The Embodied Compass: Resilience Through Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and 5Rhythms

Imagine stepping off the edge of the world—literally, atop the cliffs of Big Sur—and discovering your body is home again. The Embodied Compass is a three-day immersion in 5Rhythms dance and trauma-informed mindfulness designed to rewire your nervous system and reclaim emotional resilience. Held September 19–21, 2026, at the legendary Esalen Institute, this retreat invites you into a relational container where dynamic movement meets somatic safety work. If you've felt disconnected from your body, numb to your emotions, or stuck in patterns of dysregulation, this event offers a pathway back to presence, agency, and depth.

Facilitated by Lucia Horan—a renowned 5Rhythms teacher trained directly by founder Gabrielle Roth—and David Treleaven, a trauma specialist and author, this program weaves together two powerful healing modalities. Rather than treating trauma recovery as purely intellectual work, you'll move, feel, and anchor yourself in real time. The retreat honors the truth that the body holds both our wounding and our healing capacity. Through grounded movement practice, external anchoring techniques, and consent-based exploration, you'll discover how reconnecting with your physical presence unlocks emotional capacity you thought was lost.

This is not a typical workshop where insights stay in the room. Every practice—from the five rhythms to mindfulness anchors—translates directly into tools you'll use in your daily life. By the retreat's end, you'll have concrete methods for nervous system regulation, self-compassion, and moving through difficult emotions with grace.

What to Expect

Over three days, you'll move through a carefully paced arc. Early sessions establish grounding and safety, teaching your nervous system that it's okay to be present in your body. From there, Lucia guides you through the 5Rhythms—flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical, and stillness—each rhythm revealing different dimensions of resilience and aliveness. David weaves in trauma-sensitive principles throughout: consent, pacing, choice, and the language of safety. The retreat balances dynamic dance with quiet mindfulness; collective movement with individual process. You'll leave with a personal toolkit: specific techniques for emotional regulation, a deeper understanding of how your body speaks, and the felt sense that you can return home to yourself, again and again.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, one of the world's most transformative retreat centers, perched above the Pacific Ocean. The September 19–21, 2026 dates span a three-day weekend. Wear comfortable, loose clothing suitable for both movement and stillness. Esalen's holistic accommodations and meals are included with registration. Please contact the organizers directly with accessibility questions or needs.