Ellen Watson – who this year celebrates her 26th year on the staff at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, US – has begun a collaboration with a Javanese school for the hearing- and speech-impaired.

Watson and her educational organisation, MovingVentures School, will help to fund and build a treatment room at the Kubca Samakta facility in central Java, where 30 students can learn and practise Esalen Massage, allowing them to earn a livelihood.

The majority of the students at the Javanese school have neither hearing nor speech. This month, in conjunction with the first annual BaliSpirit Festival of Yoga, Dance, and Sacred music in Ubud, Watson offered newworkshops followed by her annual Esalen® Massage Certification Training course.

In the US, Watson is developing an educational and community initiative to help US-based women become self-sufficient by providing scholarships and training in holistic health, along with employment and business assistance. Details: www.movingventures.org