Creativity & Culture
Website program category as of 2022
COME TOGETHER! A Festival of IntraConnectivity and Spirit | Day Pass
With Daniel Siegel, Elissa Epel, Little Bear Tom Nason, Rhonda V. Magee and Douglas Drummond
We live in times of high existential stress with both ever-increasing personal, societal, and global pressures and the constant pain of witnessing ecological crises and widespread social injustices. These challenges also create opportunities to reconsider our relationships to self, one another, and the planet — and to choose a life of peak purpose and interconnectedness. […]
COME TOGETHER! A Festival of IntraConnectivity and Spirit | ETMC Day Pass
With Daniel Siegel, Elissa Epel, Little Bear Tom Nason, Rhonda V. Magee and Douglas Drummond
We live in times of high existential stress with both ever-increasing personal, societal, and global pressures and the constant pain of witnessing ecological crises and widespread social injustices. These challenges also create opportunities to reconsider our relationships to self, one another, and the planet — and to choose a life of peak purpose and interconnectedness. […]
Awe, Compassion, Gratitude, and Beauty: The Science and Practice of Self-Transcendence
With Dacher Keltner
Deep in the human mind and body are vast capacities for self-transcendence, felt in experiences of awe, compassion, gratitude, and profound beauty. These emotions enable us to gain perspective on our stresses, quiet the voice of the transactional self, orient to the well-being of others, and find a commitment to all sentient beings. These emotions […]
Designing the Life We Want: Self Renewal in the Winter
With Mark Nicolson
Have you created the impact you want? Are you showing up the way you’d like? Are you going in the right direction? You have never before been where you are right now. You have never been the age you are today, never had the experiences you now possess. This is your time to pause and […]
A Black History Month Celebration: Exploring and Restoring Our Path to Healing through Empathy and Music
With LaVerne McLeod and Melanie DeMore
Join LaVerne McLeod and Melanie DeMore for a weekend of exploration and celebration of Black History Month as we express ourselves, connect, play, and honor humanity. Together, we will explore what it is like to walk in another person’s shoes to understand and empathize with viewpoints that might differ from our own. We will build […]
Make Peace with your Judging Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Help Free You from the Inner Critic
With Mark Coleman
Have you noticed the painful effects of self-judgment? Do you feel tormented by negative critical self-talk and the harsh words of the inner critic? Are you prone to judging everything you do as not good enough, not quite right, or not up to some impossibly high standard? Do you find yourself harshly judging your meditation, […]
Thresholds and Altars: Nature-Based Rituals for Life’s Turning Points
With Day Schildkret
Everything begins by leaving. — Rev. angel Kyodo williams Life invites us into change, but rarely teaches us how to move through it well. Whether it’s a relationship ending, a role dissolving, a chapter closing, or a calling emerging, you may find yourself standing at the edge of what was — and unsure how to […]
Meet Your Better Half: Unlock Your Right Brain
With William Donius
Learn to activate the right side of your brain to unlock the intuition and insights necessary to break through self-limiting patterns. Based on a Nobel Prize-winning discovery in neuroscience, this methodology helps you think outside the box and live a more creative, productive, happier life. William Donius, author of the New York Times bestseller Thought […]
Fear of Dopeness: Surrendering to Your Own Greatness
With Didier Sylvain
Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you have to do is put it on. — James Baldwin Most people don’t actually fear failure; they fear their own brilliance. In this weeklong journey, we’ll explore how subtle self-sabotage, shrinking, and doubt prevent us from claiming our gifts. Through coherence coaching, embodied exercises, and […]
The Future We Choose: Human Empowerment in the AI Age
With Sam Stern and Cecilia Callas
What does it mean to remain human in the new age of artificial intelligence? In this immersive weekend workshop, we'll explore this profound question together, journeying from awareness to empowerment to integration as we discover how to shape our relationship with AI while preserving what matters most. Through hands-on AI demonstrations, creative labs, and experiential […]
Shedding the Old to Enter the Magnificent Wild: A Women’s Third Rite of Passage
With Jovinna Chan
Perimenopausal and menopausal transitions are more than biological phases to endure; they are sacred passages that forge a woman into her fullest expression — as a truth-bearer, a pathfinder, a beauty maker, and a new creation. When the monthly cycles end, you'll undergo tremendous transformations in your body, mind, emotions, and psyche. Crossing this monumental […]
Mapping Your Hero’s Adventure: A Mythogenesis PlayShop
With Robert Walter
Joseph Campbell used to celebrate his birthday at Esalen. When asked why, he’d recount how Carl Jung — wondering, “What myth am I living by?” and realizing he didn’t know — wrote, “I took it upon myself to get to know ‘my’ myth, and I regarded this as the task of tasks.” “That’s what a […]
Free the Resonant Voice
With Odeya Nini
The voice is calling me, to come home, to the river that is flowing within me. — Sophia Tuv The voice is more than sound — it is the breath of our being made audible, the vibration of our essence moving through space. It is our most innate instrument, a direct channel between the soul […]
