Thanksgiving Big Sur Style

Here are some photos of Thanksgiving day 2008. It was a stunning day and we began with a hearty esalen breakfast. We then headed down to the baths to start with massage clients from the turkey trot race. I got to massage the first woman bike racer over the line and well as 2 other racers. It was crazy amazing. It actually felt like we were real massage people doing our thing, check out the photos. The picture of the table was the one i worked on and some folks worked up on the deck. The weather was fabulous!

That night we had a great feast, so much food, great wine, friends and community. The food here is outstanding, check out my plate of food! The picture of me is with three of my class mates, Birgit from Hamburg, Kelsie my roomate from Monterrey, and Dana from Hollywood. It's a very diverse group.

Today we are doing 2 full body massages which will be a challenge since we haven't done two in a day but i'm up for it. Nearing the end of week two, wow the days are flying by. It is all good.

Yesterday i really needed some time and space (community issues have arisen my friends ;)) so i took a drive by myself down the coast in search of the monastery i had heard about http://www.contemplation.com/ . Classic Doris, go in search of the monks. It was truly great to walk into their bookstore and be surrounded by icons....a wonderful place of retreat high in the hills above the ocean, wow amazing views. It was warm and comforting to be in a place of contemplation and prayer and yes i did buy some icons for the collection...pics below.
to be continued........

I'm loving this adventure....i'm just trying to figure out how to make this last.

Love from Big Sur!

the baths at esalen

These are the baths at Esalen. Some folks have been asking for pictures to get the concept of it. So this bath house was built about 7 years ago when the original baths were swept away from a mud slide. The new bathhouse was built and the hillside secured to avoid further slides at a cost of $5 million. It is a stunning place, inviting ritual bathing, soaking, rest and rejuvenation. The esalen massages take place in this building as well.

This from the Esalen website: "Natural hot springs flow from the ground at 119 degrees at 80 gallons/minute. These same healing waters have been flowing for centuries providing respite for Esselen Indians and others."

On Thursday, American thanksgiving, there is an 11 mile race called The Turkey Trot up on the highway and we'll be providing massages to participants down at the baths from 9 -12. I'm really looking forward to having the chance to get my hands on people other than the other students.

Today we had a class on muscle introduction and your typical group checkin (1 and half hours my friends) you know the deal. It's good we only do them about once a week. :) This afternoon we are doing a full body massage trade putting to use some of the skills we've been learning.

The biggest difference in the Esalen approach has been to understand the intention required of the practictioner to really do an indepth heart centered personal focussed massage. There is no one set path or no way to do the massage, much is based on the intuitive awareness of the practitioner. It's really great to start to develope that capacity in myself.

Well i've just had an amazing lunch of salad from the gardens here...the beats are outstanding.

On our day off i took at trip into Carmel and went to the Mission there, see photos at the bottom of this page. We walked up to the church and we heard Handal's Messiah being sung. We walked into an afternoon concert of sing-along Messiah, which was so so so great. I almost started to cry at the familiarity and comfort that being in that Church gave me. Well i sang the Hallelujah chorus and it was lovely.

Hope all of you are well.

For unto us a child is born....

This is what Esalen looks like....

Well, it's day 5 already...i know all the bones below the waist...calcanius (heel bone), ischium (hip bone) etc. it's been fun, totally experiencial learning which i like. Yesterday we got to give our first 30 minute massage, very lovely. It's interesting how different people give such a different massage experience and hey we are all learning how the heck to do it right.

Here are some photos of the grounds of esalen, so you can have a sense of this place, it's hard to get the beauty onto photos but here's a try. The first pictures are of the dining hall, gardens, view from close to my room. The last picture is the building where i am staying. it's all good.

Esalen at Big Sur: Day One

Images: 2010 km's driven, the scent that comes into the car when driving through grove after grove of eucalyptus trees (divine), the coastline so steep, so beautiful, so stunning, breathtaking and just when i thought i cannot drive another km, there was the little sign by the side of the road: Esalen.

24 hours ago i didn't know 22 other students, two amazing instructors who have been doing this work here for 40 years. I needed to get reaqauinted with this beautiful place, the cliffs, the ocean, the baths, the warm sunny days, the monarch butterflies on their annual migration. Ok, and then there is the food, it is OUTSTANDING, TOTALLY OVER THE TOP AMAZING....such abundance, gardens dripping with food, so so so much beauty in food.

I arrived and found my accomodation, met my roomate the lovely Kelsi from Monterrey, CA. We are both into sleeping so we are a good fit. Had dinner then had our first session which consisted of the usual communinty building who's here...you know the drill.

Today i woke early, went for a bath, went for a walk, went for divine breakfast, then to class where we did this cool movement process that took 3 hours exploring the body, skin, organs, muscles, connective tissue etc. Dancing in front of Jovan having him watch my bones move was an interesting experience of trust. This place is that open. :)

This afternoon we pulled out the massage tables and did our first step in learning the process of esalen massage. It's very much based on slowing down, using your intuition to find out what a person needs, and following a loosely structured process for what to touch and when. I share a short massage with Brigitte from Germany, yes there are people here from all over north america and europe, i'm one of the foreigners and so glad to be Canadian.

Went to church on Sunday at Glide, so so so amazing and alive, i hope to be able to go to SF on one of the days off to have some church, it's what i most miss in this place, a chance to really put this all into perspective through the lens of my faith. I just have to find that for myself here and perhaps it will arise in unexpected places. I keep imagining what some of you would think of this place, it really is so different than our common "retreat" experiences. There are so many riches here in people, place and spirit that i am looking forward to being a part of. The 28 day part seems quite long right now, i'm trying to be in the moment and haven't yet cracked open the anatomy colouring book....there will be alot to learn.

Much love and prayers to you all.

Gas, Food and Lodging

It really is all about that: gas, food and lodging. Wow, i have driven over 1500 km in 3 days and i'm tired. I was tired when i started this journey down to Big Sur. The drive down the coast has been longer but so worth it, amazing scenery, unbelievable at times, my jaw has dropped numerous times along the road. Tomorrow I leave this nondescript hotel in Bodega Bay, about an hour and a half from San Fran and drive into the city for Church at Glide. I'm about ready for some seriously loud jesus gospel rocking out extroverted worship. Bring it on. Then i drive for another 2 hours down the coast to Big Sur to settle in and start the programme.

Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers, which i hope will continue, keep them coming!

More details to come from Massage school :)

Mom gave me Chip to take with me....so you'll notice his presense in some of the photos along the road...they are mostly for my wacky family who has a communial pet stuffed chipmunk who is commonly found in compromising positions...you may find it funny. this one is chip at haystack rock in cannon beach, oregon.