Reverend Bodhi Be is the Executive Director of "Doorway into Light," a non-profit that seeks to re-invent and revolutionize the funeral home and the funeral industry, transforming the “business of dying” and returning it to “sacred service."  Bodhi is an ordained minister in the universal Sufi lineage, an independent funeral director, hospice volunteer, end-of-life bereavement counselor, as well as a grandparent, coffin maker, death doula, educator, artist, and entrepreneur. He lives on Maui, where he is also the founder and president of the Death Store, Hawaii's only community educational resource center and store for those who are living with a life-threatening illness, those grieving the death of a loved one, and those wishing to explore their own approaching death.  

Here are a few upcoming workshops to check out: 

- Join us in Big Sur July 23rd to 25th for “Reclaiming Your Authentic Power,” a workshop led  by the award-winning instructor Justin Michael Williams, author of "Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us." In this dynamic three-day course, you’ll learn how to build habits that help you uncover hidden fears, break toxic habits, and make practical changes to help you overcome personal patterns standing in the way of your goals.  Find out more or enroll now at https://www.esalen.org/workshops/reclaiming-your-authentic-power

- Are you a transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid or gender-exploring individual interested in delving more deeply into your gender journey, sharing your experiences, and building community connections? Join Ben Geilhufe and Dr. Jen Hastings in Big Sur July 9th through July 11th for “Gender Journeys: Exploring Identity in Community.”  Geilhufe and Dr. Hastings will create a safe space for participants to explore how gender impacts, influences and informs their  day-to-day experiences with a range of lecture-based sessions and personal explorations  including art, movement, and journaling. Find out more or enroll now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/gender-journeys-exploring-identity-in-community

- Discover new ways to harness your intuition and uncover profound insights about yourself with author Bill Donius. His upcoming workshop “Meet Your Better Half: Unlock Your Right Brain,” is based on his best-selling book Thought Revolution. This workshop will teach you how to activate the right side of your brain to unlock the insights necessary to break through self-limiting patterns. You’ll develop practical tools you can apply each time you face an important decision in life, and go home with new ways to unlock your own inner genius to  create your best life. The workshop takes place August 11th to 13th in Big Sur. Find out more or enroll now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/meet-your-better-half-unlock-your-right-brain

Thanks and we'll see you in Big Sur!

Reverend Bodhi Be: Dying Well

Akuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system.  Since 1995, SA has been a pioneer in developing restorative, trauma-informed prevention and intervention programs to incarcerated and systems-involved young people in Los Angeles County. Using the tools of meditation, self-reflection, creative writing, visual arts, mentorship, service, and leadership training, all of which have been guided by evidence-based research, SAF is able to accomplish their mission to help underserved youth build character and raise self-esteem.  Visit them and be inspired: 
https://www.spiritawakening.org

And now for some upcoming Esalen offerings: 

Are you a transgender, non-binary, gender-fluid or gender-exploring individual interested in a deep exploration of  your own gender journey and building community connections? Join Ben Geilhufe and Dr. Jen Hastings at Esalen, July 9th through July 11th, for “Gender Journeys: Exploring Identity in Community”   to explore how gender impacts, influences and informs your day-to-day experiences with both lecture-based sessions and a wide range of personal exploration modalities, including art, movement, and journaling. Find out more or enroll now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/gender-journeys-exploring-identity-in-community



Join us in Big Sur July 23rd to 25th for Reclaiming Your Authentic Power, a workshop led by Justin Michael Williams award-winning instructor and author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. In this dynamic three-day course, you’ll break toxic habits, uncover hidden fears, and make behavioral changes to help you overcome personal patterns standing in the way of your goals. Find out more or enroll now https://www.esalen.org/workshops/reclaiming-your-authentic-power

Join long-time Esalen instructor Dorothy Charles for Relational Gestalt Practice: The Transformative Power of Emotion, in which youll learn basic gestalt awareness practices to help you recognize limiting relational patterns and enhance your ability to have positive connections with others. This workshop takes place July 26th to July 30th at Esalen. Find out more or enroll now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/relational-gestalt-practice-the-transformative-power-of-emotion

Akuyoe Graham: Spirit Awakening

Suzanne Simard is a Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia as well as the author of the excellent new memoir, “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.” 

Suzanne is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; she’s been hailed as a scientist who conveys complex, technical ideas in a way that is dazzling and profound. Her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide. Together, we discussed her scientific findings, the dangers of deforestation, how her literary and scientific proclivities intertwine, and what it’s like to have a character in a pulitzer prize winning novel based on her (Richard Powers' "The Overstory"). She's a rather amazing person, passionate about the future of the planet and our shared existence with old-growth forests. 

Coming up soon at Esalen:

Our sense of self develops in connection with others, and our experience in early relationships shapes our beliefs — about ourselves, other people and what is possible for us in our lives. Join long-time Esalen instructor Dorothy Charles for Relational Gestalt Practice: The Transformative Power of Emotion, in which you’ll learn basic gestalt awareness practices to help you recognize limiting relational patterns and enhance your ability to have positive connections with others. This workshop takes place July 26th to July 30th in Big Sur. Find out more or enroll now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/relational-gestalt-practice-the-transformative-power-of-emotion

Did you know that Esalen has a scholarship program? We believe that money should never stand in the way of human potential. Esalen offers a generous student scholarship program that features:

Awards of up to 90% of workshop tuition and accommodation
Scholarship for qualifying travel
A convenient, online application process
A mission-driven goal to increase diversity 
Apply today at http://www.esalen.org/scholarshipFall20 for more information.

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. The Transformational Enneagram: Mindfulness, Insight and Experience, a new workshop led by Russ Hudson 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 you 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 you can more fully integrate the richness of the Enneagram material into their daily work and relationships. The workshop will run from August 8-13 at Esalen in Big Sur. Register now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/the-transformational-enneagram-mindfulness-insight-and-experience

Suzanne Simard: Finding the Mother Tree

Richie Reseda and Indigo Mateo are the co-owners and founders of Question Culture, an activist-artistic art label whose projects support grassroots organizing.  Richie Reseda is an abolistionist-feminist, formerly incarcerated in the state of California and the subject of the CNN documentary" Feminist in Cell Block Y," a film that chronicles his journey educating and combatting toxic masculinity within the walls of the prison system. Indigo Mateo is a singer, healer, abolitionist, survivor, and artist. She’s releasing her sophomore album on the label this summer. Indigo met Richie while visiting him in prison; her partner, 88, also an artist on the Question Culture label, is currently incarcerated. Together we discussed how patriarchy functions in culture and in jail,  what the school to prison pipeline is, and why it exists, how economies sprout up around the prison system and in neighboring towns, how meritocracy has led to a culture of vengeance, and why“the prison system is,” in Richie Reseda's words, “the deadbeat boyfriend of America.”

