future. In this workshop, join Sam Keen to explore: • Where are you in your life-cycle? What have you accomplished? • What hasn’t happened yet? What haven’t you done, been, or experienced? • What have you given? Whom have you loved? • What’s old, stale, worn-out, boring? What destructive patterns do you repeat? • What infantile guilt and shame lingers? Whom have you not forgiven? • What’s new, interesting, exciting, appealing? • What decisions do you need to make? What future do you see for yourself? • What are your emerging passions? What promises and potentials are still unfulfilled? • What are your dreams, values, visions? Where do you look to find what’s next for you? CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Sam Keen is the author of numerous books, includ- ing The Passionate Life, Faces of the Enemy, Hymns to an Unknown God, and Learning to Fly. Social Venture Network’s Enlightened Leadership in Challenging Times Greg Steltenpohl, Jeff Mendelsohn & Drummond Pike How do innovative entrepreneurs deal with overwhelming challenges? How can we learn and grow during the most difficult times of our lives? These are just two of the questions we will KODIAK GREENWOOD Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). explore in this deeply personal and interactive workshop. You’ll hear personal stories from pioneering business leaders who experienced unexpected adversity, moved forward with courage and integrity, and emerged even more committed to lead with passion and authenticity. Come prepared to be inspired, share your insights and experiences, and perhaps most of all, strengthen your resolve to lead with courage. This workshop is open to business executives and community leaders, as well as activists and artists. Greg Steltenpohl, founder and former CEO of Odwalla, Inc., values environmental sustainability, employee empowerment, creative corporate culture, and community-based marketing. Greg currently spearheads projects that bring value-added products from farm producers to the consumer. Jeff Mendelsohn founded New York Recycled Paper in 1991, and New Leaf Paper in 1998. He has focused his career on building a highly successful green business and driving a fundamental shift toward sustainability in the paper industry. Drummond Pike is a philanthropist, activist, and social entrepreneur. In 1976 he founded Tides Foundation. Pike helped pioneer the practice of donor-advised funds in philanthropy. Week of November 4–9 The Upledger Institute’s Visceral Manipulation 1 Dee Dettmann Ahern Visceral Manipulation (VM) was developed by French osteopath and physical therapist JeanPierre Barral. It addresses functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia, and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture. Course Highlights: • Learn invaluable manual “Listening Techniques” developed by Jean-Pierre Barral to locate, evaluate, and normalize primary areas of dysfunction within the abdominal cavity • Explore the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, and ligaments • Examine the relationship of organs and structural or neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction • Assess the quality of functional activity and somatic structures as they relate to an overall pattern Prerequisite: Experience with sensitive, lighttouch palpation. Note: Registration for this workshop is through the International Alliance of Healthcare Educators (IAHE) only. IAHE is a coalition of curriculum developers united to advance innovative therapies through high quality continuing education programs. To register, please call 1800-311-9204. Only after you have registered with IAHE and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. For accommodations pricing chart, see www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html. Required Advance Reading: Barral, Visceral Manipulation; and either Netter, Atlas of Human Anatomy or Clemente, A Regional Atlas of the Human Body. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Dee Dettman Ahern, RPT, has been a manual physical therapist since 1978 and has studied with 77 DOUG ELLIS See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. The Upledger Institute since 1984. A practitioner of Visceral Manipulation since 1987 and a teacher since 1994, she teaches and speaks internationally for the Barral Institute. Gestalt Awareness Practice Christine Price The Way, when declared Seems thin and so flavorless. Nothing to look at, nothing to hear— And when used—is inexhaustible. —Lao Tzu Gestalt Awareness Practice is a form—nonanalytic, noncoercive, nonjudgmental—derived from the work of Fritz Perls, influenced by Buddhist practice, and evolved by Richard and Christine Price. The work integrates ways of personal clearing and development that are both ancient and modern. To the extent that awareness is made primary relative to action, Gestalt Awareness Practice has a strong relationship to some forms of meditation. This form is similar to some Reichian work as well, in that emotion78 al and energetic release and rebalancing are allowed and encouraged. Yoga and Addiction Recovery: A Celebration of Healing The emphasis is intrapersonal rather than interpersonal. Participants are not patients but persons actively consenting to explore in awareness. The leader functions to reflect, clarify, and respect whatever emerges in this process. The aim is unfoldment, wholeness, and growth, rather than adjustment, cure, or accomplishment. The workshop will utilize group exercises, meditations, and discussion. The format combines introductory group work with the open seat form, in which each participant will have the opportunity to work with the leader in a group context. Nikki Myers, Noah Levine & Rolf Gates Please note: Meeting times for this workshop are longer than the average Esalen workshop. Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim; Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 11. Join us as we bring together the ancient tools and practices of yoga and meditation as a way to deepen the exploration of recovery from addictions. The leaders represent a wide variety of backgrounds and modalities in this dynamic field. They gather to share their experience, strength, and hope through the journey from addiction to recovery. Addictive behaviors separate us from ourselves, each other, our environment, and the Divine. Yoga offers us a set of practices that directly address the range of issues caused by the family disease of addiction. Connected to our wholeness, we more readily recognize our addictive behaviors and find the inner strength to move beyond them. Through this retreat experience, we will connect our inner and outer worlds and awaken the joy and peace from within by learning how to bring recovery alive in our practice. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). The mornings will begin with an asana and meditation practice embracing such concepts as surrender, letting go, acceptance, and gratitude, and each day different workshops will be offered, allowing us to explore more fully the convergence of the path of yoga and recovery. Our evenings will be filled with kirtan, speakers, dancing, and free time to mingle, reflect, soak in the hot springs, rest, rejuvenate, and connect. Through these magical five days, we will celebrate the vision for our life paths. Everyone is welcome—all recovery, all addictions, family members, all seekers, and those who work as healing professionals in the field. There will be something for everyone. Please bring a yoga mat and a meditation cushion if you use one. Roxanne “Nikki” Myers founded CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health, and cofounded the Yoga of 12Step Recovery program, featured in the New York Times and Yoga Journal. Nikki assists and coteaches with her sister/friend Seane Corn at workshops and conferences across the US and abroad. Noah Levine is the founder of the Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society with two centers in Los Angeles and more than 20 affiliated groups in North America and Europe. He teaches meditation groups, gives workshops, and leads retreats. He is the author of Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, and the forthcoming Heart of the Revolution (Harper One, Feb 2011). Rolf Gates, author of Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga, conducts national 200-hour and 500-hour Vinyasa teacher trainings. A former social worker and US Airborne Ranger, Rolf and his work have been featured nationally on television and in print. Weekend of November 9–11 Butterfly Wisdom: Inviting Metamorphosis into Our Lives Joyce C. Mills When you know where you are, you’ll know where you’re going. Often in life we go through times of great uncertainty, fear, and darkness. During this workshop, award-winning author, storyteller, and healer Joyce C. Mills shows how we can discover exactly where we are in the process of change, and how to overcome obstacles to ultimately discover how to live a balanced and joyful life. In her uniquely captivating and spirited style, Joyce creatively combines science, spirit, metaphor, indigenous teachings, and Ericksonian philosophies to show how each of the four passages of the butterfly’s development mirrors our inner journey and quest for full-winged emergence. This workshop coincides with the annual Monarch butterfly migration that fills Esalen with thousands of fluttering winged creatures. Joyce will share how the scientific secret of the butterfly’s transformation relates to our inner gifts, skills, and soulful resources. “Each individual’s unfolding is as miraculous and natural as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly,” says Joyce. “For each of us, it requires that we simply tune into our stage of change to discover what we most yearn for in our souls.” Through group exercises, experiential practices, meditation, and interactive discussions, participants will be able to see where they are in their personal process of change and how to apply what they learn to their personal development. Joyce will offer individual readings using her award-winning Butterfly Wisdom Transformation cards. Additionally, each participant will create their own Butterfly Wisdom Mandala and receive a Butterfly Transformation Kit. Recommended reading: Mills, Butterfly Wisdom and Reconnecting to the Magic of Life. Available at www.drjoycemills.com/store.html. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Joyce C. Mills, PhD, is an award-winning, internationally recognized trainer, author, play therapist, consultant, and program development specialist. Founder of StoryPlay® Global, and codirector of the Phoenix Institute of Ericksonian Therapy, she has authored 8 books including Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within and Butterfly Wisdom. Falling in Love with the Divine: Devotion and Tantra of the Heart Sally Kempton & Marc Gafni For many contemporary spiritual practitioners, devotion is a missing ingredient in their practice. Yet part of what gives practice its juice and excitement is the living relationship with the personal face of the divine—the BeingIntelligence of all that is—by which you are personally addressed, loved, challenged, and held. Devotion, heart practice directed toward a divine other, or the divine other in a beloved, is a secret of inner awakening, and a key to emotional healing and evolutionary transformation. It’s no wonder that some of the greatest sages and teachers of all time, from Rumi to the Hasidic masters, were also followers of the devotional path. In this workshop, two heart masters merge their gifts in the service of the unfolding of your own secret heart-tantra. Awakened Heart meditation teacher and author Sally Kempton joins Dr. Marc Gafni, rabbi, author, and teacher of Kabbalah and evolutionary spirituality, for this unique offering. You’ll explore: • How to see beyond the myth of god to the reality of divine presence • Transformative insights from three great traditions about surrender to the divine • How divine presence can both uncover and heal emotional wounds • How to find your own right relationship with the personal divine • How a relationship with the divine changes all other relationships • How to balance discernment and trust The weekend is layered with meditation, chant, partner work, contemplation, and deep dharma transmission. Sally Kempton bio on page 54. is a rabbi, spiritual teacher, author, television personality, and mediator. The author of seven books, including the best-selling Soul Prints, his teaching is marked by a deep transmission of heart, love, and leading-edge provocative wisdom. Marc Gafni The Holy Fool: Crazy Wisdom from Van Gogh to Tina Fey and The Big Lebowski Phil Cousineau, Jeff Dowd & Gregg Chadwick You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it. —Robin Williams Have you ever suspected that the upside-down, off-kilter, whimsical ways of history’s holy fools might inspire something new and exciting on your own meandering wisdom path? If so, join author and filmmaker Phil Cousineau, Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski, and painter Gregg Chadwick to explore the weird and wild power of your inner court jester. Jump down the rabbit hole and consider the notion that within every creative person is a holy fool who reveals the truth by performing seemingly ridiculous acts. Our models are plentiful, from philosopher-fools like Lao Tzu, medieval court jesters, to humorists like Mark Twain, Jon Stewart, and Tina Fey, artists from Van Gogh to Karen Finley and Basquiat, inven- 79 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. tors from Leonardo da Vinci to Buckminster Fuller, and all manner of hipsters, rebels, and dudes. Together, let’s seize the crazy moment and take the path of “the fool’s journey” from innocence to wisdom as we use hilarious film clips, uproarious slide shows, wildly innovative painting and writing exercises, and freewheeling open discussion to gain access to the spontaneous genius within all of us. The workshop is designed for artists, comedians, teachers, psychologists, innovators, and inventors —everyone who believed Steve Jobs when he said, “Stay foolish.” Recommended reading: Cousineau, Stoking the Creative Fires. Phil Cousineau is a writer, filmmaker, teacher, and youth baseball coach. He has published more than 30 books, including the bestselling The Hero’s Journey: The Life and Work of Joseph Campbell. He also has written award-winning documentary films. www.philcousineau.net. Jeff Dowd is a writer, film producer, and the inspiration for “The Dude,” the main character in the worldwide cult movie The Big Lebowski. His current project is a modern adaptation of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Gregg Chadwick is a painter based in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Calif. His work has appeared in galleries all over the world, as well as in the book collection, The Speed of Light. Writing For Our Lives Ellen Bass “The philosophy behind this workshop experience,” writes Ellen Bass,” is best expressed by Martha Graham, who said, ‘There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.’ “This workshop will help keep the channels open. It will be an inspiring environment in which to write, share our work, and receive supportive feedback. We’ll help each other to become clearer, go deeper, express our feelings and ideas more powerfully. From beginners to experienced, all writers are welcome. Whether you are interested in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, 80 or journal writing, this workshop will provide an opportunity to explore and expand your world.” Recommended reading: Bass, The Human Line and Mules of Love. Ellen Bass has supported and inspired writers for 40 years. Her many books include Mules of Love, The Human Line (poetry), and The Courage to Heal, which has sold over a million copies. She teaches at Pacific University. www.ellenbass.com. Crafting Careers that Truly Fit: How to Work From Within Susan Bernstein More than 50% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs. Often, we stumble or fall into careers that don’t fit, and then we feel stuck. When we try to make a change we’re guided to analytical approaches—including career tests and assessments—to try to figure out a new professional direction. Yet such structures, often lauded in the business world, seldom help us get in touch with what deeply energizes and moves us. Our conditioning can make us feel like failures if we don’t get to a speedy resolution. We rationalize away our true desires and continue to make life-limiting compromises. You can gain more clarity about your future life and livelihood by awakening a form of intelligence we generally overlook: embodied intelligence. Our bodies know how to navigate chaos and uncertainty, although most of us have forgotten the innate wisdom that has been with us since birth. When we tap into this inner guidance, we know our next steps. Through movement, writing, and discussion, we will creatively listen to and learn to trust our impulses and instincts as we allow our true life energy to direct us. Both right and left brain can feel satisfied as we create compelling new visions of what work can be for each of us. Please bring a notebook and a pen. Susan Bernstein helps people navigate transitions by integrating their embodied intelligence. Her transformational approaches blend left-brain logic honed over 20 years in corporate America with right-brain creative movement gleaned from pioneering research in mind-body psychology. Esalen® Massage in the Side-Lying Position Nora Matten & Peggy Horan During this weekend workshop, we will explore the basic principles of Esalen Massage: quality of touch and presence, long, integrative and flowing strokes, and passive movement, with the client lying in the side position. Working in the side-lying position opens a wide range of new possibilities for both the practitioner and client, allowing the practitioner to simultaneously access the front and back of the body and move the limbs in a variety of ways. This position is especially wonderful for pregnant women as well as people who are facing physical challenges and are unable to lie on their backs or fronts. This workshop is suitable for practitioners, doulas, and all others who are interested in exploring Esalen Massage from the side-lying position. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Nora Matten is a member of the Esalen Massage crew and an Esalen® Massage teacher. As part of the Esalen Movement staff, she teaches dance and yoga. Her work draws on Forrest yoga, Soul Motion, vipassana meditation, Gestalt Awareness Practice, and the Diamond Approach. Peggy Horan bio on page 25. Week of November 11–16 Way of the Dreamer: A Journey into Active Dreaming Robert Moss In this high-energy adventure in Active Dreaming, Robert Moss’ original synthesis of modern dreamwork and ancient shamanism, learn to find and fulfill your heart’s desires with the help of a warm and supportive circle. Master a fun, fast way to share dreams and take creative action to bring their energy and insight into waking life. Discover how to use dreams and synchronicity for guidance and healing, how to dream the future and change it for the better, how to free the creator and healer in you—and live a life filled with natural magic. You’ll be shown the ancient shamanic arts of dreaming, including: • • • • • The art of dream travel Medicine dreaming The sign language of the world Interactive dreaming and tracking How to scout the possible future and visiting other life experiences Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Spiritweaves™: Rites of Belonging Susan Harper & Michael Molin-Skelton The world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—over and over announcing your place in the family of things. –Mary Oliver We belong to the beauty that lives in the natural world. Our belonging reminds us that our nature is nature. Rites of Belonging is a call to bring forth our unique offering: our own way of being in this world. In this retreat we explore intimacy and the relational capacity of the heart to refine the compass of our own genuine longing and belonging. Using the awakening energy of dancing through the 5 Rhythms® and Soul Motion™, we will move with the grace of our belonging and the struggles of our exclusion. Through the organismic movements and sounding in the inquiry style of Continuum Montage we will explore the intelligent dynamics of the elements—water, air, fire, earth, and space—in our bodies, deepening our inherent connection to our wild breathing planetary body. Through movement and ritual, we will explore the meaning of how and where we belong in ourselves and our lives, and the places where we feel exiled from ourselves and others. We will actively step into the participation required to belong, responding to the call that stirs a deep inner longing to fall into the place we call home. We will experience the possibility of resting through our bodies and listening to the silences within; to trust and surrender as gravity repeatedly tells us, ‘I have a place for you: it is called here.’ Susan Harper bio on page 23. Michael Molin-Skelton listens to prayers of the DOUG ELLIS wind and hears music. Michael reaches through dance rather than teaches to dance. “Dance is not something I do, it’s simply who I am.” • Soul recovery healing: recovering vital energy lost through trauma, grief, or wrenching life choices, and raising our animal spirits • Soul remembering: finding and honoring the “secret wishes of the soul” and reclaiming the bigger story of our lives • Dream enactment: developing personal rituals, performance, and spontaneous art to celebrate the powers that speak to us in dreams We’ll share wonderful sacred teaching stories and learn how we can work with dream energy to become poets of consciousness, capable of shapeshifting reality and living a life of natural magic. The Promise: Advanced Yoga for Everyone Intensive Required reading: Moss, Active Dreaming. Mark Whitwell Recommended reading: Moss, Dreamgates and Dreaming the Soul Back Home. Yoga is not a linear process. It is direct intimacy with life, and it is available to everyone. This week, Mark Whitwell offers yoga’s advanced practices in a way that you can integrate and make your own, whether you are just beginning to practice or have years of experience. The weekend involves an interwoven promise: You promise to practice yoga, and in return you receive the promise of yoga’s gifts, is the creator of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of modern dreamwork and ancient shamanic techniques for healing and journeying. His books include Conscious Dreaming, The Three “Only” Things, Dreamgates, Active Dreaming and Dreaming the Soul Back Home. www.mossdreams.com. Robert Moss 81 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. including health, intimacy, wellbeing, and joy. In order to experience these benefits, your yoga practice must be adapted to you, not you to yoga. With Mark’s skillful and heartfelt guidance, you will: • Explore the five principles of advanced personal practice • Dive into asana, pranayama, and meditation as a seamless process • Discover how yoga transforms life into an intimate celebration with everything • Experience the nurturing principle as a constant in your life from now on • Return home with understanding and the embodied felt sense of your own joyful practice This program is a regenerative and joyful event that will continue to reverberate through your daily life in very practical ways. For all levels; no prior yoga experience is needed. Please bring a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Whitwell, Yoga of Heart and The Promise; Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga. Elsbeth Meuth & Freddy Zental Weaver Feel more passionate, deeply intimate, and fulfilled in life, love, and intimacy! In this workshop, which is open to couples of any sexual orientation, you will be shown how to expand joy, pleasure, and creativity in your life and your relationship. In a safe, respectful, and joyous environment, you will be introduced to the foundational principles and practices of the “yoga of love,” as developed by the TantraNova approach. Through a step-by-step process that includes meditation, conscious breathing, energy awareness, tantric bodywork, and communication exercises, you will be taught how to unleash your full capacity for intimate connection and bliss, both within yourself and in your relationship. In this workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to rediscover the source of creative energy, let go of blocks and conditioning from the past that no longer work, and create fulfillment and pleasure within yourself and your partner in everyday life. Women may reawaken their luscious feminine energy, uncover the secrets of flow and playful joy, and tap into new ways of experiencing trust with an open heart. Men can discover new ways to be confident, fully present, open in their hearts, and grounded in their manhood. As a couple, you will be shown how to deepen your intimate connection, enter the dance of joy and bliss, and use the differences of masculine and feminine energies to expand your love connection. Recommended viewing: TantraNova, Creating Intimacy & Love DVD. