For April, we’re focused on the concept of healing and the myriad ways Esalen’s visitors can mend from life’s many wounds while here on campus. There are many paths to recovery and transformation — and multiple dimensions that require us to harness powerful forces to achieve some form of restoration. To this end, we’ve selected five books with varied themes, disparate concerns, and radically diverse forms of healing, though ultimately the peace and harmony they are reaching for are all part of a very unified whole.
By Shamini Jain
This Esalen faculty member (with her next workshop slated for September) and founder and CEO of the nonprofit Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI) — who also happens to be an award-winning research scientist in psychoneuroimmunology and integrative medicine — combines cutting-edge breakthroughs, ancient wisdom, and her own personal journey for an integrative new vision of self-healing. In the author’s own words: “We are on the cusp of finally becoming awake to our human healing potential. A growing number of scientists are exploring a new path ― a true expansion of science joined with understandings from ancient concepts of spirituality.”
Readers will be fascinated by the concept of biofield science — the relationship between consciousness and health —and the way Jain synthesizes Eastern philosophy and Western medicine. There are also practical step-by-step applications within these pages, a duality that makes it a literal life-changing read.
By Danny Angelo Fluker Jr
This bold, beautifully packaged journal, designed to help Black men live authentically in their Black manhood, divides helpful writing prompts into six sections for readers to “Reflect on Who You Are,” “Acknowledge Your Pain,” “Treat Yourself with Kindness,” “Dare to Think Positively,” “Take Care of Your Whole Self,” and “Step into Your Power.” Fluker, a meditation and yoga instructor and founder of Black Boys OM (a non-profit organization serving the wellness practice of black boys and black men), provides easy-to-do exercises, quizzes, and themes centered around identity, emotions, self-compassion, positive thinking, self-confidence, and pride. This journal is an invaluable tool for a community of humans who aren’t given nearly enough space and voice within the wellness and healing worlds. The perfect place to start or continue a self-help journey, which, the author (and current REEP participant) writes, requires facing “the residual impact of historical, cultural, communal, and systematic effects on our person.”
By David Attenborough
“See the world. Then make it better.” Try to hear that simple-yet-perfect mission statement in the soothing accent of now-96-year-old Sir David Attenborough, the acclaimed nature historian and iconic world treasure. This companion to the BBC/Netflix documentary tracks the drastic environmental changes and challenges this award-winning broadcaster has seen in his single lifetime. (When Attenborough was in his early 40s — just a fraction of a second, historically speaking — the world population stood at 3.5 billion, atmospheric carbon was 323 parts per million, and the remaining wilderness was 59 percent. (If you dare compare those figures with today’s, prepare forswift and sudden alarm.) “We moved from being a part of nature to being apart from nature…we need to reverse that transition.” Part memoir, part lush nature writing, and part manifesto, including irrefutable science and life-saving strategies for our last chance to heal and save Mother Earth — and ourselves.
By Mark Wolynn
It seems the family ties that bind are even tighter and more restrictive than we ever could’ve imagined: Trauma symptoms, such as anxieties, depressions, or obsessive thoughts, can be biologically inherited — embedded in altered DNA —linking to the most painful experiences of parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents. With this groundbreaking and surprisingly accessible book, the leading expert on inherited family trauma provides diagnostic self-inventories and prescriptive methods to create pathways for reconnection and integration. One of the book’s focuses, Wolynn’s “Core Language” approach, is all about identifying the emotionally charged words we use for our fears — “breadcrumbs,” as he calls them — which can pull the entire picture into view.
By Shilpa Ravella
Inflammation, a newly terrifying term, is actually the body’s first line of defense against pathogens and injuries, trapping germs and initiating the healing process. Hidden inflammation, however — a low-level, invisible scourge — causes autoimmune diseases and possibly many, many other plagues, from cancer to obesity, argues gastroenterologist Ravella. What’s worse, our typical Western low-fiber, highly-processed, meat-filled diets provide constant kindling to the simmering blaze. This comprehensive scientific overview contains deeply-researched histories, case studies, and surprising facts about food molecules, but it is also a masterclass in gut health and the links between the immune system and food — while somehow still remaining easily digestible. A must for anyone wishing to improve their overall health with every meal.
Bring home the fresh and woodsy smells of Big Sur with Esalen’s spa & bath products from Terra Spa. Big Sur Woods and our Big Sur Meadow will remind you to continue your self-care at home and delight your senses. The Big Sur Woods scent, made with essential oils in spruce, fir, and cedarwood, captures the magnificent smell of the trees found at Esalen Institute. Come May, guests will find the wash for use in our guest rooms and around property. Both product lines are available for purchase in the on campus store and online.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
For April, we’re focused on the concept of healing and the myriad ways Esalen’s visitors can mend from life’s many wounds while here on campus. There are many paths to recovery and transformation — and multiple dimensions that require us to harness powerful forces to achieve some form of restoration. To this end, we’ve selected five books with varied themes, disparate concerns, and radically diverse forms of healing, though ultimately the peace and harmony they are reaching for are all part of a very unified whole.
