Into the Field of Possibility: Meeting Your Essence Through Dance

Into the Field of Possibility is a five-day ecstatic dance and conscious dance retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by Jovinna Chan, E-RYT 500, YACEP. It brings movement, time in nature, and sound healing together for people who want to loosen fear and self-judgment, reconnect with the body, and dance with others in a supportive group.

Dance is one of the oldest ritual forms people have, from the whirling dervish and shamanic practice to the waltz and the rave. This retreat draws on that wide lineage, trusting the body's wisdom over the thinking brain.

What to Expect

The week is an invitation to awaken the forgotten wild, ignite creativity, and dance toward wholeness. Through movement, nature, and sound healing, participants reconnect body and mind, work through feelings and emotions, and open to the wisdom of the heart. The wider aim is a bigger perspective on our spiritual and human interconnectedness.

The practices are oriented toward helping you:

- Release fear, inhibition, and judgment
- Trust your body's innate wisdom to guide you
- Revive a sluggish nervous system
- Clear energetic blockages
- Step into your uniqueness and self-expression with confidence

The days follow a steady rhythm. Campus access opens at 2:00 pm on arrival day. An orientation called How to Drop Into Esalen runs from 5:00 to 6:00 pm, and the first workshop session follows from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. On the next days there is a morning workshop session from 9:45 am to 1:00 pm and an afternoon session from 4:00 to 6:30 pm. The fourth day adds an evening session from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. The final morning has a closing session from 9:45 am to 12:00 pm. Rooms are cleared by 10:00 am, lunch is served until 1:45 pm, and the grounds stay open until 2:00 pm.

About Jovinna Chan

Jovinna Chan, E-RYT 500, YACEP, is a personal transformational facilitator, yoga teacher trainer, conscious dance teacher, and performing artist. She is a certified Soul Motion and LetYourYogaDance teacher, and co-founder of Shakti Initiation Yoga Leadership School, A Wild Life Sanctuary, and Pranotthan School of Yoga. Combining movement, spiritual inquiry, nature, and sound healing, she leads programs around the world.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits on the Big Sur coast, and the retreat invites you to be nourished by the land, the hot spring waters, and the people you meet there. Registered guests have access to the hot springs, other campus features, and classes on Esalen's open schedule.

Lodging ranges from gender-inclusive sleeping bag space on a shared floor, where guests bring their own bedding, to bunk rooms, shared and private standard rooms, and premium rooms with ocean or forest views and private outdoor areas. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served, along with coffee, tea, and snacks.

Before You Go

The on-site stay includes workshop tuition, housing, all meals, coffee, tea and snacks, hot springs access, and open-schedule classes. An additional faculty tuition is listed separately. Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen Massage, specialty coffee and tea, alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are extra. You can also attend with an individual day pass or stay off-site, and a scholarship application is available.