Inspired by 20th-century French writer Marcel Proust, we here at Esalen have created our own version of his favorite parlor game to dig just a little deeper — and differently — into our incredible faculty and staff.
Certified nature therapy guide, mindfulness teacher, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sylvie Rokab speaks “four and a quarter” languages, dreams of life as a very pampered housecat, and calls the natural world her “greatest love.” We caught up with the teacher of July’s Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing workshop for her thoughts on communing and transforming with nature and her imaginary friends — and to find out who makes her lists of heroes and inspirations. (Her mother appears on both!)
What is Esalen to you?
An invitation for awe, alchemy, and belonging.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
I lead forest bathing (aka nature therapy) and mindfulness workshops to help participants deepen their connections with nature, others, and themselves. I offer sensorial invitations so that they arrive fully in the here and now and can tend to their bodies, emotions, and dreams and experience a sense of belonging in community with other participants and the natural beings of this stunning place.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sharing with others the experience of feeling fully alive!
What is your greatest fear in your work?
I fear that at the end of my life, I could find that my impact on people’s lives and nature’s protection might have fallen short of my own expectations.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Thankfully, they’re still living: Nina Simons, John A. Powell, Tara Brach, and Jack Kornfield.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
Our nighttime drumming and vocalization sessions.
What is your current state of mind?
Contemplative.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Wealth accumulation.
What is the quality you most like in a human?
Kindness and humor.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The natural world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Communing with nature and seeing my students transform.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing music. I’d better get started!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d have a sharper memory.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My movie, Love Thy Nature. [Editor’s note: This critically-acclaimed documentary, directed by Sylvie Rokab and narrated by Liam Neeson, received 27 awards and had over 300 screenings worldwide.]
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I’d be a cat in a cat lady’s house.
What would living at Esalen for a month be like for you?
Nirvana.
What is your most treasured possession?
My house. And my chocolate bar.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
By starting it with the R.A.I.N. meditation. The N stands for “Nurture,” so I bring to mind/heart nurturing beings — past lovers, places and beings in nature, and imaginary friends. (Yes, I have imaginary friends!) A little loving goes a long way.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Sharing experiences in nature with others.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I speak four and a quarter languages and talk funny in all of them.
What do you value most in your work/practice?
Kindness.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Seth in the movie City of Angels and Tarzan.
Who are your inspirations?
Nature. My mother. And my mentors.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother. And my mentors and friends.
What is your greatest regret?
Following a veterinarian’s advice to put my cat on a diet that was just too strict. The poor thing was suffering.
How would you like to die?
I’d like to be in a beautiful natural place sharing stories and music with my loved ones.
What is your motto?
Love Thy Nature.
“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?
Join Sylvie at Esalen for Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing, July 21–23, 2023.
Inspired by 20th-century French writer Marcel Proust, we here at Esalen have created our own version of his favorite parlor game to dig just a little deeper — and differently — into our incredible faculty and staff.
Certified nature therapy guide, mindfulness teacher, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sylvie Rokab speaks “four and a quarter” languages, dreams of life as a very pampered housecat, and calls the natural world her “greatest love.” We caught up with the teacher of July’s Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing workshop for her thoughts on communing and transforming with nature and her imaginary friends — and to find out who makes her lists of heroes and inspirations. (Her mother appears on both!)
What is Esalen to you?
An invitation for awe, alchemy, and belonging.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
I lead forest bathing (aka nature therapy) and mindfulness workshops to help participants deepen their connections with nature, others, and themselves. I offer sensorial invitations so that they arrive fully in the here and now and can tend to their bodies, emotions, and dreams and experience a sense of belonging in community with other participants and the natural beings of this stunning place.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sharing with others the experience of feeling fully alive!
What is your greatest fear in your work?
I fear that at the end of my life, I could find that my impact on people’s lives and nature’s protection might have fallen short of my own expectations.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Thankfully, they’re still living: Nina Simons, John A. Powell, Tara Brach, and Jack Kornfield.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
Our nighttime drumming and vocalization sessions.
What is your current state of mind?
Contemplative.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Wealth accumulation.
What is the quality you most like in a human?
