Moving Men: An Embodied Inquiry

In a time when many men are questioning the inherited roles, social pressures, and stories that have shaped what it means to be a man, this workshop is an invitation to courageously explore masculinity. Through movement, honest self-reflection, and the profound learning that becomes possible when men gather, we’ll uncover challenges, witness one another’s vulnerability, and discover new ways of belonging, relating, and being.

Held within the healing container of Esalen Institute, this five-day immersive workshop offers a powerful space to return to the body, reconnect with inner truth, and explore more conscious, relational ways of inhabiting masculinity. Through the moving meditation practice of 5Rhythms®, guided somatic inquiry, live and DJd music, and shared witnessing, we’ll generate the conditions for honest self-discovery, deep connection, and the kind of embodied leadership the world is calling for now.

This is not about fixing men or prescribing a singular model of manhood. Rather, it is an opportunity to investigate the many ways masculinity is lived, inherited, defended, softened, and transformed. Together, we’ll explore how agency, accountability, tenderness, courage, grief, power, and presence live in the body, and how conscious movement can open new pathways toward choice, responsiveness, and relational integrity.

As the week unfolds, participants are invited to:

• Explore their relationship to masculinity through movement and breath.
• Develop somatic resources for resilience, regulation, and emotional range.
• Investigate vulnerability as a source of strength and relational trust.
• Deepen accountability, self-awareness, and integrity in leadership.
• Honor the diversity of lived male experience across generations, identities, and personal histories.
• Experience the restorative support that emerges through collective presence and compassionate witnessing.

Rooted in trauma-informed principles, the workshop emphasizes agency, consent, personal choice, and respect for boundaries. It welcomes men of all backgrounds and movement experience. What is asked is simple, though not always easy: a willingness to arrive, listen deeply, move honestly, and meet yourself and one another with courage.

Together, we’ll discover what becomes possible when men move beyond performance and into presence, beyond separation into authentic connection.

This workshop includes an additional $100 of faculty tuition.