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Elsbeth Meuth, EdD, is a certified tantra educator, relationship coach, and cofounder of the TantraNova Institute in Chicago. She trained as an ontological coach, employing a methodology based on the philosophy of language. She also co-produced the DVD series, Creating Intimacy & Love. www.tantranova.com. Freddy Zental Weaver is a certified tantra educator, relationship coach, and cofounder of the TantraNova Institute in Chicago. Over the past decade, he has helped thousands of people expand their intimacy and love. He is also co-producer of the DVD series, Creating Intimacy & Love. www.tantranova.com. DOUG ELLIS Leader bio on page 26. Secrets to Lasting Intimacy: Tantra for Couples 82 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Painting Improvisations: A Visual Jazz Exploration Joanne Beaule Ruggles The performing and visual arts share a common language and process. Visual artists can learn valuable lessons from jazz musicians, whose creations depend on exploration, improvisation, and collaboration. This workshop will lead participants through a series of visual exercises that develop the skills needed for risk-taking in the arts. Participants will discover ways to remember the fearless play of childhood while letting go of concerns about “abiding by the rules” or “getting to the right answer/representational image.” Students will identify specific aspects of the creative process that produce joy and explore ways to infuse them more frequently into their art making. Participants with diverse interests will find ways to incorporate nonobjective abstraction (patterns, abstract designs, free-flowing marks, or “visual jazz”) into their creative process and final artwork. Whether your artistic interests fall in landscape, figure, still-life, or abstract painting, there will be something valuable for you in this workshop. Each day, additional mystery materials will be provided to participants for group activities. You can view Joanne’s artwork at www.beaulerugglesgraphics.com. Recommended reading: Nachmanovitch, Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art. ($25 materials fee paid directly to the leader) Joanne Beaule Ruggles has been teaching since 1975. As a Cal Poly studio arts professor, she won the 2004 Distinguished Research Award. Since 2005, she has received grants from the James Irvine, Puffin, and Capelli d’ Angeli foundations. Weekend of November 16–18 Soul Motion™: The Dance of the Master Vinn Martí “This is the Dance of the Master: The movement of the moment is his only concern,” writes Vinn Martí. “She cultivates and nourishes the return again and again to the present. He sees total view, and pauses with ease. She moves through the dance floor with confidence. No body is ever challenged to do anything by his presence. She supports all in their expression of sound shaped by the body. “Soul Motion is a conscious dance practice that brings together deep self-inquiry with an exploration of the outer worlds of relations, creative expression, and divine dialogue. Non-choreographed movement with a clear set of working platforms and points of view gives Soul Motion its unique character. Soul Motion is a movement practice, a life philosophy, and pedagogy of a dance practice. The Dance of the Master weekend is about practicing the natural, alive moments of the dance that come and go without our commentary.” Leader bio on page 57. Changes and Transitions in Your 30s and 40s: How to Stay True to Yourself Phillip Moffitt Your 30s and 40s are a transitional time in life. For most people, these decades are a time to make unique choices about how you want your life to be, and to find and step into your power. Yet these years can be fraught with questions, concerns, and fears. How do I know what will make me happy? What is meaningful? How can I be more authentic? Who am I, anyway…and how do I make big decisions? This workshop offers tools, practices, and principles that can help you answer these questions. The program will explore topics including intimacy, self-esteem, fulfillment in work, money, doubts and insecurities, and life balance. Each day there will be teachings, small group discussions, personal inquiry, and participatory exercises. You’ll have the opportunity to assess the issues in your life, develop options, and create a plan for making decisions. Each day there will also be some form of movement practice and a meditation experience. The workshop will emphasize making wise choices through clarification of your values. Additionally, there will be written assignments to allow you to get clearer on where you are presently in life and also create a vision for yourself. This retreat will specifically focus on looking within versus dwelling on external circumstances. Expect a weekend of self-exploration, self-inquiry, and ultimately, self-knowing for people in their 30s and 40s. Phillip Moffitt, former CEO and editor-in-chief of Esquire magazine, founded the Life Balance Institute and now teaches vipassana meditation with an emphasis on living the dharma in daily life. Phillip is the author of Dancing with Life and From Chaos to Clarity. The Promise: Advanced Yoga for Everyone Mark Whitwell Yoga is not a linear process. It is direct intimacy with life, and it is available to everyone. This weekend, Mark Whitwell offers yoga’s advanced practices in a way that you can integrate and make your own, whether you are just beginning to practice or have years of experience. The weekend involves an interwoven promise: You promise to practice yoga, and in return you receive the promise of yoga’s gifts, including health, intimacy, wellbeing, and joy. In order to experience these benefits, your yoga practice must be adapted to you, not you to yoga. With Mark’s skillful and heartfelt guidance, you will: • Explore the five principles of advanced personal practice • Dive into asana, pranayama, and meditation as a seamless process • Discover how yoga transforms life into an intimate celebration with everything • Experience the nurturing principle as a constant in your life from now on • Return home with understanding and the embodied felt sense of your own joyful practice This program is a regenerative and joyful event that will continue to reverberate through your daily life in very practical ways. For all levels; no prior yoga experience needed. Please bring a yoga mat. Recommended reading: Whitwell, Yoga of Heart and The Promise; Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga. Leader bio on page 26. Your One Wild and Precious Life: For Women Jean Shinoda Bolen Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? —Mary Oliver In this gathering for women, Jean Shinoda Bolen will bring myths, goddess archetypes, dreams, and the sacred feminine to life. Contemplating or facing a life transition—in a significant relationship, career or work, motherhood, health, menopause, a life-threatening illness, or decision to follow an activist or spiritual calling—invites us to sit with Hecate, archetype of the wisewomen, medium, midwife, and goddess of the crossroad. In the depth of her soul, 83 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. every woman is moved by symbols, images, and feelings related to the archetypes in her. The phases of the moon or the maiden-mothercrone aspects of the Great Goddess whose worship preceded patriarchal gods are powerful metaphors. Humanity and the planet also are approaching a Hecate crossroad. 2012 may truly be a transition time for patriarchy, the outcome of which may depend on women. Through storytelling insights, guided meditation, self-reflection, and in sacred circles, we are invited to share and learn from one another, reconnect with archetypal sources of meaning and creativity, and acknowledge what is true for us. Music and poetry will add to the experience as we gather and explore what the poet Mary Oliver called our “one wild and precious life.” Recommended reading: Bolen, The Millionth Circle: How to Change Ourselves and the World. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD, is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and author of 11 books. She leads the effort for a 5th World Conference on Women at the United Nations, is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and a former clinical professor of psychiatry. www.jeanbolen.com. The Heart of Buddhism Noah Levine & Vinny Ferraro In the Buddhist tradition of overcoming hatred with love, fear with faith, ignorance with understanding, and greed with generosity, this weekend of meditation and reflection will focus on cultivation of the heart’s natural qualities of wisdom and compassion. We will learn to develop a greater sense of care for ourselves and for our world through the revolutionary spiritual practices of the Buddha. The workshop explores the way that true spiritual practice is an engagement with life that goes against the norms of our confused society, and is therefore an act of rebellion. Instructions in meditation and guidance in the subversive Buddhist path to liberation will be offered. This retreat is suitable for both beginning and long-term practitioners. Recommended reading: Levine, Against the Stream and Dharma Punx. Noah Levine bio on page 79. Vinny Ferraro has been practicing meditation since 1993. He has taught meditation to incarcerated youth and adults and is the head trainer for the Mind Body Awareness Project. He also is a Spirit Rock Community Dharma teacher. 84 Esalen® Massage and Bodywork Professional Training Esalen Massage is a unique modality developed by Esalen practitioners at the baths overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Esalen is approved by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and the California Department of Post-Secondary Education as a provider of basic massage trainings and continuing education. In addition to weekend and five-day workshops, Esalen offers a semi-annual 28-day Esalen Massage practitioner certification training, and other advanced specialized programs. The Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association offers membership and similar coursework worldwide. Please visit www.esalen.org/info/massage.html for full details. Contact [email protected] with questions. November 18–December 16 28-day Esalen® Massage Certification Program Char Pias, Dean Marson & Ellen Watson Esalen Massage is a unique style that reflects an attitude about touching that goes beyond physical manipulation. Practitioners of Esalen Massage think holistically and acknowledge the intimate relationship of the physical body with thoughts, emotions, and spirit, and additionally, to the connection with the world around us. At the heart of this method is compassion and gratitude. Expressed through the language of touch, the intention is to facilitate an individual in restoring a sense of harmony and to awaken inner resources for healing. Esalen Massage is an approach of listening, responding, flowing, and pausing that makes for an extraordinary experience. This 175-hour certification training is open to nonprofessionals and professionals. For newcomers to the field, it provides a foundation from which to grow, and for those already certified in other modalities, it offers a fresh approach for practitioners and their clients. Classes include lectures and demonstrations of fundamental massage skills and supervised practice sessions amongst the class participants. Students learn the appropriate use of joint mobilizations and stretching, professional draping, and how to conduct an interview with their clients. The study of massage technique will be augmented through applied anatomy, ethics and business practices, pathology, methods of self-care and self-knowledge. Emphasis is on supporting students to develop a balance between technique, intuition and creativity. The primary teaching method is experiential learning. Upon satisfactory completion, and after documenting thirty additional massages at your home site, a Certificate of Completion will be issued. The certification fee is $115. Students seeking to fulfill the California State Certified Massage Practitioner requirements may add 3 additional catalog bodywork courses to equal 250 hours of training. Esalen's pending application for reapproval by the CA Bureau for Private Post-Secondary Education has not yet been reviewed. This is a professional training with limited admission. Please request an application from the Esalen office by calling 831-667-3004 or by emailing [email protected] Applications will be reviewed in the order received and preference given to those who have previously completed an Esalen Massage workshop. Tuition: Standard accommodations: $5155; Bunk bed rooms (considered as scholarship): $3885. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Char Pias, a member of the Esalen massage staff since 1980, teaches internationally, focusing on bodywork’s energetic, emotional, and spiritual aspect. She is a Reiki Master/Teacher, a Circle of Life facilitator/coach, and a licensed graduate of The Center for Spiritual Healing. Dean Marson teaches Esalen® Massage and Ocean Yoga. He integrates meditation, movement, and bodywork practices to assist people in enlivening their bodies and their lives. He has led workshops at Esalen and internationally for more than 20 years. Ellen Watson travels extensively, sharing the essence of her 26 years at Esalen. Ellen founded MovingVentures, whose mission is vocational education in the fields of breathwork, and somatic and movement arts. Since 1998, she has focused on supporting the people of Bali, Indonesia. www.movingventures.org. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Week of November 18–23 Angels and Traitors Daniel Ellenberg & Judith Bell “Angels and Traitors” may sound like a video game, but it’s actually an ever-present conflict going on inside you. The angels are the good guys, doing their best to steer you where you want to go to reach your greatest potential. The traitors, however, are making sure you stay safe. They’re not bad or evil. They’re just keeping you stuck believing, behaving, thinking, and feeling in ways that keep you exactly where you are now. If this internal conflict has blocked your path to fulfillment, don’t despair. Juanita and Eugene Sagan (first cousin of Carl), created a relatively unknown system of resolving these dilemmas by working with your angels and traitors. The Sagans taught this method to a small group of people, including co-facilitator Judith Bell. Daniel and Judith add their 60+ years of combined experience to expand on and guide you through this process of transformation. This workshop will provide a powerful context in which you can address and resolve core challenges that may have plagued you for decades. Using expressive arts and action-oriented exercises, you’ll work in small groups, pairs, and alone to enliven your most important angel characters and befriend your most powerful traitor characters. You’ll leave with tools to help you balance the competing voices inside your head, while gaining understanding and acceptance and ultimately, greater freedom and joy. You’ll also have fun in the process. Daniel Ellenberg, PhD, is a leadership coach, group facilitator, organizational trainer, and licensed therapist. He is a principle in both Relationships That Work and Authentic Leadership Institute. He leads men’s growth groups and co-authored Lovers for Life. Judith Bell, MS, founder-president of the Authentic Leadership Institute, trains consultants nationally and internationally. While working with NASA frequently, she addresses productivity through people skills, co-authored Lovers for Life, and chaired Antioch San Francisco’s Creative Arts Therapy Master’s Program. The MAX: Expanding the Limits of Your Self-Expression Paula Shaw Please note: There will be a celebratory Thanksgiving dinner in the Esalen Lodge. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. For more than twenty years, THE MAX has held an honored status among the Esalen staff and is considered by many to be an essential rite of passage for community members. The purpose of THE MAX is to discover yourself beyond who you know yourself to be. It is a voyage through your own humanity—a journey to discover the extent of your self-expressive power. Employing a variety of acting, communication, and observation techniques, it’s designed to expand your limits “to the max” and move you into a new arena of personal creativity and selfexpression. In THE MAX, participants undertake a challenging exploration of the sources of their emotional limitations. Working individually, “on stage,” each person is encouraged and supported to go at their own pace, playing to and with other group members. With strong guidance, people move through lifelong fears of being “on the spot,” emerging into greater authenticity and enhanced “presence.” ELISE CROHN There are exercises that use raw emotion, roleplaying, and dress-up assignments. This is an opportunity to experience yourself in ways you may have dreamed about but never thought possible. The course is for those committed and courageous in their process. And it has been constructed with the understanding that this kind of risk requires a very safe workspace. If your heart beats faster when you think of taking THE MAX, it may be just “the thing to do.” For details visit www.themaxwithpaulashaw.com. Please note: Due to the intense and sequential nature of this workshop, attendance at all sessions is necessary. Requirement: Bring a one- to three-minute memorized piece—monologue, poem, song, etc. 85 CELINE NADEAU See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Please note: There will be a celebratory Thanksgiving dinner in the Esalen Lodge. of this week. Real freedom in the body is also freedom of spirit and fun. Paula Shaw, a professional actress and acting teacher for more than 40 years, has conducted workshops for those interested in expanding their self-expression, wellbeing, and creativity, in the US, Canada, Germany and the UK. www.themaxwithpaulashaw.com. Lessons adapted from Indonesian Silat originating from the monasteries of China and Tibet will be shared which greatly expand the scope and effectiveness of each session. The concepts of grounding, extending, generating, protecting, circulating, and efficiently using our energies will be experienced. The energetic components of life and movement will greatly affect participants’ yoga and bodywork practices. Feldenkrais® Spinal Awareness for Yoga, Bodyworkers and Everyone Patrick Douce Spinal awareness is a combination of the Feldenkrais Method®, Taoist energetic science, and the Esalen experience. In this workshop, participants will experience movements that help bring new awareness as well as maintain health and assist in the rehabilitation of pain, tension, stiffness, limitation, and injury. Spinal Awareness focuses on relaxing, integrating, and developing a new relationship with the spine and the whole body. The use of joy and humor will be the undertone 86 Safe, non-invasive touch lessons will be used to help in the understanding of our spines. Focusing on the actual bones, muscles, nerves, and energy of the spine, participants will be given a new, relaxing, healing experience of themselves. Lively partner lessons will add to the learning and the freedom to be experienced in our bodies. By increasing awareness and fluidity in the spine, students will find new ways of being sensitive to and improving their yoga and other abilities. The improved flexibility and awareness will greatly strengthen whatever discipline you practice. Those people with chronic or acute tension, stress, stiffness, or pain will find tools specific to their needs that will help in their improvement and often healing. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 44. Thanksgiving and Gratitude: A SpiritDance and Tribal Journey Ellen Watson & Rudy Tihikpas Proctor with Special Guests “We invite you to celebrate Thanksgiving week with us on the sacred lands of Esalen,” write the leaders. “We will embody teachings of antiquity through the framework of tribal ceremony and SpiritDance Meditation. Our tribe is not one of bloodlines or lineage; we ask that people of all tribes, beliefs, and colors join this journey of the mind, body, soul, and spirit. Let’s dance, sweat, sing, pray, meditate, and relax together as one global tribe, as we honor the Native American roots of Thanksgiving Day.” Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Tikhikpas and Ellen, both elders, have spent their journeys studying diverse spiritual traditions and praying with native peoples around the world. They will guide us in song, dance, prayer, breathwork, chanting, a mini-vision quest on the Esalen grounds, and a purifying sweat lodge (optional and weather permitting). These practices have grown organically from the land of Esalen and are an amalgamation of wisdom teachings from around the world. To deepen our experience and enrich our learning, special guests will facilitate several sessions. Mac Murphy, raised on Esalen land, will facilitate the ritual of the three sacred waters and inspire us with his embodiment of the spirit of the land. Tom “Little Bear” Nason is an eighthgeneration documented Spiritual Leader of the Esselen tribe of Monterey county. He is the carrier of his ancestors’ prophecy of the coming together of the four root races (red, yellow, black, and white) at the “Western Gate” — Big Sur and the Ventana Wilderness. Little Bear will share his knowledge of the Esselen heritage, his understanding of the relationship between the Esselen and Hopi tribes, and walk the Institute’s grounds, locating specific historic ceremonial sites. Bring your beginners mind and pictures of your ancestors for the altar. Ekae! (It is good). Please note: There will be a celebratory Thanksgiving dinner in the Esalen Lodge. Recommended reading: Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer. Recommended viewing: Watson, SpiritDance DVD. Ellen Watson bio on page 84. Tigaro Tihikpas, “He who flirts with all life.” A tribal elder formally educated in Europe and fluent in several languages, Tihikpas has facilitated sweat lodges at Esalen and across Europe. His theological background includes Native American, Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Buddhism, and mystic traditions. Sweet Mischief: A Lighthearted Path for Self-Realization and Restoration David Schiffman Step right up, step right in, come and enjoy the trouble you’re in. — Coyote Old Man The radiance of a light heart changes for the better everything it reveals. It bathes us in an atmosphere of playfulness, hope, and goodwill. It is born of innate wisdom and is a blessing for all who share it. If you feel that living a passionate, lighthearted, authentic life is a necessity, not a luxury; if presence to deeper, wiser, more naturally uninhibited spirits helps you balance out the needs and demands of others with your own; if you feel being free and whole in your own skin is the proper foundation for a real life lived—then you’re ready for the lighthearted path of sweet mischief. midst of writing a novel, memoir, or short story, where a richly drawn character takes center stage. Come join David Schiffman and friends for a week of high spirits, joyful antics, and deep contemplation amidst all things considered. “Our aim together,” writes David, “is to express our deepest thoughts and feelings in a dreamtime celebration of lighthearted intention. We will call on the uplifting spirit medicine of ceremony, touch, dance, music, and song, along with the powers of spirit-family and personal daring and sharing. Our mission: to reconnect with what is free, natural, and alive inside us… A joyful tune-up… A time designed to leave you feeling more nimble, poised, and able to face the challenge of making the life you hope for.” Weekend of November 23–25 Leader bio on page 18. Deepening the Characters We Create: A Writing Workshop Lisa Doctor The characters we create can and will evolve into real people if we allow them to speak in their own voices without interference. But how do our characters turn into dynamic beings? How do they find their own truths? Through a series of writing exercises and discussions, we will create the profile of a character and then allow him or her to answer