Giving Thanks: A Yoga Retreat

Imagine spending Thanksgiving week in one of California's most sacred natural settings, surrounded by redwoods and ocean cliffs, learning to recognize the abundance already woven through your life. Giving Thanks: A Yoga Retreat at Esalen Institute invites you into a transformative exploration of gratitude—not as a surface practice, but as a deepening inquiry into sufficiency, presence, and your connection to the living world.

Led by Janet Stone, a dedicated yoga teacher with three decades of practice (since 1996), this retreat moves beyond the cultural narrative of scarcity and into a felt experience of wholeness. Set against Big Sur's dramatic coastline during Thanksgiving week, the retreat honors both the land itself and the Esselen people, the indigenous stewards of this territory. Whether you arrive seeking a deeper relationship with gratitude, a reprieve from the hustle of the season, or a structured opportunity to attune to your own life force, this retreat offers all three. You'll leave with both practical tools and a genuine shift in how you perceive and extend generosity into the world.

What to Expect

Each day unfolds as a carefully sequenced journey through asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, journaling, and yoga nidra (guided deep relaxation). The arc builds intentionally: mornings anchor you in movement and breath; afternoons deepen through reflection and writing; evenings settle into meditative states that open the door to integration and rest.

Janet Stone's teaching draws on nearly 35 years of yoga practice, creating a safe container for both seasoned practitioners and those new to the mat. The retreat's underlying inquiry—What is already present in my life worth honoring?—weaves through every practice. By week's end, participants report a tangible shift: clearer perception, a quieter nervous system, and the embodied capacity to recognize and share gratitude. The natural setting amplifies this work; the land itself becomes a teacher, reminding you of the intelligence and generosity alive in every breath.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California—a legendary sanctuary for contemplative practice set on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. The retreat runs during Thanksgiving week (November 23, 2026). Bring comfortable yoga clothes, a journal, layers for Big Sur's variable coastal weather, and an open heart. If you have specific accessibility needs, contact the organizers directly to ensure the retreat can serve you fully.