Wild Tao: Hiking and Qi Gong in Big Sur Wilderness

With Fletcher Tucker and Jim Gallas

October 9 - 13, 2023

Workshop Schedule

Monday
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm *How to Drop Into Esalen*
7:15 pm – 9:30 pm
Tuesday
7:30 am – 8:30 am (optional qigong)
9:30 am – 5:00 pm (Big Sur hiking)
Wednesday
7:30 am – 8:30 am (optional qigong)
9:30 am – 12:30 pm (Big Sur hiking)
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm (optional qigong)
Thursday
7:30 am – 8:30 am (optional qigong)
9:30 am – 5:00 pm (Big Sur hiking)
Friday
10:00 am – 12:00 pm

See general schedule information including arrival, departure and meal times.

  • Sleeping Bag Space – $990.00
  • Bunk Bed Space – $1,290.00
  • Standard Shared Space – $1,590.00
  • Standard Queen Room – $2,090.00
  • Standard Room Two Beds – $3,290.00
  • Premium Queen Room – $2,890.00
  • Premium King Room – $3,090.00
  • Premium Plus King Room – $3,490.00
  • Premium Wooden Yurt – $3,490.00
  • Premium Wooden Yurt Two Beds – $3,490.00
  • Price House Suite – $4,690.00
  • Rolf Suite – $6,590.00
  • Point House – $6,590.00
  • Fritz Point House – $6,590.00
  • South Point House – $8,090.00
Program is fully booked
Program is fully booked

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 the elements of nature. In this age, when so many of us feel disconnected and overwhelmed, wilderness remains a powerful healer and teacher, and qigong can bring us back to center. 

Join us to learn an accessible qigong form called wai dan gong (“easy Tao”) while immersing in the majestic landscape of Big Sur, the ancestral homeland of the Esselen tribe. We rise each morning to practice, harmonizing breath and movements with the flow of waves greeting Esalen’s cliffs. After breakfast, we set out on a wilderness hike to mindfully explore Big Sur’s enchanted redwoods, sun-steeped meadows, and mountains that rise from the sea. All along the trail, we explore qigong and Taoist philosophy as pathways for returning to a grounded, spacious, revitalized state of being — in harmony with nature, embodying Wild Tao.

Notes: 

  • Answers to frequently asked questions about the workshop can be found here
  • Various hiking abilities can be accommodated, bearing in mind that day hikes are between three to eight miles in length, with uneven and often steep terrain. If you have any questions about your ability to participate, please read the workshop FAQs.
  • A fee to cover parks permits and parking fees will be added to the workshop cost.

About the Leaders

Fletcher Tucker

Fletcher Tucker is a co-founder of Wildtender, an organization based in Big Sur that cultivates kinship with the natural world, and explores earth-based wisdom traditions. Fletcher is also a writer, multidisciplinary artist and musician whose work engages deeply with place. Email Me www.wildtender.com

Learn more about Fletcher Tucker

Jim Gallas

Jim Gallas has been teaching yoga and qigong with a sense of deepening silence and the lightness of laughter for over 30 years. He has had the great joy of teaching at Esalen since 1999.

Learn more about Jim Gallas

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