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 […]
Cancelled | The Deep: An Immersive Esalen Experience
With Sadia Bruce, Jovinna Chan, J.J. Jeffries and Cara Chandler
Join us for a total reset done the Esalen way: seven powerful days tending to heart, mind, body, and spirit. Reconnect with your sense of purpose and power while immersed in the medicine of our iconic, energized setting within a community of similarly minded seekers. Not for the faint of heart, this deep retreat experience […]
Welcoming Spring with Fresh, Fun, and Renewing Yoga
With Ulrika Engman
Welcome summer and nourish the spirit of renewal with this fresh and cleansing Mother’s Day weekend yoga workshop. By moving and weaving body, mind and spirit through creative variations of Sun Salutes we revolve around the solar plexus to stimulate metabolism and a radiant, nourishing flow of energy. All practices focus on sloughing off the […]
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 […]
RITUAL: Full Moon Women's Retreat
With Sianna Sherman
Alchemize your life with the wisdom of the 13 moons! This is a spirited call to soul sisters, magic makers, and wise women of all ages. If you feel called to awaken and amplify your magic, this is for you. Women throughout the ages have gathered under the light of the full moon, steeping in […]
The Wisdom of Aging: Self-Care, Community, Inquiry, and Celebration
With Jim Gallas
How do we celebrate aging and become wisdom holders for our communities in a youth-obsessed culture? As we ripen into the late summers and autumns of our lives, how can we let go of what no longer serves us and enjoy the abundance of each precious moment? The experience of living through many years and […]
We Are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: Empowered Elemental Healing
With Erika Gagnon and Jovinna Chan
We are not separate from nature. We are nature. If we separate from nature, then we separate from ourselves. Join Erika Gagnon and Jovinna Chan for their first collaborative workshop: a dynamic weaving of ancient wisdom, somatic movement and dance, sound healing, breath practices, and traditional ceremonies and rituals. The four elements are the basis […]
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, […]
Tibetan Yoga, Breath & Sound: Understanding and Practicing with Our Subtle Body
With Alejandro Chaoul
Tibetan yogis, monks, and nuns are human like you and me; they have feelings, emotions, and obstacles in their lives, and they understand ancient yogic practices that help them enrich those lives and overcome those obstacles. These same practices can benefit and transform our lives, too. Tibetan mind-energy-body wellness practices remained secret recipes for centuries. […]
Ayurveda and Emotional Wellness
With Siva 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, […]
Mother Tongue: 5Rhythms® Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
With Lucia Horan
Rhythm is the universal mother tongue. It is the language of the soul. — Gabrielle Roth Silent introspection through seated meditation and the dynamic movement practice of the 5Rhythms® both support unlocking gateways to celebration and joy. Together, we will unite these healing modalities in an environment that cultivates peace, balance, and well-being. Through sweat […]
Maps to Ecstasy: A 5Rhythms® Mindfulness & Art Celebration
With Lucia Horan and Douglas Drummond
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. […]
In(ter)dependence Weekend
With Janet Stone
Through yoga and intentional music crafted from ancient beats, we’re thrilled to gather as a community to celebrate 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, […]
Summer Yoga Gathering
With Janet Stone
Let’s meet together at Esalen, beneath the summer sun, and immerse in the power of movement, community, music, and the glory of this land and her three waters. Janet Stone, joined by a luminous cast of musicians and teachers, will welcome you to a journey so rich with connection and an opportunity to reset. At […]
The Power of Breath: Embodied Liberation
With Sadia Bruce
To breathe well is to live well. When we befriend the breath, we expand our capacity for choice, change, joy, and healing. When we embody breath — allowing limbs and bones to express outwardly the dynamic, unceasing pulsation of life within — we touch freedom. In this new and electrifying experiential workshop, we’ll explore and […]
Journey to Wholeness: Embodying the Ancient Teaching of Yoga and Yoga Nidra into Your Modern Life
With John Vosler and Laura McKinzie
The highest spiritual practice is self observation without judgment. — Swami Kripalu Welcome to Esalen, a sacred haven, where the echoes of nature harmonize with the rhythms of self-discovery. This workshop invites you to embark on a transformative seven-day experience designed to nourish your mind, body, heart, and spirit. Take a deep dive into yoga wisdom […]
Empowering Creativity
With Daria Halprin
Since time immemorial, movement, dance, and the expressive arts have provided individuals and communities with a sense of soulful expression, healing, inspiration, spirit, and connection. We now need to reconnect with these ways more than ever. The Life/Art Process®, developed by Anna Halprin and Daria Halprin, bridges body awareness, art expression, and psychological processes, providing […]
Chakra Rituals: A Balancing ACTivation, Celebration of Life Through Embodied Movement and Live Music
With Cristi Christensen and Marques Wyatt
The chakra system is one of the greatest gifts the ancient yogis and rishis of India shared with the world: a powerful spiritual map for our healing and the awakening of our consciousness so we can fully come alive! This week is an invitation to explore this map and unlock the unbridled joy, creative power, […]
