Self-Guided Explorations Week of February 22-26, 2027

There is a rare kind of retreat that asks very little of you except to listen. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, is built around that invitation: five days on the edge of the Pacific where the days are yours to shape, and the landscape itself becomes a teacher. It is a retreat for anyone who wants to reconnect with their own dreams and desires, awaken dormant passions, heal old wounds, or simply remember the joy of being alive.

The week is bookended by an opening and closing circle with your cohort, and what lies between is a menu of options rather than a prescribed curriculum. You might deepen a yoga practice, explore breathwork and meditation, enjoy conscious dance, immerse yourself in the creative arts, or take a long soak under the stars. You might also do much less. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are listed among the teachers for this week, and their presence adds a musical thread to a retreat otherwise guided by your own intuition and curiosity.

If you are deciding whether this is the right retreat, consider the question it poses: what do you actually need right now? Here, trusting your own answer is the practice.

What to Expect

The arc of the week is simple by design. You arrive, gather with your cohort in the opening circle, and then move through the days according to your own rhythm. Daily open classes are led by Teachers in Residence, who may offer yoga and dance-based movement, journaling sessions, breathwork, and other practices meant to encourage joy and mindfulness.

Beyond classes, you can cultivate vitality through embodiment practice and writing, through solitude, or through quiet enjoyment of the land. Attend presentations by guest faculty, or add Esalen Massage or holistic healing services offered by compassionate practitioners (these are booked separately). The week closes with a final circle with your cohort.

Participants leave with a clearer sense of what nourishes them and the confidence to trust it.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician listed among the teachers for this Self-Guided Explorations week. Music has a natural home in a retreat built around embodiment, presence, and deep listening, and Sam's involvement brings that quality to the week. Specific offerings and schedule details are best confirmed with Esalen.

Micha Merrick is also a musician listed among the teachers for this week. Alongside the Teachers in Residence who lead the daily open classes, Micha is part of the faculty shaping the atmosphere of the retreat. Specific offerings and schedule details are best confirmed with Esalen.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place in person at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. The registration includes housing accommodations, breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee, tea and snacks, access to the hot springs and other campus features, and classes on the Open Schedule. Healing Arts sessions such as Esalen Massage or holistic services, specialty coffee, tea or alcohol purchases from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Self-Guided Explorations participants have access to open classes but not to preregistered workshops.

Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass. Scholarships are available through an application on Esalen's site. Highway 1 has had road closures and a travel advisory affecting access to Big Sur, so please review Esalen's current travel advisory before planning your journey.