Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, co-teachers of The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, reveal a desire to speak the language of music, to be resiliently playful, as well as to re-embody mountains and come back as a blue whale. Keep reading to find out how Paula’s practice creates a delightful bio-feedback loop and why Jiling envies the power of the playful dandelion!
What is Esalen to you?
Jiling Lin: Esalen is a paradise of great beauty for exploring and expanding the boundaries of human potential.
Paula Wild: The land. The waters. A superlative space of potential for connection, friction, expansion, contraction, and, always, evolution.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
JL: I share nature connection, creative liberation, free movement, and transformative ritual through the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine.
PW: I’m honored and grateful to co-facilitate this workshop to help connect us with the beauty of our inner and outer wilderness and our resource-abundant, wild, creative, infinite potential to thrive.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
JL: Lying on a rock in the middle of a moving stream with dappled clouds on a warm day while on a long backcountry backpacking expedition, with transformative projects running themselves in my absence, and fresh swell on warm oceanic waters awaiting my return.
PW: Perfect happiness is whenever I experience a deep sense of belonging as a creature of this planet. The moment when the chatter of my mind subsides, I sense an abiding stillness within me, and I recognize at all levels of my being that all is well.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
JL: I am afraid of either wasting my time on projects that are not impactful and beneficial, or spending too much time on work and neglecting my personal health and wellness.
PW: That something I say, do, or offer causes unintentional harm and/or has a harmful impact that, while unintended, negatively affects another living being.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
JL: I deeply honor the curiosity, dedication, and innovation of Shen Nong (神農), the first known herbalist in China.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
PW: An eye-pillow for restorative yoga. I live with my husband on a sailboat, so any item that adds weight to our vessel must be carefully considered.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
JL: I begin every morning with tea, journaling, and yoga asana practice.
What is your current state of mind?
PW: Like the ocean, variable. Currently fluctuating between vast/expansive/serene and disturbed/turbulent/ concerned for our future beyond the current storm(s).
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
JL: I am enamored by the ocean, mountains, deserts, and jungles of the world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
PW: To witness the potential for transformation manifesting so beautifully in people as they emerge from a class or session.
Which talent would you most like to have?
JL: The resilient playfulness, flying, and rooting ability of dandelions!
PW: To speak the language of music — I adore music but have never mastered playing an instrument.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
JL: I would love to re-embody mountains.
PW: A sea creature. A blue whale.
What is your favorite component of your work?
JL: I love traveling and teaching, meeting new people and landscapes, and creating positive impact for planetary good! I also love the quieter work of one-on-one transformation in my clinical practice and getting to know individuals in therapeutic settings over time.
PW: The way it feels. Working with people and the natural world is a perfect bio-feedback loop; invariably, you feel the consequences of your words and actions. If you come from a space of humility, wildness, and belonging with what you give, your work will resonate, and you will feel it. It’s really delightful!
Who is your hero of fiction?
JL: Sun Wu Kong (孫悟空) is a legendary monkey too strong, playful, and stubborn for his own good — who goes on epic adventures and learns to harness his powers for the benefit of all beings.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
JL: I am inspired by Lao Zi‘s 老子 Daoist insights, poetry, connection with the Earth, ability to share— and then assess and create clear boundaries when it was time to let everything go.
How would you like to die?
PW: Reclined in soft candlelight, encircled by loved ones singing me home.
“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?
Jiling and Paula teach The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine October 10–14, 2022.
Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, co-teachers of The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, reveal a desire to speak the language of music, to be resiliently playful, as well as to re-embody mountains and come back as a blue whale. Keep reading to find out how Paula’s practice creates a delightful bio-feedback loop and why Jiling envies the power of the playful dandelion!
What is Esalen to you?
Jiling Lin: Esalen is a paradise of great beauty for exploring and expanding the boundaries of human potential.
Paula Wild: The land. The waters. A superlative space of potential for connection, friction, expansion, contraction, and, always, evolution.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
JL: I share nature connection, creative liberation, free movement, and transformative ritual through the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine.
PW: I’m honored and grateful to co-facilitate this workshop to help connect us with the beauty of our inner and outer wilderness and our resource-abundant, wild, creative, infinite potential to thrive.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
JL: Lying on a rock in the middle of a moving stream with dappled clouds on a warm day while on a long backcountry backpacking expedition, with transformative projects running themselves in my absence, and fresh swell on warm oceanic waters awaiting my return.
PW: Perfect happiness is whenever I experience a deep sense of belonging as a creature of this planet. The moment when the chatter of my mind subsides, I sense an abiding stillness within me, and I recognize at all levels of my being that all is well.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
JL: I am afraid of either wasting my time on projects that are not impactful and beneficial, or spending too much time on work and neglecting my personal health and wellness.
PW: That something I say, do, or offer causes unintentional harm and/or has a harmful impact that, while unintended, negatively affects another living being.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
JL: I deeply honor the curiosity, dedication, and innovation of Shen Nong (神農), the first known herbalist in China.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
PW: An eye-pillow for restorative yoga. I live with my husband on a sailboat, so any item that adds weight to our vessel must be carefully considered.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
JL: I begin every morning with tea, journaling, and yoga asana practice.
What is your current state of mind?
