All posts
How to Communicate With Your Partner Without It Turning Into an Argument
Most fights aren't about the thing you're fighting about. Chi Om on why couples explode over nothing, and what actually keeps a relationship connected.
What does it mean to live in an awakened community?
A retreat in Portugal was supposed to be a two-week reset. A year later, Mayla is living permanently in community in Tulum — on what daily life there actually looks like.
How to Build Boundaries With Your Parents (Without the Guilt)
Setting boundaries with parents often comes loaded with guilt. Chi Om explains why the guilt shows up and how to hold a boundary without turning it into a fight.
The art of surrender
Releasing "my way" and merging with "the way" — what arrives when we stop trying to control our environment.
Alone with your thoughts
On the rare experience of meeting your own mind — and the freedom that waits on the other side of stillness.
Overcoming the fear of criticism
The defensive reflex to criticism is conditioning, not character. A practical path to meeting feedback as a teacher instead of a threat.
Awakening beyond possession and control
Two forces shape how we hold life — possession and control. What remains when we loosen the grip?
Guestbook: Kelly
Kelly returns to The Essence for a month or two every year. A few words on what living in community makes possible.
Guestbook: Fabian
Fabian came to The Essence after more than a decade of chronic pain that began with a tumor diagnosis at seventeen. Fourteen months in the community, in his own words.
Guestbook: Sam
Sam came for a two-week retreat and stayed eight months. In her own words — fifteen years of searching, and what finally let her stop.