By Shamini Jain
This Esalen faculty member (with her next workshop slated for September) and founder and CEO of the nonprofit Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI) — who also happens to be an award-winning research scientist in psychoneuroimmunology and integrative medicine — combines cutting-edge breakthroughs, ancient wisdom, and her own personal journey for an integrative new vision of self-healing. In the author’s own words: “We are on the cusp of finally becoming awake to our human healing potential. A growing number of scientists are exploring a new path ― a true expansion of science joined with understandings from ancient concepts of spirituality.”
Readers will be fascinated by the concept of biofield science — the relationship between consciousness and health —and the way Jain synthesizes Eastern philosophy and Western medicine. There are also practical step-by-step applications within these pages, a duality that makes it a literal life-changing read.
By Danny Angelo Fluker Jr
This bold, beautifully packaged journal, designed to help Black men live authentically in their Black manhood, divides helpful writing prompts into six sections for readers to “Reflect on Who You Are,” “Acknowledge Your Pain,” “Treat Yourself with Kindness,” “Dare to Think Positively,” “Take Care of Your Whole Self,” and “Step into Your Power.” Fluker, a meditation and yoga instructor and founder of Black Boys OM (a non-profit organization serving the wellness practice of black boys and black men), provides easy-to-do exercises, quizzes, and themes centered around identity, emotions, self-compassion, positive thinking, self-confidence, and pride. This journal is an invaluable tool for a community of humans who aren’t given nearly enough space and voice within the wellness and healing worlds. The perfect place to start or continue a self-help journey, which, the author (and current REEP participant) writes, requires facing “the residual impact of historical, cultural, communal, and systematic effects on our person.”
By David Attenborough
“See the world. Then make it better.” Try to hear that simple-yet-perfect mission statement in the soothing accent of now-96-year-old Sir David Attenborough, the acclaimed nature historian and iconic world treasure. This companion to the BBC/Netflix documentary tracks the drastic environmental changes and challenges this award-winning broadcaster has seen in his single lifetime. (When Attenborough was in his early 40s — just a fraction of a second, historically speaking — the world population stood at 3.5 billion, atmospheric carbon was 323 parts per million, and the remaining wilderness was 59 percent. (If you dare compare those figures with today’s, prepare forswift and sudden alarm.) “We moved from being a part of nature to being apart from nature…we need to reverse that transition.” Part memoir, part lush nature writing, and part manifesto, including irrefutable science and life-saving strategies for our last chance to heal and save Mother Earth — and ourselves.
By Mark Wolynn
It seems the family ties that bind are even tighter and more restrictive than we ever could’ve imagined: Trauma symptoms, such as anxieties, depressions, or obsessive thoughts, can be biologically inherited — embedded in altered DNA —linking to the most painful experiences of parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents. With this groundbreaking and surprisingly accessible book, the leading expert on inherited family trauma provides diagnostic self-inventories and prescriptive methods to create pathways for reconnection and integration. One of the book’s focuses, Wolynn’s “Core Language” approach, is all about identifying the emotionally charged words we use for our fears — “breadcrumbs,” as he calls them — which can pull the entire picture into view.
By Shilpa Ravella
Inflammation, a newly terrifying term, is actually the body’s first line of defense against pathogens and injuries, trapping germs and initiating the healing process. Hidden inflammation, however — a low-level, invisible scourge — causes autoimmune diseases and possibly many, many other plagues, from cancer to obesity, argues gastroenterologist Ravella. What’s worse, our typical Western low-fiber, highly-processed, meat-filled diets provide constant kindling to the simmering blaze. This comprehensive scientific overview contains deeply-researched histories, case studies, and surprising facts about food molecules, but it is also a masterclass in gut health and the links between the immune system and food — while somehow still remaining easily digestible. A must for anyone wishing to improve their overall health with every meal.
Bring home the fresh and woodsy smells of Big Sur with Esalen’s spa & bath products from Terra Spa. Big Sur Woods and our Big Sur Meadow will remind you to continue your self-care at home and delight your senses. The Big Sur Woods scent, made with essential oils in spruce, fir, and cedarwood, captures the magnificent smell of the trees found at Esalen Institute. Come May, guests will find the wash for use in our guest rooms and around property. Both product lines are available for purchase in the on campus store and online.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
For April, we’re focused on the concept of healing and the myriad ways Esalen’s visitors can mend from life’s many wounds while here on campus. There are many paths to recovery and transformation — and multiple dimensions that require us to harness powerful forces to achieve some form of restoration. To this end, we’ve selected five books with varied themes, disparate concerns, and radically diverse forms of healing, though ultimately the peace and harmony they are reaching for are all part of a very unified whole.