challenging questions designed to reveal hidden truths. Each prompt is chosen specifically for the character; no two writers will receive the same exercise. As the week progresses, these emerging people will open up about that which haunts and thrills them. They will explore their own personal histories, their concerns about aging, their longings, disappointments, fears, and uncertainties. We will ask them to speak freely about old wounds and their compassion for others. They will tell us what used to be important to them but no longer is. By the end of the week, the character each writer has created will have begun to emerge into a separate being with an authentic voice and a distinct identity. This workshop is designed for writers of every level, including beginners, who are seeking a group writing experience in a safe and nurturing environment. The method used is particularly effective for those wishing to begin or are in the Lisa Lieberman Doctor teaches character develop- ment at the UCLA Extension Writing Program. She is a former motion picture executive and a nominee of a Daytime Emmy and Writers Guild Award. Heart Fire: Tending the Flame of Your Sva Shakti Shiva Rea The time has come to turn your heart into a temple of fire. —Rumi “Join our annual Thanksgiving retreat to tend your heart fire authentically as the center of your creativity, vision, inspiration, wisdom, and most of all the transforming power of love,” writes Shiva Rea. “For many years, we have retreated to the warm springs of Esalen during the Thanksgiving weekend for a ritual deepening and renewal of the heart fire. This popular retreat is open to those returning from previous years and newcomers who are transforming Thanksgiving weekend into an ideal time for unwinding, healing, and tending the sacred fire of the heart.” Together we will explore: • The universal and ancient understanding and practices of our heart center from tantra, Hatha, and Bhakti yoga, integrated with our heart’s intelligence for releasing our capacity for healing wisdom and love • Dynamic and meditative vinyasa flow yoga to awaken the body mandala and heart fire • Chanting of the bija mantras of the heart chakra and the body mandala • Simple householders homa for connecting to the heart fire in daily life This immersive retreat is for practical mystics seeking equal parts transformational vinyasa yoga, meditation, ecstatic movement meditation, and group exploration. Every year has been a great adventure that weaves live music, chanting, and ritual into a heart-based approach to the flow of yoga. Please bring a yoga mat. Shiva Rea is a yogini firekeeper, sacred activist, global adventurer, and innovator in the evolution of vinyasa flow yoga that integrates the tantric bhakti roots of yoga, Krishnamacharya’s teachings, and a universal, quantum approach to the body. 87 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Applied Zen: Creating the World Around Us Ji Hyang Padma Every thought affects the world around us. In the thirteenth century, Zen Master Dogen wrote about this using the metaphor of water: “Some see water as the seven treasures or a wish-granting jewel; some see water as a forest or a wall.” In what we choose to see and how we frame it, we create the world around us. By choosing to focus on mindful awareness, we can respond to stimuli rather than react, and thus develop resiliency and create positive outcomes. This is tangible; it begins with ordinary people and their own mindfulness practice, through which we return to our original luminous awareness, like clear water. This course combines Zen practice with creative approaches that support mind/body health to discover inner resources and create positive outcomes in everyday life. Activities include Zen practice, kido (chanting meditation), and personal journey work. Using techniques from Riz Virk’s book, Zen Entrepreneurship, we will explore how to bring the creative process into the flow of work, through leadership that is aligned with the rhythms of life. We will also use group journeys, sacred ceremony, and metta meditation to harness the power of group consciousness for the purposes of personal and societal transformation. Recommended reading: Padma, Zen Practices for Transformative Times; Chodron, Comfortable with Uncertainty. Ji Hyang Padma has taught Zen for 19 years. She directs Spirituality and Education Programs at Wellesley College. She also teaches at Babson College and Omega Institute. She is the author of Zen Practices for Transformative Times. Improv Inspiration: Wit and Wisdom in an Instant Paula Shaw This workshop is an adventure in releasing programmed patterns and discovering the delight of spontaneous creation. The joy of playing improvisational theatre games comes from surrendering to the process. Each game has focus points that allow you to suspend your accustomed automated and controlled thinking. The liberation that follows fully opens up your mind to imaginative freedom, your voice to new and surprising sounds, verbal humor, eloquence, and flowing physical grace in movement. In this work, you are never alone. The easy-tofollow instructions and coaching tune you in with the other players, and when that connec88 tion is made, instantaneous creativity issues forth effortlessly. Once you’ve allowed yourself to join in, each improvised piece takes flight, with truly amazing results. As a participant in these games, you go back and forth from being a player to being the audience. You play from both positions, and both are filled with fun. The program is an experience of how wonderfully well life can flow when you get out of your own way, and the learning is what it means to be able to do that. It is also full of falling-down laughter. All are welcome. Prior improv experience will be forgiven. who has won numerous honors for her work transforming conflict worldwide. She is the author of Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution during South Africa’s Transition to Democracy. www.sfcg.org. John Marks is president and founder of Search for Common Ground, an international conflict transformation organization. He also heads Common Ground Productions. A best-selling, award-winning author, in 2006 he was awarded a Skoll Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship. www.sfcg.org. November 25–December 2 Leader bio on page 86. Social Entrepreneurship: From Spiritual Values to Effective Action Susan Collin Marks & John Marks There is a growing longing in many of us to do something that will have a positive impact on the world. We hold a vision of infusing our spiritual values into the political, economic, and social life of our planet to create a kind and dignified world for all. We want to be social entrepreneurs. This workshop offers the accumulated experience of Search for Common Ground, which grew out of meetings at Esalen in the early 1980s into the world’s largest non-profit organization in conflict transformation. The keys to Search’s success have been profound creativity, nimbleness, and an unswerving, compassionate vision, which is reflected in the range of their work: TV and radio soap operas that reach tens of millions of people, multiethnic kindergartens in the Balkans, a Common Ground News Service in the Middle East, and consensus building among polarized communities in the US. Innovation in Experiential Education: A Permaculture Teacher Training Kat Steele & Michael Kramer Permaculture is a holistic design system for creating and sustaining regenerative human settlement patterns for healthy living. This permaculture course offers a new way to teach solutionbased, eco-social design concepts by applying the principles of permaculture to the teaching of permaculture. Teachers and practitioners in any field can apply these skills and practices. This course will cover every aspect of being an effective educator and promoter of mutually beneficial relationships for a more sustainable and just future. By taking the approach of whole person learning and using teaching combinations from educators from all over the world, this course provides invaluable information about facilitating and how to frame concepts and ideas to people from all walks of life and cultural contexts. This course also teaches the basics of how to administer the core permaculture design course, as well as planning and preparing for specialized permaculture-focused workshops and practica. Highlights include: During this workshop, Search founder and president John Marks and senior vice president Susan Collin Marks will take you deep within yourself to unfold and define your own vision. They will share the Principles of Social Entrepreneurship and offer individual coaching through a clinic that draws on their experience as well as the wisdom of the group. They will lead you through the possibilities that abound when you grasp your inner potential to make the difference you long to make, and the world needs, right now. For more information, visit www.sfcg.org. Susan Collin Marks, senior vice president of Search for Common Ground, is a South African peacemaker • How to identify learning styles and adapt to various audiences • Techniques to help you organize and prepare quickly and effectively • A comprehensive manual and DVD of permaculture resources and teaching materials • Course planning, marketing, and evaluation • Constructive critique of participant presentations • Teaching tools and the core exercises of the permaculture curriculum This course offers powerful teaching practices gleaned from the leaders’ many years of permaculture teaching. Their experience, combined Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). from the transcriptions of his early years of teaching with Alan Watts at Esalen. You are invited to discover and explore the magic of tai ji and living your own Tao: The Watercourse Way of the Dance of Life. To work with Huang is to learn to move with wind and water—not only in the tai ji exercises, but also in the course of everyday life. In going with the Watercourse Way, he is as fresh as the mountain streams and as deep and powerful as the Yangtze River. Chungliang woos and beguiles his students instead of forcing them. This is the mark of a truly superior teacher who works upon others as the sun and rain upon plants. –Alan Watts. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Chungliang Al Huang teaches Tai Ji philosophy, East/West synthesis, and the art of movement meditation. He is the founder-president of the Living Tao Foundation and director of Lan Ting Institute in the Sacred Mountains of China. Reclaiming Your Authentic Self Anne Watts DOUG ELLIS Have you ever found yourself thinking you want one thing but doing something else? The thing you’re doing comes from the inner child. What, exactly, is the inner child? It has many names: the authentic self, natural child, creative energy, or inner place of knowing. The inner child works differently in each of us. We are often out of touch with this part of ourselves, yet it is the part that runs our lives. with the knowledge of permaculture teachers and mentors from around the globe, make this one of the most comprehensive teacher trainings available. award and started a chapter of BALLE Network in Hawaii. www.naturalinvesting.com. Kat Steele is a permaculture activist, designer, and educator. Founder of the Urban Permaculture Guild, she facilitates workshops on sustainability, permaculture, and eco-literacy. Her focus has been urban ecosocial design, city repair, and the power of placemaking. Kat presently leads the Growing Beyond Green Sustainability Initiative at Esalen. www.esalen.org/info/sustainability.html. Week of November 25–30 Michael Kramer made a lifelong commitment to personal and global sustainability. He has co-developed permaculture teacher training curricula, is an accredited investment fiduciary, and managing partner at Natural Investments LLC. He won a B-Corp Essential Practice from the Esalen Tai Ji Deck Chungliang Al Huang Esalen elder Chungliang Al Huang has taught Living Tao philosophy on the Esalen deck for nearly five decades. This weekend will be dedicated to bringing the most essential gems of Chungliang’s teaching from his perennial Tai Ji classic, Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Ji, published thirty-seven years ago This workshop is for people who want to experience more joy and personal potency in their lives. In a safe and loving environment, you will have the opportunity to tell your own story and hear the stories of others, receive and give appropriate, healing touch, and reclaim and affirm the safety of your own body. You will also uncover core beliefs that hold you back, move through fear, and learn techniques for safely releasing anger and sadness. Additionally, through the use of visualization techniques, drawing, and dynamic sculpting, you will discover your inner child and your inner nurturing parent, and create the opportunity to see your internal family images from new and different perspectives. The partnership you establish between the inner child and parent will enable you to live your life with a new level of potency, peace, and joy. For more information about Anne and her work, please see www.annewatts.com. Leader bio on page 61. 89 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Awakened Heart, Embodied Mind: A Journey toward Wholeness and Healing for Body, Mind and Spirit Hala Khouri & Julian Walker In the rich tradition of Esalen as a growing-edge forum for human potential, Hala Khouri and Julian Walker present this transformative and integrative journey into the possibilities of twenty-first century spirituality. The workshop will include morning meditation, yoga, ecstatic dance classes, and afternoon information sessions to create context for the experiential practices. We will explore somatic psychology and neuroscience to deepen and accelerate growth and healing, and discover an energetic map of the mind-body connection that brings the chakra system alive as a powerful tool for selfawareness. Hala Khouri, MA, E-RYT, has spent over more than 15 years integrating yoga and counseling, and is certified in Somatic Experiencing. She teaches yoga and leads workshops and retreats internationally. www.halakhouri.com. Julian Walker, E-RYT, is a mind-body healer, yoga, meditation, and ecstatic dance teacher, DJ, musician, and writer who invites you to discover the sacred where you stand. He teaches yoga and leads workshops and retreats internationally. www.julianwalkeryoga.com. Gestalt Practice and Cortical Field Reeducation®: Developing Emotional and Somatic Resources Patrice Hamilton & Dorothy Charles Increasing awareness of our somatic sense of self provides new options for developing more effective psychological and physical patterns. This experiential workshop blends the slow, developmental movement of Cortical Field Reeducation® with individual and group Gestalt work to address how habitual, unconscious beliefs and behaviors formed early in life lead to habitual ways of responding that limit life experience. Through mindfulness, explorations of forgotten movement patterns, and Gestalt Awareness Practice, we contact the here-and-now, where change and growth are possible. As we become more present in our bodies, we may discover an inability to identify what we are feeling, or that— because of painful memories, and difficulty in experiencing feelings directly—we have been avoiding them. This is a relational process. Working in an empathic, supportive group setting creates a container in which new ways of moving and being can be expressed and explored. This workshop provides the experience of making contact with people who are present and accepting, making it possible to develop a greater capacity for feelings. We can then learn to use our feelings as guides that help us live more authentically, moving beyond habits of being CHRISTY HENGOT Hala and Julian are a dynamic pair. Each offers a distinct style of teaching and sharing to create a well-rounded workshop that is nurturing and grounded as well as ecstatic and unique. The ecstatic poetry of Rumi, Kabir, Hafez, Mirabai, Lala, and Walt Whitman, as well as luminous wisdom from the newly translated tantric text, The Radiance Sutra, will light the way. Techniques from Somatic Experiencing and depth psychology perspectives also will guide the process. Please bring a yoga mat. 90 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). and relating that no longer serve us. In addition, changes in habitual muscular holding patterns result in a body that is better able to support changes made on any level—emotional, physical, or psychological. fying art of placement, and the impact of shapes and textures. Other creative exercises will be offered to surprise your imagination. Let lightness and joy lead your life. Creativity exists in each one of us. No art experience is necessary. Recommended reading: Perls, Gestalt Verbatim; Feldenkrais, The Potent Self. Bring a journal, a willingness to experience an interlude of mystery and play, and a few cherished items you’d like to include. These could be photos, favorite stones, or other meaningful items. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Patrice Hamilton bio on page 61. Dorothy Charles bio on page 29. ($45 materials fee paid directly to the leader) Virginia Ray is a visual/conceptual artist known for her transformative art work exhibited in galleries and healing institutions around the Bay Area. Her studio is in Santa Cruz, Calif. www.virginiaray.net. ® 5Rhythms : Heartbeat Lucia Horan material will come to life as we make it our own. The instructor will draw specific examples from his work with returning veterans in the Coming Home Project. This workshop is designed for everyone. Mental health professionals will learn skills helpful in the transformation of emotional suffering and trauma. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Joseph Bobrow is a Zen master and the founder and director of Deep Streams Zen Institute. He is also a licensed psychologist, relational psychoanalyst, and a father. His most recent book is Zen and Psychotherapy: Partners in Liberation. He teaches nationally. www.cominghomeproject.net. Love is not a mood, but a dynamic way of being. —Gabrielle Roth The spontaneous heart is one that knows how to love and be loved. The Heartbeat map is a guide to how our emotional energy moves and morphs. In this practice we embody the art of being a fluid emotional athlete. This map teaches us how to navigate the emotional terrain of life without getting stuck, holding on, or pushing away. We will explore how the body has been shaped by our emotions and we will learn to track when the heart is open and when it is closed. As waves of feeling move through us, we learn how to trust the dance to lead us in a healthy and creative way. Through the embodiment of this practice, you will learn skills to take home and use in your daily life. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 48. Inspired Art / Inspired Life Virginia Ray Rediscover how to approach life as an inspired human being during this uplifting, playful, and creative workshop. Everyday life has so much beauty to offer when we adjust our vision to recognize it. Do you save special stones or tidbits from nature, or treasures and mementos from life events? If so, the journey of appreciation has already begun. We will each make our own unique art piece as a touchstone to the heart. All materials will be provided, including handmade papers, natural fibers, and treasures, found objects and other magical items, wood for bases, and hardware to hang your art. Open your eyes to new ways of seeing. Learn the value of visual simplicity, a benefit that can be carried into all facets of life. We’ll explore the simple and satis- Weekend of November 30– December 2 The Tao of Global and Personal Ecology: Making Healthier Choices in Our Daily Lives Chungliang Al Huang & Amory Lovins Partners in Integration: The Interplay of Spiritual Practice and Emotional Growth Joseph Bobrow Emotional growth and spiritual practice appear to be strange bedfellows. One path helps us create a working sense of self, while the other exhorts us to forget the self. One encourages us to let go of afflictive emotions, while the other provides a safe place to explore the range of our emotions. One cultivates integration of the person, the other encourages transcending the veil of the personal into our true nature. One sees attachment as a human need throughout life, the other as a prime cause of suffering. In reality, however, psyche and spirit—and the principles and practices of psychotherapy and meditation— are not opposed; they complement and enrich one another. This workshop explores how our capacity to live full, wise, and compassionate lives is enhanced by an integrative model in which spiritual and emotional growth coexist and blend with each other. How? Spiritual practice, exemplified here by Buddhist teachings and practices, helps us engage each moment of our lives with maximum aliveness, and experience for ourselves our essential nature, beyond success and failure. Personal and interpersonal emotional work in all its forms help us become whole selves. It takes a differentiated, integrated person to fully embody our no-self nature. Through presentations, meditation practice (sitting, walking, and occasional mindful eating), experiential exercises, and discussion, this For more than three decades, Amory Lovins and Chungliang Al Huang have shared a special kinship in the natural wisdom of the ineffable Tao. As pioneers in their individual paths, they continue to merge in their shared living philosophy and way of being. Many years ago, in a collaboration between Lovins’s Rocky Mountain Institute and Huang’s Living Tao Foundation, a calligraphic poster was created of “The Tao of Leadership,” based on Verse 17 from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Now it is a collector’s gem gracing the walls of executive offices around the world. This seminar will be another continuing open dialogue between these two special friends. They will share with participants their mutual respect and convergent ways to invest deeper in harnessing the powers that be, whether from personal ecology or in consort with global politics, especially in relationship to China—the upcoming mighty nation’s influence on world culture, economics, and ecology. To enhance the breadth, depth, and flow of this intensive dialogue, the leaders will also provide music and Tai Ji movement, their personal passion and lifelong practice, to lighten the heart and enlighten the mind. Chungliang Al Huang bio on page 89. Amory Lovins is chairman and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute and chairman emeritus of Fiberforge Corporation. Published in 29 books and hundreds of papers, his innovations in energy, security, environment, and development have been honored internationally. He advises governments and major firms worldwide on advanced energy and resource efficiency. 91 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Thriving in Uncertainty: A Workshop in Sensory Awareness Lee Lesser Life is uncertain. As much as we try to create stability and predictability, each moment brings its own surprise and its own unique offering. The more we can show up for each moment of our life just as it is, the more we can thrive in the midst of uncertainty. Our sensations are wonderful allies in this process. As we pay attention to our sensory experience, the more connected we become to what is actually happening. Charlotte Selver, the founder of Sensory Awareness in the United States, used to say, “Every moment is a moment. Every moment makes a certain request of us. The question is how we answer it.” KODIAK GREENWOOD This workshop focuses on tools that help us to be present, that are antidotes to the busyness in our heads. So much energy is dispersed and lost as we fight against what scares us, or what is uncomfortable. In this workshop, we have a laboratory to explore and practice, and to apply these tools. By simplifying our activities we can connect with our sensations. This experiencing reveals our habits and the possibility that can unfold when we get out of our own way and find freedom in the midst of any experience. For more information about Sensory Awareness, visit www.returntooursenses.com. Recommended reading: Littlewood and Roche, Waking Up: The Work of Charlotte Selver; Lusseyran, And There Was Light; Masters, Finding Freedom. Lee Klinger Lesser led Sensory Awareness work- shops with Charlotte Selver. She has taught workshops in English and Spanish for more than 34 years. She also leads diversity and equity trainings, and has been developing a program to support returning veterans through sharing mindfulness and meditation practices. www.returntooursenses.com. Spiritual Awakening: A Meditation Retreat and Voyage into Love Peter Rengel Trying to meditate can be tricky. Often you may experience sitting in silence and thinking…and thinking! You can stay within the limitations of the linear mind forever. Or you can awaken your divinity beyond thoughts. This retreat offers specially designed meditations and exercises to exchange universal love, sit in silent meditation, open your heart chakra, and directly experience a depth of love that can change your life forever. 