Coming soon at Esalen:

Join authors Camille Maurine and Lorin Roche August 16–20 for WILD SERENITY: At Play with the Radiance Sutras. Camille and Lorin will lead an immersion in deep relaxation and refreshment to help you fall in love with meditation. They’ll customize the practice so it flows in harmony with your inner nature. Space is limited, book now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/wild-serenity-at-play-with-the-radiance-sutras


Relational Mindfulness, Power, and the Deep Feminine: An Experiential and Restorative Retreat for Women, August 30th to September 3rd with Deborah Eden Tull. You’ll explore how meditation, relational mindfulness, and other rituals can yield more compassionate, wise, and embodied practitioners. Register now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/relational-mindfulness-power-and-the-deep-feminine-an-experiential-and-restorative-retreat-for-women

Discover your electric body, get in tune with the power of your voice, and liberate your human instrument with Electric Health/Sound Therapy pioneer Eileen Day McKusick and musical facilitators The Brothers Koren in their workshop Sing the Body Electric, September 17–19 in Big Sur.  sign up at https://www.esalen.org/workshops/sing-the-body-electric

Richie Reseda and Indigo Mateo: Question Culture and Fighting Patriarchy in Prison Systems

Dr. Han Ren is a practitioner of decolonial mental health: she offers liberation-oriented, anti-oppressive, culturally informed therapy, and  practices from a justice-oriented, systems-informed framework. Some of her specialties include Asian-American mental health, anxiety, perfectionism, high achievers, children of immigrants/third culture kids, anti-racism, and parenting. Dr. Ren is also a force to be reckoned with on TikTok, amassing a large following on a platform she uses in an attempt to make therapy accessible and applicable to our everyday lives. Together we talked about how white supremacy can be internalized, what it looks like when you center BIPOC mental health in treatment, how one decolonizes language, the conceptual shift from a dyadic trauma perspective to a more collective, societal notion of trauma, and her struggles as a recovering perfectionist. 

Upcoming at Esalen:

Money should never be a barrier to transformation. Our scholarship program features up to 90% coverage of workshop tuition and accommodations, travel expenses, and a mission to increase diversity. If you’re interested in coming to Esalen to learn, be, and explore, we’re accepting applications now. We’ll also accept support of this amazing program if you want to give and support personal transformation for others. 

Apply or Give
Visit: https://www.esalen.org/visit/scholarships

Do you seek answers about the meaning of life… or what it means to be happy from the broadest possible perspective? R.D. Laing in the 21st Century is a workshop exploring the practical aspects of Laing’s legacy August 30 - September 3rd. This workshop is best suited for those familiar with Laing - at one time the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world. His take on altered states, the nature of love, authenticity, and spirituality forms the foundation for workshop leaders Michael Guy Thompson, Nita Gage, and Fritjof Capra. Explore fundamental happiness through experiential exercises for modern life and an ongoing journey of self. 

Register now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/r-d-laing-in-the-21st-century-what-is-happiness

What’s your number? If you apply the numbers theory of personality, you may be able to do more profound inner work for a big impact on the world. Together, Russ Hudson - renown enneagram expert - and Dr. Deborah Egerton - diversity and inclusion specialist, who’s known as the Enneagram Jedi - launch an incredible new program at Esalen August 15 - 20. You’ll cultivate a deeper understanding of the Enneagram process of self-observation to free yourself from the roots of your own biases to become a true agent of healing in the world.

Register: 
https://www.esalen.org/workshops/the-enneagram-social-justice-and-racial-healing

Dr. Han Ren on Decolonizing Mental Health

Ayana Young is a protector of wild nature and host of the podcast For the Wild - an interview-based show that examines  and champions intersectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology, and land-based restoration. Topics include the Future History of Water, Queering Permaculture, Unruly Beauty, the Divine Time of Fungal Evolution, the Violence of Globalization, and much more. Together we talked about capitalisim, her involvement with the early stages of Occupy Wall Street, why she lives off the grid and how exactly that works with being an activist and media producer, the manner in which she curates her guests and creates episodic structure, and her thoughts on the future of humanity. Visit her work at https://forthewild.world/podcast

And upcoming at Esalen: 

Move like the ocean. Sit like a mountain. What would it feel like to integrate that into your life? Take the first step on a leading-edge path to transform your body, heart, and spirit. Zuza and Scott Engler guide conscious movement, body-based inquiries of the Gestalt Practice, and stillness within nature to bring you to your authentic, luminescent, and radically alive version of you. It’s happening at Esalen August 27th to 29th. Sign up for the workshop now: 

https://www.esalen.org/workshops/the-luminescent-body-moving-like-the-ocean-sitting-like-a-mountain

Money should never be a barrier to transformation. Did you know Esalen has a scholarship program that can cover up to 90% of workshop tuition, accommodations, and travel expenses? Combined with our mission to increase diversity, apply to explore your own potential or give, to support the journey of another human. 

https://www.esalen.org/visit/scholarships

What does it mean to be happy? Do you know your take on the meaning of life? A workshop exploring the practical aspects of R.D. Laing - at one time the most widely-read psychiatrist in the world - is happening at Esalen August 30th through September 3rd. Best suited for those familiar with Laing and his take on altered states, the nature of love, authenticity, and spirituality…. You’ll explore fundamental theories and experiential exercises for modern life with leaders Michael Guy Thompson, Nita Gage, and Fritjof Capra.

Register now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/r-d-laing-in-the-21st-century-what-is-happiness

Ayana Young: For the Wild

Justin Michael Williams is an author, speaker and musician who works at the intersection of social justice, mindfulness, and personal growth. Justin has become a pioneering voice of color for the new healing movement. His mission is to make sure that all people, of all backgrounds, have access to the information they need to change their lives. Together, we discussed the science of transformation, what it means to combat forces of oppression (in a healthy way), identity labels (and how they function for good and for bad within the activist framework), what it means to go beyond anti-racism, Justin's current take on the human potential movement, and more.

Also...

Did you know that each purchase in our online store goes directly back to Esalen’s programs and the land? Go to http://shop.esalen.org and embark on a personal treasure hunt for highly curated objects that will support your well-being and spiritual discovery. 