Queer Liberation: Setting Your Inner Child Free Through Creative Expression
With Adam Clark and Udim Isang
How much joy we experience in life is limited by our ability to show up each day with unapologetic authenticity. For many people who identify as LGBTQIA2S+, feeling safe or supported to live authentically may not have been an option. As a result, many of us live disempowered lives— stuck in jobs, relationships, and routines […]
Falling in Love With Existence at the Edge of the World: Yoga and Myth
With Hannah Muse
In many shamanic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: "When did you stop dancing? 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?” […]
Afro Flow Yoga: Release, Flow and Heal Our Sacred Waters
With Leslie Salmon Jones and Jeff W. Jones
Join us for a weekend to remember as we delve into the depths of the human soul, guided by the visionary founders of Afro Flow Yoga®. This workshop is an immersive experience weaving together the healing powers of yoga, dance, live music, and the ancient wisdom of African and Indigenous cultures. Together, we will embark […]
Libido: Riding the Waves, an Open Floor Movement Workshop
With Andrea Juhan
Variety may be the one and only truly universal characteristic of human sexuality. — E. Nagoski The ups and downs of our days, months, and years are unpredictable, but change will always be constant and reliable. The energy we call libido, in all the ways we might perceive it — as sexuality, vitality, creativity, aliveness, […]
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 dervishes 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, […]
The Power of Breath: Embodied Liberation
With Sadia Bruce
To breathe well is to live well. When we befriend the breath, we expand our capacity for choice, change, joy, and healing. When we embody breath — allowing limbs and bones to express outwardly the dynamic, unceasing pulsation of life within — we touch freedom. In this new and electrifying experiential workshop, we’ll explore and […]
Roll Into Fall Release: Yoga and the Foam Roller
With Ulrika Engman
Surprise yourself with this fresh and creative way to renew your yoga practice this fall: familiar poses with the help of soft foam rollers. Autumn is a natural time to explore the many ways to release, reset, and go inward. It’s your season to unwind the restless patterns of body and mind, to reset the […]
Flow Into Fall: Unlocking Abundance & Awakening Vitality
With Sianna Sherman and Masood Ali Khan
Flow into fall to awaken the inner codes of abundance and vitality with yoga, nature, and community. As we journey into the autumn season, we are guided to turn within and alchemize the inner gold. In the yoga tradition, there are four key aims — purpose, prosperity, love, and liberation — to support this transformation […]
Wild Tao: Hiking and Qi Gong in Big Sur Wilderness
With Fletcher Tucker and Jim Gallas
In search of balance, the ancient sages of China walked into the woods to attune themselves to nature in its sublime integrity. The timeless wisdom uncovered in their wild wanderings was called simply Tao, “The Way.” Qigong — the practice at the heart of Taoism — is dedicated to harmonizing body, mind, and spirit with […]
Love Your Body Now: A Yoga Therapy Approach to Joyous, Full-Body Awareness as We Age
With Tracy Lease
You deserve to feel ease and joy in your body as you age. Movement, time in nature, breath, quiet contemplation, and “Aha!” moments all contribute to expanding happiness and delight in life. Though this is true, you may face challenges. Changes to our bodies — aches and pains, joint replacements, osteoporosis, heart issues, and other […]
The Path of the Wounded Healer: 5Rhythms Heartbeat and Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
With Lucia Horan
The healing path has a trajectory. Gabrielle Roth called this, The Path of The Wounded Healer. It is here that we look closely at our healing process. We mark both where we are and where we want to be. We dance through the five stages of healing in relationship to being the victim, the survivor, […]
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 […]
Streams of Energy: Eastern Bodywork and Movement
With Jim Gallas
Together, we will enjoy giving and receiving therapeutic touch, moving in ways that free energetic flow, settling into silence, and laughing and connecting deeply with our healing community. During the Streams of Energy month, you will: Learn to give a full-body Shiatsu session. This form of Shiatsu is done on a massage table with the […]
The Deep: An Immersive Esalen Experience
With Sadia Bruce, Jovinna Chan, J.J. Jeffries and Cara Chandler
Join us for a total reset done the Esalen way: seven powerful days tending to heart, mind, body, and spirit. Reconnect with your sense of purpose and power while immersed in the medicine of our iconic, energized setting within a community of similarly minded seekers. Not for the faint of heart, this deep retreat experience […]
Emptiness Dancing: An Open Floor Movement Workshop
With Andrea Juhan
Most of us have experienced a flow state at least once or twice. On the dance floor, it sometimes happens that you find yourself in a state of exquisite surrender to the spirit that dances us; those timeless moments when we disappear and all that’s left is Emptiness Dancing. Often these moments feel like “happy […]
From Practice to Freedom: The Foundations of Self-Mastery
With Jovinna Chan
