About Esalen Massage

Two schools of massage arose in proximity to the seashore, Lomi-Lomi in Hawaii and Esalen on the central coast of California.  

Both schools teach a flowing style of massage that embodies the power of the ocean.  

I studied Lomi-Lomi on Maui in the summer of 2003 and completed a 500-hour certificate at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California that December.  I have practiced extensively in health spas and clubs in Northern California and currently live and practice Esalen Massage in the Napa Valley, in St. Helena.

While the exact setting of Esalen -- fifty feet above the Pacific, amid the famous hot springs -- cannot be reproduced in an office or home, the basic principles can be employed anywhere.  Esalen massage is physical education with a spiritual dimension, a learning process for the mind and body together:  noticing, relaxing, meditating, opening; connecting the head and heel, waist and neck, shoulder and hip.  A variety of strokes – long, short, deep, smooth -- informs the fascia and muscles, explores the underlying structure and sets the whole body in motion.  Some lifting and moving of limbs – a pull here, a stretch there, a twist -- shifts the mind and body out of familiar patterns and opens new possibilities for movement, ways to feel the waves within.

I have practiced Hatha Yoga, Kripalu-style, for over thirty years and trained in Aikido for five.  I am now focusing more on Vinyasa Yoga, which is often known as flow yoga.  I also studied movement and dance with Anna Halprin, Gabrielle Roth and Vin Marti.  The attention to breath, balance, poise, centering and partnering in these activities deeply informs my massage practice.

I call my bodywork practice the ministry of healing touch, as I am an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.  I like to work 75-minute sessions for a donation of $125.

I divide my time between the Napa Valley CA and Washington DC.  Follow the link below for more about Esalen and my listing as an Esalen practitioner.  Under 'Learn More' on the Esalen home page, choose 'Esalen Massage and Bodywork.'  I am listed in the International Directory in St. Helena, CA and Washington, DC.