Lucia Horan:

Where do you want to go? In times of turmoil and change, how do you navigate your way out of resistance… and into ecstasy? Lucia Horan, lineage holder of Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms movement practice and somatic meditation, will share the science and skills needed to support balance, easy, and joy.

Celebrate being alive in the wild, wondrous, natural beauty of Esalen.

Sign up at https://www.esalen.org/workshops/maps-to-ecstasy-5rhythms-r-mindfulness-workshop

Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski:

Learn what it means to set yourself and others free with an awake, authentic voice. Justin Michael Williams partners with Pandemic of Love’s Shelly Tygielski to show the power of coming together across gender, race, age, and sexual orientation.

You will leave with greater clarity and a clear course of action to call people forward - instead of calling people “out.” Join them for a wildly inclusive and compassionate weekend. 
Sign up at - esalen.org/workshops/liberate-yourself-set-yourself-free

Justin Michael Williams: Fear and Faith

This episode captures Jack Kornfield's lecture/ Dharma talk at Esalen on September 15th, 1983. Kornfield, one of the most articulate and compassionate voices in modern Western Buddhism, is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah, about whom he speaks at length in this lecture. Kornfield has taught meditation worldwide since 1974 and is considered one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practices to the West. He’s the author of a host of books, including 1977’s "Living Dharma," 1993’s "A Path with Heart," and 2001’s "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry." This talk is at turns funny, wise, and insightful. It awakens a certain kind of spirit in the listener. We're grateful to Kornfield for his continuing association with the Esalen Institute, and continuing devotion to the path of the heart. 

Upcoming at Esalen:

Being With Your Heart: Enneagram and Inner Work Retreat

Are you ready to be with your heart and do deep inner work to get there? Russ Hudson, one of the top teachers and developers of the Enneagram system, & Deborah Rose Longo, an instructor of the Gurdjieff Movements for over 40 years, lead this retreat focused on restoring the centrality of spiritual practice and psychological rigor to Enneagram work.

Sign up: 

https://www.esalen.org/workshops/being-with-your-heart-enneagram-and-inner-work-retreat


Esalen Hosts Embrace Yoga’s Roots Virtual Book Tour with Susanna Barkataki

October 21 at 5:00 PST, Esalen is honored to host a virtual book tour with Susanna Barkataki, author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice.  An Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, Susanna supports practitioners to lead with equity, diversity, and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence.  Join Susanna for a conversation with Danny Fluker Jr., queer Atlanta native and the creator and executive director of Black Boys OM. Danny is a Esalen Teacher in Residence alum and a yoga/meditation teacher, writer, and activist whose vision is to uplift the Black community, Black boys in particular, with programs centering on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 
 
Tickets to the event are $35, but as part of our End of Year Campaign, Esalen is offering free tickets to the first 50 people who sign up to become a Friend of Esalen between October 1-October 21.   You’ll receive the comp code and the RSVP link to the event when you become a friend.

Become a friend and get your Comp Code now: https://www.esalen.org/give/friends-of-esalen

Grief Into Beauty: Creating Nature Altars to Transform and Heal from This Year

October 29-31, Internationally renowned author and artist Day Schildkret of Morning Altars will teach students how to use nature, art, and ritual to transform, heal, and make meaning from this chaotic time.

Jack Kornfield's 1983 Talk at Esalen: My Dharma Journey

Vivien Sansour is the founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library. Trained in the field of Anthropology, Vivien has worked with farmers worldwide on issues relating to agriculture and independence. She is a 2020-2021 Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative Fellow at Harvard University where she is working on an autobiographical book documenting her work saving seeds in Palestine and around the world. Together we discussed how food sovereignty aligns with the struggle of Palestinian resistance , how biodiversity reflects and intersects with cultural diversity, how the military occupation of Palestine affects the farming practices that go on there, and how love is the greatest form of resistance to colonial oppression. She's brilliant. 

Coming up at Esalen: 

Esalen Hosts Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Virtual Book Tour with Susanna Barkataki

October 21 at 5:00 PST, Esalen is honored to host a virtual book tour with Susanna Barkataki, author of Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice.  An Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, Susanna supports practitioners to lead with equity, diversity, and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence.  Join Susanna for a conversation with Danny Fluker Jr., queer Atlanta native and the creator and executive director of Black Boys OM. Danny is a Esalen Teacher in Residence alum and a yoga/meditation teacher, writer, and activist whose vision is to uplift the Black community, Black boys in particular, with programs centering on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. 
 
Tickets to the event are $35, but as part of our End of Year Campaign, Esalen is offering free tickets to the first 50 people who sign up to become a Friend of Esalen between October 1-October 21.   You’ll receive the comp code when and the RSVP link to the event when you become a friend.. 

Become a friend today:
https://www.esalen.org/give/friends-of-esalen

Grief Into Beauty: Creating Nature Altars to Transform and Heal from This Year

October 29-31, internationally renowned author and artist Day Schildkret of Morning Altars will teach students how to use nature, art, and ritual to transform, heal, and make meaning from this chaotic time. 

Book your Spot https://www.esalen.org/post/whats-happening-at-esalen-nature-altars-to-heal-grief-spirit-dive-and-a-gratitude-retreat

Embodying Grace in times of Change: Rising into Spiritual Maturity  

Join Miranda Macpherson October 25–29, in a course that shares a holistic and feminine approach to surrender and nondual realization based on a practice she calls Ego Relaxation — embracing the totality of our experience as a gateway into our deepest nature.

Vivien Sansour on the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library

Sandor Katz has taught hundreds of workshops demystifying fermentation and empowering people to reclaim this transformational process. His book, "The Art of Fermentation" received a James Beard award and was a finalist at the International Association of Culinary Professionals. in 2009, he was named one of Chow magazine’s top “provacateurs, trendsetters, and rabble-rousers.” This self-described "fermentation fetishist" treats us to a discussion of his new book, Fermentation Journeys. We talk about food writing and favorite food writers, the benefits of fermentation, being an adventurer in the kitchen, and what's fermenting in his refrigerator.

Coming soon at Esalen:

Gratitude Healing Wisdom for Modern Times
Join wisdom keeper Erika Gagnon November 8–12 for Healing Wisdom For Modern Times: You are Your Greatest Healer, a sacred journey to explore the healing wisdom of the “Americas.” Students will learn about the importance of ancestral lineage, rites of passage, ceremonies and rituals, sacred altars, medicinal plants, and the origins of dis-ease in our physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual bodies. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a water prayer blessing, a sound healing journey, and a traditional South American healing ceremony.

