Finding Lila Through Yoga and Divine Play

Finding Lila Through Yoga and Divine Play is a five-day yoga retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by Jet Eveleth and Alex Halenda. It draws on the Hindu idea of Lila, "divine play," and pairs yoga, breathwork and Yoga Nidra with movement games and ritual. It suits anyone curious about letting practice be lighter, more playful and less about performance, whatever their experience.

What to Expect

The retreat starts from a simple question: what if experience were an invitation to play, grow and learn rather than a serious task? Lila suggests that creation is a spontaneous, joyful expression, and the days are shaped to help you move between the ordinary and the sacredness of the present moment.

Each morning begins with yoga and breathwork, designed to release stress, physical patterns and common discomforts, and to help you reach a sense of peace and resilience. From there you are guided through exercises that build body awareness, followed by physical games and rituals that draw on the child within. There is no pressure to perform. The invitation is to get lost and found inside yourself, step past your comfort zone, and play in the moment.

Each day closes with Yoga Nidra and meditation, a time to absorb what has happened, make sense of it and find connection with the group.

The week opens on Monday with a session called How to Drop into Esalen in the late afternoon, then a workshop welcome and opening circle in the evening. Tuesday through Thursday follow a steady rhythm: morning yoga and breathwork, a workshop session from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, an afternoon break with optional open classes, and a late-afternoon session of body awareness, ritual, movement and group play. Friday has a final workshop session from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, Yoga Nidra and a closing meditation, with departure after lunch.

About Jet Eveleth

Jet Eveleth is a clown teacher, a doctor of integrative medicine and a professor of Taoist medicine. She performed as a clown in the cirque show Absinthe, was a professor of comedy studies at Columbia College, and created Clown Church.

About Alex Halenda

Alex Halenda is a yoga teacher (E-RYT 200) with 16 years of teaching and more than 10,000 hours of experience. She is known for encouraging students to bring both serious contemplation and playful curiosity to practice, so that they make intuitive improvements in daily life. Her soothing voice and grounding words have helped many students find calm.

The Setting

Esalen Institute sits on the Big Sur coast, a place long associated with openness and exploration. Your stay includes housing on campus, three meals a day, coffee, tea and snacks, and access to the hot springs and other campus features. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available. Rooms range from shared sleeping-bag space and bunk rooms to private rooms with queen or king beds, some with ocean or forest views. Off-site and day-pass options also exist.

Access to Big Sur has at times depended on Highway 1 conditions, including scheduled convoys at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., so check current travel advisories before you plan your arrival and departure.

Before You Go

The workshop is physical but open to all levels and diverse bodies, and practices are adapted to support you. Come without preparation. Recommended reading includes Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle, Animal Joy by Nuar Alsadir, and The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey.

Healing Arts sessions such as massage, specialty coffee, tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Classes on Esalen's open schedule are included during your stay.