Voices of Esalen

Chungliang Al Huang is a tai chi master, writer, philosopher, dancer, and one of the most important and enduring teachers in Esalen’s history. Born in Shanghai, China, Huang moved to the United States to study architecture and cultural anthropology. In Los Angeles, he fell into a career as a professional dancer through a chance meeting with Sammy Davis Jr. In the mid 1960’s, Huang became a close collaborator with the philosopher Alan Watts, who would introduce him to the Esalen Institute. He soon became a beloved teacher at Esalen, known for his tai chi teachings on the deck of the Esalen pool, as well as his collaborations with Watts, mythologist Joseph Campbell, Huston Smith, Gregory Bateson, Laura Huxley, Carl Rogers, and more. Huang is a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, Director of the Hong Kong Dance Company, and author of 18 books. At age 82, he continues to teach Tai Chi every year at Esalen on the pool deck which bears his name.

Cassandra Vieten is a senior fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, as well as the Executive Director of the John W. Brick Foundation, and Scholar-in-Residence at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California, San Diego. She is a psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author of numerous articles in scientific journals, and an internationally recognized keynote speaker. Cassandra came to Esalen to teach about the art and science of transformation. She is dedicated to helping others consider how peak experiences, extraordinary moments, and awe stimulate growth. Dr. Vieten lectures widely about the transformative potential of pain: how sometimes hitting bottom can help us shake free from periods of inertia. In this wide-ranging discussion, we also touched upon the importance of a holistic approach to psychotherapy, how to engage in productive argumentation in order to persuade others to change their consciousness, and how to create a realistic yet aspirational vision for the future.

Lisa Littlebird is a singer, composer, writer, voice coach, and visionary, as well as the former executive director of the Denver Women’s Chorus and the founder of the Wholehearted Chorus, a heart-led, joy-based community chorus, open to all voices on the Central Coast of California. During our conversation at the Esalen Institute, we talked about how she is able to invite singers of ALL abilities to explore the full potential of their voice. She views group singing as a transformational personal practice and a healing art, and this comes through in the sincerity of her work, and in the pureness of her voice. This episode is laced with beautiful bits of live singing from Lisa's workshops and from her chorus's performances.

Today we present an edition of Voices of Esalen On the Road. Our intrepid correspondent Greg Archer took a jaunt to the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, where the film Fantastic Fungi: The Magic Beneath us was having its California premiere. While he was there, he spoke to renowned filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg about the mysteries and magic of mycology. Together they discussed Louie’s unique stop-motion filmmaking technique he's been employing for the better part of 40 years, the healing potential of mushrooms, how psychedelic mushrooms may be our allies, and much more.

We’re pleased to introduce a new segment where we dive deep into the history of the Esalen Institute, in order to focus on a lecture previously recorded here in Big Sur. Today our subject is Terence McKenna and his talk entitled “Tryptamine Hallucinogen Consciousness”, recorded in December, 1982. McKenna was an American ethnobotanist, author, lecturer and widely-respected psychonaut known internationally for his work with shamanism, metaphysics, consciousness, and of course, psychedelic medicines. He’s the author of "The Invisible Landscape," "The Archaic Revival," "Food of the Gods," and "True Hallucinations." His playful yet highly powerful mode of intellectual inquiry around the topic of plant medicines made him a well-loved and highly-respected countercultural figure. While Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, and Ram Dass were better well-known in psychedelic circles for their pioneering and often rebellious leadership during the first psychedelic wave of the 1960’s, McKenna rose to prominence later, first enjoying notoriety during the 1980’s. One of the most frequent stops on his lecture circuit was Big Sur and the Esalen Institute, where he lectured nearly 100 times over the years on subjects as diverse as “Dynamics of Hyperspace,” “Reflections on Eros,” “Our Cyberspiritual Future,” and “Biotech and Nanonfungal Futures.” Further commentary is provided by the author and environmentalist Allan Badiner, who is also the convener of the 2019 Psychedelic Integration conference at Esalen. Badiner knew Terence McKenna intimately, and thus was able to shed some light on the man behind the message.

Yoga Nidra is a conscious relaxation process intended to induce physical, mental, and emotional restoration. It has been shown to ease anxiety, heighten awareness and focus, transform negative habits, and foster feelings of peace, calm, and clarity. John Vosler is a Senior Teacher at the Amrit Yoga Institute, where he leads Yoga Nidra Certification programs. His infectious humor and compassionate heart make working with him a joy-filled experience. Today he leads us through a conscious relaxation.

Gordon Wheeler is the president of Esalen. He's also a licensed clinical psychologist, as well as the author of numerous books on Gestalt psychology, including Gestalt Reconsidered, Beyond Individualism, and The Heart of Development. He is noted for his work integrating the Gestalt tradition with relational and developmental psychology.  Gordon teaches and trains clinicians around the world, also serving as editor and director of GestaltPress. Today we invited him to educate us about the history of Gestalt psychology at the Esalen Institute.

Today's episode is part of a series of panels presented at the 9th annual Blue Mind Summit at the Esalen Institute in the summer of 2019. Representing Mindfulness in the summit, Dr. Shauna Shapiro is a professor, author, and internationally recognized expert in mindfulness and compassion. She has published over 150 journal articles and co-authored two critically acclaimed books translated into 14 languages: The Art and Science of Mindfulness, and Mindful Discipline. Her newest book, to be released in late 2019, is Good Morning, I Love You: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Practices to Rewire Your Brain for Calm, Clarity, and Joy. Dr. Shapiro's work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Yoga Journal, and the American Psychologist. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Duke University and a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, co-founded by the Dalai Lama.

In the final installment of our Psychedelic Integration series, Marsha Rosenbaum (director of Drug Policy Alliance and author of “Kids, Drug, and Drug Education: A Harm Reduction Approach”), Kristi Panik (chief of psychiatric services of the University Student Health Services at UC Berkeley), and Martin Lee (co-founder, Project CBD) discuss reasonable, realistic, and comprehensive drug-education for minors.

Martin Lee (Project CBD), Julie Holland (psychiatrist and author of “Moody Bitches” and “The Pot Book”), Rick Doblin (MAPS), Marsha Rosenbaum (director, Drug Policy Alliance), Allan Badiner (conference convener and author of “Zig Zag Zen”), and Dr. Ben Sessa speak about the adaptive capacities of cannabis from a medicinal, therapeutic and historical perspective. Martin Lee then delivers a keynote address on cannabidiol (CBD) and the import of the body’s endo-cannabinoid system itself.