92 This meditation retreat/workshop offers the following components: Peter Rengel’s Heart Meditation; developing the inner witness to the negative mind so that negativity cannot run you; “Touching Souls” puja circles to celebrate your divinity; paired exercises to tenderly embrace your humanness; active meditations to uninhibitedly express your passion, joy, and laughter; silence between sessions with possibilities of tender connections; an in-depth exploration of Peter’s book, Living Life in Love, and much more. Honor your soul’s thirst for enlightenment. Deepen your inner peace, whether you have ever meditated or not. Rediscover that your life’s purpose is really quite simple: not only to love and be loved, but to experience that you are Love. Recommended reading: Rengel, Living Life in Love and Seeds of Light. Peter Rengel is a heart meditation teacher and counselor specializing in assisting individuals and couples to transcend psychology in order to awaken their love and to live in harmony with life’s spiritual rhythm. www.peterrengel.com. Connection through Touch: Massage for Couples Nora Matten & Oliver Bailey This weekend is designed to help couples renew their relationship while exploring touch and learning massage. The workshop presents simple massage techniques, developed by Esalen® Massage practitioners, that have proven valuable to anyone who wants to help a partner, friend, or family member feel better. Massage methods that help relieve pain, increase vitality, or simply soothe the nerves will be briefly demonstrated and practiced, with plenty of hands-on instruction. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). At each session, following a demonstration and warm-up exercise, couples will exchange massages. There will also be ample time to explore the beauty of Esalen’s land and enjoy the warmth of the healing waters of the mineral baths. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Nora Matten bio on page 80. Oliver Bailey bio on page 54. Week of December 2–7 Awakening the Creative: The Painting Experience Stewart Cubley The power inherent in painting is that it can awaken a wild vein of passion that will not go back to sleep. Using only the simple tools of brush, paper, and paint, Awakening the Creative invites you on a highly personal journey of daring and discovery, made possible through a safe environment and the support of Stewart Cubley and his experienced staff. The potential is to tap into an extraordinary resource: the vibrant, driving force of your own creative spirit. In this workshop, everyone is a beginner. You are welcome even if you’ve never picked up a paintbrush. The goal is free expression, with the emphasis on the creative process rather than on technique or expertise. Awakening the Creative is an opportunity to embark on the greatest of all human adventures—embracing your own path and confidently following it. Deep Tissue Techniques for Massage Practitioners: An Introduction to the Psoas, Healing Knees and Deep Visceral Work™ Perry Holloman & Johanna Holloman Because demand for practitioners with Deep Bodywork skills is growing, Perry and Johanna Holloman have developed a series of seminars designed to teach massage practitioners this healing art. Each seminar has a specific focus in terms of the physical structures touched and their related functions. An overall emphasis is placed on how to integrate this work into the format of a flowing massage. This seminar will focus on understanding the structure and function of the knee, the psoas muscle, and the importance of deep, sensitive touch in supporting the overall functioning of the abdominal viscera. Subjects of specific focus will be the role of the thigh and hip muscles in supporting the knee; how to work on the iliotibial band; learning to palpate and release the psoas; and massaging the abdominal viscera slowly and deeply. The role of the psoas in chronic pain of the back and hip will also be discussed. This program is designed as an advanced course of study for those wanting to integrate deep tissue skills into their work. Prerequisite for this seminar is prior experience as a massage practitioner or the equivalent of 150 hours of massage training. For further information, visit www.deepbodywork.com. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Stewart is the coauthor of the acclaimed book Life, Paint & Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression. He has traveled throughout the world for more than thirty years working with individuals and groups to access the potential within the human heart and imagination. Leader bios on page 65. Developmental Trauma, Character Patterns and Resilience: Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Christina Dickinson This workshop may be of interest to people from a wide variety of disciplines, including art, education, counseling, social change, and meditative practices. All materials are supplied. ($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader) CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Stewart Cubley’s work has carried him throughout the world in facilitating groups to access the potential within the human heart and imagination. Originally a scientist, he has led seminars in creativity for more than 30 years. www.processarts.com. Experience the way the body reveals and transforms character strategies, trauma, and core beliefs. Life makes shapes. The body is shaped through the basic experiences and attitudes that are held both consciously and unconsciously. The way the self is formed is an expression of mental, emotional, and spiritual life. All life strategies are organized, habitual patterns of reaction to real or perceived joy and stress. When muscles are repeatedly mobilized in unison with mental and emotional patterns, they become part of a complex, integrated response. These patterns leave their imprint on our body and mind and develop into a particular way of being, into character. Character structure is formed in response to life and is the enduring quality of how we meet the world. We will also explore the role of resilience and the ability to maintain a stable balance and equilibrium in life. Resilience relates to protective and healthful factors supporting positive outcomes and healthy personality characteristics even after exposure to unfavorable, adverse, or traumatic life circumstances. Resilience is the ability to maintain healthy levels of functioning even after exposure to a potentially disruptive traumatic event. Through mindful awareness, participants can experience how character strategies and core beliefs are revealed through the body. Our emphasis will be to discover, explore, and work with these soma-psyche patterns in the therapeutic context. This course is focused on a skillbuilding, therapist level primarily for practitioners, but is also open to any interested individual. Christina Dickinson, CAC II, is a founding trainer of the Sensorimotor Psychology Institute, a certified addictions counselor in Colorado, certified in Hakomi Therapy and Focused Expressive Psychotherapy. She maintains a private practice in Boulder, Co. Total Immersion for Total Transformation Raphael Cushnir This workshop is right for you if • You’re willing to perform a rigorous emotional and spiritual self-assessment • You want to determine which aspects of your life are calling for healing and change • You’re ready to begin that healing and change on the very first day of the workshop • You want to take a giant leap forward in consciousness • You can support a small, like-minded community committed to the same leap Raphael Cushnir will create a safe and gentle environment to help call forth your very best, using tools that include emotional release work, journaling, small group exercises, meditation, movement, yoga, chant, collage, subtle energy practices, and mind-heart attunements. As a highlight of this workshop, you will co-design and experience a unique transformational experience all your own. In addition, you’ll leave the workshop with a practical roadmap for real-life integration. Raphael Cushnir contributes to O, The Oprah Magazine, and presents workshops worldwide. He’s 93 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. written five books, including The One Thing Holding You Back and Surfing Your Inner Sea. His heart was opened through profound grief. Rediscovering Your Self in the Second Half of Life: For Women Karen Ely Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake. —Henry David Thoreau Karen Ely believes that in today’s hectic, timestarved world it is even more important to find time for renewal, time to step back and assess where we’ve come from and who we are after a lifetime of being everything to everybody. “We must find a space to dream,” she writes. “A space to let go of all the wouldas, shouldas, and couldas in order to make room for a new way of being, one that’s firmly based in our authentic selves, one filled with joy and passion.” Daring to Dream: Reflections on the Year I Found Myself is Karen’s personal story of rebirth following the end of her thirty-two-year marriage. It chronicles coming to grips with a life that she could no longer live, and walking toward a self that she no longer knew. Throughout the workshop, Karen will share her personal story and the tools that supported her on a magical journey back to herself. Through large and small group exercises, quiet, music, joyful playing, and journaling, participants will be taken on a quiet journey back to themselves, and given the opportunity to leave with a passion and plan for the rest of their lives. founded and directs A Woman’s Way, a women’s retreat and workshop program in Sedona, Ariz. She is a facilitator and the author of Daring to Dream: Reflections on the Year I Found Myself, A Retreat of My Own, and Breathing Space: Mini-retreats for the Heart and Soul. www.awomansway.com. Karen Ely Brilliant Body: Fundamentals of Conquering Injury and Pain Jean Couch Do chronic tension, stress, or aches and pains plague you? Are you fit, but injured? Do you feel tight all the time? In our cultural love affair with muscles, we have overlooked a key component of wellness: our skeleton. Whether you are a high-performance athlete or sit in a chair all day, making your bones work for you instead of against you can put you on a path of unimaginable wellness and 94 efficiency. Healing begins with an understanding of alignment patterns that cause premature aging, tension, pain, and/or injury. This course will re-examine alignment patterns of everyday activities including sitting, standing, bending, sleeping, and walking. With new patterns for these daily fundamentals, you can shed pain and tension and go home with a healthy regimen that easily and timelessly integrates into everyday life. Simple yet profound changes will give you a new relationship with your body—one you used to have as a child. This course will bust many exercise, health, and pain myths of our time. Each participant receives individualized understanding of his or her specific vulnerabilities in the back and joints through hands-on adjustments, and photographic and video feedback. What you learn about your patterns in these fundamental activities can be applied to your physical activities of choice and make you a stronger, more efficient, longer-lasting human machine. Join us and never look back. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Jean Couch, originally known for her classic Runner’s Yoga Book, has shown thousands of people of all ages how to improve their health. She most recently taught 50 physicians and their spouses, one of whom wrote, “I now have hope for me and my patients.” December 7–14 Wisdom Healing Qigong™ Mingtong Gu The purpose of this retreat is to cultivate Wisdom Healing Qigong, a profound and effective system of healing and empowerment that integrates gentle movement, sounds, visualization, and meditation into a systematic synergy of all dimensions of your being. By participating in this retreat, you can: • Learn to clear and balance the emotions so that a deeper healing can occur • Develop a quiet and creative mind to realize healing most effectively • Learn the ultimate method to transmit chi (the formless energy from which all forms of life are made) for healing self and others • Organize a chi field and learn group healing • Learn theories and practices for energy healing, and better understand your healing capacity The practices you will be taught are based on a natural healing process that was developed by Dr. Pang Ming, founder of the world’s largest qigong hospital in China, Zhineng Qigong Center. Over two decades, this hospital documented the treatment of more than 200,000 people with all types of illnesses including cancer, autoimmune disease, strokes, depression, insomnia, and headaches, and found a 95% effective improvement rate. The daily program includes intensive qigong instruction and practice along with group healing sessions and healing instruction. The retreat is designed for people who seek a direct path for deep healing, including those with serious physical or emotional diseases, caregivers, healing professionals, and anyone who simply wishes to work for the awakening of healing and human potential within themselves. Mingtong Gu is an internationally recognized teacher and healer who received his training from a variety of Grandmasters in China and at the world’s largest Qigong hospital. www.chicenter.com. The “Pointing Out” Way of Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Daniel Brown & George Protos This workshop—designed for either novice or advanced meditators—is an integrative approach to the practice of meditation with an emphasis on intensive concentration meditation. The course begins with the Indo-Tibetan Nine States of Mental Calming/Staying, then an introduction to classic Tibetan emptiness meditation. A balance of mental stabilization and emptiness practices will serve as a foundation for the “extraordinary” or essence meditation practices. Essence meditations like the Mahamudra and the Great Perfection assume that wisdom is an inherent property of the natural mind that has become obscured through conceptualization and negative emotional states. Essence meditations are designed to develop “awakened wisdom” through continuous, uninterrupted mindfulness, taking the non-dual condition of the natural mind and its spontaneous manifestations in the present moment as both the point of observation as well as the object of the meditation. These essence meditations are taught within the context of an ongoing relationship wherein the teacher points out the mind’s real nature during the right state of meditation. This relationalbased approach to meditation emphasizes short, repeated meditation sessions, with detailed Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). instructions given before and after each session. Leader instructions point out the desired state, the way to attain it, and how to correct the problems that typically occur at each stage of meditation practice. Practice is followed carefully and instructions are individualized for each student. Enrollment is limited to thirty-six participants, with first priority given to individuals who have not taken this retreat before. Participants must attend all sessions. Please bring a meditation cushion, if you would like to use one. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Daniel Brown is an associate clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. He is author of 13 books, including Transformations of Consciousness (with Ken Wilber and Jack Engler) and Pointing Out the Great Way: The Stages of Meditation in the Mahamudra Tradition. Esther Gokhale The Gokhale Method uses kinesthetic, visual, intellectual, aesthetic, and technological cues to gently guide students back to the way they moved when they were children—the same way their hunter gatherer ancestors moved. Gokhale Method teacher training teaches the craft of restoring primal architecture and movement patterns. Using high-touch and high-tech tools, teachers guide their students in relearning the daily movements of life. By mastering powerful, basic techniques such as stretchsitting, stacksitting, stretchlying, tallstanding, hip-hinging and glidewalking, Gokhale-trained teachers are able to help their students get to the postural root of most back, neck, hip, knee, foot, and shoulder problems. Through observation and hands-on experience with real cases, study of relevant anatomy, and instruction in use of databases, apps, and class blogs, teachers learn to use both ancient wisdom and state-of-the-art technology to facilitate life-changing experiences. They learn to be eloquent with their hands, perceptive with their eyes, and compelling with their voic- es. When they graduate, Gokhale Method teachers are proficient in presenting introductory classes, doing initial consultations, and teaching the six-lesson Gokhale Method Foundations course to small groups and individual students. Prerequisite: Students must have already completed a Gokhale Method Foundations course. Note: There are additional requirements to be completed after the teacher training week at Esalen before a teacher is qualified to teach the Gokhale Method. Please see www.egwellness.com for full details. Note: Registration for this workshop is through the Gokhale Method Institute only. To register, go to www.egwellness.com or contact [email protected]. Only after you have registered with the Gokhale Method Institute and paid tuition fees will you be able to reserve accommodations at Esalen. Please see accommodations costs under “Pricing for Partner Programs” at www.esalen.org/workshops/ reservations.html. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Leader bio on page 46. KODIAK GREENWOOD George Protos has studied the “pointing-out” style of meditation with Daniel Brown since 1995. He leads weeklong retreats and an ongoing meditation study group in Marin County, Calif., and created an online user support group for meditators. Gokhale Method® Teacher Training 95 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. Weekend of December 7–9 Advanced Energy Efficiency and Alternative Supplies for Profitable Climate Protection Amory Lovins Half of America’s oil and gas and three-quarters of its electricity can be saved more cheaply than supplying them from existing facilities. Dramatic advances in efficiency technologies, ways to combine and integrate them, and ways to market and implement them are synergistic with parallel revolutions in low- or no-carbon energy supplies. All are rapidly expanding. For example, “micropower” (cogeneration plus distributed renewables) already provides a sixth of the world’s electricity and greater than two-thirds of its new electricity. Together, efficiency and alternative supplies offer profitable, business-led solutions to such problems as climate change, oil dependence, and nuclear proliferation. Drawing on three decades of practical experience at the forefront of the energy transition and on his pathfinding March 2007 lectures as MAP/Ming Professor at Stanford University, Amory Lovins will lead an integrative, wide-ranging, state-of-the-art exploration of energy technologies, design and business innovations, implementation, and implications for a cooler, richer, fairer, and safer world. This transdisciplinary workshop will be most useful to intermediate and advanced practitioners, executives, activists, and concerned citizens, and will emphasize opportunities and needs in the private sector, chiefly in oil (www.oilendgame.com) and electricity (www.rmi.org, Library). The latest insights from Reinventing Fire (www.reinventingfire.com) will be discussed. Recommended reading: Lovins, Datta et. al, Winning the Oil Endgame; Lovins, Small is Profitable; Hawken, Lovins & Lovins, Natural Capitalism; Lovins & Burns (ed.) The Essential Amory Lovins; Lovins & Rocky Mountain Institute, Reinventing Fire. Rest, Rejuvenation and Renewal: The Courage to Pause David Schiffman This is a workshop for people who need a break—from working too hard, from concentrating too much, from being stuck under pressure too long—or who are just plain tired from the perplexity and strain over what comes next. “While we pause,” writes David, “we’ll study the three R’s and how they can be used to cultivate a climate of renewed energy and enthusiasm, the ability to think wisely ahead, and the presence to relate honestly and authentically with others. This week will emphasize breathing space and ease of being for deep contemplation. There will be soulful, encouraging company as well as wise counsel available for emotional nourishment. “We will draw on the power and spirit medicine of Big Sur’s natural gifts for healing and inspiration. A special blend of music and movement will create a mood of playfulness and spontaneity for the rejuvenation of spirit. Simple activities, including ceremony and personal practices, DOUG ELLIS Leader bio on page 91. 96 Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). will be used to deepen our feelings of being lively and hopeful about our futures.” Leader bio on page 18. Week of December 9–14 Art as a Spiritual Path: Discovering Your Soul Mandala Paul Heussenstamm The mandala, an ancient symbol and concentric map of the psyche, has been used by various cultures around the world, including Tibetan Buddhism, Aborigines, and Native Americans. This workshop will introduce you to the mandala and, through it, to the mystery of the soul and the passionate world of the inner artist. It offers a supportive initiation for all participants, regardless of experience, to open to their natural creativity through art, meditation, ritual, and music. Each participant will complete a colorful personal mandala as a symbol to live with, to study, and to begin a process of learning, growing, healing, and artistic development. Discover your soul symbols as powerful tools for personal and professional transformation. Come to a deeper understanding of your own creative forces. Mandala painting can open your eyes in a heart- and soul-connected way—to see and feel things you may never have experienced before. Art supplies will be provided. No previous experience is necessary. Recommended reading: Heussenstamm, Divine Forces: Art that Awakens the Soul. ($50 materials fee paid directly to the leader) Paul Heussenstamm comes from a family immersed in art and spirituality. At 35, he began painting in earnest after a single art class expanded into a consuming passion, a new profession, and a new perspective on life. He understands mandalas as psychic maps and symbols of wholeness. Weekend of December 14–16 Love Yourself and the Rest Will Follow Mike Robbins Self-love is one of those things that many of us know is important on our personal journey, yet can be challenging to embody and experience in an authentic way. This workshop explores why it can be hard for us to genuinely love our- selves—the familial, cultural, and personal influences, the thoughts and fears that lead us to believe that we are not good enough and that self-love is arrogant or narcissistic, and the difficulty we may have practicing true loving kindness towards ourselves. With fun and vulnerability, we delve deeply into some specific and powerful ways to experience love towards ourselves, which in turn impacts our relationships, work, personal growth practices, and lives in a profound way. The ideas and exercises laid out in this interactive program give you specific practices to: • Make peace with and forgive yourself • Accept and appreciate all of who you are • Care for and nurture yourself in an authentic way • Experience and express your authentic self • Deepen your capacity to love others Recommended reading: Robbins, Focus on the Good Stuff and Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. Mike Robbins is the author of Focus on the Good Stuff and Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. He delivers seminars around the world, his books are translated into 12 different languages, and he writes for The Huffington Post. www.MikeRobbins.com. Heartfelt Wisdom: Quieting the Mind, Listening to the Heart Rik Isensee & Lori Anne Schwanbeck This workshop teaches the art of balance, inner harmony, and peace—the basis for spiritual awakening and creating a meaningful life. It’s also an opportunity to slow down and reflect in the midst of the holiday season. Many of us yearn for a calmer, more centered life, yet with all the pressures we encounter every day, it can seem beyond our grasp. How can we successfully handle daily stress, tame our negative voices, and release ourselves from obsessive thinking? This workshop will teach the art of balance, inner harmony, and a path toward peace. This really is the basis for spiritual awakening, and for creating a meaningful life. Following a near-fatal accident, Lori Schwanbeck felt the presence of death several times. She had a strong desire to let go, yet there was a magnetic pull in her heart to stay embodied and to share the realized wisdom of living a heart-centered life. Rik Isensee had an experience through his mindfulness practice of being “steeped in grace,” which inspired his book, Shift Your Mood, a guide for how to release emotional tension and shift to the source of your own love and inner wisdom. We may genuinely believe that true happiness comes from our own inner resources, but how do we access this inherent wisdom? Using tools from positive psychology, along with eastern perspectives on awakening to the present moment, we will explore the link between western psychological understanding and spiritual realization. Combining mindfulness, body awareness, and insights from the new science of happiness, we will provide some easy and accessible practices to expand your ability to live more vibrantly, confidently, and at peace—even when faced with challenging circumstances. Participants will come away with an understanding of how to shape their own emotions and behavior, and create clarity in their lives. They will also be able to apply this in a clinical setting, if desired. Recommended reading: Isensee, Shift Your Mood: Unleash Your Life! Your Pathway to Inner Happiness. