Consciousness, Mysticism & Altered States

Internal use ONLY

Laughter, Sound, and Consciousness

With LARAAJI and Arji OceAnanda

December 8 - 12, 2025

Are you ready to escape the grip of everyday seriousness and soften into your own vibrant aliveness? Join us for a soul-soothing, laughter-filled playshop designed to help you lighten up, loosen your edges, and let yourself flow. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Big Sur and the healing spirit of Esalen, this immersive experience is […]

Attuning to Love: A Sonic Sanctuary for Your Heart with Crystal Singing Bowls

With Deva Munay

February 9 - 13, 2026

Love is the bridge between you and everything. — Rumi What happens when we devote ourselves to attuning the heart through sound, breath, movement, and presence? In the beautiful setting of Esalen Institute, on the threshold of World Sound Healing Day and Valentine’s week, we’ll gather to awaken and stabilize the frequency of love in […]

Awe, Compassion, Gratitude, and Beauty: The Science and Practice of Self-Transcendence

With Dacher Keltner

February 9 - 13, 2026

Deep in the human mind and body are vast capacities for self-transcendence, felt in experiences of awe, compassion, gratitude, and profound beauty. These emotions enable us to gain perspective on our stresses, quiet the voice of the transactional self, orient to the well-being of others, and find a commitment to all sentient beings. These emotions […]

Meet Your Better Half: Unlock Your Right Brain

With William Donius

March 13 - 15, 2026

Learn to activate the right side of your brain to unlock the intuition and insights necessary to break through self-limiting patterns. Based on a Nobel Prize-winning discovery in neuroscience, this methodology helps you think outside the box and live a more creative, productive, happier life. William Donius, author of the New York Times bestseller Thought […]

Past Lives and Present Questions: What Can Children’s Past Life Memories Tell Us About Human Existence

With Jim B. Tucker and Christine McDowell Tucker

March 13 - 15, 2026

What if reincarnation is not a mere cultural belief or spiritual metaphor, but an emergent data set pointing toward a deeper structure of reality? For over sixty years, researchers at the University of Virginia’s Division of Perceptual Studies have compiled more than 2,000 rigorously documented cases of young children who recall past lives — often […]

The Dance Between Consciousness and Form: An Experiential Journey in Non-Duality

With Gitanjali D'Costa

March 30 - April 3, 2026

Immerse yourself in the eros of creation. Enter the divine dance between consciousness and form to explore the generative relationship between Shiva, the principle of pure awareness, and Shakti, the principle of creation and form. As these energies are engaged in the body, new layers of intimacy with self and the living world may be […]

Sacred Tobacco: Hapé and the Art of Presence

With Glauber Loures de Assis

April 3 - 5, 2026

Hapé, a sacred tobacco preparation, has been used by Indigenous peoples across the Amazon as a medicine for clarity, presence, and connection for centuries. Blown gently into the nostrils, this finely ground blend of tobacco leaves and sacred ashes activates the senses in a unique way, opening inner vision and anchoring attention in the present […]

Reiki: Finding Your True Nature Through A Japanese Healing Tradition

With Diane Domondon and Justin Stein, PhD

April 10 - 12, 2026

Misconceptions about Reiki place its origins anywhere from ancient Egypt to Tibet — even from angels and aliens — but we hold the truth in the palms of our hands. In this workshop, we’ll explore the roots of this Japanese practice and discover the transformative power of universal life energy through Reiki meditations and transmissions.  […]

Sleep Alchemy: Secrets of Daoist Sleep Practices for Inner Peace and Renewal

With Simon Cox

April 20 - 24, 2026

What if sleep could be more than just crashing into your pillow at the end of a long day? What if it could be a portal to transformation and self-discovery? In this workshop, we’ll dive into the ancient Daoist art of sleep alchemy, where the Wudang Hibernating Dragon and Five Dragons Sleeping methods teach you […]

Finding Your Spirit Guides: Building a Relationship With the Unseen World

With Brenda Rose

April 20 - 24, 2026

You are never truly alone — loving guidance has always been by your side. Your spirit guides, part of your soul family and spiritual GPS, are waiting to assist, support, play, and dance with you. In this five-day immersion, you’ll explore how to access their wisdom with patience, trust, and an open heart, and discover […]

Holotropic Breathwork®: Expanded States of Consciousness

With Stacia Butterfield

May 4 - 8, 2026

For thousands of years across many cultures, enhanced states of consciousness have been used as a strategy for meaningful transformation and self-exploration — marking life’s major transitions and rites of passage and deepening one’s connection to self, community, and the natural world. In this workshop, we will gather in the rich field of community for […]

Ordinary Mysticism: Reclaiming the Landscape of Your Life as Sacred Ground

With Mirabai Starr

May 8 - 11, 2026

As organized religion begins to lose its relevance, a fast-growing community of the spiritual but not religious rises to take its place. We are thirsty for the sacred and long to experience it within the heart of our everyday lives. In this experiential workshop, we will cultivate a mystical way of seeing to reclaim awe […]

Befriending Mortality: Living an Awakened Life Through Mindfulness of Death

With Nikki Mirghafori

May 11 - 15, 2026

In this transformative workshop, you will explore Maranasati, mindfulness of death, a profound practice for embracing life’s natural cycles of birth and death with greater aliveness, presence, and fearlessness. By facing impermanence directly, you can open your heart to live with deeper intention, presence, and less fear, freeing yourself to embrace life in its fullest […]