Advanced Esalen® Massage: Hips and Wings

Advanced Esalen® Massage: Hips and Wings is a three-day healing workshop for bodywork practitioners who already have massage training and want to go deeper. It is led by Rob Wilks, a faculty member of the Esalen Institute Healing Arts Department, and takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.

The workshop focuses on two chronic hot spots that often feel stiff and sore: the shoulder junction and the hip, gluteus and leg junction, along with the relationship between them. It is offered at the request of past participants and is meant for those who want new skills to bring back to their practice.

What to Expect

The teaching looks at how posture and attitude contribute to discomfort and, over time, to the breakdown of these always-in-motion areas. You will review the hidden muscles of the hips and practice body mechanics, leverage, hand positions and skeletal movements that allow deep contact with a client's body. The shoulder gets its own review, including how to use bones to help release tension.

Demonstrations cover the benefits and challenges of massage for people who have had joint replacement. Practice happens in prone and supine positions, with stretches woven in to integrate the work and keep it playful. The course also briefly revisits the integrative long strokes at the heart of Esalen® Massage, returning to the idea that body, mind, spirit and community are connected, and that discomfort in one area often breeds discomfort in another.

The schedule runs across a weekend:

- Friday: the "How to Drop into Esalen" orientation from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, then the workshop opens from 7:15 to 9:30 pm with arrival and opening.
- Saturday: a morning session from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, an afternoon session from 3:00 to 6:15 pm, and optional evening practice from 8:00 to 9:30 pm.
- Sunday: a final session of integration and closure from 9:45 to 11:45 am.

About Rob Wilks

Rob Wilks is a full-time bodywork practitioner and a faculty member of the Esalen Institute Healing Arts Department, where he teaches all levels of Esalen® Massage. He has taught massage and bodywork in Indonesia, China and Italy, and has also taught experiential leadership education in the United States and Eastern Europe.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits on the Big Sur coast, with a mountain backdrop, steaming hot springs and the sound of ocean waves below. Participants have access to the hot springs and other campus features, and to open-schedule classes during their stay.

Several ways to attend are offered: workshop with an on-site stay, workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass. On-site lodging ranges from sleeping bag space and bunk beds in shared rooms, through standard shared and private rooms, to premium rooms with ocean or forest views and wooden yurts with private decks. Room details vary by type, and bed linens and towels are provided in most rooms. Sleeping bag guests bring their own bedding.

Highway 1 access has been managed through Caltrans convoys at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm, the only times to travel into and out of Big Sur, so travel plans should allow for that.

Before You Go

This workshop is designed for people with prior massage training. It offers 12 hours of NCBTMB continuing education credit for EMBA teachers, and CAMTC transcript credit is pending.

Workshop stays include instruction and practice sessions, housing, breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee, tea and snacks, hot springs access and open-schedule classes. Not included are Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen Massage or holistic services, specialty coffee, tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases. A scholarship application is available for those who need support.