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Rik Isensee practices mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapy in San Francisco. He is the author of Shift Your Mood: Unleash Your Life! Your Pathway to Inner Happiness. Lori Anne Schwanbeck is a mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapist. Lori developed Sense and Sensibility, a sensory-focused mindfulness treatment for emotional regulation, which she teaches internationally. She is cofounder of Mindfulness Therapy Associates, located in San Francisco. www.mindfulnesstherapy.org. Luminous Being: Embodying the Radiance Sutras Camille Maurine & Lorin Roche Immerse yourself in love-drenched meditation and movement. We will explore the luminous teachings of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, an ancient text that describes 112 awareness practices for touching the sacred in the midst of daily life. The Radiance Sutras is a musical, sensuous translation of this tantra by Lorin Roche, who has lived and breathed these yogas for forty years. The Radiance Sutras evoke a world of wonder, awe, and delight. The focus of this workshop is on full-body spirituality—accepting every breath, sensual experience, and emotion as a doorway into deep and intimate contact with the energies of life. The practices include 97 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. mudra (energy gestures), pranayama (breath), mantra (sound), and dhyana (meditation). Anyone can practice these methods. The emphasis is on naturalness, spontaneity, and being at home in the universe. You meet yourself wherever you are, whether you are restless, lonely, loving, tired, excited, nostalgic, or quiet. This workshop is an opportunity to dive into the Sutras that are calling you and receive coaching from Lorin and Camille to make them your own, so that you can embody, move, and breathe this luscious reality. All levels of experience are welcome. Required reading: Roche, The Radiance Sutras. Available at www.lorinroche.com. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program. He teaches at Stanford’s School of Medicine and is on staff at Stanford Hospital. Traer Calma y Equilibrio a Nuestras Vidas: Confiando en Nuestras Sensaciones Como Aliados Philippe Goldin, PhD, spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages, Buddhist philosophy, and debate at Namgyal Monastery and the Dialectic Monastic Institute. He is currently a research scientist and directs the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. http://caan.stanford.edu. Lee Lesser Kripalu Yoga Immersion: Move Towards Love Jovinna Chan Recommended reading: Roche, Meditation Made Easy; Maurine and Roche, Meditation Secrets for Women. The highest form of spiritual practice is self observation with compassion. —Swami Kripalu CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Leader bios on page 40. The Science and Practice of Mindfulness and Compassion Meditation Mark Abramson & Philippe Goldin Given the ever-increasing interconnectedness of individuals all over the world, there is a growing interest in integrating the practice of mindfulness and compassion at all levels of society, including health care, education, and work and family settings. Fortunately, there is a long tradition of such contemplative practices. One of the challenges of our time is to learn how to infuse mindfulness and compassion practices into our lives in a skillful manner. There has been a related explosion of interest in the domains of clinical science and neuroscience in investigating the effects of different contemplative practices in reducing symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as enhancing wellbeing and social interconnectedness. The goals of this workshop are to introduce participants to a variety of mindfulness and compassion meditation practices that address intra-personal and inter-personal functioning, and to provide a summary of findings from clinical and neuroscientific studies that help us understand the effects of the practices and also why, how, and for whom they work. Recommended reading: Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit available for psychologists (pending); see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Mark Abramson is part of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine and heads Stanford’s 98 Esalen is proud to offer this Spanish-language workshop, Bringing Ease and Balance into Our Lives: Relying on Our Sensations as Allies. This workshop is for women only. Nuestras sensaciones físicas son un aliado y recurso que muy seguido ignoramos. Lo que sucede en nuestros cuerpos son reflejos de lo que pasa en todos los aspectos de nuestras vidas. Cuando comenzamos a tranquilizarnos, podemos sentir dónde es que nosotros mismos nos tensamos y restringimos. Esta tensión es creada frecuentemente a través de nuestros pensamientos, hábitos y actitudes y a través de nuestras preocupaciones, miedos y estado de mantenernos ocupados. The word “kripalu” means compassion. Kripalu yoga is a practice of deep self-inquiry. It teaches a way of living that encompasses all expressions of life and cultivates courage and discernment to embrace truth and enter into a loving and authentic relationship with oneself. Al poner atención al simple y concreto mundo de las sensaciones podemos comenzar a liberar algunos aspectos que forzamos en nuestras vidas. Podemos comenzar a encontrar más calma. The inquiry-based Kripalu yoga methodology awakens curiosity about life and instills a letting go of what is right and wrong. With consistent practice, one can increase the ability to “tolerate the consequences of being oneself.” The practitioners become more skillful in dealing with life challenges. Este taller experimental crea un entorno seguro y cómodo para explorar lo que sucede en las actividades más simples: levantar un brazo, sentarse y ofrecer nuestro peso; dar y recibir un objeto o conectar con el aire que se mueve dentro de nosotros. La forma en la que se nos presentan las cosas en estas simples actividades es la misma forma en que se nos presentan en otros aspectos de nuestras vidas. During the retreat, participants will explore Kripalu’s Three Stages of Transformation, the doorway to enter into a practice of loving and accepting oneself. The first stage focuses on alignment principles, building postures from the ground up while cultivating the union of body and breath. Drawing attention inward to focus on sensations while sustaining a pose is the second stage, strengthening witness consciousness in the multi-dimensional self. In the third stage, surrender to the wisdom of prana and find your unique expression of yoga and movement through meditation in motion—the hallmark of Kripalu yoga. Experience a weekend of unfolding into your true self in a sacred and safe environment. Yogis of all levels and traditions are welcome. Jovinna Chan, ERYT-500, is the assistant dean of the Kripalu School of Yoga, where she also serves as a faculty member for yoga teacher training programs. She is a transformational leader and teacher of the Kripalu Yoga lineage, Kripalu Yoga Dance, and Soul Motion. www.jovinnachan.com. A medida que nos volvemos más quietos y nos conectamos con nosotros mismos, nos podemos conectar más con la gente que amamos y la gente con la que interactuamos de manera cotidiana. A medida que vivimos con más calma, podemos ayudar a que nuestros hijos, amigos y compañeros de trabajo aprendan a vivir con más calma. Aprender a estar conciente de nuestras sensaciones es como aprender un nuevo lenguaje. Requiere de práctica y de permanecer alerta. Nuestras sensaciones están siempre con nosotros y nos proveen de las herramientas para enfrentar cualquier situación con más tranquilidad y libertad. Please note: This workshop will be taught entirely in Spanish. Participants must be fluent in Spanish; translation will not be provided. Leader bio on page 92. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Weekend of December 21–23 The Power of Mindfulness Mark Coleman For thousands of years, people have cultivated mindfulness as a complete path to awakening. Contemporary research now reveals that mindfulness greatly improves attention, reduces stress, and increases health, wellbeing, and capacity for happiness. What is true is that we can all learn to live with this mindful presence today and greatly enhance every aspect of our lives. Mindful awareness allows us to be attentive in the present moment with the quality of acceptance, spaciousness, and equanimity. It is the foundation for living with wisdom and compassion and is the seed from which springs much joy, delight, and peace. In this course we will explore the innate quality of awareness and what interferes with establishing this mindful presence. Participants will learn to cultivate it through accessible yet pro- found meditations on the breath, the body, and how to work with feelings and thoughts that can often hamper our meditation wellbeing. There will be periods of guided sitting and walking meditation, talks on meditation, and ample opportunity for questions and discussion. Suitable for beginning and experienced students. This course can be taken on its own or together with Entering the Heart of Love, December 2328, for a seven-day immersion experience. Leader bio on page 72. Loving Yourself Daphne Rose Kingma You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve to be loved. —Buddha Contrary to the Jingle Bells culture, the holiday season can often be difficult and stressful, especially if you’re feeling a disconnection from others or yourself. Although it has been said that we should love others as ourselves, out of all the forms of love, loving ourselves is often the most difficult. We don’t know how to do it. Sometimes we’re not even sure that we should love ourselves, and if there’s a way to learn how to do it, we’re often not sure just what that might be. Contrary to what you may think, it’s actually possible to learn how to love yourself—no matter how wounded you’ve been, no matter how habitually hard on yourself you may be. In this simple but profound workshop, you can learn how to claim your own beauty, hold yourself in your own compassion, and treat yourself with kindly care. Through teachings, meditation, and exercises, we will explore the following topics: • Why you need and deserve your own love • How we get lost on the path to self love • The many (and subtle) forms of not loving yourself • The four steps to self-compassion DANIEL BIANCHETTA What better time to reconnect (or finally connect) with the precious treasure that you are. Find true support during this often challenging time and receive the remarkable gift of loving yourself! Please note: There will be a celebratory Christmas Eve dinner in the Esalen Lodge. Recommended reading: Kingma, Loving Yourself. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. 99 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. path appears to come to a stop before reversing direction. Winter solstice is a time to pause and reflect; a time to cultivate vitality and take extra care to nurture ourselves. Moving into stillness, we can return to our lives refreshed and strengthened for the new year to come. Please bring a yoga mat. Sarana Miller is a faculty instructor at Yoga Journal and has led annual retreats at Esalen and Wilbur Hot Springs, and in Mexico and Alaska. Trained in the Iyengar and Forrest Yoga traditions, she has been teaching for more than 10 years. DOUG ELLIS Spinal Awareness (with Humor): The Essence of Feldenkrais® and Energy Work Patrick Douce Daphne Rose Kingma is the best-selling author of ten books on love and relationships. Her most recent book, The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart: An Emotional and Spiritual Handbook, is a heartfelt guide to living through very hard times. www.daphnekingma.com. Mindful Communication: Truth Without Blame Jean Morrison Nonviolent Communication (NVC) has been described as a powerful tool for social change, a personal practice for clarifying and living one’s values, a guide for interpersonal communication, an effective process for conflict resolution, and a language of compassion. By learning NVC, we can liberate ourselves from judging self and others; taking things personally; and acting from fear, duty, obligation, and guilt to release ourselves from suffering. NVC supports us in expressing ourselves honestly, hearing others’ pain without trying to fix them or taking it personally, creating new strategies that meet our core needs, and becoming more effective at everything we do, including creating peace in the world. In an interactive, supportive learning environment, we’ll discover old habits of mind and speech that produce distress and walls of separation, and explore the possibility of new habits that create compassion, connection, and healing within ourselves and with others. We’ll learn steps to liberate our thinking and reactions so that we transform anger, hurt, guilt, and disappointment into energy and expressions that serve life. 100 NVC was originally developed by Marshall Rosenberg, PhD, more than forty years ago. Since then, more than 300 Certified NVC Trainers worldwide have continued to enrich and deepen this process with their own creativity and ongoing learning. NVC is currently taught in communities, schools, prisons, corporations, social-change organizations, war-torn regions, and health care and government institutions, as well as with families, couples, and individuals. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Jean Morrison, MA, earned CNVC trainer certification in 1989, and specializes in whole brain learning and thinking, experiential learning, and interactive games. She has facilitated NVC trainings in schools, prisons, business teams, and community organizations internationally. She also is in private practice. Moving into Stillness: A Winter Solstice Yoga Retreat Sarana Miller For centuries, winter solstice has been a time of reflection. Today, the holidays can be a hectic time of doing, leaving us feeling stressed and depleted. During this retreat we will use the practices of yoga (asana, meditation, and chanting) in the exquisite and healing natural environment of Esalen to revitalize the body and calm the mind. Together, we will focus our attention on being rather than doing. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the seasonal movement of the sun’s The movements of Spinal Awareness are quite different from normal exercises. They emphasize learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your body. They involve learning to use the floor to organize and integrate your own spinal column. Standing lessons lead to a new awareness of ways to move with better balance and fluidity. Special emphasis will be placed on any difficulties participants may have, such as lower back pain, hip trouble, tension in the neck and shoulders, and knee injuries. This work will focus on how we can re-learn how to overcome our limitations in movement and functioning. Special emphasis will be placed on Skeletal Awareness. Students will be given a new understanding of how tension and injury are often involved with the disorganization in the skeletal-muscular parts of our bodies. Lessons inspired by Indonesian Silat will be used to stimulate the energy body, effecting internal health and increasing energy. These movements, originating from the monasteries of China and Tibet, further increase healing possibilities. Safe and noninvasive hands-on lessons will be presented that can greatly speed up improvements. This workshop will evolve with humor and playfulness. Fun partner lessons will help bring about not only freedom in the body but the return to the childlike energy essential to us all. This is a program designed for both the beginner and the professional. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Leader bio on page 44. Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). Holiday Couples Group, The Gift of Touch Deborah Anne Medow & Rob Wilks Give your significant other or good friend a wonderful holiday gift of touch. Enjoy the serene beauty of Big Sur as you and your partner learn to give one another an effective Esalen® Massage. A tender touch can do wonders for any relationship by easing stress, releasing tension, and deepening nonverbal communication skills. Emphasis will be on listening with both your heart and hands, asking for what you need, and taking the time to truly nurture yourself and your partner. Sessions will include basic quieting exercises, movement, brief demonstrations, hands-on guidance, and plenty of time for practice. This weekend of mutual giving and receiving is for those of you who wish to learn the essential elements of Esalen Massage and share a lovely experience with your partner; no prior massage experience is necessary. Come for a pleasurable time of relaxation, renewal, inspiration, and reconnection with your partner; soak in the healing waters of the natural hot springs, and enjoy the magical beauty of the Esalen grounds. It’s a magnificent way to celebrate the holiday season. shop is a journey through all the aspects of creating fresh, healthy, flavor-rich dishes and beverages from the Caribbean. The group will harvest herbs and flowers from the beautiful gardens of Esalen that surround the workshop kitchen. Freshly picked condiments will accompany an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, and spices such as okra, plantain, achiote, cassava, papaya, mangos, coconuts, and many other Caribbean delights. The dishes include pasteles en hojas, a rich plantain paste stuffed with vegetables and spices, then neatly wrapped in a green plantain leaf; rosca de reyes, known in English as three kings cake; empanaditas, small savory pastries, and many other new dishes to share with your families in the coming years. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Deborah Anne Medow bio on page 16. Rob Wilks bio on page 57. Sharing at the Holiday Table: The Festive Cuisine of the Caribbean Dulce Maria Perez “My early childhood memories of the holidays are deeply marked by the coming together of my family at grandmother’s house in the small village where she lived in the Dominican Republic,” writes Dulce Maria Perez. “Everybody was included in the preparation of the special meals we cooked.” Join Dulce for a celebration of the sacred and healing properties of food and the special community that forms around the winter holiday meals. The Caribbean cuisine uses a cornucopia of aromatic, textured, and colorful ingredients, born of a cultural crossroads that brought together traditions from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the indigenous Taino tribes. This hands-on work- Recommended reading: Wise, A Big, New, Free, Happy, Unusual Life; Lamott, Bird by Bird; Rilke, Letter to a Young Poet. Please note: There will be a celebratory Christmas Eve dinner in the Esalen Lodge. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Leader bio on page 11. ($40 ingredients fee paid directly to the leader) carried her passion for cooking with her when she moved from her native Dominican Republic to the US. She studied at Anne Marie Colbin Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, the California Culinary Academy, and the Ann Wigmore Institute. Dulce Maria Perez December 23–30 All levels of massage experience are welcome. Please bring an open heart, your favorite CDs for massage and/or dancing, and a good sense of humor. playful and at ease before an audience. You might even find that the sense of wellbeing achieved during the workshop not only expands your creative abilities, but also enhances your experience of daily life. And while it is not therapy, Nina’s work can be surprisingly, delightfully, holistically healing. A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self-Expression as Spiritual Practice Nina Wise It is our nature to be free—and to express that freedom spontaneously and without hesitation through song and dance, poetry and play. Moreover, we each have the ability to wake up to who we already know ourselves to be: people dedicated to a sane and just world made up of individuals who celebrate their common humanity and this planet of indescribable beauty through singing, dancing, playing, and caring for all sentient beings. This improvisation workshop in Motion Theater® allows the creativity that resides within us to have a voice. “Everyone has a story to tell,” says Nina, “and stories reside as much in the body as in the mind. So we begin with movement—slow stretches to open the body. We open the voice with playful classical- and jazz-based exercises. We meditate to calm the heart, dance to free the spirit, find a way to effortlessly compose with language. This journey leads to giving voice and physicality to the private characters and inner realities that live in the subconscious mind and the cells of our bodies.” This workshop is like dreaming on your feet. Expect to surprise yourself and to become more Soul Motion™: Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance Zuza Engler & Scott Engler “Soul is flow, an ever-changing cloudscape of textures, hues, sensations, scents, and feelings,” writes Zuza. “Soul is how the deathless Presence meets and moves a finite human body. In this workshop, we will reclaim the body-in-motion as a doorway to the soul’s flow, to the life that is unfolding just under the surface of everyday forgetting. “Soul Motion is a meeting with self and other in a dance that is deeply nourishing, creative, intelligent, emotionally savvy, heartbreaking, soulmaking, spirited, and transforming. It is a movement toward the dynamic stillness at the center of all things, the place of rest at the heart of sound and motion. We will gather to listen deeply and hover on the threshold between doing and being, solitude and togetherness, awkwardness and grace. “Dancing at the edge of the continent, the edge of another beginning, the edge of Love despite all odds, we will move with our delight and our sorrow, inspired by the promise of light returning into the heart of darkness. This formless dance form allows for passionate full-bodied movement as well as mindful inner explorations, art making, ritual, and luscious lounging. To follow the divine choreography, we learn to fall and flounder. Going deeply into contact with self, we awake enveloped in communion. The permission to relax, restore, and rejoice in community invites a shift from alone to All One—from ‘my dance’ to the One Dance.” Bring an object, a poem, or an image for the altar to be created as a symbol for the simultaneous possibility of self-expression and belonging. 