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The Work Study Program is a 28-day program for those interested in an intense involvement with the Esalen environment. A work- and service-oriented program, it is emotionally and physically challenging, and only rarely is it restful. Participants work 32 hours per week in one of Esalen’s departments and participate in that department’s program. Please see Applying for the Work Study Program. If you are interested in a program that is listed as full, do apply. Full means that there are no more spaces for people from the outside. We save spaces for the people already here and two weeks before the program starts they claim their spots. Often there are more spots than people staying and then the wait listed people are called. You often have a good chance of getting in off the wait list. During most evenings and one weekend intensive, work students are together in one of two groups (see below). Each group emphasizes one type of growth practice, such as Gestalt, meditation, creative arts, massage, or somatics work, and has a specifically assigned leader(s) who is with the group throughout the month, coordinating the study schedule and facilitating many of the evening sessions. Applicants must state their preferred group and be prepared to stay at Esalen for the entire month. Selection of work students is done by Work Study Coordinator MaryAnne Will. Since this is a work and service program, preference is given to applicants who are open and willing to learn about themselves within the work context as well as within the study/process groups. Because the work can be physically challenging (lifting, bending, etc.), it may not be suitable for all who wish to apply. First-month work students, in particular, are assigned to departments largely on the basis of community need (usually the kitchen or housekeeping). Please note: The Work Study Program is designed to explore and apply human values and potentials. It is not intended as a substitute for therapy or as a “cure.” Work Study Programs scheduled for this catalog period are: June 29–July 27 2008 Patrick Douce will lead an in-depth experience of Spinal Awareness, a program of healing (with humor). Spinal Awareness is a way of learning that improves body awareness, flexibility, posture, and most chronic and acute conditions of the body. Taught with movement, touch, and group interaction, it is based on the work of Moshe Feldenkrais, Chinese-Indonesian martial art, and the Esalen experience. Spinal Awareness emphasizes learning how to move in ways that stimulate your awareness of your own body. The course will include hands-on lessons, safe and noninvasive, to greatly speed improvements. The program will evolve with humor and playfulness. Fun partner lessons will be intermixed to help bring about not only freedom in the body but a return to the childlike energy essential to us all.
CE credit for nurses and bodyworkers. June 29–July 27 2008 In our information age, a world that encourages us to conform and consume, how do we develop practices that allow us to grow toward self-actualization? Over the past forty-five years, Esalen has pioneered a full curriculum for the human potential–mind, heart, body, spirit, and community. This program, led by psychotherapist, cultural theorist, and NYU professor Bradley Lewis, will utilize experiential exercises, discussion, film, and other media to explore, in a group process setting, the Esalen curriculum and how it can be applied to create growth that contributes to a more just and sustainable world. Many evenings will be devoted to learning Esalen's diverse practices for personal growth (such as massage, meditation, personal and interpersonal group process, and creative expression). The aim will be a full exploration of our own human potential–and its application in the world today.
July 27–August 24 2008 A month with Maria Lucia Bittencourt Sauer will lead a monthlong program teaching spiritual massage and healing—the laying on of hands. This practice integrates both hands-on and energetic healing. Beginning Silat (Balinese martial art) movements, dance, and shamanic practices will be incorporated to complement this energy work and to help bring participants in tune with their bodies. The program will integrate emotional release work as it organically emerges.
CE credit for nurses and bodyworkers. July 27–August 24 2008 If the story is in you, it has got to come out.–William Faulkner Everything in your life, from the mundane to the extraordinary, is a story waiting to be told. This program, led by writer/performer Ann Randolph, focuses on the process of discovering your own unique and powerful story. By writing from your deepest source, you gain insight and self-understanding that can bring peace, healing, joy, and laughter. You'll learn how to make your words leap from the page to the stage, sharing them orally to uncover the power of storytelling to transform the lives of you and your listeners. You will also learn how to speak your truth via the Internet: guerrilla filmmaking, vlogging, and blogging. The month will culminate in a theatrical presentation for the Esalen community as well as the opportunity to post your work to www.youtube.com.
