Voices of Esalen

Noah Levine is a punk, a father, a remarkable teacher of Buddhism, and the author of the books Dharma Punx, Against the Stream, The Heart of the Revolution, and Refuge Recovery. His memoir, Dharma Punx, details teenage years filled with drugs, violence, incarceration and suicide attempts - as well as his path to vipassana meditation. During our far-ranging conversation, we discussed what it means to look back on a memoir he wrote more than fourteen years ago, and how Noah is able to live a life of leadership that's not contingent upon tending to an unhealthy ego. We also spoke about Refuge Recovery, Levine's book and similarly-named addiction program which provides a non-theistic path of recovery for addicts. Our track today is "Machine Elves" by Anamorphic Orchestra and is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Michael Murphy is the co-founder of the Esalen Institute, a key figure in the Human Potential Movement and an extraordinary human being. He is the author of many remarkable books, including Golf in the Kingdom, The Future of the Body, Jacob Atabet, and In the Zone: Transcendent Experience in Sports. Today we spoke about the 1960's and how Esalen was born, touching upon his encounters with notables like Hunter S. Thompson, Alduous Huxley, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), Timothy Leary, Sri Aurobindo, Abraham Maslow, and Esalen's co-founder Richard Price. Michael also described his own origin story, from his altar boy roots to his journey to India, Big Sur, and beyond. Today's music was created by Esalen's own Daniel Knipprath.

Jeff Kripal is the Chairman of the Board of the Esalen Institute and holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. His fascinating work includes the history of psychic phenomena, comparative erotics and ethics in mystical literature, American countercultural translations of Asian religions, and the Esalen Institute itself. He is the author of the foundational text "Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion," a must-read for anyone interested in the Esalen Institute. His present areas of writing and research include the articulation of a New Comparativism within the study of religion that will put “the impossible” back on the table again, a robust and even conversation between the sciences and the humanities, and the mapping of an emergent mythology or “Super Story” within paranormal communities and individual visionaries. Have a listen to our conversation on the cultural and historical forces at play during the origin of the Esalen Insitute. Our theme music today is Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License.

Shauna Shapiro, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on mindfulness. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Santa Clara University, and the co-author of the books "The Art and Science of Mindfulness" and "Mindful Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child." Shauna and I discussed a way into meditation and mindfulness that is, somewhat surprisingly, not predicated around spirituality - rather, one that is focused on science and research. We spent some time speaking about some of the studies and clinical research she's done, including work with women with breast cancer, as well as increased empathy with physicians. Definitely check this one out, Shauna is super interesting and is doing great work in the world. Today's track is by Cory Gray - it's called "Tell the Future" and is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Paul Selig is considered one of the foremost mediums working today. He is the author of several rather extraordinary works of channeled literature, including I Am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, The Book of Knowing and Worth, and The Book of Mastery. I spoke to Paul at length about the work he'd done before becoming a medium (he was a well-known playwright, as well as the director of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Goddard College), and we discussed the creative process, wondering if there was some sort of useful comparison between that and the work of channeling. Then we turned to the content of his work, the remarkable message of his guides. This is a must-listen episode for those who are fascinated by the art of channeling, and those who find their interest piqued by the message of the Word. Today's music is "Slow Dissolve" and was used courtesy of www.purple-planet.com.

Caroline Harvey is an accomplished poet and educator whose work explores ideas of the sacred and the profane. Nominated for the 2013 Best Poets Award and a 2012 Pushcart Prize, she has shared stages and classrooms with Alicia Keys, Livingston Taylor, Melissa Ferrick, Donna De Lory, and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def, and is dedicated to conscious evolution and intelligent rebellion. Over the course of our conversation, we spoke about gender politics, teaching, authenticity, her love for the Grateful Dead, and how to avoid a predictable poetic cadence - and, I got her to share several of her fantastic new poems. Our music today is by Esalen's own Sierra Snyder, who records under the moniker of Sea Seer. The track's name is "There Will Be Music Despite Everything." Check it out.

This week's episode is a special one - brilliant writers Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond are actually hosts of another podcast, Dear Sugar Radio, and they are so excellent at banter and speaking articulately that all I had to do was get out of the way and let them do their thing. And I'm so glad I did. You probably know Cheryl Strayed from her memoir, #1 New York Times Bestseller, Wild; she is also the author of Tiny Beautiful Things, Torch, and Brave Enough. Steve Almond is the author of CandyFreak, My Life in Heavy Metal, God Bless America, and many other terrific books. Our conversation was far-ranging, and I really got the sense that these two understand the practice of writing to be an exploration of human nature, and of human experience. It was lovely to hear the wisdom they bestowed during their break from the Esalen Writer's Camp they organized. Be sure to check out their podcast, Dear Sugar Radio, an existentialist and compassionate take on the age-old form of the advice column. Today's music is from Weinland - the track is "Hardly Worth Saving," and it is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Subscribe to us on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-esalen/id1084621605?mt=2

Mark Whitwell is a brilliant yogi and an impassioned teacher, the student of Krishnamacharya, and an all-around funny, sweet, wonderful dude. I was privileged enough to sit with him for an afternoon, hear him play his sitar, and speak about many topics, chief among them his book, "The Promise of Love, Sex, and Intimacy: How a Simple Breathing Practice Will Enrich Your Life Forever." Our music today is Jason Shaw's "Running Waters", licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Alexandra Katehakis is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles and the author of Erotic Intelligence: Igniting Hot, Healthy Sex While in Recovery from Sex Addiction. She's also the co-author of the award-winning daily meditation book, Mirror of Intimacy: Daily Reflections on Emotional and Erotic Intelligence, from which she reads during our far-reaching interview. We touch on a host of subjects, including the difference between desire and eroticism, the value of examining sexual fantasy and peak sexual experiences, the meaning of trauma in today's world, the many faces of sex addiction and love addiction, how to find novelty within one's long-term sexual relationships, and much more. Our music today is by Ketsa, and the track is called "Dryness." It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

"The purpose of THE MAX is to discover yourself beyond who you know yourself to be. It is a voyage through your own humanity—a journey to discover the extent of your self-expressive power." Paula Shaw has been leading a workshop called "The Max" at Esalen for nearly 30 years. Today, we talk to her about the roots of The Max, touching upon her history with est and her experiences with the Actor's Theater of New York. Today's music is by Graham Bole, "Sleep Seeds," from the album "First New Day," licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.