101 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. published widely and she has taught at Columbia, NYU, and elsewhere. www.danishapiro.com. massage from your core, from a place of ease within yourself, and in the flow of a loving presence. Zuza Engler bio on page 12. Entering the Heart of Love Scott Engler, a longtime student of presence and Mark Coleman healing, is a practitioner of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and Lomi Somatic Education. He holds a second degree black belt in Aikido and lives in Petaluma, Calif., with his wife Zuza. This time of year, during the winter solstice, is a poignant time to retreat, slow down, and reflect on letting go of the old and inviting what you want to bring in for the coming season. For many traditions, this season is also a time of love and light, and so what better time to cultivate the heart through meditation practices that open you to deeper experience of love, compassion, and joy? With brief lecture and hands-on supervised practice, we will focus on common areas of tension while addressing posture, breath, and intention. To assist in connecting you with your inner resources, visualization and meditation will also be included. Come and enjoy the beautiful Big Sur coast, while learning how to effortlessly give an Esalen Massage. This workshop is open to beginners and those who wish to inspire their current massage practice. Please note: There will be a celebratory Christmas Eve dinner in the Esalen Lodge. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Week of December 23–28 Devotion: Crafting Your Journey Inward through Memoir Dani Shapiro How do we begin to know our own stories, and to tell them in a way that feels universal? How can we structure our inward journeys so that they resonate with others? In this interactive workshop, we will explore multiple aspects of writing a memoir. There is a profound difference between “journaling” and writing memoir. In journaling, we are interested in writing only for ourselves. In memoir, we are also conscious of our readers. As we craft a memoir, we want to make art out of our lives, turning confession and even confusion into clear-sighted, purposeful prose. In many traditions, the year’s end is a time of contemplation and meaningful reflection on one’s own life. This workshop—accessible to writers of absolutely all levels from the published to the beginner—encourages an inventory of the stories we tell ourselves, and the stories we are compelled to share with others. During this retreat, with the help of ancient Buddhist meditation practices of metta (love), karuna (compassion), and mudita (joy), we will learn how to meet ourselves, one other, and the world with a kind, wise, and joyful heart. We will also explore the simple but profound practice of mindfulness. Cultivating mindfulness meditation forms the foundation for self awareness, empathy, self-compassion, and releasing the boundaries between self and other. Mark will lead the group in a variety of rich meditations, which will include taking in the beauty and love of nature at Esalen, and how that equally opens and enriches the heart. We will also engage in experiential exercises and playful practices that explore bringing the open heart into the world around us. This course can be taken on its own or together with The Power of Mindfulness, December 2123, for a seven-day immersion experience. Please note: There will be a celebratory Christmas Eve dinner in the Esalen lodge. Leader bio on page 72. There will be plenty of time for meditation, personal writing, guided exercises, and coming together as a group in a supportive and nurturing atmosphere. Dani Shapiro, bestselling novelist and memoirist, will guide the group through exercises designed to open the channels to memory and emotion. In an intimate and supportive environment, she will provide useful, hands-on tools for beginning to shape our journeys into compelling narratives. Please note: There will be a celebratory Christmas Eve dinner in the Esalen Lodge. Dani Shapiro is the author of the memoirs Devotion and Slow Motion, and two novels. Her next book, Still Writing: The Pleasures and Perils of a Creative Life, will be out in 2013. Her work has been 102 Esalen® Massage and the Art of Continuous Presence Oliver Bailey & Silvia Guersenzvaig Oliver Bailey and Silvia Guersenzvaig invite you to participate in a five-day journey to replenish your spirit with touch by learning how to give an Esalen Massage. Esalen Massage is best described as the interface and integration of form, energy, structure, and soul. With its nurturing contact, long integrating strokes, and detailed attention to the whole body, an Esalen Massage provides a state of deep relaxation and healing. The intention of this week is to offer tools and techniques that allow you to give a whole body CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Oliver Bailey bio on page 54. Silvia Guersenzvaig is a certified Esalen® Massage teacher. Astrologer and educator since 1977, she counsels internationally and is a bilingual practitioner and teacher of Transformational Kinesiology from Polaris International College, Denmark. She created Openstars, Somatic Astrology at Esalen in 2000. Weekend of December 28–30 This Year I Will...How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Bring a Dream into Being MJ Ryan Every year end, we get inspired (again!) to lose weight, get organized, start saving, find a better job, or stop worrying. But by the time the rosy blush of good intentions wears off, we’re back to our old ways, frustrated and fed up with ourselves. It doesn’t have to be this way. This workshop offers you an opportunity to receive the breakthrough wisdom and support you need to make this time the time that change becomes permanent. Change is hard. It’s not that we’re weak or lazy, it’s just that bringing new behavior into being takes energy, determination, self-awareness, and practice. The tendency to keep doing what we’ve already done is so strong because the neurons in our brains that fire together wire together—they tend to run the same sequence time after time, whether we want them to or not. If you have ever broken a resolution, fallen off a diet, or given up on fulfilling a dream, this experiential workshop is intended to use the discoveries of brain science to help you make a promise to yourself that you can keep. Through discussion, lecture, journaling, and one-on-one Register online at www.esalen.org or by calling 888-8-ESALEN (888-837-2536). and small-group interactions from a blend of emotional, spiritual, and practical perspectives, each person leaves with a blueprint for implementing and sustaining lasting change. MJ Ryan is the author of This Year I Will…and AdaptAbility: How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For, among others. A member of Professional Thinking Partners, she currently serves as an advisor to entrepreneurs, senior-level executives, and leadership teams, and leads workshops around the world. Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation Cassandra Vieten & Daniel Ellenberg We are each always changing, always growing. But sometimes we encounter moments or periods of life that are so potent, and so full of potential, that they transform our consciousness, fundamentally shifting our worldview, our motives and priorities, and how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world. Where we have been limited, we expand. We become more open, balanced, and aligned with our true values. Compassion for self and others arises more naturally. For more than a decade, research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences has examined how these transformations happen and how they can lead to greater meaning, joy, and purpose. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what your current transformative path is— whether you seek to transform your life completely or simply make adjustments to add richness and depth—learning more about the terrain of consciousness transformation can not only give you a map, but also can help you become the cartographer of your own journey. Using lecture, video, discussion, creative process, and deeply embodied experiential play, we will weave scientific findings together with wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions and your own authoritative wisdom to explore deep shifts in consciousness, and how they can be integrated into everyday life. Join us, as 2012 turns to 2013, to reorient, remember, and renew your commitment toward living more deeply every day. Daniel Ellenberg, PhD, is a leadership coach, group facilitator, organizational trainer, and licensed therapist. He is a principle in both Relationships That Work and Authentic Leadership Institute. He leads men’s growth groups and co-authored Lovers for Life. Charu Rachlis, born and raised in Brazil, has been teaching yoga in San Francisco since 1997. She teaches in a Bhakti lineage. She has a 20-year history of Tibetan Buddhist meditation, and is strongly influenced by Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. Meditation, Yoga and the New Paradigm in Consciousness Week of December 30–January 4 Charu Rachlis Re-Wilding the Future: Soul, Imagination, and a New Planetary Era Our world is in great flux. Changes come every day. Our old beliefs may not fit any longer. There is a great call to all of us from Mother Earth and the cosmos to open up and receive a new alignment in consciousness. Many of us find it difficult to respond to this call, but also there is a sense of relief and excitement. In this workshop we will practice meditation, which supports us to stay centered and open to receive these new energies in a more balanced way. In our time together we will also practice a gentle yoga—moving into our bodies with ease and using our breath to feel each pose. Asana (yoga postures) are an ancient medicine to release the body from mental, emotional, and physical stress. It is a preventive medicine! We will take time in restoratives postures to renew and rejuvenate ourselves. Our early mornings will be dedicated to pranayama (breath awareness), which also helps us to center and relax. The workshop is designed to support each participant in going deeper into their heart, to reflect, rejuvenate, and deeply relax, and to create the opportunity to open up to this infinite possibility that exists in each moment. Please bring a yoga mat. Bill Plotkin & Geneen Marie Haugen In the liminal time when one year morphs into another, we often anticipate change; the final days of 2012 are especially saturated with both uncertainty and possibility. Whether or not we believe the astrological implications or mythic prophecies about 2012, most of us experience this time as unpredictable and susceptible to radical change. Much is in flux: economy, government, climate, consciousness—the stories we live by. For some, this may feel more destabilizing than welcome; for others, the unknown future buzzes with possibility. How might we participate with the archetypal potentials—evolutionary and revolutionary—of one era’s end and another’s beginning? Reclaiming our own wilder psyches, which overflow with endless creativity, ecological genius, and emergent possibility, is a necessary prelude to re-wilding the future. To this end, we’ll evoke non-ordinary consciousness in multiple ways: conversations with nature; approaching the world as if everything is animate and intelligent; attending our deepest allurements; and listening for the voices of future ones who, even now, call for our forward-seeing imagination and activism. Our practices will draw from CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. DANIEL BIANCHETTA Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is director of research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a licensed clinical psychologist in San Francisco, and vice-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology. She co-wrote Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life. 103 See pages 110-111 for reservations, fees, accommodations, scholarship information, and discounts. council, dreamwork, nature-based ceremony, expressive arts, and solo time on the land. We’ll invite what Thomas Berry calls “the wild fertile forces of the planet” to nourish both the wild human psyche and a future filled with wildly fertile possibility. Please join us for experiential re-wilding in the auspicious atmosphere of Esalen at the auspicious end of 2012. Where else would you rather be? Bill Plotkin, founder of Colorado’s Animas Valley Institute, is a depth psychologist, wilderness-based soul guide, and agent for cultural change. Author of Soulcraft and Nature and the Human Soul, he has guided thousands of people through initiatory passages in the underworld of soul. is a writer and guide to the mysteries of Earth and psyche. Her work appears in many nature anthologies, including American Nature Writing and Going Alone: Women’s Adventures in the Wild. She is a doctoral student in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at CIIS. Geneen Marie Haugen The Natural Singer Claude Stein Come and celebrate the awesome healing power of your voice. Whether you already sing or have always wished you could, this exciting workshop can change your life. During this week, you will be shown how to find and use your true, natural voice. There will be great individual attention with exercises to relax the throat, build confidence, increase range, sing in key, and project with power. Then, using favorite songs, participants will develop the extraordinary gifts we are all born with. The results can be simply amazing as each of us, no matter what level we’re at, triumphs over the physical, emotional, and psychological issues that limit us—even if you’ve never been able to carry a tune! You can find confidence through the gentle whisper of a lullaby, release emotion with the cry of the blues, or rekindle your passion with a driving rhythmic chant. No special talent or previous experience is necessary. Whether you already sing in public and want to take the next step, or you just want to hit the notes when you sing in the car, you’ll find yourself communicating freely and singing like you’ve always wanted to. Therapists, coaches, and workshop leaders will also find the techniques valuable for use with their clients. 104 Note: Bring instruments, CDs, and songbooks if you like. Claude Stein has 25 years of experience blending psychology and voice training. His clients include RCA, Warner Bros., Sony, Atlantic, Island Records, Juilliard, Harvard Medical School, the Actors Institute, Sprint, Siemens, and JPMorgan. Shadow Yoga and Buddhist Meditation: Wisdom in Action Scott Blossom & Chandra Easton The feminine principle of wisdom, known as prajna paramita in Buddhism, shakti in Tantra, and gnosis in Christianity, represents the awakening to our essential nature through direct experience. In Sanskrit, prajna paramita means “perfection of wisdom” and is the name for the Great Mother. She is a deity, a symbol, a sutra; and above all, she represents the ground of being, pregnant with all phenomena, the genetrix of the awakened state. Shadow Yoga is a Hatha yoga system that employs vigorous stance work for strengthening the bones and marrow. It utilizes spiraling and circular movements to free the circulation of the life force in our limbs and to enkindle our digestive fire for healing and strength, making the practitioner a suitable vessel for meditation practice. Scott will teach one of the three Shadow Yoga Prelude forms in a sequential manner so that it may be memorized. In this retreat, Scott and Chandra will weave together the dynamic, penetrating, and sublimely simple practices of Shadow Yoga and Buddhist Prajna Paramita meditation. Begin your day with Shadow Yoga practice with Scott. After breakfast, Chandra will share mantra practice, source texts, and Prajna Parmita meditation. In the afternoon, Scott and Chandra will weave together the yoga and meditation practices to create a seamless tapestry of healing and embodied wisdom. Prior yoga and meditation experience is highly recommended. Please bring a yoga mat, meditation cushion, and a journal. To learn more about Scott and Chandra, visit www.shunyatayoga.com. Scott Blossom is a Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner, Shadow Yoga teacher, and Ayurvedic consultant. He has studied yoga for more than 18 years and taught for 12. His primary teachers are Zhander Remete, founder of Shadow Yoga, and Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurvedic physician and scholar. www.shunyatayoga.com. Chandra Easton studied Buddhist philosophy, medi- tation, and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India, and translated Tibetan Buddhist texts on meditation with B. Alan Wallace. Chandra has taught meditation and yoga since 2001. www.shunyatayoga.com. New Year’s Meditation: Opening the Mind, Awakening the Heart Shauna Shapiro The winter solstice and New Year’s Eve is a potent time to reflect, renew, and invite our deepest intentions for the coming year. Meditation offers a profound opportunity to focus inward, and to deeply connect with oneself, create intentions, and reflect on life values and aspirations. This darkest season is the prelude to a return of the light. It is a perfect time to cultivate the heart, body, and mind through meditation practices that open us to our deeper experiences of love, compassion, joy, and wisdom. During this retreat, we explore the simple but profound practice of mindfulness as the foundation of living a fully embodied, joyful, and awake life. We will engage with the rich, sensual experience of Esalen, the sounds and beauty of the ocean, and the wonder and profound richness of our moment-to-moment experience. We will also engage in mindful movement practices and practices of metta (love), karuna (compassion), and mudita (joy). We will learn about the revolutionary research in mindfulness and neurobiology that illustrates the profound impact meditation can have in cultivating greater health and wellbeing in our lives. Out of this depth of connection, we will set clear intentions and aspirations for the New Year. Recommended reading: Shapiro, Carlson and Kabat-Zinn, The Art and Science of Mindfulness; Kornfield, A Path With Heart; Salzberg, Lovingkindness. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Shauna Shapiro, clinical psychologist and associate professor at Santa Clara University, researches mindfulness meditation and has published more than 60 articles and co-authored The Art and Science of Mindfulness. work study program T he Work Study program is a twenty-eight day immersion in Esalen’s integrative approach to personal and social development. The program combines a rigorous course of study in one area of transformative practice with the opportunity for deep relationship with the Esalen land and community. Work Study is a rich and challenging way to embody the idea that mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of the self are inextricably connected. Please see the following pages for descriptions of Work Study courses. At the heart of the Work Study experience are the evening sessions. During these meetings, which occur four to five evenings per week, workscholars in each discipline meet together for core studies. The group leader or leaders for each discipline are highly experienced teachers who coordinate the course of study and guide scholars throughout the month. As a complement to their studies, workscholars participate in Esalen’s daily operations by volunteering 32 hours per week, usually in the housekeeping department or the kitchen, in exchange for their housing and meal costs. Contemplative and transformative practices are woven into the work environment at Esalen, so each day there are valuable opportunities for self and group exploration, including group process and check-in. The Legacy Program is a second type of twentyeight day work study experience at Esalen. With class sessions meeting just twice a week, with one intensive day of classes during the month, Legacy workscholars have more flexibility in their schedules to attend residential education classes (regularly occurring learning events designed for Esalen staff ) and daily movement arts programs. Legacy programs are usually a mix of workscholars and Esalen staff. Legacy workscholars also volunteer 32 hours per week with an Esalen department, and the tuition for Legacy is the same as the traditional Work Study program. Workscholars are selected by application only. After applications have been accepted, participants may register for the program. Some of the work can be physically challenging, including lifting, bending, and repetitive movements. Please be sure you are capable of the work you may be assigned. Workscholars are assigned to departments on the basis of community need, so please be ready to jump in anywhere. The Work Study application is on page 109. Please note: The Work Study program is designed to explore and apply human values and potentials. It is not intended as a substitute for therapy or as a “cure.” Esalen encourages workscholars to refrain from alcohol use during their stay. No pets, drugs, or violence allowed. We cannot accommodate children. Commitment to the Work Study program is from 4 PM of the first Sunday to 7:30 PM of the final Sunday. Do not plan to take regularly scheduled catalog workshops during your stay. Fees: A deposit of $400 in US currency is required with your application. Fees will not be processed until your place in a program is secured and you have accepted. The workscholar fee is $1,150 for the month. Fees are subject to change and are due upon your arrival. Workscholars may be invited to remain for a second month depending on space and community needs. Occasionally it is possible to stay for a longer period as an extended student. Food and Housing: Accommodations are shared (occasionally co-ed), with up to four people to a room. Some workscholars stay at South Coast Center, a staff complex located 1.5 miles north of Esalen. Housing and meals are provided in exchange for 32 hours of volunteer work. Cancellation Policy: If you choose to cancel, you will be charged the following amount: 15+ days prior to start, $100; 8-14 days, $200; 3-7 days, $300; 0-2 days, $400. Please mail the application form, personal statement, and deposit to: Work Study Program Esalen Institute 55000 Hwy 1 Big Sur, CA 93920 or fax to: Work Study Program 831-667-3069 We will contact you to confirm that we DOUG ELLIS received your application within 14 days of receiving it. We will inform applicants of admission three months prior to the program’s start date. After that time, there are generally wait lists for Work Study programs. 105 Work Study Programs July–December 2012 July 8–August 5 A Half Century of Human Potential Have you ever wondered how so many people, perhaps you, became “spiritual but not religious?” Have you ever felt alone, or disconnected, in your own story and wondered whether it fit into a larger cultural narrative or super-story? It does. 2012 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first official seminars on “the human potentiality” at the Big Sur Hot Springs, which would soon become the Esalen Institute. Jeffrey Kripal will guide a group of work scholars through this American story through his own history of the institute, as well as through novels, film, audio media, photographs, and a variety of guest speakers from the Esalen community. A wilderness retreat in the mountains and coasts surrounding the institute with Esalen teacher Steven Harper will introduce the work scholars to the natural world of Big Sur that lies at the heart and soul of Esalen’s unique story, and work scholars will compose and process their own personal narratives as a means of locating and grounding them in this half century of human potential. Jeffrey Kripal is chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at Rice University. He has written four books focusing on the comparative erotics and ethics of mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religious traditions, and the history of Western esotericism. Legacy Program: Eco-conscious Transformational Leadership for Our Local and Global Future Sustainability and environmental leadership is vital for our long-term survival on this planet. As citizens and business/organization leaders we need to intimately understand stakeholder engagement, reputation, ethics, and market viability and see them all as equally important to balance when making the case for sustainability in our lives and organizations. During this experiential, cross-cultural leadership work study program, Kat Steele will help you develop a heightened sense of place and self-awareness, while deepening your practice of leadership to enable you to take new skills into your personal life and projects. With an emphasis on honoring your inherent wisdom and uncovering and awakening your natural leadership strengths, we will explore moving from transactional to eco-conscious 106 transformational leadership. Elements of the program include but are not limited to • Personal growth and sustainability practices for a balanced life • Effective communication and interpersonal skills for strong relationships • Empowerment with the confidence to live and function in a more just, sacred, and sustainable future. • Group dynamics and facilitation skills • Time to connect with the sacred land and waters of Esalen This program will include a certificate of completion for a Transition training through www.transitionus.org. table Shiatsu massage sequence, an introduction to meridian theory, and an easy to learn, powerful chi kung form. The group will explore both Yang (deep and penetrating) and Yin (light and energetic) styles of touch as well as various meditations, self massage, and improv games to encourage awareness and expression. The program is designed to open students to their own innate healing potentials, to the power of safe, therapeutic touch, and to being more fully present in their ongoing unfolding. Participants will also receive valuable tools to facilitate the healing of others. In a spirit of compassion, laughter, and expanding awareness, students will be nurtured and nourished by the group interaction and by a deeper connection to Self. See leader bio on page 89. