Self-Guided Explorations Week of March 15–19, 2027

Some retreats hand you a schedule. This one hands you a question: what do you want to do with the days ahead of you? Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA is a retreat for anyone who wants room to reconnect with themselves, their desires, and their sense of aliveness, without a prescribed curriculum telling them where to look.

Five days on California's Big Sur coast are held by an opening and closing circle with your cohort. Between them, the path is yours. You might deepen a yoga practice, explore breathwork and meditation, move in conscious dance, write, or attend presentations by guest faculty. You might also take a long soak in the natural hot springs under the stars, or simply rest on the land. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the offering, adding sound to a week shaped by intuition and curiosity.

Grounded in Esalen's ethos of human potential, this retreat honors both structure and freedom, both solitude and community. If you are awakening dormant passions, tending old wounds, or remembering the joy of being alive, the week offers a supportive place to do it at your own pace.

What to Expect

The week begins and ends in circle, so you arrive among a cohort and leave having been witnessed. In between, you choose, or choose not to choose.

- Movement and practice: yoga, breathwork, meditation, and conscious dance
- Creative expression: writing and other creative arts
- Learning: presentations by guest faculty
- Healing: Esalen Massage and holistic healing services from compassionate practitioners, available as add-ons
- Rest: solitude, quiet time on the land, and soaks in the hot springs

Teachers at Esalen are described as seasoned, credentialed facilitators with backgrounds in psychology, mindfulness, somatics, creative arts, and holistic healing. Participants leave with a sense of vitality and a reset, refreshed, and recalibrated relationship with themselves, shaped by what they chose rather than what was assigned.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician joining this Self-Guided Explorations week. Music has a natural place in a retreat built on presence and embodiment, and his involvement adds a sonic thread to the days at Esalen. No further biographical details were provided by the organizer.

Micha Merrick is a musician also part of the week's offering. Alongside the movement, contemplative, and creative options, Micha's presence supports the retreat's invitation to follow what feels alive in the moment. No further biographical details were provided by the organizer.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. The registration includes housing, 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 guests can join open classes but not preregistered workshops.

Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass, and scholarships are available through Esalen. Highway 1 access around Big Sur has been affected by road closures and travel advisories, so check Esalen's current travel advisory before planning your journey.