The Esalen Institute is a workshop and retreat center in Big Sur, California.
Their website states
The Esalen Institute was founded by Michael Murphy and Richard Price [not the minister] in 1962 as an alternative educational center devoted to the exploration of what Aldous Huxley called the "human potential," the world of unrealized human capacities that lies beyond the imagination. Esalen soon became known for its blend of East/West philosophies, its experiential/didactic workshops, the steady influx of philosophers, psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers, and its breathtaking grounds blessed with natural hot springs. Once home to a Native American tribe known as the Essalen, Esalen is situated on 27 acres of spectacular Big Sur coastline with the Santa Lucia Mountains rising sharply behind.
Workshops may cover many subjects including
The Arts
Creativity
Biofeedback
Hypnosis
Intuitive Development
Children
Families
Contemplative
Spiritual & Religious Studies
Dance
Movement
Dreams
Health
Healing
Integral
Practices
Martial Arts
Yoga
Sport
Myth
Ritual
Shamanism
Anthropology
Philosophical Inquiry
Intellectual Play
Professional Growth & Training
Transpersonal Process
Relationship
Communication
Somatics
Wilderness
Ecopsychology
Women's Issues
Men's Issues
Workplace
Social Responsibility
Education
Richard Feynman enjoyed the atmosphere but was put off by the pseudoscientific attitudes of some of the participants. He nonetheless gave a workshop, Fritz Perls, Babatunde Olatunji, Robert Bly, Stanislav Grof and Rusty Schweickart have taught and spoken at the Esalen Institute as well. Massage and hottubbing are popular activities at Esalen.