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. August 5–September 2 Jim Gallas, a Shiatsu teacher for more than 15 years, has led workshops in California and internationally. Creator of the DVD Zen Thai Table Shiatsu: Deep and Effective Body Work with Ease, Jim also teaches Reiki, anatomy, yoga, and chi kung. The Ensemble Process In the centuries-old tradition of ensemble theatre, individual charisma and creativity are vitally bound up with the greater energy of the group. Modern modes of expression and understanding from jazz to systems theory have affirmed the power of symbiosis. There is now a greater understanding of a model of leadership fueled not by the decisions of a single personality but by the pulse and wisdom of the ensemble. During this program, Peter James Meyers, veteran stage director and leadership consultant, will help cultivate communication skills, selfassurance, and physical presence through a process of group discovery and performance. Along the way, the group will practice movement, voice, and improvisation techniques that will allow each participant to amplify personal presence, enhance spontaneity, and heighten clarity of thought. In short, learn how to captivate a room and shape an audience’s experience. This is an ideal opportunity for anyone interested in blending performing arts with the art of leadership—expanding expressive skills while cultivating the ability to command and inspire. Participants will create an original theater piece to be offered to the Esalen community at the end of the month. Open to participants of all backgrounds and interests. Recommended reading: Meyers, As We Speak: How to Make Your Point and Have it Stick. See leader bio on page 35. Legacy Program: Streams of Energy Jim Gallas leads this program of Eastern body work and movement which includes a full body September 2–30 5Rhythms® Waves/Heartbeat: A Moving Meditation Practice “In the art of the 5Rhythms® practice, movement is our medicine,” writes Lucia Horan. “There are no rules. We are only invited to keep moving as we navigate the experience of life. Movement is our key to enter the gateway of the body. Here we unearth what has been buried below the surface. We invite each of the rhythms to be our guide as we navigate the territory of body, mind, and soul. In the process, we learn to awaken our authentic power, creative wellspring, and inner source of loving. “During this work study month, we will investigate the map of the rhythms, becoming mindful as we track our past, present, and future, and informed by all that is held in the bones and cells of this body. In the first part of the month, we will work with fundamentals of the 5Rhythms® Waves practice. This will ground us and prepare us for the next part of our journey. In the second part of the month, we will dive into the realm of 5Rhythms® Heartbeat. In Heartbeat we explore the emotional component of our human existence, in relationship to the rhythms. We will dance, create art, poetry, ritual theater, and use conscious touch to integrate what comes up in the process. No experience is required for this class.” CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. See leader bio on page 48. Legacy Program: Embodied Relationship October 28–November 25 “We develop relationships with ourselves and others through the physicality of our vision, smell, touch, and movement,” says Michael Clemmens. “These relationships, or dances, shape what we believe is possible and how we behave in the present. In this program, our focus will be on the ways in which we create relationships through our bodies. By attending to our present dance with others, we can become more aware of our existing context and optional ways of interacting. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. See leader bio on page 61. September 30–October 28 The Buddha offered a timeless teaching on how to live a life that is sourced from kindness, compassion, and appreciation. These teachings and practices are as applicable today as they were two thousand years ago. We all have the ability to access the innate wisdom and compassion of the heart—all we have do is turn inward through meditation and eventually we will uncover an endless source of happiness. DOUG ELLIS “The structure of the program will be experiential exercises, practice sessions, and group discussion to develop our awareness of self and the group. We will begin with our earliest movements (prior to birth) and then explore how we co-create our bodily membership in the more complex gestalts of family, groups, and cultures. Our goals will be to experience how we create relationships through embodiment, and to develop skills in attending to ourselves and others.” The Heart of Buddhism This workshop is like dreaming on your feet. Expect to surprise yourself and to become more playful and at ease before an audience. You might even find that the sense of wellbeing achieved during the workshop not only expands your creative abilities, but also enhances your experience of daily life. And while it is not therapy, the work can be surprisingly, delightfully, holistically healing.” CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. Motion Theater®: Dreaming on Your Feet It is our nature to be free—and to express that freedom spontaneously and without hesitation through song and dance, poetry and play. Moreover, we each have the ability to wake up to who we already know ourselves to be: people dedicated to a sane and just world made up of individuals who celebrate their common humanity and this planet of indescribable beauty through singing, dancing, playing, and caring for all sentient beings. This improvisation workshop in Motion Theater allows the creativity that resides within us to have a voice. “Everyone has a story to tell,” says Nina Wise. “And stories reside as much in the body as in the mind. So we begin with movement—slow stretches to open the body. We open the voice with playful classical- and jazzbased exercises. We meditate to calm the heart, dance to free the spirit, find a way to effortlessly compose with language. This journey leads to giving voice and physicality to the private characters and inner realities that live in the subconscious mind and the cells of our bodies.” The sessions will include meditation, gentle and vigorous movement, exploring the range of vocal expression, writing exercises, as well as solo, duet, and ensemble improv games. See leader bio on page 11. Legacy Program: Gestalt Awareness Practice Each of us is born with an inherent drive for aliveness and self-expression and belonging. As we grow up, our sense of self and our ability to be spontaneous may become blocked. Knowing who we are, and what we feel and want, can be difficult when we have lived with the absence of adequate attunement and responsiveness to our emotions. This lack can result in self-judgment and the belief that our emotions are the problem, instead of signals that can point the way toward a better understanding of ourselves and our environment. The focus of a month with Dorothy Charles and Relational Gestalt Process will be creating a group experience that will provide a context in which feelings can be held and integrated. Individual work with the leader, communication skills and group process, will be used to develop awareness and self- responsibility to create relationships with self and others that are supportive and enlivening. Meditation, and expressive arts will also be part of the curriculum. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. See leader bio on page 29. During this course, Noah Levine will be joined by Spirit Rock Community Dharma teacher Vinny Ferraro for a program that combines the regular and Legacy work study groups for a unique synergy. Legacy work scholars will have the opportunity to join the regular work study group for some portions of the course, and vice versa. Together, Levine and Ferraro will guide you into your heart’s depths through a series of guided meditations, small group explorations, lectures, and dialogue. The month will be based upon the Buddha’s teachings of the Divine Abodes of heart—kindness, compassion, appreciation, and equanimity, as well as an in-depth process of forgiveness. All levels of experience are welcome, but be warned you will be asked to open your heart and stand undefended in the presence of your own truth. Noah Levine bio on page 79. Vinny Ferraro bio on page 84. November 25–December 23 Nonviolent Communication Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is internationally recognized, taught, and implemented as a tool for quality of life. During this month of intensive immersion in NVC principles and practices with Jean Morrison, participants are offered the opportunity to strengthen their ability to: • Live from a consciousness of compassion, for yourself and with others • Make peace with conflicts affecting emotional health and wellbeing • Replace distressing habits of mind and language with new habits that create compassion, connection, understanding, and healing • Liberate your thinking and reactions in order to transform anger, hurt, and guilt into energy and expressions that serve life • Clarify and express emotions and needs, distinct from blame 107 • Make empowering requests distinct from demands and expectations • Apply NVC principles and skills to your goals and aspirations The sessions include a balance of playful exploration, thoughtful inquiry, powerful exercises for skill development, and sharing of best practices with participants’ real situations. Guest presenters will augment our NVC practice with their expertise in the Enneagram, Mindful Meditation, art, and movement. Please note: Participants in this program are signing up for five weeks at Esalen. For four weeks, you will be in a group with Jean Morrison. For the fifth week you will be participating in Esalen’s staff week. During this week, Esalen is closed to the public. There will be staff-only fun, work, and learning during this time. CE credit for MFTs and LCSWs; see page 113. See leader bio on page 100. Legacy Program: Presence and Touch that Heals Touch is a powerful tool for healing. Touch combined with a presence that truly meets the person you are touching is a gift beyond compare. To develop this skill set involves several key elements. Join Suzanne Scurlock-Durana and Carlos Durana for this interactive and experiential legacy month that will explore each of these elements as well as offer the opportunity for indepth personal growth and healing through multiple hands-on bodywork sessions. Participants will work with the Full Body Presence book and audio download to cultivate their capacity to be present in a powerful, yet ethical and loving way. Also, participants will be shown the foundation level of touch used in all CranioSacral therapy, which unlocks the door to the body’s deepest wisdom. They will be shown how to follow energy flow through the body and release restrictions using the meridian system, returning the system to balance and better health. This program will be coupled with the visiting teacher program, which will offer an opportunity to be mentored by advanced CranioSacral therapists and to receive multiple hands-on advanced healing work in evening sessions. Please bring a journal for reflection time and notes, as well as a binder for handouts. Required reading and listening: ScurlockDurana and Upledger, Full Body Presence: Learning to Listen to Your Body’s Wisdom, book and audio download or CD. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. Suzanne Scurlock-Durana bio on page 19. 108 Carlos Durana, PhD, MAc, is a licensed acupuncturist and clinical psychologist; he is also a body worker and writer/researcher with many years of experience in Chinese herbology, medical qigong, life and wellness coaching, meditation, stress management, exercise, and nutrition. www.Seasonsinourlife.com. December 23–January 20 Healing with Humor: Spinal Awareness Patrick Douce will lead an in-depth experience of Spinal Awareness, a program of health and healing (with humor). Spinal Awareness is a way of learning that improves body awareness, flexibility, posture, and most chronic and acute conditions of the body. Taught with movement, touch, and group interaction, it is based on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Taoist-ChineseIndonesian martial art, and the Esalen experience. Spinal Awareness emphasizes learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness and support the health of your own body. Lessons inspired by Indonesian Silat will also be used to stimulate the energy body, effecting internal health and increasing energy. Students will participate in floor exercises that organize and integrate the spinal column, and standing lessons that improve better balance and fluidity. The course will include safe and noninvasive hands-on lessons to greatly speed improvements. Fun partner lessons will be intermixed to help bring about not only freedom in the body but a return to the childlike energy essential to us all. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. CE credit for nurses; see page 113. See leader bio on page 44. and body in a spirit of bhakti, or devotion. Participants will learn how to bring awareness to the felt sense of each posture and move energy and consciousness through the body, rather than just assume yogic shapes. In addition to asana, we will practice pranayama (breathing techniques) and kirtan (devotional chanting). As we surrender ourselves into these practices, we further open our hearts to realizing our connection with the divine, and we can carry that awareness with us out of the yoga room into a richer more fulfilling experience of life. All levels of practice and experience are welcome. Please bring a yoga mat. CE credit for bodyworkers; see page 113. Carl Swanson a devoted student and practitioner of yoga for the last decade, has been teaching yoga at Esalen since 2004. His teaching is influenced by Anusara and Vinyasa Flow styles of hatha yoga, his love of kirtan, and his experience as an Esalen Massage practitioner and instructor. Nora Matten bio on page 80. Work Study Programs January–June 2013 Please visit: www.esalen.org/workshops/workstudy.html for complete program descriptions. January 20-February 17 Spiritual Massage: Lightbody Infusion with Maria Lucia Bittencourt Sauer February 17-March 17 Wordsmithing: Opening the Creative Channel with Johnsmith March 17-April 14 Relational Gestalt Process with Dorothy Charles Legacy Program: Yoga as a Practice of Devotion and Surrender The fruition of yoga is the state of connection with the deepest source of our consciousness, often described as a sacred and blissful union between the student and the Divine. In shorter yoga classes we are often preoccupied with the physical aspects of our practice as we try to achieve various physical yoga postures (asanas). For many students yoga can be reduced to a stretching and strengthening exercise. We may miss or forget that the true aim is to more fully experience and express our intrinsic goodness and beauty, our divine inner light. In this course, Carl Swanson and Nora Matten will guide students through an exploration of yogic practices as a way to open the heart, mind, April 14-May 12 T’ai Chi with Kenn Chase May 12-June 9 Sharing Your Life Story with Ann Randolph June 9-July 7 Embodied Relationship with Michael Clemmens Additional programs are always being added. Please visit www.esalen.org for the latest opportunities. work study program application please print legibly. First Name _____________________________________ Last Name __________________________________________________ o Male o Female Today’s Date ________________________ Phone: Evening ( ————— ) ______________________________________ Day ( ————— ) ______________________________________ Cell ( ————— ) _______________________________________ Home Address __________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip __________________________________________________________________________ Country _____________________________ Occupation (previous, if retired) ____________________________________________ Date of Birth __________________________ Age ___________ mo / day / yr E-mail Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you have any physical/emotional condition (i.e. bad back, severe depression) that might affect your ability to participate? o Yes o No Are you taking medication? o Yes o No If yes to either of these questions, please include details in your personal statement. Are you a former workscholar? o Yes o No If yes, list dates and the dept. where you worked: _______________________________________________________________ Are you an ILEAD student? o Yes o No If yes, from what school? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ See www.esalen.org/workshops/workstudy.html for more info about ILEAD. The Work Study program is for 28 days, beginning at 4 pm on Sunday and ending at 7:30 pm on the final Sunday. Sometimes particular dates and/or leaders are not available. List below, in order of preference, the dates/leaders for which you are available. Please note: Space may become available up until the program start date. You must let us know if you wish to be removed from a wait list; if you’re on a wait list and space becomes available, you will be notified for confirmation. If you cancel after placement, you will be charged a cancellation fee. start date Choice 1 _______________________________________________________ Leader ____________________________________________ If full, wait list? o Yes o No Choice 2 _______________________________________________________ Leader ____________________________________________ If full, wait list? o Yes o No Choice 3 _______________________________________________________ Leader ____________________________________________ If full, wait list? o Yes o No If your application is approved and we cannot give you your first choice, we will place you in your next available choice. Workscholars may be invited to remain for a second term, depending on space availability and the needs of the Esalen community. Please indicate your availability for such an invitation (no obligation): o No extension o One-term extension We encourage ridesharing. Are you bringing a vehicle? o Yes o No; Are you willing to give a ride? o Yes o No; Receive a ride? o Yes o No; I wish to rideshare from (if different from above address) ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Assignments to departments are made according to community labor needs (usually kitchen or housekeeping). However, if you prefer housekeeping or kitchen, or if you have landscaping skills, please list them below. o Place me wherever I’m most needed – or – note my preferences below. Choice 1 ___________________________________________________ Skills/Experience ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Choice 2 ___________________________________________________ Skills/Experience ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please attach a personal statement about your interest in the Work Study program, telling us why you’d like to participate and what you hope to take with you when you leave. All applicants are required to sign a standard release-from-liability and assumption-of-risk form as a condition of participation in the Work Study program. This form will be mailed to you upon acceptance to the program. Do you want van service? Van service rates are subject to change. From o Monterey Airport, 2 pm ($50); o Monterey Transit, 2:20 pm ($50); o San Francisco Airport, 11:45 am ($100). Payment o $400 deposit o $1,150 Name on Card_______________________________________________________________________________ o Check (U.S. banks only), attached and payable to Esalen Institute Card No. ______________________________________________________________________________________ o MasterCard o VISA o American Express Expiration Date _____________________________________________________________________________ If you are making a credit card deposit, the balance will be automatically charged to your card five days before your arrival. Billing Zipcode___________________________ CVV (security) code ______________________ Name and phone number (if different from above): Applications cannot be considered without a deposit and a personal statement included. Deposits are not processed until your final acceptance into the program. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Authorizing Signature ____________________________________________________________________ 109 reservation information Reservations Workshop Tuition Including Accommodations Point House Single Weekend Workshops $1,595 Five-day Workshops $3,155 Seven-day Workshops $4,565 Point House Couple $2,290 $4,310 $6,330 Premium Room Single $1,245 $2,340 $3,535 Premium Room Couple $1,940 $3,555 $5,390 online: www.esalen.org phone: 888-837-2536 If you prefer, download the reservation form at www.esalen.org/workshops/reservations.html and fax (831-667-2724) or mail it in. Standard $730 $1,215 $1,855 Bunk Bed $555 $935 $1,430 Sleeping Bag $405 $650 $990 Off-site $405 $650 $990 Esalen Rates Are All Inclusive All workshop fees include: • • • • • Workshop tuition or Personal Retreat fees Organically grown food Vegan and vegetarian options for all meals Coffee, tea, and bread bar open 24/7 24-hour use of hot spring bath facilities, Arts Center (except when a workshop is scheduled), meditation Round House, and the entire Esalen grounds • Participation in scheduled daily classes such as yoga, dance, meditation, art, and special events • One-year subscription to the Esalen catalog Friends of Esalen receive a $25.00 discount on rates. For information on Friends of Esalen, see page 2. Accommodations Point Houses: See below. Premium Accommodations: See below. Standard Accommodations: This is shared housing, with two or three people per room and in some cases a shared bathroom. Couples will be housed privately. Standard guaranteed single housing is available on a limited basis for an additional $125 per night. Bunk Bed Accommodations: This is shared housing with four or more persons per room. Sleeping Bag Accommodations: Some Esalen meeting rooms are used as shared sleeping bag space. Storage space outside the meeting rooms is available when the rooms are being used for meetings (9 am–11 pm). Off-site Accommodations: If you are attending a workshop and staying off property. This is Your Time… ou have carefully selected a workshop, or made the decision to take a Personal Retreat. You are stepping out of your busy life to stop and breathe, heal, explore. Why not treat yourself to the finest accommodations during your stay at Esalen? Point Houses are private suites nestled behind the Esalen Garden and perched at the cliff’s edge with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Each of the three Point Houses offers a living room with wood stove, a master bedroom, a sleeping loft, full kitchen and dining area, private redwood deck overlooking the Pacific with outdoor clawfoot tub, Internet connections, and in-room telephone. Point House Premium Room South Point House Annex Premium Room Point House Premium Room Premium Rooms offer upgraded bathrooms and enhanced sound and climate insulation. Various rooms have different amenities including Internet connection, in-room phones, in-floor heating, and ocean views. Please call 888-837-2536 for details about Point Houses and premium room accommodations and availability. 