Mindfulness, Metabolism, and Mitochondria: Improve Your Vitality, Nutrition, and Metabolic Control

This wellness retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, brings together mindfulness, metabolic science and mindful eating over a weekend led by Elissa Epel and Robert Lustig. It is for anyone curious about metabolic health, managing chronic stress, or looking for a more conscious relationship with food and the body, without rigid rules or complex diets.

Elissa Epel, PhD, and Robert H. Lustig, M.D., are joined by mindfulness-based registered dietitian and nutritionist Andrea Lieberstein and movement teacher Nichol Chase.

What to Expect

The weekend weaves current research on metabolic health with experiential practice. Drawing on decades of research and on evidence-informed practices from clinical trials, the faculty look at how to build insulin sensitivity, a foundation of metabolic health and a key factor in healthy aging. The emphasis is on core principles of nutrition and metabolic function, so that the choices you make can fit your own needs and abilities and be sustained.

Themes include:

- How stress shapes eating behavior, and how insider knowledge of the food industry and self-compassion can ease shame and food stigma.
- How micronutrients, macronutrients, eating patterns and timing affect glucose regulation, mitochondrial function, cellular aging and mental health.
- How mindful eating, yoga nidra, breathwork and exercise affect appetite regulation, insulin sensitivity and energy.
- How to use glucose monitors, stress monitors and time-restricted fasting wisely, including emerging research on biosensors that give real-time feedback.

The program begins on Friday with an orientation to Esalen in the late afternoon, followed by an evening opening with a faculty welcome and overview. Saturday has a morning session on stress, metabolism and cellular function, lunch with a mindful eating practice, an embodied movement session with afternoon teaching on glucose regulation, and an evening session that includes an optional guided mindful meal. Sunday closes with a final session, integration practices and a closing circle.

About Elissa Epel

Elissa Epel, PhD, is a professor at UCSF and director of its Aging, Metabolism, and Emotion Center. She is an international expert on stress, aging and obesity, with a particular focus on contemplative practices, including mindful eating for metabolic balance. She is coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Telomere Effect and author of The Stress Prescription, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a past president of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. She serves on scientific advisory committees for the National Institutes of Health and the Mind & Life Institute.

About Robert Lustig

Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L., is Emeritus Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology and a member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. He is the author of Fat Chance (2012), The Hacking of the American Mind (2017) and Metabolical (2021).

About Andrea Lieberstein

Andrea Lieberstein is a mindfulness-based dietitian nutritionist and founder of the Mindful Eating Training Institute. Her book Well Nourished was named one of the best mindfulness books of 2020 by Mindful Magazine. She is also a certified ecotherapist, a certified mindfulness meditation teacher and a Dharma practitioner, and she leads mindful eating retreats and trainings internationally. At Esalen she guides the mindful eating practices.

About Nichol Chase

Nichol Chase is a movement teacher who offers embodied movement sessions throughout the weekend.

The Setting

Esalen sits on the Big Sur coast. Lodging ranges from sleeping bag space and shared bunk rooms to private rooms, premium rooms with ocean or forest views, and wooden yurts with decks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served, with coffee, tea and snacks through the day. Day passes and off-site stays are also offered. Guests staying on campus can use the hot springs and other campus features, as well as the open class schedule.

Travel into and out of northern Big Sur has at times depended on Caltrans convoys on Highway 1, so check current road conditions before you plan your arrival.

Before You Go

This workshop is educational. It is not intended to treat eating disorders, will not focus on weight loss, and may not suit anyone currently experiencing a severe eating disorder. It is not medical advice, so consult your healthcare provider before making significant changes to your nutrition, movement or health practices.

Workshop instruction and materials, lodging and meals are included with the on-site stay. Esalen massage and other healing arts sessions, specialty drinks from the bar, alcohol and bookstore purchases are extra.