Our Faculty

Welcome

Every teacher on this page has walked a long path toward the work they now share. Some found their way here through Esalen massage, some through years of somatic study, some through Touching Essence itself.

What they hold in common is a quality of presence, a respect for the body's own intelligence, and a commitment to teaching that goes well beyond technique.

I've chosen each facilitator with care, and I trust every one of them completely with the people who come to train with us. This page is your chance to meet them before you ever step into a room together.

With warmth, Ellen

Our programs span three distinct trainings, each led by facilitators chosen for their depth in that particular practice.

What Our Faculty Teaches

Esalen® Massage & Bodywork

The flowing, integrative bodywork style born at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, blending long strokes, gentle rocking, and full-body presence into a single seamless session; taught here with close attention to lineage and technique.

Touching Essence™

Presence-based, hands on healing through touch, with layering of mantra, chant, song, breath work, and scent onto traditional touch work; an eight-chakra, multisensory, multicultural, neo-shamanic.

Vibrance™

A practice of conscious dance, sound, and breath, built around the body's eight chakras and drawing on the lineage of Gabrielle Roth's 5Rhythms and Sufi meditative spinning, where movement, voice, and expressive arts work together to free what the body has been holding.

Esalen® Massage & Bodywork Faculty

Rob Wilks

Faculty, Healing Arts Department, Esalen Institute A full-time bodywork practitioner teaching all levels of Esalen® Massage internationally, including in Indonesia, China, and Italy. He has also led experiential leadership and education programs across the US and Eastern Europe, with teaching grounded in presence and deep respect for the relational nature of touch.
Patrick Stockstill

Esalen® Massage Teacher & Deep Bodywork® Practitioner A massage therapist since 2008 with over 1,000 hours of specialized training, teaching at the Esalen Institute Massage School and McKinnon Body Therapy Center. Grounded in the spirit of bhakti, his work blends structural clarity with compassionate presence, and he leads workshops and certification courses globally.
Whitney Bell

Esalen® Massage Practitioner, Teacher & Gestalt Facilitator After a 650-hour massage training, Whitney discovered Esalen Massage and has traveled continuously ever since to deepen her practice. She views touch as an embodied application of Gestalt principles, using deliberate stillness, "the pause," to help changes settle into the nervous system.
Jenny Pareno

Massage Therapist & Instructor Part of the Esalen Institute community for over a decade, teaching Esalen® Massage alongside a private practice in San Luis Obispo. An avid trail runner and marathon athlete, her connection to movement and nature shapes her grounded, attentive approach to bodywork.
Rie Kuwahara

Esalen® Massage Practitioner & Senior Teacher Studying under Ellen Watson since 2003, Rie has taught Esalen® Massage through private sessions and trainings in Tokyo and Chiang Mai, guiding over 400 students as senior teacher at ITM Shinjuku. Her work has been featured in ELLE Japon, VOGUE Japan, and FRAU.
Jingni Wang

Esalen® Massage Practitioner & Teacher Teaching within the Esalen® Massage network in China and internationally, JingNi brings a background in yoga and expressive arts to her work, integrating touch, movement, and presence across body, mind, and spirit with warmth and clarity.
Robin Fann

Chairperson, Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA) A senior teacher with over 33 years in somatic bodywork, including 16 years as resident therapist at the Esalen Institute. She has integrated Somatic Experiencing® into her work on trauma and the nervous system, and is founder of Stillpoint Wellness in Asheville, North Carolina.

Touching Essence™ Faculty

Elena Gili

Touching Essence™ Certified Practitioner Working in self-knowledge and personal growth in Italy and abroad since 1995, Elena founded Italy's TACTUS Social Promotion Association. A Reiki Master certified in Touching Essence™, she also trains in Esalen® Massage and works as a Vibrance® operator, bringing a cross-disciplinary depth of touch to her teaching.
Daniela Urbassek

Has 30 years of professional experience as a licensed massage therapist and instructor, specializing in Esalen Massage, Meridian Massage, Aroma Therapy, Cranio Sacral Therapy, and Hatha Yoga. Her services have been offered at internationally renowned holistic and healing centers, 5 star hotel resorts and spas in the US, Europe, Asia and through private practice in Carmel, California. She is passionate about the powerful impact of somatic and holistic practices.

Vibrance™ Faculty

Ashley Johnson

Vibrance Facilitator & Yoga Alliance–Certified Teacher A multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter trained in ballet, tap, jazz, 5Rhythms, and Soul Motion, Ashley believes in the power of music, dance, and story to facilitate wellness. Her playful, integrative classes use singing and dancing to open constrictive patterns into creative possibility.
Daphne Tse

Bhakti Yoga Teacher & Singer-Songwriter A contemporary folk singer-songwriter who studied kirtan with Jai Uttal and sound healing with Jonathan Goldman, Daphne merges her yoga practice with soulful music. She teaches Bhakti Yoga workshops worldwide and is committed to expanding consciousness through music, yoga, and dance.
Ari Widya

Singer & Retreat Facilitator A Balinese woman shaped by her culture's art, tradition, and spirituality, Ari finds connection through singing, not performance, but presence. Years spent alongside women, mothers, and children taught her the quiet power of simply being there for one another. She shares Bali through music, story, and gentle tradition.
Novie Amalo

Lawyer, Community Leader & Retreat Facilitator Born in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Novie grew up steeped in rhythm and dance, guided by a drummer father and a grandmother who was a Sasando musician, choir leader, and dance teacher. Alongside her work as a lawyer, she leads her foundation RUMBLE and guides Deep Dive Bali
Jiamin Chen

Bodywork, Aromatherapy & Sound Healing Practitioner Rooted in slow bodywork, aromatherapy, and holistic sound healing, Jiamin guides others on a gentle journey back to themselves. Weaving botanical aromas with grounding sound vibrations, her sessions create space for deep rest, inner balance, and renewal, inviting a return to one's true nature.
Cathy Li

Yin Yoga Teacher & Esalen Massage Practitioner After a career as a headhunting director in Hong Kong, Cathy stepped away in 2025 for a year of travel and volunteering that led her back to the wisdom of body and mind. She now teaches Yin Yoga and practices Esalen massage, weaving in mindfulness meditation and Tibetan contemplative wisdom.