Esalen

Over fall break, I travelled to Big Sur, California with my uncle to assist him in teaching a tai chi seminar at the Esalen Institute.

Esalen is a small retreat that sits just off of Pacific Highway 1. It has a small campus that is centered around a main building where the office, cafeteria, and classrooms are. The building faces an open area of grass, swimming pool, and the Pacific Ocean. Towering green mountains sit behind it, and a gorgeous, colorful garden, and a steep dirt pathway that leads down to hot springs are on either side. The entire property is surrounded by a variety of unique greenery. It is simply one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.

Usually, you can drive to Esalen on Highway 1, but the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge was under construction the day we arrived. So, we had to take an alternate route, which took us through Fort Hunter Liggett military base and gorgeous, hilly terrain. But all of a sudden, the hilly terrain transformed into a mountainous road that started to twist one way then another. Before I knew it, I glanced outside my window and there was no shoulder on the road to obstruct the beautiful, but absolutely terrifying, view of the Pacific Ocean and the valley hundreds of feet below. After about an hour of navigating the twists and turns at 15mph–which felt way too fast–we arrived safely. One look at the gorgeous campus and natural surroundings relieved the anxiety from the ride. The classes went smoothly and I loved meeting all of the kind people in the class.

One of the highlights of my trip was on Saturday night, the last full day I spent there. I walked down to the hot springs on the property, where rock-lined baths sit on the edge of a cliff. As I sat in one of the baths, I looked up at the mountainside above me, and out to the ocean in the other direction, where the faint lights of fishing boats were dancing on the horizon. I looked down at the waves crashing onto the rocks at the base of the mountain, watching them break into white foam. I looked above at the sky, which looked like God had spilled a bucket of diamonds onto it. I saw more twinkling stars than I had ever seen before, and the beautiful, cloudy shape of the Milky Way ascending the sky from the edge of the ocean to the top of the mountain. I told myself not to forget that breathtaking moment, despite how easy it was to lose awareness and forget that it was real life.

On Sunday afternoon, I embarked on the 20-hour journey back home. We drove to San Francisco, and I flew by myself to Los Angeles, Chicago, and finally home. The overnight flights were challenging, but the trip was well worth it and it was fun to experience traveling by myself!

The combination of the gorgeous and relaxing natural surroundings and the accepting people there makes Esalen a special place. My uncle always says that everyone should visit once in their lifetime. I couldn’t agree more.