Book your spot now: https://www.esalen.org/workshops/healing-wisdom-for-modern-times-you-are-your-greatest-healer-110821

Esalen End of Year Campaign: Help Us Make 300 New Friends 
Last year, Friends of Esalen helped us to survive closures due to the pandemic, fires and mudslides.  We're here today because of our friends. When you become a Friend of Esalen with a donation, your contribution helps us finance our day to day operations in Big Sur-from staff to infrastructure. This year, our goal is to raise 450K and make 300 new friends so that we can continue to keep our doors open for generations to come.  

Become A Friend Now: https://www.esalen.org/give

Becoming Of The Land: Right Relationship Without Dominance - Understanding The Terrains We Inhabit
In this workshop which runs from December 17-20 Vivien Sansour will guide students to humble themselves so they can become one with the ground under their feet, and listen to the world around them. Through a series of exercises that involve contemplation, walking meditation, and explorations of plants, writing, and storytelling, students will unlock the sacred trilogy of bird, soil, and plant in order to develop a deeper understanding of the terrain.


Sign Up Today https://www.esalen.org/workshops/becoming-of-the-land-right-relationship-without-dominance-understanding-the-terrains-we-inhabit

Sandor Katz: Fermentation Journeys

Jazsalyn is the creative and curatorial Director of black beyond, a radical space for artists and activists to define alternate realities for Blackness. As an anti-disciplinary artist, she combines new media and community organizing practices to reimagine Black futures and to decolonize and re-indigenize social and creative practice. Her work has been featured in CULTURED Magazine, Vogue, The New Yorker, and Huffington Post.

Jazsalyn was interviewed for today’s episode by Michelle McCrary.  Michelle is a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, mother, wife, and friend who lives on occupied Duwamish land in the Pacific Northwest.  She has roots in Coastal Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  When she's not leading the Communications team at Esalen, she's training to become a facilitator with the Healing and Reconciliation Institute, tending to her winter garden, reading her way through a massive pile of books on her nightstand, and working on the screenplay for her horror anthology. 

some links from this great conversation: 


SUPPORT
black beyond at https://www.nyfa.org/

EXPLORE
https://newart.city/show/blackbeyond XR on New Art City

SHOP
black beyond 
https://blackbeyond.myshopify.com/

FOLLOW
https://www.blackbeyond.xyz/
Instagram @blackbeyond_
Twitter @blackbeyond_
#blackbeyond

And here’s a dublab mix from black beyond — alternate realities
Featured artist KESSWA reps Detroit and explores afro surrealist soundscapes across genres on this continuum of alternate realities.

https://www.dublab.com/archive/black-beyond-alternate-realities-w-kesswa-07-28-21

And in Esalen news: 
 
Last year, Friends of Esalen helped us to survive closures due to the pandemic, fires and mudslides.  We're here today because of you. When you become a Friend of Esalen with a donation, your contribution helps us finance our day to day operations in Big Sur-from staff to infrastructure. This year, our goal is to raise 450K and make 300 new friends so that we can continue to keep our doors open for generations to come.  

Become A Friend Now: https://www.esalen.org/give


 Give Yourself the Gift of More Time

Are you ready to gift yourself more time at Esalen this winter season? With the weeklong Self-Guided Exploration program, you’ll have more time to learn, connect, and reflect. Spend five days and four nights in Big Sur and soak in the baths, experience Esalen massage, and explore our menu of open classes. 

As an added bonus, when you reserve premium plus, point house, and point house plus accomodations for a weeklong Self-Guided Exploration program, an Esalen Massage will be included with your stay. You’ll receive the promo code for your complimentary massage in your confirmation email after booking your stay. Dates from November to December are still available, but going fast.  

Book now  https://www.esalen.org/learn/self-guided-explorations

A New Way To Experience Esalen

If you can’t come to Big Sur, our Digital Extended Education Program (DEEP) offers an online Esalen workshop you can experience from the comfort of your home. The first six-week workshop, We’re All Gonna Die, led by Reverend Bodhi Be, kicks off on January 10, 2022. Bodhi will lead students through an exploration of how a healthy life includes a healthy relationship to death, how that awareness can help shape who we are as a community, and how we care for each other now and when we are dying.  

The second online course, Moon Lodge, begins January 17, 2022. Moon Lodge is a six-week online workshop focused on celebrating the body of Woman+ and the sacred feminine within. Through ritual practices, instructors Lucia Horan and Dr. Julia Von will share in the sisterhood of humanity and all that it encompasses. 

Register Now for We’re All Gonna Die

https://www.esalen.org/online/were-all-gonna-die

Register Now for Moon Lodge

https://www.esalen.org/online/moon-lodge-2022

Jazsalyn: black beyond

Jeff Kripal is a historian of religions - his work includes the study of comparative erotics and ethics in mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religions, and the history of Western esotericism from gnosticism to New Age religions. He’s also the author of the book "Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion" - a must read for anyone interested in unpacking the conditions of history surrounding Esalen’s birth in the early sixties. 

This interview was originally published in 2016. 

Coming up at Esalen:

The Embodied Life™: Presencing and Re-Visioning. December 10 to 12th 2021, with Russell Delman and Linda Evans Delman. Connect present moment awareness with your intentions and dreams for the future to create a truthful and meaningful life. Experience embodied mediation, guided inquiry, and embodied movement practices like Feldenkrais, a set of neurologically based motor sequences that invite a deepening of body awareness. Sign up at: 

https://www.esalen.org/workshops/the-embodied-life-tm-presencing-and-re-visioning

Gestalt Practice & Principles: Cultivating Embodied Wholeness in Daily Life. December 13 -17 , 2021

During this workshop we will explore the rich practices and principles of Gestalt Practice, apply them to daily life, and begin to experience the simple yet profound potential for growth towards authentic wholeness and radical aliveness.

Gestalt Practice cultivates curiosity, equanimity, and acceptance with greater choice for creative possibilities. Rather than focusing on “fixing”, a “cure”, or seeking “accomplishment”, this approach offers methods to aid you in:

    Cultivating awareness and embodied presence;
    Growing responsiveness, resilience, and choice;
    Trusting in your organism’s inherent capacity for self-regulation and co-regulation.

