Rasa Heart Warrior: Embodiment and Reset for Men

Rasa Heart Warrior: Embodiment and Reset for Men is a weekend men's workshop at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by Masood Ali Khan. It brings together movement, breath, rhythm and voice to help men return to the body and build honest community with other men. It is designed as a space of sacred brotherhood for participants who identify as male, and it suits men who feel tense in the body, stuck in their heads, or short on places to connect openly.

What to Expect

The weekend is built around five threads. Rasa Yoga and Foundation Training work with functional movement to rebuild a strong, resilient back, so the strength carries home. Breathwork, meditation, live drumming, free movement, vocalizing, song and mantra shift energy and open the senses.

In paired dyads using sentence stems, you practice shadow tracking: listening first to understand, then responding with appreciation and gratitude. The aim is to notice old reactions that keep repeating when no one names them. Through movement and reflection you also embody five archetypes, the Warrior, Lover, Magician, Sovereign and Alchemist, widening the roles available to you. Men's council, conscious conversation and shared rhythm round out the time together.

The schedule opens on Friday at 5:00 pm with the How to Drop into Esalen orientation, followed at 7:15 pm by the opening session, Arrival and Opening. Saturday begins with a morning session at 9:30 am, leaves the afternoon free for a break and time on campus, and returns at 3:00 pm for the Core Practice session. Sunday has a final session at 10:00 am and closes at 12:00 pm with Integration and Closing.

About Masood Ali Khan

Masood Ali Khan is a shadow work guide who is completing the professional apprenticeship with Robert Augustus Masters. He is a Rasa Yoga teacher, trained with Rasa founder Sianna Sherman, as well as a meditation instructor, a recording artist and a father. He leads Rasa Heart Warrior men's groups both live and online.

He is also a musician of prayer, known as a pioneer of singing sacred mantras with the hang, or hand pan. Born in London to Indian and Muslim parents, he has practiced yoga for over 25 years. His albums include The Yoga Sessions, The Yoga Sessions: Hang With Angels and Mantra Grooves, and he approaches music as medicine and prayer. He also studied acupuncture and homeopathy at the Open International University of Complementary Medicine in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Setting

Esalen sits on the Big Sur coast, and the workshop can be taken with an on-site stay or an off-site stay, or as an individual day pass. On-site lodging ranges from a sleeping bag space in a shared room and bunk beds to standard and premium rooms, yurts and private suites, some with ocean or forest views. Three meals a day are included with a stay, along with coffee, tea and snacks.

Access to Highway 1 in northern Big Sur has at times been limited to Caltrans-operated convoys at set morning and evening hours, so check the current travel advisory and plan your arrival and departure accordingly.

Before You Go

The workshop is open to participants who identify as male, and no prior experience is listed as required. Recommended reading is Bringing Your Shadow Out of the Dark and To Be A Man by Robert Augustus Masters.

A stay includes the workshop, housing, all meals, coffee, tea and snacks, access to the hot springs and other campus features, and the open class schedule. Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen Massage, specialty coffee, tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are extra. A scholarship application is available for those who need one.