Awaken The Artist Within: Evolution
With Erin Gafill and Tom Birmingham
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. —Rumi Embark on a five-day journey of artistic discovery in a creative space that nurtures playful practice and community above all. This immersive multimedia experience is an invitation to explore an array of techniques and mediums, including: Torn paper […]
Writing for Shame Resilience: Turning Shame Into Your Superpower
With Melissa Petro
What if your greatest vulnerability could become your greatest strength? This transformative language arts workshop is designed for anyone ready to level up by unlocking their authenticity. The curriculum draws from the wisdom in the instructor’s critically acclaimed book, Shame on You : How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, which explores […]
Sacred Tobacco: Hapé and the Art of Presence
With Glauber Loures de Assis
Hapé, a sacred tobacco preparation, has been used by Indigenous peoples across the Amazon as a medicine for clarity, presence, and connection for centuries. Blown gently into the nostrils, this finely ground blend of tobacco leaves and sacred ashes activates the senses in a unique way, opening inner vision and anchoring attention in the present […]
Healing Through Creativity: Merging Art and Psychology for Personal Growth and Change
With Pamela Hayes Malkoff
This workshop is more than a learning experience — it’s an invitation to connect deeply with yourself and others in a supportive and creative space. Together, we’ll explore the profound potential for healing and growth that arises when art and psychology converge. No artistic experience is necessary; this workshop is about creative expression, not perfection. […]
Living Color: From Plant to Textile
With Janne Larsen
This immersive, hands-on workshop invites you to explore the vibrant spectrum of color hidden in the plants thriving along Esalen’s iconic coastline and within the Farm & Garden. Together, we’ll reconnect with ancient traditions of natural dyes while honoring the unique ecosystem of this sacred land. Over the course of the workshop, we’ll get our […]
From Plant to Paper: Making Botanical Inks
With Janne Larsen
Creating a profound connection to nature begins with observing and understanding the plants surrounding us, awakening to our symbiotic relationship with them. This workshop offers an opportunity to cultivate an intimate bond with a diverse selection of plants thriving in the Esalen landscape, learning their unique characteristics, stories, and the wisdom they impart. Together, we […]
Sleep Alchemy: Secrets of Daoist Sleep Practices for Inner Peace and Renewal
With Simon Cox
What if sleep could be more than just crashing into your pillow at the end of a long day? What if it could be a portal to transformation and self-discovery? In this workshop, we’ll dive into the ancient Daoist art of sleep alchemy, where the Wudang Hibernating Dragon and Five Dragons Sleeping methods teach you […]
Elemental Ceramics
With "Kayenta" Kelly Magleby
Join us for this weeklong wild clay pottery intensive. As a group, we will go through the process of making pottery from the wild, including processing clay, mixing wild clays, and finding and testing clay in the field. We’ll learn how to hand-build pots using various techniques, including pinch pots, slab work, coil and scrape, […]
Joyful Metamorphosis: Embrace Change Through Play
With Stacie Blanke and Anthony Veneziale
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation. — Plato This interactive workshop is designed to ignite your creativity and foster connections through the transformative power of improvisation, play, and imagination. Embark on a captivating journey in which science and spontaneity collide, delve into the world […]
Finding Lila Through Yoga and Divine Play
With Jet Eveleth and Alex Halenda
What if what we experience wasn’t always a serious endeavor, but rather an invitation to play, to grow and to learn? Hindu philosophy encapsulates this idea in the Sanskrit word Lila, which means “divine play.” Lila suggests that creation isn’t an obligation but an ongoing, spontaneous, joyful expression of the divine. Perhaps we’re so deeply […]
Healing Wisdom for Modern Times: You Are Your Greatest Healer
With Erika Gagnon
Join ceremonial leader and wisdom carrier Erika Gagnon on a sacred journey, as we gather together and explore the healing wisdom of the “Americas.” We will learn about the importance of ancestral lineage, ceremonies and rituals, sacred altars, medicinal plants, and the origins of dis-ease in our physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual bodies. You are your […]
The Thrill of Groundlessness: Flowing Through Life Without Absolutes
With Ramzi Fawaz
When the ground falls out from underneath us, our instinct is usually to cling fast to the beliefs, stories, relationships, and identities that give us the greatest sense of stability and comfort. But what if we viewed these moments as wondrous opportunities instead of terrifying threats? Could the experience of groundlessness offer an unexpected freedom […]
Crafting the Sacred Trilogy of Native American Instruments: Flute, Drum, and Rattle
With Guillermo Martinez
Join master craftsman and musician Guillermo Martinez for an unforgettable journey into the sacred traditions of Native American instrument making and music. This immersive, hands-on workshop invites you to reconnect with the spirit of sound by crafting three profound instruments: a Native American bamboo flute, a 16" elk-hide medicine drum, and a gourd crystal rattle. […]
