Name

Esalen (the name is pronounced "Esselen") is the name of the Indian tribe that originally settled around the hot springs in Big Sur. Due to the natural access to the sea, to the available sweet water and to the hot springs, the territory of Esalen was inhabited regularly by the Esselen tribe and sometimes also used as place of burial.

The People of Esselen was decimated mostly through illness and the Spanish missionary of Carmel, and was the first Indian population to be eradicated in California. Nevertheless, even today, a number of people can still trace their origin right back to the Esselen. Artefacts, found on the ground of the environment, could be dated back to approx. 4000 B.C. with the help of the radiocarbon dating method. Thus it can be assumed that, at least ever since this date, people lived here.

The name Esalen Institute is understood as deference to this ancient Indian tribe. Michael Murphy and Dick Price, the founders of the Esalen Institute, decided on the name Esalen with the intention to point out that the values of different cultures can flow together and should not be destroyed by fighting and rivalry.