Awake in the Wild: Awareness in Nature as a Path of Belonging

Imagine sitting in stillness as the Pacific crashes against ancient cliffs, the wind carries salt and earth-song through your body, and the boundary between "you" and "nature" begins to dissolve. This three-day meditation retreat invites you into a radical shift: from practicing mindfulness in nature to practicing with nature—where land, sky, and water become your teachers. Held at the legendary Esalen Institute perched on Big Sur's dramatic coastline, Awake in the Wild explores mindfulness as a relational practice rooted not in your individual mind, but in the living world itself.

Led by renowned Buddhist teacher Mark Coleman and mindfulness practitioner Lori Schwanbeck, this retreat guides you beyond intellectual understanding into embodied belonging. Through guided outdoor meditation, nature attunement practices, and contemplative inquiry, you'll learn to slow your attention enough to truly listen—to the elements, to your body's subtle teachings, to the earth's rhythms. Rather than remaining a separate observer gazing at nature, you'll investigate what becomes possible when awareness opens to recognize you as part of a living web, a participant in the unfolding mystery of existence itself.

This is a retreat for spiritual seekers, meditation practitioners, and anyone yearning to deepen their sense of belonging—to the earth, to themselves, and to all beings. Whether you're a seasoned meditator or new to contemplative practice, the Big Sur landscape and skilled facilitation create the conditions for genuine transformation.

What to Expect

Over three days, you'll move through a carefully woven tapestry of practices designed to cultivate receptive awareness and deep listening. Mornings begin with guided meditation outdoors, where the natural elements become your practice ground. Throughout the day, nature attunement practices invite you to slow down and sense the subtle teachings available through wind, water, light, and stone. Group inquiry sessions create space to integrate insights and explore together what it means to practice with—rather than in—nature.

The retreat atmosphere is contemplative and unhurried, honoring silence alongside dialogue. You'll leave with concrete practices to continue at home, a renewed sense of kinship with the natural world, and a felt understanding of your place within the larger web of life—not as separate observer, but as active participant in earth's unfolding.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, one of North America's most stunning coastal settings. The program runs Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20, 2026. Wear comfortable, layered clothing suitable for outdoor meditation in variable coastal weather; bring any personal meditation cushions if desired. Esalen provides meals and accommodations on-site. The rugged beauty of Big Sur is accessible to most fitness levels; please contact the organizers if you have specific accessibility needs.