Yoga & Movement
Website program category as of 2022
Altered States: Pathways to Expansion | Day Pass
With Sravana Borkataky-Varma, Lucia Horan, Xochitl Ashe, East Forest and Marisa Radha Weppner
You are an explorer, and you represent our species, and the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in crisis because of the absence of consciousness. —Terence McKenna Since time immemorial, we humans have been curious […]
Fear of Dopeness: Surrendering to Your Own Greatness
With Didier Sylvain
Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you have to do is put it on. — James Baldwin Most people don’t actually fear failure; they fear their own brilliance. In this weeklong journey, we’ll explore how subtle self-sabotage, shrinking, and doubt prevent us from claiming our gifts. Through coherence coaching, embodied exercises, and […]
Embodied Belonging: Weaving Together Self, Community, and Earth through 5Rhythms and Ecopsychology
With Douglas Drummond and Jeanine M. Canty
At the very heart of “belonging” is the word “long.” To be-long to something is to stay with it for the long haul. It is an active choice we make to a relationship, to a place, to our body, to a life because we value it. Even knowing that it may not be all that […]
Shedding the Old to Enter the Magnificent Wild: A Women’s Third Rite of Passage
With Jovinna Chan
Perimenopausal and menopausal transitions are more than biological phases to endure; they are sacred passages that forge a woman into her fullest expression — as a truth-bearer, a pathfinder, a beauty maker, and a new creation. When the monthly cycles end, you'll undergo tremendous transformations in your body, mind, emotions, and psyche. Crossing this monumental […]
Yoga Nidra Retreat: Rest, Restore, and Remember Who You Are
With John Vosler
Experience five days of deep rest, reflection, and rejuvenation through movement, guided meditation, and the profound practice of Yoga Nidra. This workshop is designed to restore the body, clear the mind, and shift the habitual patterns that keep us from experiencing a state of calm, clarity, and balance. Yoga Nidra, which translates to "yogic sleep," […]
Spring Equinox Yoga Retreat
With Sarana Miller
The March equinox, a time of transition and harmony, is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our practice of yoga. The light is returning from the dark days of winter, and balance is our theme — both on the yoga mat and for our emotional and spiritual selves. Just as the plants are beginning to bud, […]
Cancelled | The Dance Between Consciousness and Form: An Experiential Journey in Non-Duality
With Gitanjali D'Costa
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 […]
Moving Like the Ocean, Sitting Like a Mountain: Soul Motion® and Embodied Gestalt
With Zuza Engler and Scott Engler
Be inspired by the flame / where everything shines as it disappears. – Rainer Maria Rilke What part of your life could use some breath, space, movement, flow, and a sprinkle of humor? Where in your work or relationships are you called toward a more passionate participation — or a deeper letting go? What if […]
Luminous Yoga Spring Renewal
With Ulrika Engman
Revamp, reinvigorate, and polish your luminous self this season with innovative yoga practices for body, mind, and spirit! This yoga renewal workshop includes energizing movement, flow yoga, core activations, meridian sequencing, tapping, rejuvenating holds, and cleansing rituals based on the five elements. Yoga for the skin sloughs off the old with a potent five-step cleansing […]
Inward Bound: Exploring Silence, Movement, and Meditation
With Hawah Kasat
Know from the rivers in clefts and in crevices: those in small channels flow noisily, the great flow silent. Whatever’s not full makes noise. Whatever is full is quiet. — Buddha We treasure this life, and yet we rarely can hear ourselves think. We are constantly being bombarded and absorbing information at a dizzying pace. […]
Bohemian Gravity: Transformation Through Dance and Meditation
With Yemi Dele Akinyemi
A weekend of transformative exploration to bridge physical movement with the subtle layers of internal flow, connecting body, energy, and perception. This retreat goes beyond traditional practices and invites participants to discover the intelligence and freedom inherent in all forms of movement, not only in the body’s gestures but also in its inner energy and […]
Mythology, Yoga, and Falling in Love with Existence at the Edge of the World
With Hannah Muse
When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence? —Gabrielle Roth Your life is not simply a task to be managed but a mythopoetic mystery to be lived. Take a break from the mundane and let yourself be enchanted […]
Rasa Heart Warrior: Embodiment and Reset for Men
With Masood Ali Khan
