I thought I would provide a testimony about my trip to Esalen on the coast at Big Sur, California. I only went for a weekend (so far) but it is in my blood. Maybe you have to be a hippy at heart for it to pour through your veins, but I was right at home, nude bath house, and all. It is a mecca, a communal environment, if you will; they provide some of the finest food I have ever enjoyed, much of it from the garden on site. The food, as well as the workshops nurture and nourish the very essence of who you are, or maybe who you are to become. I have included pictures of Esalen and the coast to give you an idea of the peace that one can enjoy on the property. I encourage you to do some research on your own to find out about the history of the land and it's people.
The pictures you see here are of: first the meditation building, which you can see in the picture above with the waterfall, the bath house, including the shower area, deck with massage tables, and an overlook of the bath house hanging over the rocky landfall. I can assure you having a massage listening to the waves spilling in over the rocks is unforgettable. Giving a massage in that space, too, is energizing. I intend on traveling back to Esalen before the end of the year, and hopefully again in the spring. We did massage trades at 8 am the two mornings and once later in the evening. Of course we did group work one evening, as part of the workshop.
While I was there, a whale spouted past and a large group of sea otters rested among the sea weed and kelp to feed. I don't know if it was the same otters or not but there were numbers from a couple dozen to over a hundred, over the two and a half days I was there. I even watched one swim up the the beach and begin walking about, at least until he saw he was being watched. A couple of the guys in our group even saw dolphins swim close by.
