Meet the Teachers
We are a teaching team of many hands, shaped by thousands of hours of lived experience in Esalen® Massage courses around the world.
Together, we are 16 teachers, and each of us offers a workshop while also supporting the shared learning space.
Each of us brings a story.
A moment.
A way of listening that keeps the lineage alive.
The Teacher Spotlights open a window into these lives of touch and teaching.
Here, you can meet those who helped shape this practice, and those who carry it forward today — each adding their own voice to the shared field of this work.
Below, we invite you to meet each teacher, read their Spotlight story, and explore the workshops and sessions they offer at the Gathering:
Corey Costanzo will bring his didgeridoo to Switzerland for a Sound Bath at the Global Village gathering. Inspired by the Didgeridoo Meditations that grew over many years in the baths at Esalen, the evening invites participants into a shared experience of sound, presence, touch, and resonance.
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.
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.
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 workshop “An Esalen® Massage Approach to Trauma”.
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 offers her Masterclass “The Practitioner Elixir” and joins the evening Massage Legacy Panel.
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 two courses: “Continuum meets Esalen® Massage” and “Working on the Neck.”
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.
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. At EMGV26 she offers an early-morning Authentic Movement practice and the full-day workshop “Belly, Heart & Hands – From Structure to Flow in Esalen® Massage.”
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 and offers morning Yin Yoga and Hologenic Breathwork for grounded presence each day.
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 Anne, leads the full-day workshop “Belly, Heart & Hands – From Structure to Flow in Esalen® Massage” for practitioners.
The Wider Circle
Beyond the teaching spaces, a wider circle helps hold the rhythm of the gathering — through music, support, presence, care, and shared documentation.
Corey Costanzo
Didgeridoo Meditation, Workshop Assistance & Community Support
Corey brings together sound, presence, and embodied experience through his Didgeridoo Meditation offering. Throughout the gathering, he will also assist in selected workshops and support shared community spaces with care and presence.
Christoph Wiesmann
Live Music and Circle singing
Christoph will accompany parts of the gathering with live music and atmospheric sound support, helping create spaces for connection, rhythm, and presence.
Haydyn Marina
Teacher-in-Training, Workshop Assistance & Media Support
Haydyn is currently training as an Esalen Massage teacher and will assist in selected workshops throughout the gathering. She will also help film massage demonstrations and learning moments for the shared EMGV digital learning portal.
Stefan Stalder
Gathering Film Documentation
Stefan will accompany the gathering as filmmaker, documenting moments of learning, connection, and community throughout the week.
Bringing these teachers together also requires very tangible resources — materials for daily practice, shared spaces, and digital infrastructure.
For those who wish, the General Fund is one way to support the shared foundations that make this event possible. → Support the General Fund