Mindful Improv: Presence, Play and the Joy of Being Here

Mindful Improv: Presence, Play and the Joy of Being Here is a weekend mindfulness and improv workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by Buddhist teacher Nikki Mirghafori. It is for anyone curious about meditation, play and spontaneity, and no improv experience is needed. The weekend brings the liveliness of improvisational theater together with the steadiness of mindfulness practice, and treats the two as closer than they first appear.

What to Expect

Improv is spontaneous, expressive and often funny. Mindfulness is quiet, attentive and still. Both ask for openness, curiosity and acceptance, and for the willingness to meet the moment as it is. Over the weekend you explore improv as a form of mindfulness that starts within and extends into connection with others. The tone is warm and light, with what Nikki calls "serious silliness."

Through simple improv games and mindfulness practices, you look at how you relate to yourself, to other people and to what is unfolding right now. You will be invited to:

- Practice guided meditation to cultivate embodiment, steadiness and ease.
- Play accessible improv games that support spontaneity, listening and creative connection.
- Explore judgments about yourself and others with kindness, humor and curiosity.
- Notice the roles, habits and identities you carry, and experiment with holding them more lightly.
- Reflect on your own and in community on how these practices can bring flexibility and ease into daily life.

The aim is practical: ways to take mindfulness off the cushion and into a more responsive relationship with yourself and others.

The weekend begins on Friday. At 5:00 pm there is a "How to Drop Into Esalen" orientation, and the workshop opens at 7:15 pm, running until 9:30 pm. Saturday has a morning session from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm, a lunch break, and an afternoon session from 3:00 pm to 6:15 pm, with dinner and the evening free. On Sunday the final session runs from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, lunch is available, and guests depart by 2:00 pm.

About Nikki Mirghafori

Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and an AI scientist. She teaches internationally and is a stewarding teacher and a member of the board of directors at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits on the Big Sur coast and has long been a place for workshops in mindfulness, creativity and body-centered practice. Workshop guests can stay on-site or off-site, and the on-site rooms range from shared sleeping-bag space and bunk beds to private rooms, premium rooms with ocean or forest views, yurts and suites. Day passes are also available.

Meals are part of an on-site stay: breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with coffee, tea and snacks. Guests have access to the hot springs, other campus facilities and the classes on Esalen's Open Schedule, which are offered first come, first served.

Getting to northern Big Sur has depended on Highway 1. At the time of the page, access ran through twice-daily convoys operated by Caltrans, at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm, so it is worth checking current travel conditions and planning your arrival and departure around them.

Before You Go

No prior improv or advanced mindfulness experience is needed. The workshop fee covers instruction, housing for on-site guests, meals, coffee, tea and snacks, hot springs access and Open Schedule classes. Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen Massage, specialty coffee and tea, alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are extra. A scholarship application is available for those who need one.