Self-Guided Explorations Week of December 14–18, 2026

There is a kind of rest that only arrives when no one is telling you what to do next. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA is a wellness retreat built around that idea: a week of open days on the coast, shaped by your own intuition and curiosity rather than a fixed curriculum.

Over five days in mid-December, you move between open classes, quiet time, and the company of a small cohort. Yoga and breathwork can open a morning. An afternoon might hold journaling, creative work, or a book by the hot springs. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the offering, adding sound and music to a week that values spaciousness over intensity.

If you are weighing whether to come, this retreat suits the person who wants to reconnect with themselves, their dreams, and their desires, and who would rather choose gently than follow a schedule. You can engage fully, or step back and do much less. Both are welcome here.

What to Expect

The week is bookended by an opening circle and a closing circle with your cohort. Between them, the days are yours to arrange.

- Daily open classes led by Teachers in Residence, which may include yoga and dance-based movement, journaling sessions, and breathwork.
- Other possibilities include meditation, conscious dance, creative arts, presentations by guest faculty, and a long soak under the stars.
- Healing arts such as Esalen Massage and holistic services are available with compassionate practitioners, booked separately.
- Quiet time for solitude, writing, and simply enjoying the land.

The atmosphere is supportive and unhurried. People come to awaken dormant passions, heal past wounds, or remember the joy of being alive, and they tend to leave having reset, refreshed, and recalibrated in whatever way they needed.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician offering as part of this week at Esalen. Sam's presence brings music into the mix of open offerings, supporting the retreat's emphasis on embodiment, joy, and mindfulness.

Micha Merrick is a musician offering as part of this week at Esalen. Micha's work adds another musical voice to a program where participants are free to engage or step back as their inner wisdom directs.

Daily open classes are guided by Teachers in Residence, who lead a variety of activities designed to encourage joy and mindfulness.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. The registration includes housing accommodations, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, coffee, tea, and snacks, access to the hot springs and other campus features, and classes on the open schedule. Healing arts sessions, specialty coffee and tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Self-guided participants have access to open classes but not to preregistered workshops.

Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass. Scholarships are available through Esalen. Highway 1 travel conditions around Big Sur can change, so review Esalen's current travel advisory before you plan your journey.