Yoga Gathering: Ritual and Rhythm

In a long-held tradition, we meet together at Esalen, beneath the summer solstice sun.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to make stand). It evokes a pause: a sense of standing still for a moment in the midst of the fire and going quiet — even as our molecules vibrate and dance faster in the midsummer heat.

Move and go still. Celebrate the fire (agni) and honor the cycles of nature, which means that, for all its heat, the fire is brief. Observe the longest of days and remember that the season is short. Stand at the threshold of these apparent opposites, and witness how the natural world holds them both — in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The entire Esalen property will become one cohort exploring a playground for the senses. You’ll explore a wild diversity of expression and natural rhythms, including vibrant and Bhakti-filled yoga practices with Janet Stone, acro vinyasa with Yoga Beyond, rhythmic soundscapes by DJ Drez and Benny Holloway, hands-on community art projects with Lara Zilibowitz, and more. Alongside all that movement and play, we will have a space set up for chilling, connecting, restoring, and going still. We’ll create a different kind of playground — this one for the internal senses.

Come dance, sit, and wonder with us as we honor the naturalness of transition, the outward and inward, and the waxing and waning of this precious life. Please bring a yoga mat.

Notes: Photographers and videographers will be documenting this event. The gathering can be used for 30 hours toward Janet’s 300-, 500- and 1008-hour training programs.

($140 additional tuition will be added to the workshop cost)