Self-Guided Explorations Week of March 1–5, 2027

There is a particular kind of rest that only arrives when no one is telling you what to do next. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute in Big Sur offers five days built around that idea: a retreat where the schedule is yours to shape, and where the cliffs, the ocean air and the hot springs do some of the teaching.

Rather than following a set curriculum, you move at your own pace. You might deepen a yoga practice, sit with breathwork and meditation, try conscious dance, write, make art, or spend a long afternoon in solitude on the land. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the program's lineup, adding their work to a week that invites listening, inward and outward.

If you are drawn to a retreat that trusts your intuition, this one is shaped around that trust. It reflects Esalen's founding spirit of exploration and human potential, and it speaks to anyone who wants to reconnect with their dreams, their desires and the simple joy of being alive.

What to Expect

The week begins and ends with circles among your cohort, which gives a gentle frame to an otherwise open experience. In between, the choices are yours:

- Open classes on the Esalen schedule, such as yoga, breathwork, meditation, conscious dance, and creative arts
- Presentations by guest faculty
- Time in the hot springs, including a long soak under the stars
- Quiet hours of rest, reflection, or writing
- Optional Esalen® Massage and holistic healing sessions with compassionate practitioners

Esalen describes its teachers as seasoned, credentialed facilitators with backgrounds in psychology, mindfulness, somatics, creative arts, and holistic healing. They offer a supportive framework without directing your path. You may do a great deal, or very little. Many seekers come to awaken dormant passions, to heal past wounds, or to reset, refresh, and recalibrate through embodiment practice, writing, and time on the land.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is listed as a musician for this retreat. Sound and music can deepen the sense of presence a self-guided week invites. Further details about Sam's work were not provided by the organizer.

Micha Merrick is also listed as a musician for this retreat. Micha's presence adds to the creative and contemplative texture of the week. Further details about Micha's work were not provided by the organizer.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. 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 or holistic services, specialty coffee and tea, bar purchases, and bookstore purchases are extra.

Participants have access to open classes, but not to 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 travel advisories and road closures have affected access to Esalen, so please review Esalen's current travel advisory before planning your journey.