110 KODIAK GREENWOOD Y Workshop Payment If possible, please pay full workshop fees at the time of reservation. To reserve a space in any workshop, we require the following deposits: Weekend: $150 5–7 day: $300 Deposits paid by credit card will automatically have the workshop balance drawn from your credit card five days before arrival. Deposits are payable in US currency only; overseas residents must pay by checks drawn on US banks or credit cards. Deposits are nonrefundable. If you cancel a workshop with less than seven days’ notice, you forfeit your entire deposit. If you have prepaid your entire reservation fee, we will retain the deposit and refund you the balance. If you cancel a Personal Retreat reservation at least 7 days before your reservations date, a $75 processing fee will be charged for each reservation (per person) and the remaining balance will be refunded. If you cancel with fewer than 7 days notice, you will forfeit the price of one night’s lodging (per person). CELINE NADEAU Esalen Cancellation Policy: If you cancel or change any part of your reservation at least seven full days before the start of your workshop(s), your nonrefundable deposit, less a $75per-workshop processing fee, will be transferred to an Esalen credit account to be used within one year. Senior Citizen Discount: A discount is available to guests over 65, for workshops only. For a weekend workshop, the discount is $25. For 5-day or longer workshops, $50. Personal Retreat Fees Fees listed are per night. Family Accommodations and Children’s Fees: Fees for children under 14 enrolled in family workshops are: $100 for weekend workshops and $200 for 5-day. Two full-paying adults housed in standard accommodations may have their children stay with them (not enrolled in a family program) for a meal charge of $20 per child per day ($10 for children under 6). Fri/Sat Sun-Thurs Esalen may cancel a workshop due to low enrollment. Standard (2-3 persons per room) $220 $165 Cancellations must be made by phone with one of our reservation staff. “Seven full days” Premium (guaranteed single) $450 $450 Note: If children are enrolled in Gazebo Park School, additional fees apply. Premium $600 (2 persons: priced per room) $600 Gazebo Park School is an on-site, state-licensed, Point Houses $700 (1 or 2 people: priced per room) $650 South Point House Annex $175 (add’l South Point House bedroom for up to 2 people, priced per person) $175 Bunk Bed $140 (4 or more persons per room) $130 means by Sunday before a Sunday workshop, and by Friday before a Friday workshop. Donations to the Friends of Esalen are nonrefundable. Esalen may cancel a workshop due to low enrollment two weeks before the workshop start date. You may either switch to another workshop, come for a Personal Retreat, or get a refund. Money at Esalen: Esalen accepts cash, checks, and credit cards. Esalen does not have an ATM, so please bring enough cash for incidentals such as beverages and chocolate at the dinner bar, or gratuities for massage practitioners. Schedules Reduced Rate Availability Please request discounts at the time of registration. Work Exchange: Some assistance is available for workshop participants in exchange for a work commitment in housekeeping or the kitchen. Weekend: $50, 4 hrs. 5–7 days: $100, 8 hrs. Scholarships: Limited scholarships are available for those in financial need. See the Esalen website for details and application. Ongoing Residency Discount: A 20% discount is available for a consecutive, four-week-long workshop experience. Call the Esalen office for details. Accommodations include Friday and Saturday night for weekend workshops and Sunday through Thursday night for 5-day workshops. Schedules for 7-day workshops vary; please inquire at registration. Check-in/Check-out: Guests are welcome to arrive at Esalen any time after 2 pm; rooms become available after 4 pm. Check-out time is 12 noon on departure days. Lunch is provided on departure days; we ask that you leave the property by 2 pm. Workshops: Workshop schedules normally begin at 8:30 pm on the first evening and end at 11:30 am on the final day. outdoor preschool program for children from infants to age 6. This program is available during the week to children of seminarians, workshop leaders, personal retreatants, as well as Big Sur families. The school offers children the opportunity for full immersion with the natural world through its rich, child-centered park environment and ecology-based curriculum. Gazebo Park School’s low teacher to child ratio allows for individual attention. Activities include caring for the school’s animals, gardening, harvesting fruits and vegetables, cooking, expressive arts, literacy activities, dramatic play, and excursions to explore Esalen’s unique campus. Children may be enrolled for a half day, full day, or several days while here at Esalen. Gazebo Park School hours are Monday-Friday, 9:30 am– 4:30 pm. Qualified childcare providers may be available for parents taking workshops outside of the Gazebo Park School hours. For more information and to enroll for Gazebo Park School, please call 831-667-3026. To ensure space in the program, we ask for at least one month advance notice for enrollment. 111 information for your visit Location and Transportation Esalen is located 45 miles south of Monterey and 11 miles south of Nepenthe restaurant on Coast Route 1. This isolation and tranquility can deepen your experience, yet it can also be a significant change in environment. Ridesharing: We encourage ridesharing to Van Service: A van service is available between Monterey Airport/Monterey Transit Plaza/ Monterey Airbus Station and Esalen on Fridays and Sundays. The incoming service departs Monterey Airport at approximately 4 pm, arrives at Monterey Transit Plaza at 4:15 pm, and Monterey Airbus Station at 4:20 pm. Return service departs Esalen at approximately 5:30 pm. The drive is approximately 1 1/4 hours to Monterey Airport, so please plan plane flights accordingly. Van service reservations must be made with Esalen at least 24 hours prior to arrival. The $65 one-way fee (subject to change) is payable to Esalen upon arrival. Public Bathing in the Hot Springs In addition to round-the-clock availability for Esalen guests, the hot springs are open to the general public, by reservation only, 1 am–3 am, for a cost of $20 per person, payable by credit card only upon reservation. Reservations can be made 8 am–8 pm (except Friday and Sunday: lines close at noon), at 831-667-3047. Private Conferences As part of its dedication to the humanities and sciences, Esalen offers its facilities to organizations and individuals for mission-aligned private conferences, meetings, courses, and trainings. Esalen can accommodate groups up to 124 people. Conferences can be two, five, or seven days and include meals, movement classes, and use of the hot springs and Art Center when available. Most conferences are scheduled at least one year in advance. For more information and to schedule, contact the conference coordinator at 831-620-6244. DOUG ELLIS reduce the number of cars on the road and at Esalen. See the reservation form online at www.esalen.org for ridesharing options. Phone and Internet: There is no cell phone service at Esalen. There are two shared Internet stations available and the Lodge has free WiFi access, except during meal times. Due to Esalen’s remote location, all connectivity (phones and Internet) is provided on a best-effort basis; we can’t guarantee service. Age Restrictions: Workshop participants must be 18 years or older unless otherwise noted. See page 111 for family options at Esalen. Snoring: If you are staying in shared accom- Illegal Drugs: In accordance with state and federal laws, the possession or use of illegal drugs on Esalen grounds is strictly prohibited. Lost and Found: To inquire about items lost during your stay, call 831-667-3019. modations and you snore, please be prepared to do everything possible to minimize the discomfort this may cause a roommate. Consider taking a private room. If you do not snore, please come prepared with earplugs for the possibility of sharing a room with a snorer. ed outdoor areas only. Not permitted in accommodations or meeting areas. Flashlights: Esalen paths are very dimly lit Valuables: The Esalen office has no facilities Pets: Other than service animals, pets are not allowed. Smoking: Smoking is permitted in designat- at night. Please bring a flashlight. to store guest valuables. Health Services: Esalen has no medical Volunteering: Guests are welcome to contribute time during their stay to work with Esalen staff, usually in the kitchen or in cabins. This help enables us to meet the pressures of peak working times and provides an opportunity for guests to experience Esalen from the inside. services or pharmaceutical supplies on site. Please come prepared to administer to your own needs. Esalen is 45 miles from a medical facility and pharmacy. Accessibility: Many Esalen paths, though paved, are very steep. Access to some parts of the property may be difficult depending on your level of mobility. Please discuss your needs with an Esalen representative at the time of registration (at least 72 hours prior to arrival) and we may be able to assist. Personal Guests: Seminarians may not have guests on property. 112 Nudity: In the hot springs, massage area, and pool, swimsuits are optional and nudity is common. We encourage each individual to choose what is most comfortable for him or her. The environment we strive for at Esalen is one of personal sanctuary and respect for the human body. Recommended Reading and Mail Order Merchandise: All recommended reading is available online through www.esalen.org. All other bookstore merchandise is available via mail order. For more information, see www.esalen.org/bookstore. leader index A D Ralph Abraham, 11 Mark Abramson, 61, 98 Dee Dettman Ahern, 77 Ronald Alexander, 69 David Allen, 61 Eugene Allen, 32 Jennifer Allen, 21 Lillie Allen, 32 Susan Anderson, 75 Fabio Andrico, 44 Karishma Deanna Darby, 41 Christina Dauenhauer, 30 Laura Day, 14 Lorie Eve Dechar, 72 Russell Delman, 39, 42 Harvey Deutch, 29 Christina Dickinson, 93 Lisa Lieberman Doctor, 87 Patrick Douce, 44, 86, 100, 108 Jeff Dowd, 79 Jim Dreaver, 52 Lama Drimed, 22 Ken Dychtwald, 63 B James Bailey, 67 Oliver Bailey, 54, 92, 102 Banana Slug String Band, 34 Anat Baniel, 43 James Baraz, 66 Ysaye Barnwell, 40 Ellen Bass, 24, 80 Nora Bateson, 8, 10 Rob Bauer, 26 Judith Bell, 85 Dyrian Benz, 46, 68 Jennifer Berezan, 29 Susan Bernstein, 80 Micheline Berry, 15 Charlie Bloom, 54 Linda Bloom, 54 Scott Blossom, 104 Joseph Bobrow, 91 Jean Shinoda Bolen, 83 Julie Bowden, 21 Gabriela Bozic, 51 Ann Bradney, 29, 31 Daniel Brown, 94 Rick Brown, 18 Vernon Bush, 68 Katy Butler, 64 C Joseph Cavanaugh, 24, 72 Gregg Chadwick, 79 Jovinna Chan, 98 M. Alejandro Chaoul, 70 Dorothy Charles, 28, 90, 107, 108 JoAnna Chartrand, 68 Kenn Chase, 20, 40, 108 Vicki Chase, 40 Chris Chouteau, 21 Joanna Claassen, 34 Michael Craig Clemmens, 60, 107, 108 Dan Clurman, 56 Lorenzo Cohen, 70 Ellen Cole, 38 Mark Coleman, 72, 99, 102 Emilie Conrad, 65 Robert Corff, 23 Jean Couch, 94 Phil Cousineau, 79 Stewart Cubley, 93 Raphael Cushnir, 93 E Chandra Easton, 104 Donna Eden, 43 Charles Eisenstein, 39 Leah Weiss Ekstrom, 8, 10 Daniel Ellenberg, 85, 103 Karen Ely, 94 Scott Engler, 101 Zuza Engler, 12, 101 Carol A. Erickson, 71 F Jessica Fagan, 15, 57 Robin Fann-Costanzo, 67 Warren Farrell, 39 David Feinstein, 43 Vinny Ferraro, 84, 107 Robert Fisher, 46 Thomas Michael Fortel, 67 Benjamin Fox, 72 Margot Fraser, 33 Seena Frost, 71 G Erin Gafill, 39 Marc Gafni, 79 Rolf Gates, 78 Laurie Gerber, 13 Stan Gerome, 44, 51 Jane Giddan, 38 Mariah Fenton Gladis, 16, 21 Esther Gokhale, 45, 47, 95 Richard Gold, 35 Mary Goldenson, 23, 57 Philippe Goldin, 98 Soren Gordhamer, 37 Linda Graham, 47 Lynda Greenberg, 36 Eric Greenleaf, 46 Kevin Griffin, 23 Pierre Grimes, 11 Mingtong Gu, 94, Silvia Guersenzvaig, 102 H Meredith Haberfeld, 48 Anna Halprin, 27, 63 Daria Halprin, 27 Adama Hamilton, 68 Patrice Hamilton, 60, 90 Marisa Handler, 75 Mike Hannigan, 33 Rick Hanson, 9, 58 Steven Harper, 13, 32, 49, 73 Susan Harper, 22, 81 Andrew Harvey, 19 Sylvia Haskvitz, 52 Geneen Marie Haugen, 103 Paul Heussenstamm, 97 Johanna Holloman, 64, 93 Perry Holloman, 64, 93 Lucia Rose Horan, 48, 91, 106 Peggy Horan, 24, 80 Michael Hoyt, 71 Chungliang Al Huang, 63, 89, 91 Russ Hudson, 36 Terry Hunt, 65 I Joseph Millar, 24 Kia Miller, 36 Sarana Miller, 100 Dan Millman, 57 Joyce C. Mills, 36, 79 Phillip Moffitt, 83 Noa Mohlabane, 32 Michael Molin-Skelton, 81 Jean Morrison, 100, 107 Beverly Kitaen Morse, 58 Robert Moss, 80 Eric Moya, 72 Caroline Muir, 50 Charles Muir, 50 Heather Munro Pierce, 68 Michael Murphy, 63 Roxanne "Nikki" Myers, 78 Tom Myers, 9, 76 Amy Ippoliti, 11 Rik Isensee, 97 N J Michael Newman, 32, 49 Wesley “Scoop” Nisker, 56 Roger Jahnke, 55 Rick Jarow, 15, 16 Johnsmith, 73, 108 Wendy Johnson, 28 Catherine Ann Jones, 31 K Byron Katie, 50, 63 Sam Keen, 76 Sally Kempton, 54, 79 Carol Kershaw, 37 Hala Khouri, 90 Ellen Kindl, 13 Daphne Rose Kingma, 99 Michael Kramer, 88 Pamela Kramer, 62 Michael Krasny, 63 Sybil Krauter, 13 Melissa Krikorian, 13 L Brian LaForgia, 28 Dorianne Laux, 24 Ivy Mayer Lavie, 48 Lee Klinger Lesser, 92, 98 Noah Levine, 78, 84, 107 Juanita Lew, 58, 59 Share K. Lew, 58, 59 Amory Lovins, 91, 96 Francis G. Lu, 18 M Patricia Ryan Madson, 66 Chris Manning, 19 Susan Collin Marks, 88 John Marks, 88 Dean Marson, 84 Vinn Martí, 57, 58, 83 Nora Matten, 80, 92, 108 Camille Maurine, 40, 97 Kelly McGonigal, 8, 10 Deborah Anne Medow, 15, 101 Jeff Mendelsohn, 33, 76 Elsbeth Meuth, 82 Peter James Meyers, 35, 106 O TS O'Grady, 13 Jennie Oppenheimer, 65 Judith Orloff, 25 Dean Ornish, 63 Brita Ostrom, 35, 49 P Ji Hyang Padma, 88 Wendy Palmer, 43 Laurie Lioness Parizek, 55 Laurel Parnell, 47 Larry Payne, 61 Dulce Maria Perez, 101 Maggie Phillips, 53 James Phills, 13 Char Pias, 84 Drummond Pike, 76 Ayala M. Pines, 33 Bill Plotkin, 103 Noelle Poncelet, 53 Christine Stewart Price, 11, 12, 48, 78 Tigaro Tihikpas Proctor, 86 George Protos, 94 Jill Purce, 53 R Gustavo Rabin, 30 Charu Rachlis, 103 Aminah Raheem, 75 Ann Randolph, 45, 108 Virginia Ray, 91 Saul David Raye, 8, 31 Shiva Rea, 87 Daniel Rechtschaffen, 16 Robert Reich, 63 Peter Rengel, 92 Barry Robbins, 62 Mike Robbins, 97 Lorin Roche, 40, 97 Yuval Ron, 20 Jack Lee Rosenberg, 58 Donald Rothberg, 68 Joanne Beaule Ruggles, 83 Christopher Ryan, 69 MJ Ryan, 102 S Sy Safransky, 75 Kerena Gordhamer Saltzman, 37 Banafsheh Sayyad, 17 David Schiffman, 17, 87, 96 Jon Schreiber, 26 Lori Anne Schwanbeck, 97 Stephan A. Schwartz, 60 Suzanne Scurlock-Durana, 18, 22, 27, 108 Eva Selhub, 34 Paul Selig, 38, 41 Dani Shapiro, 102 Shauna Shapiro, 104 Paula Shaw, 85, 88 Rupert Sheldrake, 53 Dan Short, 14 Annellen M. Simpkins, 23, 24 C. Alexander Simpkins, 23, 24 Mariabruna Sirabella, 71, 74 Caleb Smith, 13 Fritz Smith, 42, 74 Kat Steele, 88, 106 Claude Stein, 104 Brother David Steindl-Rast, 18 Greg Steltenpohl, 76 Janet Stone, 78 T Vicki Topp, 24, 35 U Deborah Ullman, 51 Daniela Urbassek, 49, 67 V Miguel Angel Vergara, 8, 31 Cassandra Vieten, 103 W Bill Wade, 37 Mark Robert Waldman, 19, 20 Julian Walker, 90 Shirley Ward, 28 Ellen Watson, 84, 86 Anne Watts, 61, 89 Freddy Zental Weaver, 82 Brian Kie Weissbuch, 28, 67 Jason Weston, 61 Rex Weyler, 8, 10 Mark Whitwell, 25, 27, 81, 83 Rob Wilks, 57, 101 Cris Williamson, 54 Marianne Williamson, 63 Andy Abrahams Wilson, 32 Nicholas Wilton, 65 Nina Wise, 11, 101, 107 Adam Wolpert, 56 Z Dana Zed, 51 113 continuing education programs Special note for July-Dec 2012 season: Esalen’s ability to offer CE for psychologists is under review by the APA. Please refer to the website or inquire prior to registering for updated APA CE status. n Aug 19-24 Gratitude and Forgiveness: The Embodied Life n Oct 19-21 Civilized to Death Aug 19-24 Core Zero Balancing: Part I n n Oct 19-21 Living the Anticancer Lifestyle Aug 24-26 Energy Medicine: A Hands-on Experience n n Oct 19-21 Yoga One on One: The Art of Teaching Privately Aug 24-26 Kids Beyond Limits: Children w/ Special Needs Oct 19-21 Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Aug 24-26 Spinal Awareness: Feldenkrais & Energy Work n n Oct 19-21 Create Divinatory Cards with SoulCollage n Aug 26-31 Advanced CranioSacral Therapy 1 n n Oct 21-26 The Upledger Institute’s CranioSacral Therapy 2 n Aug 26-31 The Gokhale Methodª for a Pain-Free Life n n Oct 21-26 Living in Gratitude n Aug 26-31 Intimacy and Reducing Barriers n Oct 21-26 SoulCollag® and the New Paradigm n Aug 26-31 Dream Action and Dream Meanings n Oct 26-28 Zero Balancing Open Forum Aug 31-Sep 2 The Neuroscience of Resilience and Renewal n Oct 28-Nov 2 Abandonment to Healing Aug 31-Sep 2 The Magical Family n June 29-July 1 Introduction to Gestalt Awareness Practice n July 1-6 Soul Motion: Taking Refuge n July 1-6 Gestalt Awareness Practice n July 1-6 Intro to CFR n July 6-8 Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars July 6-8 The Alchemy of Abundance: The Healed Vision July 6-8 A Weekend of Advanced Esalen Massage July 8-13 Mindfulness with Youth Teacher Training n n July 8-13 Not for The Feint of Heart n n July 13-15 Getting the Love You Want: Couples Workshop n July 13-15 Full Body Presence: Skills to Energize Your Life July 13-15 Words Can Change Your Brain: Mindfulness n n n Aug 31-Sep 7 Gokhale Method¨ Teacher Training July 13-20 Guiding Lights in Film: Inspirations to Live By n n n Aug 31-Sep 7 Transforming Trauma with EMDR July 15-20 Essential Skills of Loving n n Sep 2-7 Gestalt Awareness Practice July 15-20 Families Under Pressure n Sep 2-7 Meridian Massage: Touch and Core Energy July 15-20 Bone Knowing: Art, Body Sensing and Writing n Sep 7-9 The Work and Future Generations July 20-22 Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars n Sep 9-14 Therapeutic Imagery and Dialogue 1 July 20-27 Healing the Pelvic Floor Sep 9-14 From Isolation to Intimacy: a Relational Journey n July 22-27 Awakening the Heart Sep 9-14 Eat by Choice, Not by Habit n July 22-27 Ericksonian Hypnosis Seminars Sep 14-16 Presence: The Heart of Connection n July 22-27 Current Trends in Esalen® Massage & Bodywork Sep 14-16 The Art of Joyful Living n July 27-29 Awakening the Power of Intuition Sep 14-16 Massage Retreat for Couples n July 27-29 Sep 16-21 Practice Leader Certification Training July 27-29 Sep 16-21 Mindfulness and Feldenkrais Sep 16-21 The Art of Touch: Esalen® Massage Workshop Sep 16-21 The Courage to Be You: Letting Go, Moving On Sep 21-23 Taoist Chi Kung: The Cloud Hands Sep 23-28 Buddha’s Brain Sep 23-28 Integrative Body Psychotherapy Sep 23-28 Taoist Chi Kung: Enhancing Vitality n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n Breema¨: The Art of Being Present n n Opening Hearts to Relationship: For Gay Men n n n n July 29-Aug 3 Empowering Creativity through PS M PS YC HO F T LOG s IS TS N &L UR C SE SW s BO S D YW O RK ER S PS n YC HO F T LOG s IS TS N &L UR C SE SW s BO S D YW O RK ER S Workshops for which CE credit has been approved are listed below and also noted in the Workshops section. For questions regarding continuing education, contact [email protected]. M E TL TI SE UR CO S AT E D June 29-July 1 Strengthening the Heart with Compassion Esalen has been approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Esalen maintains responsibility for this program and its content; California psychologists are required to report their hours to the MCEP Accrediting Agency. YC HO F T LOG s IS TS N &L UR C SE SW s S BO D YW O RK ER S In order to receive CE credit, participants are required to attend all scheduled workshop sessions. If you wish to receive a certificate, please notify your workshop leader at the beginning of your workshop. There is a $25 fee for each certificate of completion, payable to the Esalen front office. Please be prepared to provide your professional license number. Acupuncture workshops are approved individually for continuing education. Please refer to the website or inquire prior to registration for updated CE status. n July 29-Aug 3 Grounding and Healthy Boundaries n n July 29-Aug 3 Intermediate Level Chinese Pulse Diagnosis n n n Reviewing and Revisioning Our Lives Nov 4-9 The Upledger Institute’s Visceral Manipulation 1 Nov 4-9 Gestalt Awareness Practice n Nov 9-11 Butterfly Wisdom: Inviting Metamorphosis n Nov 9-11 Esalen Massage in the Side-Lying Position Nov 11-16 Secrets to Lasting Intimacy for Couples n n Nov 16-18 Your One Wild and Precious Life: For Women n n Nov 18-23 Angels and Traitors n n Nov 18-23 n n n n n n n n n n n n n n Nov 25-30 Essential Practice from the Esalen Tai Ji Deck n n Nov 25-30 Emotional and Somatic Resources n n Nov 25-30 5Rhythms: Heartbeat Nov 30-Dec 2 Spiritual Practice and Emotional Growth n n n n n n Nov 30-Dec 2 Connection through Touch: Couples Massage n Dec 2-7 Awakening the Creative: The Painting Experience Dec 2-7 Deep Tissue for Massage Practitioners n Dec 2-7 Fundamentals of Conquering Injury and Pain n n Dec 7-14 Tibetan Buddhist Meditation n Dec 7-14 Gokhale Method¨ Teacher Training n Dec 14-16 Quieting the Mind, Listening to the Heart n n Dec 14-16 Luminous Being: Embodying Radiance Sutras n Dec 14-16 Science and Practice of Mindfulness Meditation n n n Dec 21-23 Loving Yourself n n Dec 21-23 Mindful Communication: Truth Without Blame n Dec 21-23 Spinal Awareness: Feldenkrais and Energy Work n n Dec 21-23 Holiday Couples Group: The Gift of Touch n n n Dec 23-28 Esalen Massage & Art of Continuous Presence n n n Dec 23-30 A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life n n Dec 23-30 Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance n Dec 28-30 The Art and Science of Transformation n n n Sep 28-30 Opening to the Infinite: Science, Shamanism The Radically Alive Leader: A Core Energetics n Sep 28-30 The Stories We Tell through Our Bodies Aug 10-12 Why We Choose What We Choose n Sep 28-30 Optimum Health for Midlife and Beyond Aug 10-12 Open Your Heart and Reclaim Your Health Sep 28-30 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training Aug 10-12 Esalen Massage in Motion n n Sep 28-30 ITP: 40 Years of the Esalen Experience Aug 12-17 Traditional Thai Massage: Sacred Bodywork n n Oct 7-12 Deep Bodywork: Back, Shoulders and Hips Aug 12-17 The Transformational Enneagram n n Oct 7-12 Pleasure, Intimacy, Search for Connectedness Aug 12-17 StoryPlay: A New Ericksonian Indirective Model n n n Oct 12-14 Intro to Mindfulness Meditation Aug 12-17 Brain Change Therapy from Trauma to Thriving n Oct 12-14 A Renaissance in Herbal Medicine n Aug 17-19 An Authentic Path: Purpose in Your Twenties n Oct 12-14 Fundamentals of Esalen Massage n Aug 17-19 Celebrate Seventy! For Women n n Oct 12-19 The Future of the Body: Continuum Aug 17-19 Couples' Communication Retreat n n Oct 14-19 Yoga Practice: Body, Mind and Spirit Aug 17-19 The Embodied Life: Meditation and Feldenkrais Oct 14-19 Healing Traumatized Hearts n Aug 19-24 Wild Serenity Oct 14-19 The Refined Hakomi Method n Dec 30-Jan 4 Opening the Mind, Awakening the Heart Aug 19-24 Healing Your Heart 101: Science and Spirituality Oct 14-19 The Dancing Buddha: Meditation, Movement n Aug 19-24 Love, Awareness and Intimacy Oct 19-21 Leadership: Communication, Creativity, Vision n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n The Leadership Clinic n n n Aug 5-10 n n Nov 18-Dec 16 28-day Esalen Massage Certification Program Aug 3-5 n n n n n n Feldenkrais Spinal Awareness Recapturing Your Posture n n n n n n n Introduction to Radical Aliveness n n n Nov 2-4 n Aug 3-5 n n Anatomy Trains¨ and Fascial Fitness Aug 3-5 n n Nov 2-4 n n n n July 29-Aug 3 Relational Gestalt Process n n Oct 28-Nov 2 The Spirited Body n n n Oct 28-Nov 2 Gateway to Soul: Process Acupressure n n n n Aug 31-Sep 2 5Rhythms: Heartbeat n n M A ll eligible continuing education two-day workshops meet the qualifications for 10 hours of education credits, and five-day courses meet the qualifications for 26 hours of education credit. Esalen’s status as a provider of continuing education is approved by the following boards: LCSW/MFT: California Board of Behavioral Sciences. (Provider number PCE1594). Massage practitioners and bodyworkers: National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (provider number 043062-00); registered nurses: Board of Registered Nursing (provider number 01152); and acupuncturists: California Acupuncture Board (provider number 946). n n n n n n n n n n n n n 114 n Esalen Institute 55000 Highway 1 Big Sur, California 93920-9546 If you move, please let us know your new address. It helps us save trees and money. facebook.com/esaleninstitute twitter.com/esaleninstitute | 888.837.2536 | [email protected] Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Pa i d Las Vegas, NV Permit No. 2543 Esalen is a leading center for exploring & realizing human potential through experience, education & research. We are all capable of the extraordinary. www.Esalen.org