Overview
An immersive 15-day journey into presence-based bodywork rooted in the living lineage of the Esalen Institute, Big Sur.
This professional training weaves technical skill, embodied awareness, and relational presence into a refined practice of touch and healing.
Participants learn to deliver full Esalen® Massage sessions — integrating long, flowing strokes, passive joint mobilization, side-lying techniques, and awareness-based connection.
The program meets the standards of the Esalen Massage & Bodywork Association (EMBA) and leads to certification as a Certified Esalen® Massage Practitioner (100 hours).
Who This Training Is For
This training is designed for massage and bodywork practitioners who wish to deepen their professional practice through presence-based touch.
It is suitable for those who already hold a minimum of 150 hours of certified massage or bodywork training.
If you are unsure whether your background qualifies, please reach out, we are happy to support your individual path.
Minimum age: 21 years
Language of instruction: English (with optional German support)
What Is Esalen® Massage?
Esalen® Massage is more than a technique. It is a presence-based approach to touch that invites awareness, connection, and wholeness.
Rooted in the Human Potential Movement of the 1960s at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, this practice emerged where psychology, somatics, and mindfulness met the art of touch.
At its heart are the long, flowing strokes that connect the body as a whole — movements that unify rather than separate, inviting a quality of attuned presence and embodied awareness, inviting both giver and receiver into a shared exploration of the present moment.
Each session is a dialogue through touch, guided not by correction but by listening, by sensing what is present, alive, and unfolding in the moment.
Esalen® Massage honors the body as a living process, not an object to be fixed.
It integrates anatomical precision with awareness-based presence, Gestalt inquiry, and movement principles drawn from Sensory Awareness and somatic education.
The result is a bodywork practice that nurtures both physical ease and emotional integration, a return to feeling at home in oneself.
“When touch becomes awareness, the whole body begins to breathe again.”
Training Content & Methodology
Through demonstrations, guided hands-on practice, movement explorations, and reflective dialogue, participants learn to:
- Deliver a professional full Esalen® Massage session with long, integrative strokes
- Apply advanced skills such as passive joint mobilization, assisted stretching, and side-lying techniques
- Work with awareness, attunement, and ethical boundaries
- Integrate Gestalt-informed dialogue and self-reflection
- Support self-care and sustainability as a practitioner
Methods include:
Demonstration & guided practice · Peer feedback · Somatic movement · Gestalt dialogue · Group integration & supervision.
Dates & Schedule
Dates: 17 – 31 October 2026 (15 days / 14 nights)
Total Hours: 100 contact hours (approx. 103.5 scheduled hours including movement & supervision)
Sample Daily Rhythm:
