Love Your Body Now: A Therapeutic Yoga Approach to Joyous, Full-Body Awareness as We Age

What if aging weren't something to resist, but an invitation to deeper presence, strength, and joy in your body? Love Your Body Now is a five-day therapeutic yoga retreat designed for anyone seeking to transform their relationship with their changing body. Held at the legendary Esalen Institute perched on the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur, California, this September 2026 workshop offers a rare opportunity to explore embodied practice through a lens of wisdom, compassion, and real anatomical intelligence.

Led by respected yoga therapist and qigong guide Tracy Lease, this retreat weaves together therapeutic yoga, qigong, breathwork, and meditation into a cohesive journey of self-discovery. Rather than following prescriptive sequences, you'll learn to listen from the inside out—attending to alignment, energy flow, and what your unique body actually needs. This is yoga for the whole self: for building functional strength and healthy postural habits, for cultivating ease in joints and tissues, and for honoring the accumulated wisdom of your lived experience.

The Esalen setting—surrounded by redwoods, ocean, and contemplative silence—creates the perfect container for this work. Whether you're navigating the physical shifts of midlife and beyond, recovering from injury, or simply ready to age with grace and vitality, this workshop meets you where you are.

What to Expect

Your week unfolds as a rhythmic balance of inquiry and restoration. Active sessions build core strength and postural awareness through therapeutic movement, while deeply restorative practices—including restorative yoga accompanied by the resonance of singing bowls—invite your nervous system to settle and heal. Breathwork and meditation sessions cultivate equanimity, loving-kindness, and compassion, both for yourself and others navigating similar terrain.

You'll engage in collective inquiry: What does it mean to inhabit a changing body? How can we celebrate our bodies as vessels of strength and wisdom rather than sources of disappointment? Tracy's guidance helps you access the intelligence within your own practice, building confidence in your ability to move, age, and thrive with intention.

By the week's end, you'll carry home practical tools, renewed embodied awareness, and a deeper sense of peace with your body as it is today.

Venue & Logistics

This retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, September 7–11, 2026. Wear comfortable clothing suitable for movement and cool coastal weather. The Esalen grounds include hot springs, meditation spaces, and ocean-view accommodations. For accessibility questions, contact the venue directly.