Kindness and humor.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The natural world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Communing with nature and seeing my students transform.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing music. I’d better get started!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d have a sharper memory.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My movie, Love Thy Nature. [Editor’s note: This critically-acclaimed documentary, directed by Sylvie Rokab and narrated by Liam Neeson, received 27 awards and had over 300 screenings worldwide.]
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I’d be a cat in a cat lady’s house.
What would living at Esalen for a month be like for you?
Nirvana.
What is your most treasured possession?
My house. And my chocolate bar.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
By starting it with the R.A.I.N. meditation. The N stands for “Nurture,” so I bring to mind/heart nurturing beings — past lovers, places and beings in nature, and imaginary friends. (Yes, I have imaginary friends!) A little loving goes a long way.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Sharing experiences in nature with others.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I speak four and a quarter languages and talk funny in all of them.
What do you value most in your work/practice?
Kindness.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Seth in the movie City of Angels and Tarzan.
Who are your inspirations?
Nature. My mother. And my mentors.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother. And my mentors and friends.
What is your greatest regret?
Following a veterinarian’s advice to put my cat on a diet that was just too strict. The poor thing was suffering.
How would you like to die?
I’d like to be in a beautiful natural place sharing stories and music with my loved ones.
What is your motto?
Love Thy Nature.
“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?
Join Sylvie at Esalen for Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing, July 21–23, 2023.
Inspired by 20th-century French writer Marcel Proust, we here at Esalen have created our own version of his favorite parlor game to dig just a little deeper — and differently — into our incredible faculty and staff.
Certified nature therapy guide, mindfulness teacher, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Sylvie Rokab speaks “four and a quarter” languages, dreams of life as a very pampered housecat, and calls the natural world her “greatest love.” We caught up with the teacher of July’s Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing workshop for her thoughts on communing and transforming with nature and her imaginary friends — and to find out who makes her lists of heroes and inspirations. (Her mother appears on both!)
What is Esalen to you?
An invitation for awe, alchemy, and belonging.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
I lead forest bathing (aka nature therapy) and mindfulness workshops to help participants deepen their connections with nature, others, and themselves. I offer sensorial invitations so that they arrive fully in the here and now and can tend to their bodies, emotions, and dreams and experience a sense of belonging in community with other participants and the natural beings of this stunning place.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sharing with others the experience of feeling fully alive!
What is your greatest fear in your work?
I fear that at the end of my life, I could find that my impact on people’s lives and nature’s protection might have fallen short of my own expectations.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
Thankfully, they’re still living: Nina Simons, John A. Powell, Tara Brach, and Jack Kornfield.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
Our nighttime drumming and vocalization sessions.
What is your current state of mind?
Contemplative.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Wealth accumulation.
What is the quality you most like in a human?
Kindness and humor.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The natural world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
Communing with nature and seeing my students transform.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Playing music. I’d better get started!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d have a sharper memory.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My movie, Love Thy Nature. [Editor’s note: This critically-acclaimed documentary, directed by Sylvie Rokab and narrated by Liam Neeson, received 27 awards and had over 300 screenings worldwide.]
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I’d be a cat in a cat lady’s house.
What would living at Esalen for a month be like for you?
Nirvana.
What is your most treasured possession?
My house. And my chocolate bar.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
By starting it with the R.A.I.N. meditation. The N stands for “Nurture,” so I bring to mind/heart nurturing beings — past lovers, places and beings in nature, and imaginary friends. (Yes, I have imaginary friends!) A little loving goes a long way.
What is your favorite component of your work?
Sharing experiences in nature with others.
What is your most marked characteristic?
I speak four and a quarter languages and talk funny in all of them.
What do you value most in your work/practice?
Kindness.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Seth in the movie City of Angels and Tarzan.
Who are your inspirations?
Nature. My mother. And my mentors.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother. And my mentors and friends.
What is your greatest regret?
Following a veterinarian’s advice to put my cat on a diet that was just too strict. The poor thing was suffering.
How would you like to die?
I’d like to be in a beautiful natural place sharing stories and music with my loved ones.
What is your motto?
Love Thy Nature.
“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?
Join Sylvie at Esalen for Revitalize Your Purpose with Forest Bathing, July 21–23, 2023.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