Sign up at: 

https://www.esalen.org/workshops/gestalt-practice-principles-cultivating-embodied-wholeness-in-daily-life

Esalen End of Year Campaign - 

Help Us Make 300 New Friends 

Last year, Friends of Esalen helped us to survive closures due to the pandemic, fires and mudslides.  We're here today because of our friends. When you become a Friend of Esalen with a donation, your contribution helps us finance our day to day operations in Big Sur-from staff to infrastructure. This year, our goal is to raise 450K and make 300 new friends so that we can continue to keep our doors open for generations to come.  

Become A Friend Now: https://www.esalen.org/give

Encore Presentation: Dr. Jeffrey Kripal on the Cultural History of Esalen

Jon Hopkins is a Grammy-nominated electronic musician and producer who’s collaborated with the likes of Brian Eno and Coldplay, scored award winning films such as Gareth Edwards’ "Monsters," and has recently released his sixth studio album, Music For Psychedelic Therapy, which aims to function as a trusted and luminous guide for an hour-long psychedelic experience. We unpack his creative process and hopes for this hour-long album, which is specifically designed to mirror length of a therapeutic ketamine journey. We also got into a fascinating conversation about what other recording artists provided inspiration for creating music for psychedelic journeys.

Coming Soon at Esalen: 

If you can’t come to Big Sur, our Digital Extended Education Program (DEEP) will offer an online Esalen workshop you can experience from the comfort of your home. The first six-week online workshop, We’re All Gonna Die, led by Bodhi Be, kicks off on January 10, 2022. Bodhi Be will lead students through an exploration of how a healthy life includes a healthy relationship to death, how that awareness can help shape who we are as a community, and how we care for each other now and when we are dying.  

The second online course, Moon Lodge, begins January 17, 2022. Moon Lodge is a six-week online workshop focused on celebrating the body of Woman+ and the sacred feminine within. Through ritual practices, instructors Lucia Horan and Dr. Julia Von will share in the sisterhood of humanity and all that it encompasses. 

https://www.esalen.org/learn


Live and learn at Esalen for 4 weeks as part of our re-imagined four-week experience, the Live Extended Education Program (L.E.E.P.).  L.E.E.P. IS designed for people who want to explore new ways of thinking and being.
Under the guidance of our skilled, compassionate faculty and surrounded by a cohort of twelve other learners, students will be challenged to expand their personal growth edges and open up to greater discoveries of self and community.  The first program cohort begins January 15 and runs to February 11.  Applications are now open.  
Learn more and apply today. 

https://www.esalen.org/learn 

 Esalen End of Year Campaign: You Can Still Help Us Reach Our Goal

There’s still time to help us reach our goal to raise 450K by the end of 2021.  Please consider making a donation today.  You can become a paid Friend of Esalen or you can do your holiday shopping with us in person or online to help us reach our goal. Every contribution ensures that  we can continue to keep our doors open for generations to come.  

Donate Today: https://www.esalen.org/give

Jon Hopkins: Music for Psychedelic Therapy

A glimpse under the hood at Voices of Esalen. Host Sam Stern interviews himself, entertaining questions such as How and why did you start Voices of Esalen - What was the first episode of the show and what was it about ? - Were the first episodes popular ? How many people listened to them? - What are your favorite podcasts and who are your favorite hosts? - Who have been some of your favorite people to talk to? - What is the most challenging thing about hosting a podcast ? - What episode gave you some simple practical advice? - What concepts have you most appreciated being exposed to while talking to your guests? - Who would you consider your wisest teacher? - What is your recording set up like ? - Who created your theme music? - What mistakes did you use to make as a host that you don’t make now? - What have been the hardest interviews you did,  hosting Voices of Esalen ? - Do you have any advice for folks who might want to start their own podcast ? - And what will you be focusing on for most of this year’s interviews? Listen and learn about the show's evolution. 

. . .

Coming up at Esalen:

A New Way To Experience Esalen
If you can’t come to Big Sur, our Digital Extended Education Program (DEEP) will offer an online Esalen workshop you can experience from the comfort of your home. The first six-week online workshop, We’re All Gonna Die, led by Bodhi Be, kicks off on January 10, 2022. Bodhi Be will lead students through an exploration of how a healthy life includes a healthy relationship to death, how that awareness can help shape who we are as a community, and how we care for each other now and when we are dying.  

The second online course, Moon Lodge, begins January 17, 2022. Moon Lodge is a six-week online workshop focused on celebrating the body of Woman+ and the sacred feminine within. Through ritual practices, instructors Lucia Horan and Dr. Julia Von will share in the sisterhood of humanity and all that it encompasses. 

https://www.esalen.org 


Do You Really Understand Tantra? 
Have you ever wondered if your own mind and body may hold the key to unlocking a path to transformation? Today the word “Tantra” has an incredibly array of culture-specific meanings in South Asia and around the world, ranging from the exploration of anything strange, to the carrying out of a guru’s instructions, and yes — also to sexual practices. One overarching meaning that encompasses all is this: Tantra, as an applied method of acquiring freedom from external interference and of obtaining self-sovereignty (Sanskrit: svādhikāra) along this very path to transformation. 

Join Tantric scholar-practitioners Sravana Borkataky-Varma and Keith Cantú for this fascinating new workshop, the first of a signature series on Tantra, and explore the foundations of Tantric theory and practice. Bring an open mind as we explore deep questions about our bodies and minds in a safe space and nurturing environment.

Enroll in the Tantra workshop today at https://www.esalen.org 



Live and learn at Esalen for 4 weeks as part of our re-imagined four-week experience, the Live Extended Education Program (L.E.E.P.).  L.E.E.P. IS designed for people who want to explore new ways of thinking and being.
Under the guidance of our skilled, compassionate faculty and surrounded by a cohort of twelve other learners, students will be challenged to expand their personal growth edges and open up to greater discoveries of self and community.  The first program cohort begins January 15 and runs to February 11.  Applications are now open.  
Learn more and apply today at https://www.esalen.org

Q and A with Sam

Payton Nyvquest is Co-founder and CEO of Numinus, a for-profit psychedelic company based in Canada that empowers people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies. Payton has more than 15 years experience working in finance, investment and retail banking. He pivoted to the emerging psychedelics industry not long after ayuasahca helped him experience deep relief from a lifelong battle with chronic pain. At Numinus, he guides teams in strategy, innovation, research and clinic network expansion and is responsible for raising more than $70 million for Numinus in the past year. 

