The 120 acres of rich land nestled between a mountain and the sea, with hot mineral springs spilling out of a seashore cliff, is a wonder in and of itself.
Late-May afternoons in Big Sur with their delicate air, July’s midnight mist, and February’s deluging rain all come to mind. October nights can be so beautiful that you can see the Milky Way as you stroll along the garden path in the dark. A constant reminder that you are a part of something much larger is the sound of the water.
Then there are the locals, who reside there and cherish the environment. the sociologists, theologians, psychologists, artists, dancers, and writers who all have something special to impart on our understanding of what it is to be human. And the additional 750,000 people who came from all over the world in search of inspiration, intellectual freedom, and the chance to discover their true selves in the company of other seekers. They travel there to connect, to dance, and to meditate, to invent, to ponder, and to consider, to become clear. They depart transformed and ready to alter the course of history.
A holistic education
Esalen is a center that provides comfort and space for internal inquiry and emergent development among the untamed beauty of Big Sur’s spectacular mountain range and sparkling shoreline. The non-profit organization was founded in 1962 and serves as a safe haven for discovery that involves taking chances and mending vulnerabilities. Here one can navigate subtlety, wrestle with complexity, and sit inside paradox. It is anchored by the stunning beauty of Mother Nature and an unparalleled intellectual history. In this place, people embrace the messy, flawed process of developing their highest humanity.
Esalen strives to be a preeminent hub for discovering and fulfilling human potential through experience, instruction, and study. They search for solutions to issues that are unlikely to be addressed by conventional academic institutions and religious institutions as they fight to create a more just, imaginative, and sustainable world. For residents, interns, and attendees of workshops, Esalen sponsors innovative projects and provides personal, spiritual, and social change programs.
Theory & Research Center
The Esalen Center for Theory & Research’s (CTR) objectives cover a broad spectrum of commitments, initiatives, and interests. As vision without action is lame and action without vision is blind, one of these is the formation of a new worldview that can make sense of all of this and a transformative practice that can embody it. To foster and promote an emergent “school” where philosophy, research, and practice will co-evolve to express our latent supernature, CTR has created the campaign “Toward a New Worldview.”