Self-Guided Explorations Week of February 8-12, 2027

There is a place on the Big Sur coast where the only schedule is the one you write for yourself. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute is a retreat built around choice: a few days to return to your own intuition, your own pace, and the quiet question of what you actually need right now.

Held in person at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, this five-day retreat is for anyone who wants to reset, refresh, and recalibrate without a fixed itinerary. You might come to awaken a dormant passion, tend an old wound, or simply remember the joy of being alive. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the featured lineup, and the land itself, with its ocean cliffs, open sky, and hot springs, becomes part of the medicine.

The invitation is "to choose not to choose." Opening and closing circles with your cohort bookend the week, and between them you decide how to spend your time: deepening a yoga practice, exploring breathwork and meditation, moving in conscious dance, writing, resting, or doing very little at all.

What to Expect

The week opens with a circle that gathers your cohort, and it closes the same way. Between those circles, the days are open. Each person shapes their own rhythm according to intuition and curiosity.

Options on the open schedule may include:

- Yoga and dance-based movement
- Breathwork and meditation
- Journaling sessions
- Creative arts
- Presentations by guest faculty
- Quiet time on the land
- Soaks in the hot springs, including under the stars

Teachers in Residence lead the daily open classes, offering practices designed to encourage joy and mindfulness. If you want more support, Esalen Massage and a selection of holistic healing services are available from compassionate practitioners, though these are not included in the program price.

Participants can expect an environment that is supportive and nurturing, with embodiment practice, writing, and solitude all on the menu. What you take home is shaped by what you choose: renewed vitality, a clearer connection to your dreams and desires, or simply a deeper sense of rest.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician featured in the lineup for this Self-Guided Explorations retreat. Music is a natural companion to a week devoted to listening inward, and his presence adds to the sensory landscape of the program.

Micha Merrick is also a musician featured in the lineup. Together with the Teachers in Residence and guest faculty, Micha contributes to the creative and contemplative atmosphere of the week.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. The program 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 such as Esalen Massage, specialty coffee, 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 on-site stay, a workshop with off-site stay, and individual day passes, and scholarships are available by application. Highway 1 conditions around Big Sur can change, so please review Esalen's current travel advisory before planning your journey.