Embodied Voice
With The Brothers Koren
Come home to your whole body instrument and rediscover your unique sound. For over 20 years, Isaac and Thorald Koren have been guiding people back to their voices through a groundbreaking, embodied approach that invites courage, freedom, and transformation. They believe singing and speaking are radical acts of self-expression — and science agrees. Research shows […]
The Alphabet of Everything: Art, Attention, and the Ineffable
With Corey Pressman
We live in a world richer than description. Language reveals only by leaving out, and when words fall short — when grief overtakes us, when beauty stills us — we do not fall silent. We reach. We shape. We art. This workshop is an invitation into the space beyond language. Guided by The Alphabet of […]
Source to Screen: Accessing, Manifesting, and Transmitting Great Ideas
With Paola di Florio and Peter Rader
In the words of Carl Jung, “People don't have ideas. Ideas have people.” This immersive week-long lab is for creators of all kinds—writers, inventors, filmmakers, musicians, and entrepreneurs—anyone who wishes to integrate their spirituality and creativity to tap into the deepest source of inspiration and higher intelligence as they bring guided work into the world. […]
The Power of Three: Tantra and the Energetic Body
With Sravana Borkataky-Varma
Do we possess only the physical body we see, or are there multiple layers to our existence? In the Tantric tradition, it is said we are not just one body but three: the physical body (what we see and touch), the subtle or energetic body (where thoughts, emotions, and prāṇa flow), and the causal body […]
Sacred Groove: An Ecstatic Dance Ceremony
With Adam Clark
Our ancestors explored spirit-led movement to embody ecstatic states for generations. Whether as a form of celebration, mourning, or prayer, ecstatic dance has long served as sacred medicine, healing the hearts of individuals and communities. Join us on this sacred land for a transformative weekend of ecstatic dance ceremony — a journey to tap into […]
Channel Your Creative Life: From Flights to Perchings
With Erin Prophet
The artist is essentially a channel. — Piet Mondrian Explore the nature of creativity — what fuels it, where it comes from, and how we live with it. Is inspiration something we receive from beyond or something we shape from within? Do artists create, channel, or both? In this workshop, we will consider the creative […]
Let Life Lead: An Embodied Journey to Spark Your Truth
With Wendy Haines
Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. — Howard Thurman There is a vital force in the universe — the spark of life itself. It’s in the blade of grass bursting forth from […]
Write Your Deepest Story: Memoir, Autobiography, and the Personal Essay
With Janis Cooke Newman
We all have a story to tell. But turning your life into an engaging and meaningful narrative requires both keen self-awareness and a working knowledge of basic storytelling. This experiential workshop invites writers at all levels, from personal journalers to published authors, to cultivate the skills needed to tell the most compelling — and truest […]
Biological Gods: Evolution and the Coming Superhumans
With Jeffrey J. Kripal and John Allison
Humanity is a transitional species, poised on a tightrope between the primate past on the one end and the coming, future “superhumans” on the other. What is right about this image? What is wrong with it? Who, historically, has been excluded from it? Can we, should we, speak of human exceptionalism or not? And perhaps […]
Engaging with Beauty as a Pathway to Resilience Through the Mindful Viewing of Film
With Francis Lu
Through mindful viewing of eight memorable feature films, participants will engage with cinematic beauty to open their hearts for a pathway to resilience. Recent studies from neuroaesthetics have shown that experiencing beauty can activate the brain’s emotional processing centers, which are critical for resilience; research in positive psychology has identified “appreciation of beauty and excellence” […]
Embodied Writing and Spiritual Practice
With Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Erik Davis
Part writing workshop and part tantric retreat, this unique practice week explores the relationship between personal writing and subtle body practices. Religious historian and Tantric practitioner Sravana Borkataky-Varma will lead experiential sessions largely stemming from Hindu Goddess Tantra practices. Award-winning author and scholar Erik Davis will then guide the group in reading and writing exercises, […]
Discovering the Beauty of Color/Music/Dance Through the Mindful Viewing of Film
With Francis Lu
Through mindful viewing of four classic motion pictures filled with color/music/dance, participants will open their hearts to profound cinematic beauty. This seminar offers an enhanced mindfulness experience through films directed by Jacques Demy, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, and Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger filled with cinematic beauty involving color/music/dance. These films are presented for […]
Body Poetic and The Life/Art Process®
With Daria Halprin
Imagine that your body has a voice. What would it say? The body speaks through movement, where each breath, feeling, and memory becomes a metaphor — a living story longing to be heard and danced. Begin by digging, fearlessly and with tenderness, into the fertile soil of soft skin. Touch bone. Listen to the heart, […]