About Mac
Welcome! I’m Mac Murphy, practitioner of human transformation, certified massage therapist, bodyworker and embodiment guide.
I grew up in Mill Valley, just north of San Francisco, among the redwood ridges and beaches surrounding Mt. Tamalpais. That’s where I fell in love with the magic of nature.
I am a fourth generation steward of The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. There is a pristine rawness of nature there, an ancient ground with a profound human history dating back 10,000 years, when the Esselen People first arrived there at the end of the last Ice Age. The powerful energy of the land lives inside of me.
I am fortunate to have created intimacy with the wild. I feel most natural in the wilderness, where waves crash, roots dig, birds fly and animals prowl. Because of my innate connection to earth and her children, part of my journey is to help my clients rekindle their lost connection with the elements.
Growing up at Esalen, and the somatic practices pioneered there, I was exposed to and received healing work throughout my life. It was there in the summer of 2005 that I began my formal education and training in massage, bodywork and the movement arts, immersing myself in Soul Motion®, the Feldenkrais Method® and Tai Chi. Since then, I have studied the martial arts, dance, shamanism, meditation, Gestalt process and bodywork.
Raised alongside the core curators of the Human Potential Movement, I carry the teachings of the Esalen elders who ignited the cultural revolution in the ‘60s and still flourishes today. Within my studies I have learned to hold space for healing and activation for individuals and groups.
In 2017 I spent seven months at Five Immortals Temple, a Daoist Temple in China studying Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qi Gong and Chinese Medicine, which I am actively integrating into my daily life. I am the creator of Elemental Embodiment, a modality that integrates Qi Gong, primal and authentic expression, biomimicry and earth-based ritual.
I am committed to the elevation of consciousness and the greater purpose of humanity to make the world a better place.
Education, Trainings & Certifications
Survival Skills and 5 Animal Qi Gong with Lindsey Wei and Catarina Costanzo, Wudang White Horse, Ukiah, CA, 2019
Yi Jing Qi Gong with Zhenzan Dao at the MogaDao Institute, Santa Fe, NM, 2019
7-Month Immersion in the Daoist Arts: Kung Fu, Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Daoist Medicine at Five Immortal Temple, Hubei, China, 2017
500-Hour Esalen Massage Certification, 2010-16
150-Hour Deep Bodywork with Perry and Johanna Holloman, 2016
Body Optimization with Al Chan, 2015
Permaculture Design Course with Larry Santoyo, 2010
Work Study at The Esalen Institute: Soul Motion with Zuza Engler, Spinal Awareness with Patrick Douce, Tai Chi with Kenn Chase, 2005
Lived at Esalen from 2008-2010, working in the Maintenance Department
B.A., Human Development: Holistic Health, with a Minor in Improvisational Dance from Prescott College, 2005-2008
650-Hour Massage and Integrative Studies from ASIS , 2006
National Outdoor Leadership School: Summer Semester in the Rocky Mountains, 2004