Together we talked about the difference between a for-profit and non-profit psychedelic organization, how he works in conjunction with MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (which is a non profit), how he sees psychedelic services intersecting with existing health care protocols in the united states, why Numinus is a publicly traded company, why he believes his company’s stock price will rise, and how being a father to a young child has influenced the direction his life has taken. 

Coming soon at Esalen:

Live and learn at Esalen for 4 weeks as part of our Live Extended Education Program or L.E.E.P.  Under the guidance of our skilled faculty and surrounded by a cohort of twelve other learners, students will be challenged to expand their personal growth edges and open up to greater discoveries of self and community. Our next program cohort runs from February 12 to March 11. Participants will study Esalen® Massage: Principles and Practice, with Brita Ostrom, Oliver Bailey, and Char Pias. Applications are now open, so go to 

https://www.esalen.org/learn

Payton Nyquvest: Psychedelic Healing and Psychedelic Therapy in the For-Profit Space

“All of these sort of regular things that biotech companies do, like snapping up patents so that they can get investor dollars moving forward, they’re intersecting with this culture in the psychedelics world, which is sort of anti-ownership. These forces will clash. They oppose with one another.”  - Shayla Love, Vice Media 

Shayla Love is a senior staff writer at Vice Media whose writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, the Guardian, and more. Her recent focus has been the field of psychedelics and how they exist and interact with the forces of what some refer to as late-stage capitalism. Shayla discussed whether there is a way to corporatize psychedelics responsibly, who has the most to gain in the new landscape of psychedelic capitalism, why the for-profit entity known as Compass Pathways attempted to patent a form of synthetic psilocybin, how and why the accompanying challenge to this patent from a group called FTO, or Freedom to Operate, originated, whether state decriminalization of psychedelics is at odds with federal medicalization, and more. 

Coming Soon at Esalen:

Live and learn at Esalen for 4 weeks as part of our Live Extended Education Program or L.E.E.P.  Under the guidance of our skilled faculty and surrounded by a cohort of twelve other learners, students will be challenged to expand their personal growth edges and open up to greater discoveries of self and community. Learn more and apply, at https://www.esalen.org

Integration From the Core: Embodiment through Yoga, Dance, and Sound Meditation. Drawing on the embodied practices of yoga, pranayama , sound meditation, and conscious dance, reconnect your bodies and minds, digest your feelings and emotions, and open yourselves to the wisdom of your heart. Led by Jovinna Chan. Learn more or apply now at https://www.esalen.org.

Shayla Love: The High-Stakes Game of Psychedelic Capitalism

Dr. Adele Lafrance is a clinical psychologist, research scientist, and a leader in the research and practice of psychedelic medicine. Currently, she is the clinical investigator and strategy lead for the MAPS-sponsored MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study for eating disorders and a collaborator on the Imperial College study for psilocybin and anorexia nervosa.  

We talked about her history as a clinician, and why she believes psychedelics may offer a different and perhaps more successful way of treating eating disorders than traditional methods. We also spoke about a system she developed known as emotion-focused family therapy. Dr. Lafrance believes emotion focused family therapy can used effectively in conjunction with psychedelic therapy to treat eating disorders.

https://dradelelafrance.com/

Coming soon at Esalen - 

The new LEEP program. Live and learn at Esalen for 4 weeks as part of our Live Extended Education Program, or L.E.E.P.  Under the guidance of our skilled faculty and surrounded by a cohort of twelve other learners, students will be challenged to expand their personal growth edges and open up to greater discoveries of self and community.

THE STUDY COMPONENT
Engage in a rigorous course of study, up to 26 hours per week over the span of four weeks. Daily deep dives led by world-class faculty members allow you to learn heartfully about the essential teachings and practices of Esalen. 

Areas of study may include Gestalt practices, massage, somatics, yoga, leadership, and more.

THE SERVICE COMPONENT
As a cement to your studies into body and mind, you will be required to dedicate 26 hours of service each week in one of Esalen’s operational departments. The campus is rugged and students should anticipate robust physical activity.

Areas of service are assigned and hours are typically performed in the kitchen or housekeeping.

https://www.esalen.org/learn/live-extended-education-program

Dr. Adele Lafrance on Psychedelic Therapy for Eating Disorders

Ismail Lourido Ali, J.D. is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Ismail advocates to eliminate barriers to psychedelic therapy and research, develops and implements legal and policy strategy, and supports MAPS’ strategy, organizational development, and ethics work. Ismail is a founding Board member of the Psychedelic Bar Association and also presently serves on the Board of Directors for Sage Institute in the California Bay Area. Ismail advises, is formally affiliated with, or has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations in the drug policy reform ecosystem, including Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Chacruna Institute, and the Ayahuasca Defense Fund. In addition, Ismail works with clients on legal matters related to the religious use of psychedelics as sacrament.

Together we talked about the remaining legal hurdles before MDMA-assisted therapy is FDA approved, why state legislatures (like Texas!) are beginning to experiment with psychedelic policy, why the DEA just Proposed Adding five more psychedelics to the list of Schedule 1 controlled substances, and much more. Great interview, great guy, so much to learn. 

. . . 

Coming soon at Esalen:
Spring Equinox: Journey Through the Chakras With Sacred Sound & Wonder - March 21, 2022 - March 25, 2022 with Deva Munay.
Sacred Sound & Wonder invites you to celebrate the first week of Spring as we find connection, levity, and light through the alchemy of crystal singing bowls and sound healing.
Each day will include a blend of nourishing sound journeys, experiential activities, breathwork, movement, journaling, and group discussion. We welcome you to unwind, connect, and feel empowered to bring new practices home with you to restore your balance and connectivity to yourself and the world around you.
Learn more and apply today at 
https://www.esalen.org/workshops/spring-equinox-journey-through-the-chakras-with-sacred-sound-wonder
. . .