By Shamini Jain
This Esalen faculty member (with her next workshop slated for September) and founder and CEO of the nonprofit Consciousness and Healing Initiative (CHI) — who also happens to be an award-winning research scientist in psychoneuroimmunology and integrative medicine — combines cutting-edge breakthroughs, ancient wisdom, and her own personal journey for an integrative new vision of self-healing. In the author’s own words: “We are on the cusp of finally becoming awake to our human healing potential. A growing number of scientists are exploring a new path ― a true expansion of science joined with understandings from ancient concepts of spirituality.”
Readers will be fascinated by the concept of biofield science — the relationship between consciousness and health —and the way Jain synthesizes Eastern philosophy and Western medicine. There are also practical step-by-step applications within these pages, a duality that makes it a literal life-changing read.
By Danny Angelo Fluker Jr
This bold, beautifully packaged journal, designed to help Black men live authentically in their Black manhood, divides helpful writing prompts into six sections for readers to “Reflect on Who You Are,” “Acknowledge Your Pain,” “Treat Yourself with Kindness,” “Dare to Think Positively,” “Take Care of Your Whole Self,” and “Step into Your Power.” Fluker, a meditation and yoga instructor and founder of Black Boys OM (a non-profit organization serving the wellness practice of black boys and black men), provides easy-to-do exercises, quizzes, and themes centered around identity, emotions, self-compassion, positive thinking, self-confidence, and pride. This journal is an invaluable tool for a community of humans who aren’t given nearly enough space and voice within the wellness and healing worlds. The perfect place to start or continue a self-help journey, which, the author (and current REEP participant) writes, requires facing “the residual impact of historical, cultural, communal, and systematic effects on our person.”
By David Attenborough
“See the world. Then make it better.” Try to hear that simple-yet-perfect mission statement in the soothing accent of now-96-year-old Sir David Attenborough, the acclaimed nature historian and iconic world treasure. This companion to the BBC/Netflix documentary tracks the drastic environmental changes and challenges this award-winning broadcaster has seen in his single lifetime. (When Attenborough was in his early 40s — just a fraction of a second, historically speaking — the world population stood at 3.5 billion, atmospheric carbon was 323 parts per million, and the remaining wilderness was 59 percent. (If you dare compare those figures with today’s, prepare forswift and sudden alarm.) “We moved from being a part of nature to being apart from nature…we need to reverse that transition.” Part memoir, part lush nature writing, and part manifesto, including irrefutable science and life-saving strategies for our last chance to heal and save Mother Earth — and ourselves.
By Mark Wolynn
It seems the family ties that bind are even tighter and more restrictive than we ever could’ve imagined: Trauma symptoms, such as anxieties, depressions, or obsessive thoughts, can be biologically inherited — embedded in altered DNA —linking to the most painful experiences of parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents. With this groundbreaking and surprisingly accessible book, the leading expert on inherited family trauma provides diagnostic self-inventories and prescriptive methods to create pathways for reconnection and integration. One of the book’s focuses, Wolynn’s “Core Language” approach, is all about identifying the emotionally charged words we use for our fears — “breadcrumbs,” as he calls them — which can pull the entire picture into view.
By Shilpa Ravella
Inflammation, a newly terrifying term, is actually the body’s first line of defense against pathogens and injuries, trapping germs and initiating the healing process. Hidden inflammation, however — a low-level, invisible scourge — causes autoimmune diseases and possibly many, many other plagues, from cancer to obesity, argues gastroenterologist Ravella. What’s worse, our typical Western low-fiber, highly-processed, meat-filled diets provide constant kindling to the simmering blaze. This comprehensive scientific overview contains deeply-researched histories, case studies, and surprising facts about food molecules, but it is also a masterclass in gut health and the links between the immune system and food — while somehow still remaining easily digestible. A must for anyone wishing to improve their overall health with every meal.
Bring home the fresh and woodsy smells of Big Sur with Esalen’s spa & bath products from Terra Spa. Big Sur Woods and our Big Sur Meadow will remind you to continue your self-care at home and delight your senses. The Big Sur Woods scent, made with essential oils in spruce, fir, and cedarwood, captures the magnificent smell of the trees found at Esalen Institute. Come May, guests will find the wash for use in our guest rooms and around property. Both product lines are available for purchase in the on campus store and online.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