To fully be in touch with the essence of who we are, and vibrantly live from there, we must embark on a journey to take us from outside distraction to our innermost world. We must travel like a pilgrim, with one pointed focus. There, we expand our awareness to melt into the embrace of silence, […]
Art as Medicine
With Daria Halprin
“If art doesn’t make us better, then what on earth is it for?” –Alice Walker How can art contribute to healing while staying centered in the creative process? What kind of art-making responds to the therapeutic experience? What does it mean to live an aesthetic life? And what is possible when we do? In the […]
Yoga and Devotion: Living Life With Joy and Purpose
With Hannah Muse
Attention is the beginning of devotion. – Mary Oliver A life of fulfillment requires fostering connection with what truly matters to us, whatever that may be. It’s easy to lose sight of what we’re devoted to. In this workshop, we’ll have tranquil, uninterrupted space for yoga, storytelling, and contemplative practice to clear our minds and […]
Healing Waters: Rites of Passage & the Embodied Masculine
With Douglas Drummond and Little Bear Tom Nason
Join us for this unique opportunity to explore the masculine traditions of the Esselen Tribe, integrated with the fundamentals of the 5Rhythms® movement practice. Answer the call of 55000 Highway 1’s healing waters and travel with Douglas and Little Bear on a hero’s journey. Together, we will explore what it means to embody the sacred […]
Unlock the Storyteller Within through Writing and Yoga
With Darnell Lamont Walker and Cara Chandler
Somewhere inside you - buried deeply, or maybe just below the surface - there is a story you’ve been wanting to tell. Movement and mindfulness practices are carefully curated to support moving past your creative obstacles and connect you with your inner voice. We invite you to connect to that deeper authentic story and that […]
Higher Self & You: Illuminate Your Inner Compass through Hypnotherapy and Your Spirit Guides
With AJA Daashuur and Laurnie Wilson
What shackles bind your higher self's ascent? What reservoirs of latent power lie dormant within your being? How can you deepen your communion with your highest self to unleash its limitless potential and guiding light? Embark on a sacred journey of soul discovery with medium and spiritual guide AJA and multidisciplinary hypnotherapist Laurnie Wilson. Immerse […]
Gratitude Retreat
With Janet Stone
We gather on this powerful land for a weekend to remember — with our bodies, minds, and spirits — all that we have to be grateful for. Amidst all of the turmoil, we come together in community to remember that we are enough as we are. Through yoga, meditation, reflection, cliff side baths, and walking […]
Giving Thanks: A Yoga Retreat
With Janet Stone
“Enoughness” is the starting point of any journey toward gratitude. We begin to fully take in the profound gift of all that is unfolding only when we recognize that we are enough. With Esalen as our transformative container, let’s meet during the week of Thanksgiving. Let’s honor the land and the Esselen people, the indigenous […]
A Return to Radiance: Igniting the Flame of Your Heart Through Movement, Live Music, and Chakra Activation
With Cristi Christensen and Marques Wyatt
Join us for a transformative journey to rekindle the seven flames of consciousness within you. Led by Cristi Christensen, with musical guidance and scoring by renowned DJ Marques Wyatt and the celestial vocals of Donna De Lory, this five-day workshop over Thanksgiving week invited you to shift from a life of “meh” to a resounding […]
The Essential Qigong of China: The Energy, the Movement, and the Stories
With Chungliang Al Huang
Master Chungliang “Uncle Al” Huang, one of Esalen’s most cherished faculty members, brings 50+ years of teaching experience to welcome you into China’s ancient practice of qigong. During this workshop, Master Huang will teach the most essential qigong exercises — guiding students through energetic practices of movement, storytelling, and subtle energy work. This is an […]
Creative Tai Ji Experience: Change, Transformation, Metamorphosis
With Chungliang Al Huang
To be truly creative, to let go of preconceived restrictions, is to allow yourself the freedom to flow. Taoist wisdom calls this Wu Wei — the art of not interfering with what is already happening. During this weeklong workshop, we will playfully reinvent Tai Ji forms with ancient Tai Ji rituals, Five Moving Forces of […]
Aligning with Nature: A Winter Solstice Yoga Retreat
With Sarana Miller
Winter solstice is a time to reflect — to cultivate vitality and nurture ourselves. The dark days of winter are an opportune time to slow down and make space for self-care. This winter solstice yoga retreat will focus on cultivating inner awareness. By practicing in community, we build inner vitality and brightness to return home […]
Soul Motion®: Tenderness at the Heart of the Dance
With Scott Engler and Zuza Engler
Soul is flow. It’s an ever-changing play of sensations and feelings. It’s how the deathless presence meets and moves our finite human body. In this workshop, we will reclaim the body-in-motion as a doorway to the life unfolding just under the surface of everyday forgetting. A formless dance form, Soul Motion® allows for passionate, full-bodied […]
Releasing into Presence: A Meditation, Mantra, Music and Movement Retreat
With Chandra Easton
Bring in the New Year with a rejuvenating week filled with meditation, yoga, hot springs, and the time and space to release the old and welcome the new. We’ll slow down and experience the benefits meditation, gentle yoga, and music offer the body, mind, and soul. Buddhist teacher and author Lopön Chandra will share expert […]