Wild Pilgrimage: Backpacking Journey to Esalen (Integration Weekend for April 10-17 Wildtender Program)
April 15, 2022- April 17, 2022 with Fletcher Tucker and Emily Linders
Embark on an intentional wilderness journey through the sublime and seldom-traveled backcountry of Big Sur, concluding at the coastal grounds of Esalen. Among the fleeting gifts of Spring – free-flowing creeks, boundless wildflower fields and vibrant wildlife – immerse in the wild with an intimate cohort (up to twelve participants), practice awareness and community, and learn fundamental skills to feel at home on the earth.
Learn more and apply at 
https://www.esalen.org/workshops/wild-pilgrimage-backpacking-journey-to-esalen-integration-weekend-for-april-10-17-wildtender-program

Ismail Ali: A Psychedelic Policy Deep-Dive

Xochitl Ashe is a Medicine Woman in the Peruvian Andean tradition and has worked with sacred plant medicines since the time of her initiation.  At 16 years old, she became the first female of five generations of men to be initiated into the healing traditions of her Peruvian ancestral lineage. Xochitl is the founder of an Indigenous women owned retreat company that offers legal Mazatec Psilocybin Mushroom Retreats in Mexico. Her mission is to honor the traditional indigenous knowledge and ceremony of sacred plant medicine to provide authentic and powerful life changing experiences.

Xochitl's website: https://www.xochitlashe.com

Xochitl's Instagram: @xochitlashe

Xochitl Ashe on Ancestors, Generational Trauma, and Indigenous Perspectives on Psychedelic Healing

Laura Mae Northrup is a somatic psychotherapist, educator, podcaster, and author. Laura has been a guest on this show before, in 2020, when we discussed her podcast "Inside Eyes", a one-season tour de force that focuses on people using entheogens and psychedelics to heal from sexual trauma. She is now the author of a new book, "Radical Healership: How to Build a Values-driven Healing Practice in a Profit-Driven World." Northrup views healing work and healing practitioners through a spiritual and political lens, as they do battle with the forces of capitalism while attempting to heal their clients and take care of themselves, all at the same time. 

Find Laura on the web at https://www.lauramaenorthrup.com/

Check out Radical Healership : 

https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/radical-healership/

Laura Mae Northrup: Radical Healership

Today we celebrate Bicycle Day, a modern semi-holiday (unrecognized by official governmental agencies yet observed by psychedelic enthusiasts across the globe) that commemorates Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman’s bike ride home from his lab on April 19th, 1943, after ingesting 250 micrograms of lysergic acid diethlymide, and in the process creating the world's first recorded intentional LSD trip. When Hoffman originally synthesized the compound in 1938, in the Sandoz Pharmeacuticals laboratory, in Basel, he had deemed it next to useless, and put it up on the shelf to be forgotten - but five years later, something within him told him to take a second look. The rest, as they say, is history. 
Today’s Voices of Esalen episode is a treasure drawn from our extensive archives - an interview with Albert Hoffman himself, conducted by none other than Stanislav Grof, sometimes known as the godfather of LSD psychotherapy. Grof was a Czechoslovakian psychoanalyst who was enormously influenced by Hoffman’s discovery of LSD; in his research in Czechoslovakia he oversaw tens of thousands of supervised therapeutic LSD trips. Grof would emigrate to the United States in the late 1960’s, a move precipitated by the Soviet invasion of his country. Grof spent more than ten years as a teacher in residence at the Esalen Institute during the 1970’s and 80’s, where he developed the practice of holotropic breath work and became one of the founders of the school of transpersonal psychology. In this interview, Grof and Hoffman explore a host of topics, including Hoffman’s discovery of LSD and how on his first trip, Hoffman freaked out and thought he was going insane, then thought he was dying; how Hoffman then became aware that his new discovery would have immense significance to the field of psychiatry; why Hoffman believed LSD could be used as a model psychosis and a way to study schizophrenia; how Hoffman collaborated with amateur mycologist R. Gordon Wasson to create a synthetic version of so-called magic mushrooms, which would be known as psilocybin; how Hoffman traveled to Mexico to deliver this modern version of mushrooms to the famed curandera Maria Sabina, who had introduced Wasson to the mushrooms in the first place, and more. They end this interview by speaking about Hoffman’s reaction to the way LSD escaped the laboratory and infiltrated culture during the turbulent 1960s. 
This interview was conducted at Esalen Institute in 1984 - just one part of the ever evolving and complex tapestry of history that unfolded here in Big Sur.

Albert Hoffman: Bicycle Day

Encore : Dr. Han Ren is a practitioner of decolonial mental health: she offers liberation-oriented, anti-oppressive, culturally informed therapy, and practices from a justice-oriented, systems-informed framework. Some of her specialties include Asian-American mental health, anxiety, perfectionism, high achievers, children of immigrants/third culture kids, anti-racism, and parenting. Dr. Ren is also a force to be reckoned with on TikTok, amassing a large following on a platform she uses in an attempt to make therapy accessible and applicable to our everyday lives. 

Together we talked about how white supremacy can be internalized, what it looks like when you center BIPOC mental health in treatment, how one decolonizes language, the conceptual shift from a dyadic trauma perspective to a more collective, societal notion of trauma, and her struggles as a recovering perfectionist.

https://www.drhanren.com

Encore Presentation: Dr. Han Ren on Decolonizing Mental Health

Senti Sojwal and Tiffany Diane Tso are founding members of the Asian American Feminist Collective, a grassroots racial and gender justice group that works to interrogate and dismantle systems of racism, patriarchy, and capitalism, telling their stories through various modes of feminist media while providing spaces for identity exploration, political education, community building, and advocacy. 

https://www.asianamfeminism.org

In our conversation we explored a host of topics, including the legacy of feminist activism that undergirds their work, the intersectional identities that inform the AAFC, how Black feminist thought has influenced them, their hashtag #ThisisAsianAmerica (on Instagram), how reproductive justice is key to understanding how colonial power functions, what tokenism is and how it differs from genuine inclusion, and how allyship can actually work in a useful, non-performative way.  in their words, Asian American feminism in an ever-evolving practice that seeks to address the multi-dimensional ways Asian American people confront systems of power at the intersections of race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, disability, migration history and citizenship status.

Check out their amazing zines and resource page: 

https://www.asianamfeminism.org/resources

Instagram: @aafc.nyc

Twitter: @aafcollective

Asian American Feminist Collective on Intersectionality, Sexuality, Reproductive Rights, and Justice

Mary Sanders is a founding board member of the People of Color Psychedelic Collective, an organization that provides psychedelic education to historically marginalized communities in order to foster empowerment and healing. She is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in exploring the depths of transgenerational trauma and, in her words, peeling off layers of oppression and cultural conditioning. She is certified in psychedelic-assisted therapies and believes that plant medicines can serve as tools to effectively heal trauma. During our discussion we talked about her experiences as the only black person in psychedelic circles, and what constitutes a safe space for her as she attempts to explore her own healing. we also touched upon what kind of barriers have to be dismantled for BIPOC folks to access psychedelic-assisted therapy, why there’s often an earned skepticism in communities of color around psychedelics studies, how the war on drugs has affected people who might seek psychedelic therapy, what trends in psychedelic research and psychedelic training education she finds especially intriguing, and what she wishes a majority white populace might do to create a more easeful experience around psychedelic healing for folks of color. 

