Brita Ostrom (USA) was part of the early Esalen® Massage circle in Big Sur. With over five decades of teaching and practice, she helped shape the form, language, and felt philosophy of the work. At EMGV26 she joins the evening Massage Legacy Panel.

Dean (USA) came to Esalen in 1978 and spent 30 years living, learning, and teaching within that field of touch and presence. His teaching brings together Esalen Massage, meditation, movement, and long experience in the lineage. At EMGV, he invites practitioners into a shared exploration of awareness, connection, and moving presence: Esalen Massage and Mindfulness.

Peggy Horan (USA) has shaped Esalen® Massage since the early 1970s. Her teaching blends quiet presence with heartfelt, attentive touch. At EMGV26 she joins the Massage Legacy Panel, welcoming practitioners into the living lineage she helped nurture.

Anne-Kareen Thielen (Germany) is a pediatric physiotherapist with decades of experience in touch, movement, and embodied learning. She weaves Esalen® Massage with dance, yoga, and Gestalt-based awareness.

Patrick Stockstill (USA) is a long-time Esalen® Massage practitioner and the founder of Bhakti Massage. His approach is devotional and heart-centered, weaving presence, movement, and touch. He is a member of the Esalen Massage Global Village organization team.

Mac Murphy (USA) is a fourth-generation steward of the Esalen land and son of founder Michael Murphy. His teaching grows from a lifelong connection to touch, weaving Esalen® Massage with movement, breath, and elemental awareness. At EMGV26, he co-teaches a four-day Introductory Workshop with Lance Weihmuller, inviting participants into a grounded, relational experience of presence and practice.

Lance Weihmuller (USA) discovered Esalen® Massage as the art of being in touch with ourselves. His practice and teaching are centered on joy and connection. At the EMGV Gathering he co-leads  a four-day Introductory Workshop with Mac Murphy, inviting practitioners to slow down, listen through their hands, and rediscover the simple power of nourishing touch.

Whitney Bell is an Esalen® Massage teacher and somatic practitioner.
She has trained extensively in Esalenn Massage, Deep Bodywork, craniosacral approaches, breathwork, and Gestalt-informed facilitation. At the EMGV, Whitney offers Deepening Presence in the Pause and Gestalt Awareness Practice.

Robin Fann-Costanzo (USA) has practiced and taught Esalen® Massage for more than thirty years. Based in Asheville, she brings a trauma-aware approach to teaching and serves as Chair of the EMBA and as part of the EMGV26 organization team. At the Gathering she will lead the Massage Legacy Panel and offer her workshops “An Esalen® Massage Approach to Trauma” and “Twists, Turns, and Stretches for Your Client”.

Ingrid May (Germany) discovered Esalen® Massage as a young woman in Big Sur and later co-founded the Oasis School of Massage in Buenos Aires. She now teaches internationally. At EMGV26 she offers “Continuum meets Esalen® Massage”.

Ellen Watson (USA) entered the Esalen Massage lineage in the early 1980s and trained with Grof, Roth, King, and Streeter. Her teaching blends breath, movement, sound, and grounded presence. At EMGV26 she offers Grof Legacy Breathwork and co-leads Sound and Scent in Esalen Massage with Daniela Urbassek.

Nora Matten (Germany/USA) discovered Esalen® Massage in 1999, where touch became a path of openness, coming home to the body, healing, presence, and inner renewal. She invites practitioners to explore and receive in community — a celebration of touch as a shared language. At the EMGV Gathering, she offers a one-day side-lying Esalen Massage workshop.

Daniela Urbassek (USA/Germany) brings more than thirty years of experience in Esalen® Massage, Oriental Medicine, and somatic arts. At EMGV26 she offers Esalen Massage & Meridian Points and co-teaches Sound and Scent in Esalen Massage with Ellen. Her teaching invites flow, sensory presence, and grounded awareness.

Jingni Wang (China) blends movement, somatics, and cultural dialogue in her approach to Esalen® Massage. She helped establish Esalen Massage in China. At EMGV26, she offers Wu Wei in Esalen Massage, inviting practitioners into movement that is clear, effortless, and deeply present. She warmly welcomes the global community into this shared field of touch.

Elke Bartsch (Germany) invites practitioners to “follow your joy” and remember that Esalen® Massage is, at heart, a quiet love letter to humanity. At the EMGV she offers an Early Morning Practice with a Walking Meditation, and a workshop on Unusual Massage Positions — playful explorations that awaken creativity and joy.

Eva-Maria Leve (Germany) organizes and coordinates Esalen® Massage trainings with steady care for lineage and community. At the Gathering, she co-teaches with Nina Ottenheym a one-day workshop on Deep Structural Work — Liberating the Lower Back and Hips, and offers a quiet Morning Pilates session.

Nina Ottenheym (Germany) discovered Esalen® Massage in a tender life moment, when touch opened a path back to trust. Her teaching invites curiosity and steady listening to the body. At the Gathering, she co-teaches with Eva Deep Structural Work - Liberating the Lower Back and Hips, with Lili “Belly, Heart & Hands – From Structure to Flow in Esalen® Massage” and an early morning session on Hologenic Breathwork.

Lili Imboden (Switzerland) is a co-organizer of EMGV26 and brings experience in presence, movement, and bodywork. She offers a Soul Motion Moving Meditation as an early morning practice and, together with Nina, leads the full-day workshop “Belly, Heart & Hands – From Structure to Flow in Esalen® Massage” for practitioners.