Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and where Ida Rolf pioneered Rolfing. Joseph Campbell, Buckminster Fuller, and Linus
Pauling have all given workshops here.
The weathered redwood buildings and geodesic domes sprinkled about the grounds go
back to the early 1960s, when Stanford graduate students Michael Murphy and Richard Price
gave life to their vision of a sanctuary where thinkers of all stripes—philosophers, psycholo-
gists, artists, academics, spiritual leaders—could come together to pursue the “exploration of
unrealized human capacities.” Over the years, more than 300,000 people have taken them up
on the offer, flocking to the legendary “clothing optional” mineral baths to soak and rub el-
bows with such folks as Joan Baez, Lily Tomlin, Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac, and John
Lennon.
Esalen still offers more than 400 workshops every year, including weekend, five-day,
and seven-day seminars. Rates range from $370 to $1,715 per person.
Esalen
Institute,
55000
Highway
1,
Big
Sur,
CA
93920,
831-667-3000,
www.
esalen.org.
Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.
Tucked into the hills above the Hudson River an hour
north of New York, Omega was founded in 1977 to help people bring more meaning and
vitality to their life. “Omega is an oasis for people in a crazy society,” explains Stephan
Rechtschaffen, a medical doctor and cofounder of the Omega Institute. “We live in a world
that is chaotic and spinning out of control, and many people come here because they feel at
least for a period of time that they're able to slow down, they're able to feel a type of peace in
themselves in such a way that they are able to start to bring it back into their lives. Hopefully,
it can help them create more balance.”
Since those early days when Rechtschaffen and his colleagues rented out boarding
schools and Bennington College to hold their workshops, Omega has grown into the nation's
largest holistic learning center. Every year more than 20,000 people attend workshops, re-
treats, and conferences on its 195-acre campus in the countryside of Rhinebeck, New York,
and at sister sites, including three weeks at Maho Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition to the workshops offered by such well-known personalities as Al Gore, Jane
Goodall, and Arianna Huffington, Omega has daily yoga, tai chi, mediation, and movements
classes. There's also a wellness center for saunas and massages, or you can canoe or swim in
Omega's lake or hike its many wooded trails.
Cabins and tents are spread around the gardens, fields, and woodlands. Prices range from
$130 for two nights of camping to $1,379 for a week in a single-room cabin.
Omega Institute for Holistic Studies,
150 Lake Drive, Rhinebeck, NY 12572,
800-944-1001, www.eomega.org.