POCPC: https://www.pocpc.org/resources

Mary Sanders: https://www.empath-center.com/read-me

Mary Sanders on the People of Color Psychedelic Collective and Healing Transgenerational Trauma

D’Lo is a queer/transgender Tamil Sri Lankan-American actor/writer/comic whose work ranges from stand-up comedy and solo theater to plays, films, short stories and poetry. His acting credits include: LOOKING, TRANSPARENT, SENSE 8, Mr. ROBOT and Issa Rae-produced MINIMUM WAGE. 

His solo show “To T or Not to T” premieres June 25th at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles. Together we talked about transmasculinity and what it’s like being a trans man in a  world dominated by toxic masculinity, his relationship with his mother and father, his journey from gender nonconforming to someone who passed as male, what cis gender folks should never EVER ask about being trans, who he makes his work for, what solo performers inspire him (Whoopi and Leguziamo!), how hip hop was his ally, how he became politicized as a kid growing up in Lancaster, California , and what is his secret superpower as a comic.

https://www.dlocokid.com

D'Lo: Being a Trans Man in a World of Toxic Masculinity

Reverend Erika Allison is a queer interfaith minister and the author of the memoir "Gay the Pray Away: Healing your Life, Love, and Relationships from the Harms of LBGT Conversion Therapy." We spoke about her personal journey of healing after being sent to conversion therapy as a teenager in Texas, the coping strategies she developed after experiencing the trauma of identity harm, the state of conversion therapy in the United States today, how few practices harm teens more than attempts to change their sexual preference or gender identity, how a search for her mother’s approval led to a string of serial monogamous relationships, her path to becoming an interfaith minister, how this book landed with her parents, and her current mission to empower the queer community through spiritual liberation.

http://reverikaallison.com

Reverend Erika Allison: Gay the Pray Away - Healing from LGBT Conversion Therapy

Dr. Deborah Egerton is a psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, author, coach, and spiritual teacher. She brings a focus of inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism to her enneagram work and uses that focus to help individuals and organizations release false historical narratives and open their minds and hearts to a more compassionate and connected approach to life. Her work with The Enneagram and Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-racism (IDEA) is designed to help heal our fractured society one connection at a time with compassion, respect, and awareness.  Dr. Egerton uses the Enneagram as a mechanism for social justice and anti-racism to reconnect people across all dimensions of diversity, acknowledging and respecting the humanity in us all.

https://www.deborahegerton.com/

Dr. Deborah Egerton on Using the Enneagram for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

Welcome to a Voices of Esalen archive edition. Our featured lecture was delivered at Esalen as a part of a weeklong training in 2018, by wise teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman. 

Jack Kornfield is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma, and has taught meditation internationally since 1974 .After graduating from Dartmouth College in Asian Studies in 1967 he joined the Peace Corps and worked on tropical medicine teams in the Mekong River valley. He later met and studied as a monk under the Buddhist master Ajahn Chah. Returning to the United States, Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein . His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies. They include, A Wise Heart,  Living Dharma; and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. 

Trudy Goodman has devoted much of her life to practicing Buddhist meditation. She is one of the earliest teachers of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and co-taught with Jon Kabat-Zinn at the MBSR clinic at University of Massachusetts Medical School. In 1995 she co-founded the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, the first center in the world dedicated to exploring the synergy of these two disciplines. 

From 1991 to 1998, Trudy was a resident Zen teacher at the Cambridge Buddhist Association. She then moved to Los Angeles and founded InsightLA, the first center in the world to combine training in both Buddhist Insight (Vipassana) Meditation and nonsectarian mindfulness and compassion practices. 

After becoming a mother, Trudy co-founded a school for distressed children, practicing mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, parents, teenagers, couples and individuals.

She has trained a generation of teachers, mindfulness humanitarians who make mindfulness and meditation classes available for professional caregivers, social justice and environmental activists,  unsung individuals working on the front lines of suffering – all done with tenderness, courage and a simple commitment to holding hands together.

(Side note: She is also the voice of “Trudy the Love Barbarian” on the Netflix series Midnight Gospel.)

This is an wonderful talk. They cover so much, including how we may misuse mindfulness, how thought is a great servant but not a great master, how we may navigate living in this life of 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. Also, Jack and Trudy are married, for those who don’t know, and they comment insightfully on their relationship during the question and answer section of this talk. 

A final note: at one point, Jack and Trudy comment on an Esalen community member who died unexpectedly in 2018. They are in fact referring to Weston Call, who was a friend to so many people at Esalen and in Big Sur. This episode is dedicated to his memory.

Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman: Hatred Never Ceases by Hatred

Akuyoe Graham is founder of the Spirit Awakening Foundation, an arts based non-profit dedicated to helping underserved youth in the juvenile justice system. Since its inception in 1995, SAF has been a pioneer in developing and offering restorative, trauma-informed, prevention and intervention programs to underserved, incarcerated and systems-involved youth in Los Angeles County. 

Akuyoe speaks about how difficult and broken the juvenile justice system is, what tools she gives the participants in her program to empower them, including meditation, writing, and dramatic arts, and how the young people of Spirit Awakening Foundation have come several times to Esalen institute for a leadership retreat of their own.  This episode contains bonus material from a recent conversation that is a follow-up to the original 2021 interview. 

Spirit Awakening Foundation: https://www.spiritawakening.org/
Donate: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/spirit-awakening-foundation

Encore Presentation: Akuyoe Graham on Spirit Awakening Foundation and Esalen

Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., is the founder of Internal Family Systems, a unique and astoundingly effective modality of psychotherapy that focuses on the various parts within a person. Internal Family Systems, or IFS, views multiplicity of mind as our natural state and our “parts” as sub-personalities that may be healed and transformed by bringing the Self into its rightful role as leader of the internal system. In this interview, he guides Sam through some transformational trauma work.

Dr. Richard Schwartz: Internal Family Systems

"Voices of Esalen" features provocative, in-depth interviews with the dynamic leaders, teachers, and thinkers who reflect the mission of the Esalen Institute.

For more about the Esalen Institute, head to esalen.org 

Follow Esalen on Facebook and Twitter

Voices of Esalen

Popular tracks