August 24–September 21 2008 A month with David Schiffman is intended for people in transition who would like to cultivate the life skills necessary for dealing effectively with change and uncertainty. The program will focus on individual and community reflection using movement, ceremony, and guided group exercises. A unique blend of ancient and modern practices, the curriculum will emphasize developing resourcefulness, imagination, and honest self-assessment. The goal is to study what can be used to call up native intelligence and spirituality to maximize our physical, emotional, and soulful realization in dealing with life changes. In addition to the evening sessions, there will be weekly time for counsel and problem solving in smaller groups. August 24–September 21 2008 Have you ever wondered what actors know that you don't? What wellsprings of creativity and self-confidence do they tap into that enable them to take the stage with power and presence, draw every eye, perform spontaneously in front of an audience, and feel comfortable inside their own skin? Peter Meyers, noted director, stage, screen, and television actor, and dynamic performance coach to CEOs all over the world, offers a monthlong opportunity to discover secrets of the theater that can revitalize your everyday life. In this workshop, the theater will become your playground and springboard to personal discovery. In a safe space, you will be gently led to uncover your own hidden talents in movement, voice, and improvisation. The workshop will culminate in an original theater performance for the Esalen community. September 21–October 19 2008 Jim Gallas leads "Streams Of Energy," a program of Eastern bodywork and movement, including Reiki 1 Certification, a thorough overview of Shiatsu Massage, an introduction to meridian theory, and an easy-to-learn, powerful Chi Kung form. Various meditations, self-massage, and improv games will be used to encourage awareness and expression. The program is designed to open students to their own innate healing potentials, to the power of safe, therapeutic touch, and to being more fully present in their ongoing unfolding. Participants will also receive valuable tools to facilitate the healing of others. In a spirit of compassion, laughter, and expanding awareness, students will be nurtured and nourished by the group interaction and by a deeper connection to Self. CEUs available for NCBTMB practitioners. September 21–October 19 2008 From the moment we first use our senses, we co-create the world we live in through our physical presence. We develop relationships with ourselves and others through the physicality of our vision, smell, touch, and movement. This leads us to our sense of "I", "thou," and "we." As we develop, these relationships shape what we believe is possible. The focus of this program with Michael Clemmens will be on the ways in which we create relationships through our bodies. The program will also explore the stories we make from these relationships and how we can creatively expand our relationships through our physicality. Using experiential exercises, as well as group discussion, to develop awareness of self and the group, the program will explore how we co-create our bodily membership in family, groups, and cultures. The goal will be to experience how we create relationships through embodiment and to develop skills in attending. CEUs available for MFTs and LCSWs. October 19–November 16 2008 Thai massage, or nuad boran (translated as "ancient healing touch") is a 2500-year-old healing tradition rooted in the very heart of Buddhism. A "moving meditation," Thai massage allows both practitioner and recipient to experience the four Divine States of Mind: Loving Kindness, Compassion, Equanimity, and Vicarious Joy. This monthlong, led by Stephanie Shrum, offers an opportunity to study, practice, and understand the techniques and philosophy of Thai massage. Thai massage uses rhythmic compression, rocking, acupressure, passive yogic stretching, percussion, and meditative presence. The program will also include dance, yoga, and movement practice. The training encourages whole-body participation, self-healing, deep understanding, creative response, and confidence in giving Thai massage treatments that are as healing for the giver as the receiver. No massage experience is necessary, just a desire to touch with presence and the intention to heal. C.E. credit for bodyworkers. November 16–December 21 2008 Each of us has a unique style of creative expression. It is part of our essential nature, an expression of our heart and soul. When you watch young children paint, sing, or dance, you feel their total engagement and sheer delight with the creative process. How can we recapture this? This program will explore painting, collage, dance, improvisational theater games, singing, writing, and other avenues of creativity as a means to awaken your unique creative spirit. Katie Nash & Christina Dauenhauer offer a safe and supportive haven for the creative process, where beginners mind is welcomed, childlike wonder is nurtured, and a sense of deep listening to intuition and imagination is encouraged. The course will use visualization, meditation, music, dance, and dream images to spark the creative process. Please bring a journal and comfortable clothes. ($45 materials fee paid directly to the leaders) December 21–January 18 2008 This yoga program with Debra Simpson will explore the delicate balance between effort and ease, both on and off the mat. The words hatha yoga translate into sun and moon, masculine and feminine energy union. You will be guided into sthira and sukha (stability and comfort) through practice and philosophy of yoga, discovering the middle path in all aspects of being. The monthlong will apply foundations of alignment and dynamic methods during the asana sessions to quiet the mind for contemplation. During evening sessions you will study yoga philosophy and explore your creative nature using music, dance, and other art forms. The goal of these teachings is to balance intensity and grace to inspire you toward the path of happiness and vitality. As Debra writes, A quiet mind brings the physical body into its most efficient state for optimum productivity. March 15–April 12 2009 The human body is an amazing and beautifully crafted instrument—the house of spirit. How we take care of our bodies, or "polish and tune the instrument," affects our overall quality of life and the vibrancy of our souls. The ability to be in presence—"in spirit"—is directly connected with the health and attunement of our instrument. To help bring the body into balance, this program with Dean Marson & Ginger Holladay will present basic Esalen Massage to de-stress and nurture the physical self. In addition, participants will learn a gentle Ocean Yoga flow to deepen body awareness, tone the body, and initiate an ongoing practice of self-care. As the body opens through touch and movement, the group will use voice to invoke the Muse, encountering the creative self through chanting, sacred sounds, and "songs of the spirit." With massage, yoga, and song, participants will explore possibilities for expression and connection as our finely tuned instruments open to the vastness of Spirit. C.E. credit for bodyworkers. Applying for the Work Study Program
Fees: A deposit of $400 in U.S. currency is required with your application. You may pay in full at the time you apply. The work scholar fee schedule is $1095 for the first month, $1045 for the second month, and $995 for the third month. Work students may be invited to remain for a second or third month depending on space available and community needs (foreign nationals should contact the Work Study office for information on staying longer than one month). Work scholars may not stay longer than three months in a calendar year, nor longer than three consecutive months. There are no scholarships available for the Work Study Program.Occasionally it is possible to stay for a longer period as an Extended Student. Food and Housing: Accommodations are shared (occasionally co-ed), with up to four people to a room, usually at South Coast Center, a staff complex located 1.5 miles north of Esalen. Housing and meals, often with home-grown organic produce, are included in your tuition. Transportation: When making travel plans, note that the closest airport to Esalen is Monterey. With at least 48-hour advance reservations, van service to Esalen is available from the following locations on the Sunday of your arrival: Monterey
Airport: Departs 2 pm. Cost: $40 For van reservations call 831-667-3010 or e-mail workstudy@esalen.org. Please note: Application is not registration in the program. Registration is made only after approval of application. If you do not pay in full at the time of application, the balance of the fee is due on arrival and is nonrefundable thereafter. Cancellation Policy: If you choose to cancel, you will be charged the following amount: 15+ days prior to start, $100; 8-14 days, $200; 3-7 days, $300; 0-2 days, $400. Please print out and mail the application form (Adobe Acrobat™) with your personal statement and deposit to:
or fax to:
We will contact you regarding your status within 14 days of receipt of your application. For more information contact the Work Study Office at the above address or phone: 831-667-3010; fax: 831-667-3069; e-mail: workstudy@esalen.org.
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