The wound is the place where the light enters you. – Rumi “Rasa” is Sanskrit for essence or “full flavor of life.” This workshop offers a weekend to recharge and explore your inner wisdom, power, and shadows. To know your amazing self and build trust, resilience, and confidence through movement, breathwork, conversations, and laughter within […]
Into the Field of Possibility: Meeting Your Essence Through Dance
With Jovinna Chan
Dance is one of the world’s most ancient transformative rituals. From the whirling dervish to the Shamans, the waltz to the rave, we dance for joy, healing, and connection — guided by wisdom that transcends the thinking brain. This five-day retreat is an invitation to come together to awaken the forgotten wild, ignite your creativity, […]
Finding Lila Through Yoga and Divine Play
With Jet Eveleth and Alex Halenda
What if what we experience wasn’t always a serious endeavor, but rather an invitation to play, to grow and to learn? Hindu philosophy encapsulates this idea in the Sanskrit word Lila, which means “divine play.” Lila suggests that creation isn’t an obligation but an ongoing, spontaneous, joyful expression of the divine. Perhaps we’re so deeply […]
Body of Research: Meditation and Dance
With Manoj Dias and Max Vallot
Mindfulness can help us understand the patterns of the mind. Movement can help us understand the patterns in the body. By bridging the two, we begin to develop a clearer, more embodied understanding of who we are. In this three-day retreat, we’ll explore meditation, breathwork, and improvised movement as an integrated toolkit. We’ll approach these […]
Tibetan Yoga and the Subtle Body
With James Bae
Tibetan yoga is a powerful bridge between ancient wisdom and contemporary somatic healing. Rooted in movement, meditation, and subtle energetics, these practices engage not only the physical body but also the deeper layers of the subtle body — where trauma often lives. In Tibetan yoga, the subtle body is composed of energetic pathways through which […]
Mythic Yoga Flow®: A Full Moon Retreat
With Sianna Sherman and Masood Ali Khan
Be inspired and transform your yoga practice with the stories of yoga and the power of myth. Awaken the hero’s journey within you as you explore the legends, lore, and archetypes of the yoga tradition. Deepen your love of yoga, elevate your creativity, and infuse your practice with mythic codes that support your purpose in […]
Bare Bones: The Architecture of Embodiment
With Andrea Juhan
All knowledge / until it's in the body / is still a rumour. — Anonymous In a world that constantly pulls us away from ourselves, this is an invitation to return to the living intelligence of the body. Through movement, awareness, and curiosity, we’ll explore the physical architecture of embodiment: the foundation upon which all […]
Healing, Rest, & Embodied Liberation for Men of Color
With Danny Fluker and Darnell Lamont Walker
Immerse yourself in a restorative workshop designed specifically for male-identifying people of color. This unique experience offers a sanctuary for growth and self-discovery, fostering a supportive community where participants can connect and build meaningful relationships. Black boys and men of color have limited opportunities to engage in mind-body healing practices, and there are not nearly […]
Transpersonal Breath Practices: Hologenic Breathwork™ and Integrative Gestalt™
With Perry Holloman and Johanna Holloman
Join us for an immersive five-day experience where ancient breath practices intersect with contemporary psychology to unlock the transformational power of your breath. For millennia, diverse yogic and spiritual traditions have harmonized breathwork with mindfulness to foster psychological healing and spiritual growth. Today, science validates the profound impact of breathwork and embodied awareness on stress […]
Sacred Groove: An Ecstatic Dance Ceremony
With Adam Clark
Our ancestors explored spirit-led movement to embody ecstatic states for generations. Whether as a form of celebration, mourning, or prayer, ecstatic dance has long served as sacred medicine, healing the hearts of individuals and communities. Join us on this sacred land for a transformative weekend of ecstatic dance ceremony — a journey to tap into […]
Soulstice Soulfire: Embodied Awakening Through Yoga, Dance, and Sound
With Cristi Christensen
The Summer Solstice is the moment when light lingers longest — a turning point of illumination, expansion, and renewal. Just after the longest day of the year, we’ll gather on the wild cliffs of Esalen to remember this truth: The spark of your soul has never gone out. It may have flickered through the seasons […]
Resting Into Radiance: Qigong, Breath, and Meditation
With Jim Gallas
Have you ever felt, even momentarily, that all is well within and around you? How do we cultivate this sense of deep presence and start to sustain it? This sense of presence is the foundation of awakening. The ancient practices of qigong, meditation, and breathwork open and harmonize the energy body so we might experience […]
