Into the Field of Possibility: Ritual and Dance to Set Your Year Free

Into the Field of Possibility is an ecstatic dance and ritual weekend at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, led by conscious dance teacher Jovinna Chan. It is made for people who want to close one year and open the next with their bodies rather than only their thoughts: those drawn to conscious dance, sound healing, and a few days of quiet, shared ceremony on the coast.

Dance is one of the oldest ritual forms we have, from the whirling dervishes and shamans to the waltz and the rave. This weekend draws on that lineage, using movement, time in nature, and sound healing to help you gain clarity about the year behind you and set intentions for the one ahead.

What to Expect

The weekend begins on Friday evening with the "How to Drop Into Esalen" orientation, followed by dinner and an opening ritual and movement practice in the evening, along with a community welcome. Saturday is the fullest day. A morning session of movement, ritual, and sound healing runs until early afternoon, and the late afternoon brings continued practice and deepening. The middle of the day is free, or you can drop into Esalen's open classes. Saturday evening offers a ritual, sound bath, or closing circle. On Sunday morning a final session of integration and a closing ceremony ends around noon, with lunch before departure by 2:00 pm.

Across the weekend you will give thanks to the new cycle of the year, call in blessings for the land, your communities, families, and friends, and sweat in order to "cleanse from our core through our pores." Movement practices are grounded in shamanic and Sufi traditions. You will also listen to what the body knows about the direction you want to take, both on your own and together. Evenings are communal, with collective intention-setting, and there is room for journaling and embodied inquiry.

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. Her work combines movement, spiritual inquiry, nature, and sound healing, and she leads programs around the world.

The Setting

Esalen sits on the Big Sur coast, and the workshop invites you to be nourished by the land and by the hot spring waters, which are open to workshop guests along with the rest of the campus. Lodging is on site, and the options range from shared sleeping bag space and bunk rooms to shared and private rooms with their own bathrooms, including queen-bed rooms overlooking the campus and garden. Rates vary by room. You can also attend with off-site lodging or with a day pass.

Meals are included: breakfast from 8:30 to 9:45 am, lunch from 12:30 to 1:45 pm, and dinner from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Coffee, tea, and snacks are available through the day. Vegetarian and vegan options are offered, and other dietary restrictions can be accommodated with advance notice.

Access to Big Sur is by Highway 1, where Caltrans has run travel convoys into and out of northern Big Sur at 7:00 am and 5:00 pm daily. Check the current advisory and plan your arrival and departure around it.

Before You Go

Bring a journal, a pen, and a piece of festive clothing. The workshop includes sessions on Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, as well as lodging, meals, hot springs access, and the open-schedule classes. Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen massage, specialty coffee and tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are extra. A scholarship application is available for those who need it.