PW: Like the ocean, variable. Currently fluctuating between vast/expansive/serene and disturbed/turbulent/ concerned for our future beyond the current storm(s).
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
JL: I am enamored by the ocean, mountains, deserts, and jungles of the world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
PW: To witness the potential for transformation manifesting so beautifully in people as they emerge from a class or session.
Which talent would you most like to have?
JL: The resilient playfulness, flying, and rooting ability of dandelions!
PW: To speak the language of music — I adore music but have never mastered playing an instrument.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
JL: I would love to re-embody mountains.
PW: A sea creature. A blue whale.
What is your favorite component of your work?
JL: I love traveling and teaching, meeting new people and landscapes, and creating positive impact for planetary good! I also love the quieter work of one-on-one transformation in my clinical practice and getting to know individuals in therapeutic settings over time.
PW: The way it feels. Working with people and the natural world is a perfect bio-feedback loop; invariably, you feel the consequences of your words and actions. If you come from a space of humility, wildness, and belonging with what you give, your work will resonate, and you will feel it. It’s really delightful!
Who is your hero of fiction?
JL: Sun Wu Kong (孫悟空) is a legendary monkey too strong, playful, and stubborn for his own good — who goes on epic adventures and learns to harness his powers for the benefit of all beings.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
JL: I am inspired by Lao Zi‘s 老子 Daoist insights, poetry, connection with the Earth, ability to share— and then assess and create clear boundaries when it was time to let everything go.
How would you like to die?
PW: Reclined in soft candlelight, encircled by loved ones singing me home.
“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?
Jiling and Paula teach The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine October 10–14, 2022.
Jiling Lin and Paula Wild, co-teachers of The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine workshop, reveal a desire to speak the language of music, to be resiliently playful, as well as to re-embody mountains and come back as a blue whale. Keep reading to find out how Paula’s practice creates a delightful bio-feedback loop and why Jiling envies the power of the playful dandelion!
What is Esalen to you?
Jiling Lin: Esalen is a paradise of great beauty for exploring and expanding the boundaries of human potential.
Paula Wild: The land. The waters. A superlative space of potential for connection, friction, expansion, contraction, and, always, evolution.
What do you do/are you doing at Esalen?
JL: I share nature connection, creative liberation, free movement, and transformative ritual through the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine.
PW: I’m honored and grateful to co-facilitate this workshop to help connect us with the beauty of our inner and outer wilderness and our resource-abundant, wild, creative, infinite potential to thrive.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
JL: Lying on a rock in the middle of a moving stream with dappled clouds on a warm day while on a long backcountry backpacking expedition, with transformative projects running themselves in my absence, and fresh swell on warm oceanic waters awaiting my return.
PW: Perfect happiness is whenever I experience a deep sense of belonging as a creature of this planet. The moment when the chatter of my mind subsides, I sense an abiding stillness within me, and I recognize at all levels of my being that all is well.
What is your greatest fear in your work?
JL: I am afraid of either wasting my time on projects that are not impactful and beneficial, or spending too much time on work and neglecting my personal health and wellness.
PW: That something I say, do, or offer causes unintentional harm and/or has a harmful impact that, while unintended, negatively affects another living being.
Which living or dead person do you most admire in your field?
JL: I deeply honor the curiosity, dedication, and innovation of Shen Nong (神農), the first known herbalist in China.
What is your greatest extravagance related to your practice?
PW: An eye-pillow for restorative yoga. I live with my husband on a sailboat, so any item that adds weight to our vessel must be carefully considered.
How do you maintain your practice(s) during challenging times?
JL: I begin every morning with tea, journaling, and yoga asana practice.
What is your current state of mind?
PW: Like the ocean, variable. Currently fluctuating between vast/expansive/serene and disturbed/turbulent/ concerned for our future beyond the current storm(s).
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
JL: I am enamored by the ocean, mountains, deserts, and jungles of the world.
What about your work brings you the most happiness?
PW: To witness the potential for transformation manifesting so beautifully in people as they emerge from a class or session.
Which talent would you most like to have?
JL: The resilient playfulness, flying, and rooting ability of dandelions!
PW: To speak the language of music — I adore music but have never mastered playing an instrument.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
JL: I would love to re-embody mountains.
PW: A sea creature. A blue whale.
What is your favorite component of your work?
JL: I love traveling and teaching, meeting new people and landscapes, and creating positive impact for planetary good! I also love the quieter work of one-on-one transformation in my clinical practice and getting to know individuals in therapeutic settings over time.
PW: The way it feels. Working with people and the natural world is a perfect bio-feedback loop; invariably, you feel the consequences of your words and actions. If you come from a space of humility, wildness, and belonging with what you give, your work will resonate, and you will feel it. It’s really delightful!
Who is your hero of fiction?
JL: Sun Wu Kong (孫悟空) is a legendary monkey too strong, playful, and stubborn for his own good — who goes on epic adventures and learns to harness his powers for the benefit of all beings.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
JL: I am inspired by Lao Zi‘s 老子 Daoist insights, poetry, connection with the Earth, ability to share— and then assess and create clear boundaries when it was time to let everything go.
How would you like to die?
PW: Reclined in soft candlelight, encircled by loved ones singing me home.
“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?
Jiling and Paula teach The Five Elements of Yoga & Chinese Medicine October 10–14, 2022.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