In(ter)dependence Weekend
With Janet Stone
Through yoga and intentional music crafted from ancient beats, we’re thrilled to gather for our annual celebration of our inter-dependence. We’ll dive into meditation, pranayama, chanting, yoga asana, dance, hot baths, lovingly prepared food, open time, and space for connection, creativity and collaboration. Meet us at sacred Esalen on the cliffs, in the hot baths, […]
Journey Space: Music, Movement and Ceremony
With East Forest and Marisa Radha Weppner
Now more than ever, it is important we build practices to strengthen our internal resolve and self-resourcing amidst a dynamically shifting society. Together, we will listen to our heart’s wisdom in this rich four-day journey (Friday to Monday) through sound, ceremony, and self-discovery. In this intimate and transformative workshop, you will have the unique opportunity […]
Bhakti Yoga Summer Gathering
With Janet Stone
Join us at Esalen — where land, sky, and sea meet — and gather at the height of summer in devotion to movement, music, and one another. This retreat is a celebration of bhakti: the yoga of love made tangible through asana, chanting, rhythm, story, and shared presence. Together, we’ll practice beneath the sun, listen […]
Moon Lodge: Honoring the Sacred Feminine
With Lucia Horan and Dr. Julie Von
How empowered do you feel as a woman navigating this world? What is your relationship to the feminine? And to female wisdom? Join us inside the Moon Lodge, a place for exploration — for women to find tribal and ritual healing. The 5Rhythms is a map that teaches us how energy moves. It shows us […]
Maps to Ecstasy: A 5Rhythms® Mindfulness Celebration
With Douglas Drummond and Lucia Horan
When we experience moments of ecstasy, we taste what life is meant to be. — Gabrielle Roth The 5Rhythms® maps hold all the information required to lead us where we want to go. What is your destination? There is a science to achieving ecstatic states, and this is the mastery we have come to share. […]
Body Poetic and The Life/Art Process®
With Daria Halprin
Imagine that your body has a voice. What would it say? The body speaks through movement, where each breath, feeling, and memory becomes a metaphor — a living story longing to be heard and danced. Begin by digging, fearlessly and with tenderness, into the fertile soil of soft skin. Touch bone. Listen to the heart, […]
Ayurveda and Emotional Wellness
With Siva Raakhi Mohan
The latest research clearly demonstrates the powerful impact emotional experiences have on our health and longevity. While we know this to be true, we don’t always know how to be emotionally well. During this weekend, we’ll open the door to greater emotional intelligence and perception. With a combination of lectures, interactive exercises, live music, breathwork, […]
From Practice to Freedom: Let Your Inner Lion Roar
With Jovinna Chan
Are you ready to listen to the calling of your courageous heart? This weekend yoga retreat invites you to slow down and relax into a deep knowing of your heart’s wisdom. Tap into the astrological event known as The Lion’s Gate Portal, in which Sirius, the brightest star, aligns with the Sun during our time […]
Magnitude, Mayhem, and Monstrosity
With Andrea Juhan and Vic Cooper
These are not gentle times. The world presses hard, fast, and loud, and many of us are carrying more than we know how to hold. Rage, fear, grief, and urgency — energies that don’t easily soothe or settle — have worn hope thin. This workshop is an invitation to move with what feels big, unruly, […]
Metta and the Divine Abodes: Meditation, Yoga, and Wisdom to Live a Better Life
With Hannah Muse
When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence? —Gabrielle Roth Your life is not simply a task to be managed but a mythopoetic mystery to be lived. Take a break from the mundane and let yourself be enchanted […]
The Inner Atlas: Mapping the Self through Somatic Self-Inquiry
With Lihi Benisty
Take a week-long journey into the cartography of self — mapping the terrains that live beneath language — where breath meets bone, memory lives in muscle, story shapes identity, and the future self waits patiently to be remembered. Through breathwork, somatic movement, writing, sound, and relational mirrors, we’ll explore distinct layers of being. Each day […]
Follow Your Tao: Embodying the Five Spirits Through Qigong and the Elements
With Stephanie Nosco
This weeklong immersion explores the Five Spirits of Chinese medicine — Shen, Hun, Yi, Po, and Zhi — as a living map of body, emotion, and destiny. Through qigong, meditation, meridian stretching, healing sounds, and reflection, participants are invited to follow the current of their own Tao — the natural unfolding of life within and […]